Student perspectives on worship services from Instructor Jennifer Garvin-Sanchez\u27s Religious Studies 108 Human Spirituality course at Virginia Commonwealth University

Hagin, Alexa

English

VCU Scholars Compass

Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVCU Scholars CompassRELS 108 Human Spirituality School of World Studies2015Ekoji Buddhist Sangha: "Insight MeditationCommunity of Richmond"Alexa HaginFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/rels108Part of the Religion Commons© The AuthorThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of World Studies at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion inRELS 108 Human Spirituality by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact libcompass@vcu.edu.Downloaded fromhttps://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/rels108/59I chose to attend the Insight Meditation Community of Richmond, located at stun-ningly beautiful and instantly calming Ekoji Buddhist Sangha on Grove Avenue. This medi-tation community meets on Tuesday evenings at 7pm and Friday evenings at 5:45pm, and welcomes all newcomers. They were very excited to have me and my boyfriend join their meditation last Friday, September 25, 2015. We were running a little late, as the traffic from the UCI Bike Race has been hectic and challenging, yet though the meditation was beginning, we were still welcomed in and given a place to sit and think. It appears as though it is located in someones residence, and when we arrived we were a little unsure, however the building is dedicated to the Ekoji Buddhist Sangha and it feels very traditional. There is a parking lot around the back side of the building, which is easily accessible from multiple side streets. You are encouraged to enter through which ever door you please, front or back, though you must remove your shoes before entering the meditation space. They had a nice little area beside the front door where we placed our shoes and our belongings, and prepared for meditation.   The home was open and welcoming; we let ourselves in and removed our shoes. They provided mats and pillows for comfort as you sit, and some were already set, hopeful someone would fill them. When we entered the meditation space, there was a large mantle and an altar at the back of the room. On the RELS 108 Human Spirituality | PAGE 1Ekoji Buddhist Sangha: “Insight Meditation Community of Richmond”by Alexa Haginmantle there was a iron statue of Buddha and there was a lit candle burning at his feet. The lights were off, and there was one window in the room, which had a cream colored sheet over it, muting the natural light and creating a warm and quite mood in the room. There were pictures hanging on the walls of the practice and the sacred. Although the room was obviously a living room, with a bathroom and a kitchen in eyesight, they did a great job of changing the mood of the room to feel welcoming and tranquil for relaxing, uncon-ditioned thought. There were multiple places set for expected visitors, and only about half were taken, very sporadically. There were five people present, three women and two men; they ranged in age from late forties to early seventies. They were already seated and ready to begin meditation, and we mingled in and sat down.   When we began, the leader of the group, who is an older woman with a soft voice and a warm presence, rang a gong to signal the be-ginning of the sitting meditation. During this time, I found my mind wandering incessantly. I was mulling over every little detail of my day and my practice and my school work and who I am and it was almost overwhelming at first. I found myself really struggling to slow down, and just be. However, soon into the meditation, I began to realize that maybe it’s not all about mastering the art of turning your mind off, disconnecting from the word, and being blank for moments in time. I think that maybe, if you RELS 108 Human Spirituality | PAGE 3think about that idea more.   When the walking meditation concluded, the gong rang three times. This seemed to signal the end of a sacred time, and people began to shuffle and chit chat for the first time. We moved to sit in a circle; this was when my boyfriend and I said hello and shook hands. The circle was a ritualistic meeting to discuss that nights meditation and reflect on your thoughts with the group. I was glad to hear that others had trouble turning their minds off too, and were busy thinking about the trials of their daily lives. It confirmed my suspicion that meditation can exist in many forms, as long as you are connecting with your mind. The instructor mentioned she was wishing good health to her loved ones, and I really appreciated that. I felt a little embarrassed that I selfishly spent the entire hour thinking about my work and my life, instead of medi-tating on the good graces of others, but I will focus more on those qualities of spirituality next time. After the small discussion about our meditation, people were free to leave, however they were invited to stay for a reading and some tea. While most people left, including us, there was another hour of group discussion and collaboration. I think next time we will stay for the reading, but we were feeling pret-ty shy and overwhelmed, so we decided to go and have a rest.   Upon leaving, we thanked the congregation for having us and welcoming us into their medita-tion; we put our mats away, donned our shoes, and walked home. Discussing our experience, my boyfriend and I both agreed the practice of meditating for an hour can be incredibly therapeutic, and should be integrated more into our daily lives. We felt energized and drained at the same time, excited for a future just take the time to sit for an hour and liter-ally meditate on your day, mentally plan and consider, really ponder, reflect, and deliberate life, that is just as useful. Instead of focusing on a mantra and trying to be still, I used that time to sit and ruminate on my art practice. I think critically thinking about life can provide healing similarly to disconnecting and turning off for a while. I will use meditation in both senses more often, to engage fully and to disengage fully.   The sitting meditation lasted for one hour, and at the sound of the gong, it concluded, marking the beginning of the thirty minute walking meditation. My boyfriend and I were not aware of the walking meditation, and we thought the practice was over. We were kind of standing there, very unsure of ourselves, when the lady came to my side and whispered that we were going to begin a walking med-itation and that I was to follow the person behind me. I was very thankful for her kind instruction, as it allowed my boyfriend and I to participate more comfortably and more directed. We walked in a circle, very slowly, almost methodically. I found myself incred-ibly focused on my footsteps, and the act of walking. I noticed the pressure in the balls of my feet, the tension in the arch and the eager movements of my toes; my mind was really focused on the extraordinary qualities of ordinary things, like walking, or brushing your teeth. Some people walked with their eyes closed, and some with their eyes on the ground. Some people would make eye contact, but that felt unnatural and awkward. For me, the room was at its best when my eyes were closed, although I was usually peeking to see where I was going. It was interesting to me that my mind was wandering while sitting, but incredibly focused while walking. I am going to RELS 108 Human Spirituality | PAGE 3of practicing our own forms of meditation. We even grabbed a few information fliers, advertising the Insight Meditation Group, as well as a few other groups the Ekoji Buddhist Sangha facilitates. These helped to provide a little more insight into the community and their practice. We learned they are practicing Vipassana, or insight meditation, which is a systematic method of cultivating mindful-ness, taught in the traditional Buddhism of Southeast Asia. We learned that the sound of the gong is a relaxation technique, used to release stress as the sound resonates and the vibration breaks up emotional blockages. It seemed very traditional and ritualistic, even the act of walking in the circle seemed con-trolled and almost rehearsed. While the ritu-alistic silence was a little intimidating, I think the experience of meditation was thoroughly enjoyable, and will continue to be a part of our daily lives. We do plan to attend the temple again, and although we may not become dedicated attendees, we will still continue to use meditation as a relaxation technique to employ positivity and purity in the mind and the body. •Written Fall 2015. © Alexa Hagin.

