Adventures in Shady Bars and Meditation

Yesterday evening I had made plans with my friend to check out a Buddhist meditation center in the city. She had gotten free passes to one of their sessions, and we had both been wanting to try it out for awhile now, so this was a good opportunity. When we found the address we discovered that it was in a rather "colorful" area of the city, on the end of an eclectic strip mall that featured the Buddhist center, a Christian center, a laundromat, a convenience store and an extremely shady looking bar. No one was there yet since we were a solid hour early. In our typical style we decided that the only thing to do would be to kill time at the bar! Neither of us had ever set foot inside one that was quite so decrepit looking, but it was 6:00 pm on a Tuesday and it was practically deserted, so we felt safe enough. Inside were the typical VLT's and a couple of pool tables. The blinds were dusty and mangled, and there was a group of elderly men huddled near the bar. We grabbed a couple of beers and chatted for awhile. When 6:30 rolled around I got the abrupt urge to buy us shooters (I think it was my small-town bar roots showing.) I suggested sour puss, my friend said "how about porn stars? They have sour puss in them." So I went up to the bar to order. "Two porn stars please!" The man sitting at the bar smirked. As I waited for the waitress to pour the drinks an elderly man came up behind me and laid his hand over mine. Startled, I looked up. "Cold isn't it?" he asked, apparently having been outside. "Yes. Quite chilly." I answered, having no idea how else to react. He staggered away. I brought our shots to the table where we downed them and decided it was probably time to leave before we got to know the regulars better.

It was time for meditation! Both of us felt loosened up and ready for the new experience. The center is run solely by volunteers and relies on donations, and I was quite impressed by their dedication. There were three rows of chairs, some pillows at the front for those who preferred to sit on the floor, and a Buddhist altar featuring several different statues and numerous offerings of food and drink. Amusingly, there were chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies among the offerings. The ten or so other students were a mix of ages and types. 

Our teacher was a young blonde woman. She started the session off with a recorded prayer that is commonly chanted/ sang to commence Buddhist mediation. She then led us into about ten minutes of silent meditation where we were told to visualize breathing in pure white wisdom light, and breathing out black negativity. I found it helpful to focus on that as a visual image; it prevented my mind from wandering too far. I'm so bad at sitting still though...I had an itchy cheek...my hips were sore...I wanted to shift around but didn't dare because it was so quiet. Finally a small gong sounded to signal the end of the first session. The teacher spoke to us about the destructive nature of anger, and how pervasive it is in our daily lives. I was struck by her assertion that anger is merely a personal interpretation, and that it is deceptive in its tendency to exaggerate negative qualities in people and things, and forget the positive. She talked about the importance of recognizing anger when it arises, and understanding that it is not a reflection of reality, but merely a passing state of mind. Ultimately we should be striving to accept things as they are and move past them without bitterness. I could tell that her words resonated with everyone in the room.

We had a short tea break, another ten minutes of silent meditation (I failed miserably at staying focused that time), and the class was done. I felt a little more relaxed than when I had gone in, and definitely intrigued by the views on anger. I'm not sure that I will go back to that specific center, but I would absolutely like to practice meditation more and do some additional reading. All in all it was a very worthwhile evening, and a most interesting experience!