Meditation and Beyond
This meditation Meetup group is for (in order of importance):
The benefits of meditation (including Mindfulness) are very well established in people’s lives and through many scientific studies so I won’t repeat them here. (Just google meditation or Mindfulness benefits).
Although the Meetups will generally be held at the Appalachian Dharma Meditation Center (a Buddhist organization), it is very important to know that this is a Western, secular group. Although some of these meditations and techniques originally came from Buddhism, this group will not be a study of Buddhism per se. It is intended to help those who might be uncomfortable with Buddhism or religion but still want to learn meditation and the mental techniques. You will not be asked to believe anything or not to believe anything. It is open to anyone holding any religious faith. There will be no rituals, chanting, incense, positions, etc. The group will be more like those classes in the medical profession and in companies like Google, Apple, Deutsche Bank, Procter & Gamble, etc.
The Meetups can be taken at any level - from simple stress reduction, to techniques to improve the mind toward more tranquility and happiness, all the way to full Awakening (the change in perception often called Enlightenment, Liberation, Nirvana, etc.). How far you want to take it is entirely up to you.
There is no charge for these Meetups. There is usually a donation jar to help defray costs, etc. but none of this will go to me. It is a tradition that meditation instruction should be free.
Typical agenda:
We plan to have a Meetup every Friday night from 7-9 PM. The meetup will usually be at the:
Appalachian Dharma Meditation Center
108 W 10th Ave.
Johnson City, TN 37604
The center is in the basement of the offices of Harmony Dental (Rebecca Nunley, DDS):
Upon entering the outside door, go downstairs to the right. Since people sometimes sit on the floor to meditate, please put your shoes in the shoe racks provided after going downstairs. There will be meditation cushions and also chairs. (I use a chair).
Teacher - Russ Miles:
I am a retired software developer who originally learned basic meditation 45 years ago while attending college. I used meditation over the following years primarily for stress reduction. For the last 12 years I have been taking more advanced classes and intense week-long meditation retreats to take my practice beyond just stress reduction. Meditation and the techniques have been very beneficial to me and I would like to share them.