Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 30/04) - Sit for a while with several members of the Yellowknife Shambhala meditation group and you will observe a peacefulness not often seen in everyday activities, says meditation teacher Rand Gaynor.

Rand Gaynor, teacher of Shambhala meditation, assumes the pose, which he says is quite comfortable. - Dorothy Westerman/NNSL photo

On the Buddhist path, the practise of meditation helps one gain a better understanding of how to relate to our own day-to-day lives, says Gaynor.

"Many people are on a spiritual quest. This is a way to relate to their spiritual side," Gaynor says.

Relieve stress

"People come here to relieve stress, to relax, to be social and to find answers to their problems," he says of the weekly session.

Trained and authorized to teach, the former director of Shambhala Training Atlantic in Halifax, N.S., said he has been practising Tibetan Buddhism for 17 years.

Gaynor has been teaching the meditative practise in Yellowknife for one year now. Classes are held each Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Aurora College.

He says the practise has "lots of potential" in Yellowknife.

"There are people who are interested in the practise and the approach to life it offers," Gaynor says.

"There are many who have been on a spiritual search.

"They often have grown up with a traditional religion, but are seeking the meaning of life."

Gaynor said it is a misconception that Buddhism is based on faith.

"It is not a faith. Instead, it is an approach to life -- a path. It is based on the understanding that all living beings have inherent goodness which can be described in many ways, such as a sense of openness, freshness or a sense of unconditionality."

In sitting practise, he said one learns how to reconnect with basic goodness.

"It's experiential -- it's like trying to describe the taste of something," he said of the teachings.

Meditation session

Each meditation session consists of sitting and walking meditation, and either classes or readings from sources.

"By examining this, the goal is not to change, but to see life clearly," he said.

"It's a process of lightening up on ourselves, which then expands to others."