Buddhism in Fayetteville? (Little Rock, Springdale, Harrison: schools, to live, moving to)

[bagelw]

Originally Posted by Kimballette

I believe you've described your situation well here. You tried it once, and left because you didn't like it. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is usually...unrealistic. Best wishes on your search.

This somewhat depends on when the OP last lived here. Fayetteville and the rest of NWA is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. I've met people claiming to be Buddhist here in Fayetteville so I know they are around. I think you'd have more luck looking at local events such as the farmers market or spring fest vs the internet.

[cunojo]

Thank you bagelw, I think you're right. Getting out in the community will be my best bet. The Dali Lama came to UofA recently, so there is an interest. Thanks again to all!

[thewizard16]

I know there are several such groups in Little Rock, so it would surprise me greatly if there aren't any in the Fayetteville area. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how you'd go about finding them since they don't appear to advertise much.

I'm sorry you experienced a lot of "in your face Christianity" when you lived there previously, but I did not find that to be the case when I was living in NWA, and haven't found it to be the case in L.R. either. I'm fine with people having whatever spiritual beliefs they so choose, and found that general atmosphere in Fayetteville. If I was asked by someone where I went to church, it was normally an innocent question in an attempt to socialize, not a judgement. Some people take offense at anything they don't understand/believe/are familiar with though, and I can understand how that could frustrate you (just as it would frustrate a similar minded Christian receiving that attitude from someone of other belief systems) so I hope if you do relocate you have better luck this time.

[cunojo]

Yes, it is too bad that I experienced that there too. It was mostly in work situations. However, that does not deter me from believing I can find what I am looking for, nor does it make be think that all people of particular faiths will treat me as such. I have no issues with anyone's beliefs, I grew up in the Unity Church, respecting all. This was my first attempt at ever posting on a forum and I wish I would have chosen my words more carefully because I deeply regret posting now. My inquiry should have been more direct and to the point, such as "does anyone know of any Buddhist groups in NWA?" leaving out the emotion. If anyone can let me know how to remove a posting, I will just take it off the forum. Thanks.

[nmnita]

You are not going to find a huge consentration of Buddist in AR, not even NWA, but what you experienced before isn't today's Fayetteville either. I think Fayetteville is more open to various religions and life styles than in years past. If you are expecting instant acceptance and a large group of those who think like you do, you will still be disappointed. If you think that Christianty will be thrown at you, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Nita

[Clark Park]

I just wanted to say that I, too, am a Buddhist and follow the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. I chose to live in a big metropolitan city (Philadelphia) because for me it was important to live with a large Buddhist community, meditation centers, temples, and cultural activities, etc.

[thewizard16]

Originally Posted by nmnita

You are not going to find a huge consentration of Buddist in AR, not even NWA, but what you experienced before isn't today's Fayetteville either. I think Fayetteville is more open to various religions and life styles than in years past. If you are expecting instant acceptance and a large group of those who think like you do, you will still be disappointed. If you think that Christianty will be thrown at you, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Nita

From what I can tell there's actually a good sized community (and they have a relatively large center I drive by pretty frequently) in Little Rock, but it's also probably the only large one in Little Rock, although I see there are some other small groups scattered around the city. There are apparently temples in Fort Smith and Springdale, but are predominantly Vietnamese. Apparently there are or have been a few organized groups in NWA though (I stumbled across them today), so the OP might want to look into the following names and see if they can make contacts:
"In Fayetteville (Washington County), Barbara Taylor founded the Morning Star Zen Center (associated with the Korean Kwan Um school) in 1986. Other small practice groups were founded in northwest Arkansas during the 1990s and 2000s, including the Buddhist Meditation and Spiritual Support Group, founded by Geoff Oelsner in 1996; the Fayetteville Soto Zen Center, founded by Jack McDowell in 2000; and the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship, founded by James Ownbey and Jerry Walsh in 2004."

