At the top of a steep, forested hill, the Asheville Dharma center is located in a residential house beside a Chinese acupuncture clinic.  The members are primarily patients of the clinic, or friends and coworkers of patients.  The Buddhist group was established in 1999 by Shi Ying Kuai, the clinic’s doctor.  He is one of only a handful of Chinese-American members, the majority of attendees being European-Americans mainly in their thirties, forties, and fifties.  Activities are conducted in English, though liturgy draws primarily from Chinese and Tibetan sources.

The Asheville Dharma Center follows in the lineage of a Chinese master trained in the Tibetan Vajrayana systems of Buddhism.  It draws on various schools, especially the Kagyu tradition.  The center itself has little organization, lacking a local ordained spiritual leader, governing council, or any formalized institutions, though Dr. Kuai serves as an unofficial guide providing advice to less experienced members.

Meetings are held on Wednesdays and Sundays.  Wednesday night gatherings begin at 7:00 pm, starting with tea and informal discussion.  When the group is ready they proceed to the shrine room, where they perform 20 minutes of full-body prostrations.  Next they chant either the Guanyin or 100-Syllable Dharani, followed by 20-40 minutes of silent visualization practice.  Then the participants read the precepts and paramitas, and chant from the service book.  The practice ends with more prostrations and a dedication of merit.  Wednesday gatherings attract 15-20 people.

Sunday gathering begin with tea and socializing at 10 a.m.  Formal practice starts with four full-body prostrations, followed by 10-15 minutes of chanting the Guanyin mantra.  Next, the group chants  either the Guanyin or 100-Syllable Dharani, or the Heart Sutra on the first Sunday of the month.  This is followed by a period of silent visualization, which ends with prostrations and merit dedication.  The participants then relax and share refreshments.  The afternoon proceeds with listening to tapes or watching videos of the various senior teachers in the lineage, which variously offer Dharma teachings or purport to show evidence of the masters’ spiritual powers, such as healing the sick or telekinesis.  These viewings last from 45 minutes to two hours.  About 6-10 people gather on Sundays.

The center also holds concerts about four times per year, as well as occasional lectures and potlucks.  All events are free and there are no membership dues. 
 
 

JW