Change Your Mind Day 2005

Little Rock, Arkansas

Arkansas’ first Change Your Mind Day was held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Little Rock. The event opened with 108 bells and welcoming remarks by Ecumenical Buddhist Society President George Crook.

The practice portion began with instruction in chanting in the Kwan Um zen tradition. The audience chanted the Kwam Seul Bosam and learned about how chanting contributes to a sense of many people having one mind. The next practice was the Metta or Lovingkindness meditation in the Vipassana tradition. The Lovingkindness meditation, a powerful practice, definitely made an impression on the participants and was well received.

Two periods of sitting meditation called for a change so the next practice was walking meditation. Instruction was given in the Burmese style of walking meditation and the group quickly learned that mindfulness is essential to avoid falling over! Walking meditation was followed by a period of Rinzai Zen seated meditation and chanting.

The next practice was a period of yoga with an emphasis on opening the hips in preparation for seated meditation and using the asanas as a mindfulness practice. After the yoga practice was a Medicine Buddha practice in the Nyingma Tibetan tradition. The Medicine Buddha visualization practice was powerful as the audience explored their minds' ability to change and heal. The final practice was a drumming and chanting practice with audience participation.

The event closed with the 108 bells and much appreciation from all participants. We can’t wait to do it again next year!

The event was well attended with over 50 participants including leaders and members of the Ecumenical Buddhist Center and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The participants included seasoned meditators who wanted to spend the afternoon in meditation as well as seekers with no formal meditation experience who wished to learn more. Participants came from out of town and remarked that this type of activity was unavailable in rural Arkansas.