Buddhist meditation coming to the Beacon
Gary Pierson will be leading anyone interested in Buddhist meditation Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the Beacon of Hope beginning at 1 p.m. Meditation, he said, is an evolving process of learning to quiet the mind.
“The actual goal of meditation is the mind seeing the mind,” said Pierson, who has been a Buddhist for several years.
Becoming a calmer, happier soul is something many people can achieve through meditation, Pierson said.
One of life’s great misunderstandings, he explained, is in thinking life is all about ourselves. An epiphany for him came in the face of a season of grief in his life, when, he said, a voice came to him saying that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. After this experience, Pierson and his wife took several Buddhist initiations under their belt.
“Now I get to say I practice every single day for the rest of my life, as part of that initiation,” Pierson said.
According to Pierson, the three poisons of Buddhism are, attachment, aversion and ignorance. Now, he said he is in love with the world and that’s the way it should be.
The program at the Beacon will include a 15-minute meditation and a Chenrizig practice he will lead everyone through. The ultimate goal is to help people gain an understanding of the importance of regular meditation, in an effort to help them reach enlightenment.
The Beacon of Hope is at 5090 Doug Taylor Circle, St. James City. Call 239-283-5123 for additional information.
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC / pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com, please email