Ekoji Buddhist Sangha:  Insight Meditation Community of Richmond

Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU Scholars Compass
RELS 108 Human Spirituality School of World Studies
2015
Ekoji Buddhist Sangha: "Insight Meditation
Community of Richmond"
Alexa Hagin
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/rels108
Part of the Religion Commons
© The Author
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of World Studies at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in
RELS 108 Human Spirituality by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact libcompass@vcu.edu.
Downloaded from
https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/rels108/59
I chose to attend the Insight Meditation Community of Richmond, located at stun-
ningly beautiful and instantly calming Ekoji 
Buddhist Sangha on Grove Avenue. This medi-
tation community meets on Tuesday evenings 
at 7pm and Friday evenings at 5:45pm, and 
welcomes all newcomers. They were very 
excited to have me and my boyfriend join their 
meditation last Friday, September 25, 2015. 
We were running a little late, as the traffic 
from the UCI Bike Race has been hectic and 
challenging, yet though the meditation was 
beginning, we were still welcomed in and 
given a place to sit and think. It appears as 
though it is located in someones residence, 
and when we arrived we were a little unsure, 
however the building is dedicated to the Ekoji 
Buddhist Sangha and it feels very traditional. 
There is a parking lot around the back side of 
the building, which is easily accessible from 
multiple side streets. You are encouraged to 
enter through which ever door you please, 
front or back, though you must remove your 
shoes before entering the meditation space. 
They had a nice little area beside the front 
door where we placed our shoes and our 
belongings, and prepared for meditation.  
 
The home was open and welcoming; we let 
ourselves in and removed our shoes. They 
provided mats and pillows for comfort as 
you sit, and some were already set, hopeful 
someone would fill them. When we entered 
the meditation space, there was a large mantle 
and an altar at the back of the room. On the 
RELS 108 Human Spirituality | PAGE 1
Ekoji Buddhist Sangha: “Insight 
Meditation Community of Richmond”
by Alexa Hagin
mantle there was a iron statue of Buddha and 
there was a lit candle burning at his feet. The 
lights were off, and there was one window in 
the room, which had a cream colored sheet 
over it, muting the natural light and creating 
a warm and quite mood in the room. There 
were pictures hanging on the walls of the 
practice and the sacred. Although the room 
was obviously a living room, with a bathroom 
and a kitchen in eyesight, they did a great 
job of changing the mood of the room to feel 
welcoming and tranquil for relaxing, uncon-
ditioned thought. There were multiple places 
set for expected visitors, and only about half 
were taken, very sporadically. There were five 
people present, three women and two men; 
they ranged in age from late forties to early 
seventies. They were already seated and ready 
to begin meditation, and we mingled in and sat 
down.  
 
