Press Releases

Naropa to Co-Sponsor Peace Meditation
Near Democratic National Convention

DENVER, Colo. (July 29, 2008)—Beginning August 23, two days before the Democratic National Convention, and continuing to August 28, the Meditate '08 project will offer "a place for quiet contemplation" to delegates, media, visitors and Colorado residents throughout the convention.

Held at Fishback Park, just a couple blocks from the Pepsi Center, Meditate '08 is proudly co-sponsored by Naropa University. Four ranked faculty members will be participating—David Chernikoff (Transpersonal Counseling Psychology), Acharya Tenpa Gyaltsen (Religious Studies), Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown (Religious Studies) and Sensei Fleet Maull (Contemplative Psychology)—as well as several adjunct faculty who will help demonstrate a "peaceful alternative to violent confrontation" by providing meditation instruction in their respective styles.

As of press time, the tentative schedule consists of a 5:30 p.m. opening ceremony on August 23, consisting of chants, prayers and opening remarks by monastics, teachers and clergy from area churches, temples and contemplative centers. The silent retreat, consisting of 75-minute segments with a teacher from a different tradition presiding over each segment, will begin the following day at 9 a.m.

Chernikoff will lead vipassana meditation at 11:30 a.m. on the 24th; Gyaltsen will guide vajrayana practice at 4 p.m. on the 24th; Maull will represent the Zen Peacemakers Sangha at 11:30 a.m. on the 26th; and Simmer-Brown will present the Shambhala tradition at 5:30 p.m. on the 26th. Each speaker is given approximately half-an-hour for teaching, half-an-hour for practice and 15 minutes for discussion.

Conceived by the Fort Garland–based nonprofit EarthNet Institute, the Meditate '08 project promotes three main principles: diversity, environmental stewardship and non-partisanship. Although catering to conventioneers, the project explicitly discourages political activism in favor of providing a space in which partisanship does not apply.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education.  This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.