Photo by Ashton Do Attendees slowly walked in circles to the beat of Venerable Jian Gong's mo, or wooden beatkeeper, during the walking meditation June 24 at the Academy of Chinese Cultural and Martial Arts.

BOULDER – My eyes closed lazily while a collective hum filled the air.

I became immersed in the monastic sounds resounding through my body. Before the meditation, Venerable Jian Hu had everyone recite a translation of “The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra,” a chant in Zen Buddhist liturgy.

“ ... Without hindrance there is no fear,” the group murmered. “Far beyond all inverted views / one realizes nirvana.”

More than 100 people meditated together in a room full of dragon heads June 24 at the Academy of Chinese Cultural and Martial Arts, home of the Shaolin Hung Mei Association.

Traditional weaponry adorned the walls of the space, a tribute to the Shaolin Hung Mei Association’s ambitious undertaking to teach authentic Chinese culture to anyone, for free.

For this special occasion, Hu, abbot of the Chung Tai Zen Center in Sunnyvale, Calif., came to the academy to lead a guided meditation and lecture about the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma.

Hu explained the basics of sitting meditation – correct posture, deep breathing and mindful concentration – while people positioned themselves into their chairs. For the next half hour or so, we would be in a deep, solitary relaxation.

“Meditation is a very personal practice,” he said to a silent room of people with their eyes closed. “Just try to calm your own mind, focus on your mind. Don’t worry what anyone else is doing.”

Meditation can be a backward-intuitive exercise: you’re supposed to concentrate on not-concentrating on anything. No worrying. No fidgeting. No thinking about not thinking. It was immensely difficult, but Hu gave helpful suggestions.

“When you breathe in ... just watch your breath. When you breathe out, count one, two, three, four, five,” he said. “ ... Your attention should continuously be on your breathing. If you do this simple thing well, you will be peaceful.”

I counted my breaths. For a few seconds, I blocked everything out. I was peaceful. But my peace was short lived as I started to ponder what I had for breakfast, what the meaning of life was.

“We were just talking about how amazing it is that your mind can do pretty much anything, besides stop,” said Candy DeGraw, a Boulder woman who came with her friends.

At least I wasn't alone. And at least there was help.

“Having a mass of people together enhances the energy,” said Emily Heartsong, another Boulderite who regularly meditates on her own. “I like to come to lectures so that I can do a formal meditation that’s guided with people.”

The group stood up from their sitting positions and formed a giant circle. Many of us – myself included – had never experienced what was called a “walking” meditation before. We were supposed to take slow, synchronized steps in a clockwise direction. Of course, there was a twist.

The meditative part, according to Hu, was to think about nothing again, while being “perfectly aware of what your body is doing." continue >>