The Comparison Project at Drake University will kick off its 2014–2015 programming with a meditation workshop on Saturday, Sept. 6 from 9 a.m.–noon. The event features six local meditation instructors, each of whom will teach classes on their meditative practice, and then engage in dialogue with one another about these practices. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about and engage in several of the techniques.
The meditation instructors will be:
- Charlie Day, founder of the Des Moines Meditation Group, will teach universal breath meditation
- Eido Epse, head priest at the Des Moines Zen Center and vice abbot of the Ryumonji Zen Monastery in Dorchester, Iowa, will teach Zen shikantaza (“just sitting”) meditation.
- Betty Ruth Krueger, author and senior meditation instructor with the Art of Living Foundation, will facilitate a pratyahara (“substitute food for mind”) meditation, in the tradition of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
- Prasad Palakurthy, cardiologist at UnityPoint Health (Iowa Lutheran Hospital) and yoga instructor at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Iowa, will teach Hindu kundalini yoga.
- Kathy Reardon, spiritual director in practice at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center and commissioned presenter of centering prayer by Contemplative Outreach International, will teach centering prayer
- Father Silouan, an Eastern Orthodox rassaphor monk who has established close relationships with the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George and St. Demetrius Serbian Orthodox Church, will teach the Orthodox Christian mystical eremitic prayer tradition known as hesychasm.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at First Christian Church, 2500 University Ave. A light breakfast will be provided.
About The Comparison Project
The Comparison Project is an experimental effort in a philosophy of religion that is historically grounded and religiously diverse. It is generously supported by the Drake University Humanities Center, Humanities Iowa, the Medbury Fund, the Drake University Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship, the Des Moines Area Religious Council, and Cultivating Compassion: The Richard Deming Foundation.
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Email: comparisonproject@drake.edu