Let It Happen

OK, it’s high time to start visiting Nashville-area Buddhist centers in my quest for an introvert-friendly sangha! I have not spoken to anyone about these (because I don’t even know one single Nashvillian who would ever visit a Buddhist center), so all of the information and impressions here were obtained from the websites of the respective organizations.

Bad Timing: Contact with Buddhist Girls in Nashville

There are two Nashville Buddhist women who contacted me through MySpace in 2006 – 2007, but I have lost their contact information. When they sent me messages, I was still actively using and was far too depressed to want to meet anyone, especially a female. It would be amazing if I were to meet either in person.

I almost hiked at Radnor Lake with one of them, who is my age, a dog owner and lover, a dirt person (as Phil Valentine calls anyone who cares for the environment more than he does); as I remember, we share an incredible number of similarities. She impressed me for many reasons; I remember being surprised that she is a lawyer here in Nashville yet rides the bus. Anyway, she wanted to set a time to meet and walk with our dogs, and I procrastinated so long, her MySpace account was gone by the time I was ready to respond!

The other female Nashville Buddhist emailed me to ask if I ever sat anywhere in Nashville, and I think I said that I would soon be seeking a place to sit. We sent messages back and forth three or four times before she ceased responding (can’t say I blame her).

Nashville Buddhist Centers

The most obvious choice for a visit – maybe as early as tomorrow night – is the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center (PBC) (615.912.9071 or info@pbc-tn.org ); it’s located right between where I live and where I work , only about five minutes from where I am now at 419 East Iris Drive. It is a Tibetan Buddhist temple in the Berry Hill area, near 100 Oaks, that has five (5) weekly meetings. The meeting on Wednesday (tomorrow) night is listed as a Calm-Abiding Meditation and Instruction: perfect for a first-time visitor like me. (I also found an article about their open house back in March of 2006.)

Other Nashville Buddhist centers I Googled this evening:

• Diamond Way Buddhist Center in Hillsboro Village
• Shambhala Meditation Center of Nashville, at 4303 Saunders Avenue in Inglewood
• Nashville Zen Center, which meets in ‘The Barn’ at 5125 Franklin Road (behind First Church Unity Nashville, I think)
• Nashville Mindfulness Center (Wikipedia link) in Bellevue, based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh

Articles about Buddhism in Nashville

• Buddhist Festival, 2005
• Tennesseans Strive to Change the World

Nashville Buddhists with Websites, Blogs

One Dharma Nashville, by Kurt :: a resources page for Nashville Buddhism

Filed under: Nashville AA Meetings, Eastern Spirituality, Meditation, Buddhism on January 15th, 2008