Founded in the summer of 2000, the Deep River Sangha is composed of members of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Greensboro who are interested in exploring Buddhist practice and philosophy.  They meet on Sunday from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in one of the church’s Sunday School classrooms, and occasionally sponsor longer half-day retreats.  The group has about twenty members, though average attendance at weekly gatherings is closer to six.  Participants often bring their own cushions; otherwise, they sit in a circle on chairs provided by the church.  A simple chalice with a candle (the symbol of Unitarian-Universalism) and a classic meditation bell with cushion and striker are the only adornments and tools the group utilizes. 

The first thirty minutes consists of guided meditations from the works of Vietnamese Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.  Then participants do twenty minutes of walking meditation, usually outside (weather permitting).  Next is another thirty-minute meditation period, either with more guided meditations or silent sitting.  The final ten minutes are devoted to discussion or readings from Buddhist works, and the session is concluded with a metta meditation/prayer from the Theravada tradition.

Currently most members come from the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Greensboro community, though the group is open to all interested parties.  Reflecting the church’s demographics, members of the Greensboro Meditation Group are primarily Euro-American and over thirty years of age.  Males and females are represented in approximately equal numbers.  The group has an informal coordinator but no official leader or spiritual head.
 

JW
(last updated 4/2/06)