Buddha statue and relaxation cushions inside the Lotus Meditation Center Photo by Nicholas Nelson/The Dakota Student

For students looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of schoolwork, or just looking to add a bit more relaxation to life, the Lotus Meditation Center has provided an answer.The LMC was founded in 1996 by former UND music professor Tamar Read with the goal in mind of it being “a sacred place of peace and quiet.”

It is located adjacent to the International Center, across from the Memorial Union, and is open publicly each day for individual meditation. Group activities at LMC are open to the public and take place weekly.

Each Monday LMC hosts a sitting group, complete with insight meditation (also known as Vipassana) and a book discussion. The book choices vary.

Vipassana is a meditation practice that does not require belief commitments, and is done with the purpose of cultivating relaxation and concentration.

Tuesday and Thursday evenings at LMC bring in Kay Williams for hour and a half yoga sessions.

LMC can function as a musical venue, and occasionally plays host to concerts. This is based on a foundation of Read seeing the relationship between music and meditation to be a close one. The facility is able to be rented to interested groups and events.

Twice per year, LMC offers weekend retreat experiences, bringing in guest instructors from all over the country to teach different ways of meditation with various themes. This spring’s retreat (“Our Practice in Relationship to Others”) took place April 10-12, and was led by Debbie Stamp of the Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Janet Rex, who leads the Monday evening sitting group activities, has been utilizing LMC since its beginnings. She currently is one of several volunteers involved with the Center.

Rex believes that meditation can help one lead their life more skillfully, and people will start seeing the worth for themselves once they begin incorporating the practice.

“It can change you as a person, and you can use it at any time,” Rex said. “If any emotions are coming up you can always be aware (of them).”

According to Rex, it is in April and May each year that Buddha’s birthday is observed and celebrated. This Sunday, she will give a presentation on the studies that have been done in support of the health benefits of meditation. This will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Grand Forks.

“The main idea is that one tries to become mindful of how one is living one’s life,” Rex said.

Through the use of individual and group meditation, LMC provides a place on campus for harmony and mutual understanding. People of all, or no, faiths are welcome in its inclusive atmosphere.

According to the Lotus Meditation Center’s UND page, “The closed lotus represents our potential for clarity, understanding and open-heartedness. The open lotus represents the blossoming of those qualities in our life.”

The Lotus Meditation Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m, and weekends by arrangement. For more information, visit http://und.edu/lotus-center/.

Serianna Henkel is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].