Website: https://onedharmanashville.com/
One Dharma Nashville is an insight meditation center and Buddhist practice community based in Nashville, Tennessee. The organization offers meditation classes, dharma talks, and silent retreats, and states that “One Dharma seeks to create a sustainable community of dedicated, compassionate and engaged practitioners in the Middle Tennessee area and beyond.” Its stated mission is “to ensure that the practice of meditation and the joy of awakening are accessible to all who seek it.” The center identifies as “primarily an Insight sangha” while also drawing “from all of the great dharma and wisdom traditions that were once segregated by geography, especially Zen.”
Services
One Dharma Nashville offers a regular schedule of meditation programs in multiple formats, including in-person, hybrid, and online sessions via Zoom. Recurring offerings listed on the site include a weekly Monday Meditation available both in person and online, a Friday Morning Meditation held online, and weekly Mindful Recovery meetings. The center also hosts a One Dharma Franklin Meditation on the first and third Thursday of each month, and a weekly Back to Basics class held at the Nashville Public Library for those new to practice. Beyond its weekly programs, the organization holds multiple residential and silent retreats throughout the year.
Programs emphasize teachings the center describes as “lovingkindness, emptiness, compassion, open awareness and mindfulness.” The website notes that “Everyone is welcome, from the curious beginner to the experienced practitioner.”
About
One Dharma Nashville was “founded by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, who wished to offer a contemporary sangha that also maintains roots in Buddha’s teachings and practices.” Lisa Ernst serves as the guiding teacher, described on the site as “a meditation teacher, writer, and founder of One Dharma Nashville” with over 30 years of practice experience in the Zen and Vipassana traditions. The community is supported by a team of instructors and facilitators, including Jeffrey Samuels, PhD, Julie Noland, PhD, Geoff Lovett, Jennifer Wang, Scott Glazier, Mingo Perry, Tim Thayer, M.D., David Cabrera, Joe Panec, and Randy Cox, many of whom have completed the center’s teacher training programs.
Location & Contact
One Dharma Nashville is located at 530 26th Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37209. The organization can be reached by email at [email protected]. A contact page is available on the website for general inquiries, and individual class times and locations are listed within the schedule for each program.
Additional Information
The website notes that weekly programs are offered “on a dana (generosity) basis and there are no set fees,” reflecting the traditional model of voluntary giving that supports the community. The organization also maintains “a generous scholarship fund to support anyone who needs financial assistance.” Additional resources on the site include a blog with articles and recorded dharma talks, a media section, instructor and mentoring information, and options to support the organization through donations.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (onedharmanashville.com).