When we began, the leader of the group, who 
is an older woman with a soft voice and a 
warm presence, rang a gong to signal the be-
ginning of the sitting meditation. During this 
time, I found my mind wandering incessantly. 
I was mulling over every little detail of my day 
and my practice and my school work and who 
I am and it was almost overwhelming at first. 
I found myself really struggling to slow down, 
and just be. However, soon into the meditation, 
I began to realize that maybe it’s not all about 
mastering the art of turning your mind off, 
disconnecting from the word, and being blank 
for moments in time. I think that maybe, if you 
RELS 108 Human Spirituality | PAGE 3
think about that idea more.  
 
When the walking meditation concluded, the 
gong rang three times. This seemed to signal 
the end of a sacred time, and people began 
to shuffle and chit chat for the first time. We 
moved to sit in a circle; this was when my 
boyfriend and I said hello and shook hands. 
The circle was a ritualistic meeting to discuss 
that nights meditation and reflect on your 
thoughts with the group. I was glad to hear 
that others had trouble turning their minds off 
too, and were busy thinking about the trials 
of their daily lives. It confirmed my suspicion 
that meditation can exist in many forms, as 
long as you are connecting with your mind. 
The instructor mentioned she was wishing 
good health to her loved ones, and I really 
appreciated that. I felt a little embarrassed 
that I selfishly spent the entire hour thinking 
about my work and my life, instead of medi-
tating on the good graces of others, but I will 
focus more on those qualities of spirituality 
next time. After the small discussion about our 
meditation, people were free to leave, however 
they were invited to stay for a reading and 
some tea. While most people left, including us, 
there was another hour of group discussion 
and collaboration. I think next time we will 
stay for the reading, but we were feeling pret-
ty shy and overwhelmed, so we decided to go 
and have a rest.  
 
Upon leaving, we thanked the congregation for 
having us and welcoming us into their medita-
tion; we put our mats away, donned our shoes, 
and walked home. Discussing our experience, 
my boyfriend and I both agreed the practice 
of meditating for an hour can be incredibly 
therapeutic, and should be integrated more 
into our daily lives. We felt energized and 
drained at the same time, excited for a future 
just take the time to sit for an hour and liter-
ally meditate on your day, mentally plan and 
consider, really ponder, reflect, and deliberate 
life, that is just as useful. Instead of focusing 
on a mantra and trying to be still, I used that 
time to sit and ruminate on my art practice. I 
think critically thinking about life can provide 
healing similarly to disconnecting and turning 
off for a while. I will use meditation in both 
senses more often, to engage fully and to 
disengage fully.  
 
The sitting meditation lasted for one hour, 
and at the sound of the gong, it concluded, 
marking the beginning of the thirty minute 
walking meditation. My boyfriend and I were 
not aware of the walking meditation, and we 
thought the practice was over. We were kind 
of standing there, very unsure of ourselves, 
when the lady came to my side and whispered 
that we were going to begin a walking med-
itation and that I was to follow the person 
behind me. I was very thankful for her kind 
instruction, as it allowed my boyfriend and 
I to participate more comfortably and more 
directed. We walked in a circle, very slowly, 
almost methodically. I found myself incred-
ibly focused on my footsteps, and the act of 
walking. I noticed the pressure in the balls 
of my feet, the tension in the arch and the 
eager movements of my toes; my mind was 
really focused on the extraordinary qualities 
of ordinary things, like walking, or brushing 
your teeth. Some people walked with their 
eyes closed, and some with their eyes on the 
ground. Some people would make eye contact, 
but that felt unnatural and awkward. For me, 
the room was at its best when my eyes were 
closed, although I was usually peeking to see 
where I was going. It was interesting to me 
that my mind was wandering while sitting, but 
incredibly focused while walking. I am going to 
RELS 108 Human Spirituality | PAGE 3
of practicing our own forms of meditation. 
We even grabbed a few information fliers, 
advertising the Insight Meditation Group, as 
well as a few other groups the Ekoji Buddhist 
Sangha facilitates. These helped to provide 
a little more insight into the community and 
their practice. We learned they are practicing 
Vipassana, or insight meditation, which is a 
systematic method of cultivating mindful-
ness, taught in the traditional Buddhism of 
Southeast Asia. We learned that the sound of 
the gong is a relaxation technique, used to 
release stress as the sound resonates and the 
vibration breaks up emotional blockages. It 
seemed very traditional and ritualistic, even 
the act of walking in the circle seemed con-
trolled and almost rehearsed. While the ritu-
alistic silence was a little intimidating, I think 
the experience of meditation was thoroughly 
enjoyable, and will continue to be a part of our 
daily lives. We do plan to attend the temple 
again, and although we may not become 
dedicated attendees, we will still continue to 
use meditation as a relaxation technique to 
employ positivity and purity in the mind and 
the body. •
Written Fall 2015. © Alexa Hagin.


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Ekoji Buddhist Sangha: Insight Meditation Community of Richmond

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