Mountain View Buddhist Meditation Group is located within the Mountain View Correctional Institution, a privately-run medium security prison for adult men in Spruce Pine.  The group is associated with the nearby Valley of the Moon Sitting Group, a Vipassana-based eclectic sangha, and has  a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism.

The group meets on Thursday afternoons.  Activites vary, but typically consist of teaching visual arts, sitting meditation, and yoga.  The teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron have been discussed at gatherings and influenced the group's practice.  Once a year they hold a longer program known as a Day of Mindfulness, based on the practices of the Community of Mindful Living. 

Meetings usually consist of four to five members of the outside groups, with two to eight inmates.  The annual Days of Mindfulness draw greater numbers of inmates, typically fifteen to twenty.  Buddhist teachers at Southern Dharma Retreat Center have occasionally beek asked to attend and teach at the Mountain View Buddhist Meditation Group.  All gatherings are conducted in English.

JW