[writer1899]

I moved to Fayetteville from Lawrence. I also lived in the Northwest, in Seattle, for several years. You can go to this link to find some info on buddhist support groups. The two gentlemen at the bottom of the page seem knowledgeable. I am not Buddhist so I don't know the details:

AYC Family of Instructors | Arkansas Yoga Center : Fayetteville, AR

This is an interesting article on Buddhism in Arkansas:
Buddhists - Encyclopedia of Arkansas (http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4359 - broken link)

My experience in Fayetteville has been positive. I have not experienced the in your face Christianity you mentioned. The city has better planning than Lawrence, but has the same college town feel. It is definitely less expensive than Lawrence. Apartments near the college by Wilson Park are a bit pricey, but not as bad as Lawrence. I lived at Ohio and 9th street in Lawrence and it was more expensive.

The outdoors is extremely beautiful. I would highly recommend Devil's Den and Mount Magazine for hiking. My only complaint is the economy and the humidity. But the economy is bad everywhere I think. Best Wishes

Originally Posted by cunojo

I am thinking of relocating (again) to Fayetteville from Lawrence, KS in a year or two. I lived in NWA many years ago while attending massage school and moved back to Lawrence because I couldn't deal with the in your face Christianity. While I love Lawrence because of the people/community, I surely do miss the beautiful outdoors of NWA. As I get older (a whooping 35), I am more concerned with spending time in the woods and in clean water than I am with a thriving nightlife or super-hipster atmosphere. (and contrary to what people say, Fayetteville in my eyes does not have a thriving nightlife/music scene, thankfully.) I lived in the Pacific Northwest for about 10 years and really miss clean water, hiking, etc. I find NWA to be a nice compromise and actually more accessible in terms of water temps, etc.

I guess my pertinent question is; is there much of a Buddhist community in Fayetteville? I have heard people say time and time again, "people don't throw their religious views in your face if you don't ask for it"...but my experience with Arkansas was not that at all. I have no time for that, I am not interested in discussing God with anyone. I am however interested in a community of fellow Buddhists, particularly in the Theravada tradition. I enjoy coming together for meditation, discussion, etc.

Please reply only if you're wanting to help me with my questions regarding a Buddhist community and not to tell me how it's wrong. ~Namaste

PS. Might I add, I think Fayetteville is definitely a step ahead of Lawrence in terms of sustainable city planning, which is super important to me. Congratulations!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by writer1899

I moved to Fayetteville from Lawrence. I also lived in the Northwest, in Seattle, for several years. You can go to this link to find some info on buddhist support groups. The two gentlemen at the bottom of the page seem knowledgeable. I am not Buddhist so I don't know the details:

AYC Family of Instructors | Arkansas Yoga Center : Fayetteville, AR

This is an interesting article on Buddhism in Arkansas:
Buddhists - Encyclopedia of Arkansas (http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4359 - broken link)

My experience in Fayetteville has been positive. I have not experienced the in your face Christianity you mentioned. The city has better planning than Lawrence, but has the same college town feel. It is definitely less expensive than Lawrence. Apartments near the college by Wilson Park are a bit pricey, but not as bad as Lawrence. I lived at Ohio and 9th street in Lawrence and it was more expensive.

The outdoors is extremely beautiful. I would highly recommend Devil's Den and Mount Magazine for hiking. My only complaint is the economy and the humidity. But the economy is bad everywhere I think. Best Wishes

The economy is better here than most places in the country. As for the humidity, I agree, but we lived in Texas for 13 years, we will take NWA over Texas, weather wise any day...

As for in your face religion, we have never experienced it either. Yes, when we first moved here we were often asked about a church family. When we said we have a church, no one ever said anything more other than, good,enjoy. i had one experience in Ft Smith that I had discribed on here many time so will not bore everyone with it again. It really was more funny than in your face. It didn't upset me.

Nita

[ArkansasTgirl]

http://www.theravadatemples.com/