“The method is Mindfulness, the expression is Compassion, the essence is Wisdom."
- Joseph Goldstein
Awakens
Unity
Deepens
Practice
Heals
Brokenness
What is One River Wisdom School?
Founded in 2005 as Insight Nashville, One River Wisdom School of Nashville is an interspiritual meditation group that is composed of all faiths, honoring the human religious impulse without promoting any specific religion. One River offers a haven for spiritual exploration, both intellectual and contemplative; a place where doubt is welcome, and questioning is encouraged; where friendships are forged through shared inquiry rather than shared answers; and where the community is rooted in learning, conversation, and contemplative practice.
What types of programs and gatherings are offered?
One River offerers weekly gatherings that begin with twenty-five minutes of sitting meditation. The first minutes of meditation are guided, followed by shared silence for the rest of the sitting. A talk of thirty to forty minutes then follows. The gathering concludes with a brief loving kindness meditation and dedication of the merit of the practice to the welfare of all beings, to the ending of suffering, and to the arising of awakening and liberation for all beings.
What is the focus of practice and teaching?
One River Wisdom School offers practices and study of the Perennial Tradition’s ways of Wisdom, Justice, and Compassion. Contemplative practices can be used by anyone, whether religious or not. The weekly talks are teachings that arise from the meeting of contemplative practice with the challenges and delights of daily life. Participants and practitioners come from a variety of contemplative traditions: Buddhist Theravada, Zen, and Vajrayana; Christian, Jewish, other spiritual practices, or none. Everyone is welcome.
Who are the main teachers at One River?
Rev. Dr. Gordon Peerman, D.Min is an Episcopal priest, author, teacher and psychotherapist in private practice in Nashville. He has been engaged in contemplative practices, including Centering Prayer and Insight Meditation, since 1975. Rabbi Dr. Rami Shapiro, Ph.D. is an award-winning author of over two dozen nonfiction books. A congregational rabbi for twenty years, Rabbi Rami is the author of Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent and the editor of The World Wisdom Bible.