by April Koester | Mar 30, 2026 | Classes, News
Proposal for April 2026 Study Group
From Peter Carlson:
These are trying times, so I have decided to revisit the Tibetan lojong training system as the focus for the next study group. This system was created centuries ago to provide a set of aphorisms to guide and express the development of compassion, expressed even toward those whose behaviors are conflicted with your values and ethics. The slogans within the system are intended to provide prompts for recognizing opportunities to “turn poison into medicine”—the challenges of life experience can be transformed into self-compassion and then expressed out into the world, particularly in regard to troubled relationships.
The recommended reading involves “Start Where You Are-A Guide to Compassionate Living”, by Pema Chodron, an American teacher and author who is a very well-respected contributor to the Westernization of Tibetan Buddhism. The reading will be supplemented by documents regarding lojong I have prepared and updated for this series of discussions.
There will be 8 meetings, which could occur on Saturday and/or Sunday afternoons from 3-4:30 via Zoom. I intend to have the first meeting on the weekend of April 25, ending on the weekend of June 20. There will not be a meeting on the weekend of June 13, as I will be celebrating my 80th birthday at a party on that weekend! I want to cap the number of participants in each group to 7, which will provide enough time for me to have a teacher/student dialogue with each person during each meeting.
As has been the case for several years, I require no fee for facilitating the group but ask you to consider donating $160 to the Orlando Insight Meditation Group, a nonprofit corporation; the money will be dedicated to furthering the goal of financing future OIMG projects.
I ask participants to commit to 45 minutes per day of meditation during the series of meetings, as the primary principle of Buddhism is to train the mind towards increasing serenity, clarity and kindness/compassion for oneself and others. If that amount of time is challenging, the lojong training can be applied to increasing your ability to sit longer!
If you want to be in the group, please let me know via email through peter@orlandoinsightmeditation.org of your commitment, including your preferred day, Saturday or Sunday; your willingness to accept either day will help me balance the number of folks at each meeting. If you have to miss a meeting, that is ok, just let me know. Please provide your phone number as well—I will correspond primarily through email but might need to contact you. My phone will not accept calls from anyone who is not on my contact list.
I will be on a self-retreat April 3-10, and unavailable to respond to your contact attempts. It will be helpful for you to express your commitment before then if possible.
I wish you well. Peter
As in previous groups, the fee for the series is recommended to be $160, payable to OIMG, either through the website or via check sent to Peter Carlson, 1818 Carrigan Avenue, Winter Park, FL, 32789. If you don’t have $160, pay what you can afford, knowing that this contribution is a core funding project for our Sangha’s activities. Peter is offering facilitation services freely, as has been the case for a few years now. Participants can make their payment after receiving confirmation from Peter about their application.
Thank you for your interest. We wish you well.
by Sharon Wright | Jul 24, 2023 | Classes, News
One hour guided meditation/talk/q&a sesssion 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Mondays 6:30pm (ONLINE ONLY)
In addition to our weekly Sangha, we invite you to join the monthly LifeArt Meditation Group, offered on the second, third, and fourth Monday of every month online only.
Coming up Next:
LifeArt Meditation Monday: Fully Present – Exploring Mindfulness of Body and Breath
Monday, March 23rd, 6:30pm ET – 7:30pm ET
Hosted by Susan Baxter
Breaking the Autopilot : Discovering the Anchor
Ditch the autopilot lifestyle and bring your full self into the present moment. Do you move through your day in a blur of to-do lists and digital notifications? It’s time to stop living on autopilot. Fully Present: Exploring Mindfulness of Body and Breath is an invitation to inhabit your life more deeply. Through guided body scans, mindful breathing, and presence building exercises, this series teaches you how to use your own body as an anchor in the storm of daily stress. Discover how to savor the present moment – whether you’re in a quiet room or a crowded supermarket – and cultivate a lasting sense of inner peace.
What to expect:
- The Talk: Anchoring in the Breath. Learning to observe the natural breath to calm the nervous system.
- The Practice: A 20 – minute guided meditation
- The Conversation: A Q&A on how breath work helps reduce stress and enhance emotional regulation.
Logistics:
Online only, 6:30-7:30 pm ET on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month.
Tonight’s link. (Please note this is a unique link and different from our other meetings) You may RSVP on our Meetup also and get the link there.
Learn more about the series below:
LifeArt Meditation offers teachings on contemporary teachers, scholars, and thought leaders. In each session we discuss techniques and attitudes necessary for a robust contemplative practice. We explore ways of making our daily practice more enjoyable and more fruitful. In addition, we discuss how the effects of the practice are showing up in our daily encounters.
In other words, we seek to see how a contemplative practice really does begin to shape the tone and tenor of our moments, and our lives. While tone focuses on the specific attitude or emotion conveyed (e.g., optimistic, harsh), tenor represents the broader, underlying character, theme, or general course of thought. We want to examine just how meditation is making life better, more interesting, and maybe even more challenging.
Each session is comprised of three parts:
- a short “lifestyle” talk
- a 20 minute meditation
- a 20 minute Q&A
We invite you to spend a few sessions with each of the three teachers of LifeArt Meditation. We bring different styles, topics, and influences to each session. Lezlie Laws will lead the second Monday session (March 9th), April Koester will lead the third Monday session (March 16th), and Susan Baxter is on for the fourth Monday (March 23rd) of each month.
Logistics:
Online only, 6:30-7:30 pm ET on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month.
You may RSVP on our Meetup.
by Peter Carlson | Mar 17, 2020 | Classes, News
Sangha meetings are held every Wednesday evening from 7pm to 9pm and can be attended in person or via zoom.
The in person meetings are held at Peter Carlson’s home at 1818 Carrigan Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789. For those who haven’t been to the site, the house is the only one on the block with a sheet metal roof. Park on the street or in the driveway—please be considerate of the neighbor’s property. Walk to the left of the garage and through the gate in the chain link fence; the cottage in the back yard is where we meet.
We will meditate in silence from 7 to 7:45, then, after a break, the Dharma talk will begin.
There will be a small box near the front door for dana, the practice of donating to the teacher out of gratitude for the teaching. The contribution is not required, and the money will be used to maintain the building and pay for the Zoom subscription. There is a lending library of Dharma related books in the cottage that operates on a trust basis.
To attend meetings via zoom, use the information below:
Click here to join Zoom Meeting.
Meeting ID: 847 1472 3882
Passcode: 620329
Click here to add the zoom meeting information to your calendar: