The delicate ping of a silver, bowl-shaped bell announced the beginning of a time of mindfulness and meditation. Soft cushions were arranged in a semi-circle on the floor. A small scented candle burned in a green glass vessel.

Grahame Ward is the leader of this small group that has been meeting at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Auburn on Monday nights. The readings and practices are based on the philosophy of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk.

“I first learned of him when I was in Australia,” said Ward, who was born there, but now lives in Marcellus. “There weren't any meditation groups close by, so my wife and I decided to start one up. We were part of a similar group in Washington, D.C.”

Ward read an Internet posting about Thich Naht Hanh by Ken Mochel, the pastor of the Universalist Church, and called him.

The format is simple and reverent. The participants sit down and Ward rings the bell during key points of the session. The book that has been selected as the night's reading is passed around, and each person reads a passage out loud while the others listen quietly. The theme for April 17 was anger and how to deal with it.

“Anger is like flame,” said one of the readers, “blazing up. When anger is not in us, we are aware of it. The absence of anger is the basis of happiness.”

Hanh's teachings are based on mindfulness, being acutely aware of all thoughts, words and actions and how they may affect our environment and the people around us.

He wrote, “Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times. The point of meditation is to be able to look deeply into things.”

Hanh now lives in France as an exile. He was very outspoken in his home county about the violence of the Vietnam War. His example has been called “engaged Buddhism,” because he balanced his time of meditation with civil disobedience. Dr. Martin Luther King nominated Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize. He has spoken to government officials, business executives and college students and has gained many thousands of followers throughout the world.

After another chime of the bell, the group meditated about the readings in silence. They were directed to focus on any anger they may have experienced, its causes and to be aware of it in order to diffuse and release it.

Only the hushed sounds of Seward Avenue traffic muffled by closed windows and the occasional scribbling of a writer's pen on paper could be heard in the room. The silence was restful and deep.