Mission & History
Mission
We are a non-profit organization located in Springfield Missouri.
Our mission is to present a modern view of Buddhist ideas, to encourage and support meditation practice, and to develop a community of people who aspire to live in the world with kindness and wisdom.
We welcome people from all walks of life and any spiritual tradition. All races, nationalities and cultural backgrounds, all gender identities and sexual orientations.
History
Our beginnings go back to 2001, when the Body of Works Meditation Group was started by Dr. Neil and Cheryl Nathan. They met in the Nathan’s living room, listened to recordings of prominent leaders of western Buddhism, meditated, and engaged in discussion. A year later they moved to the BOW Yoga Studio in downtown Springfield.
In 2004, Dr. Nathan’s medical practice led him to relinquish leadership to Sister Dipa, who held the position until 2009, when she joined the Mahapajapati Monastery in California. At that time Holly Graves was chosen to head the group as our community continued to grow.
We began calling our group "Ozarks Dharma Community” in 2012. When Holly stepped down in 2015, five committed members volunteered to facilitate our meetings on a rotating basis.
In February 2013, we met for the last time at the BOW Yoga Studio, which was closing. We were invited to hold our meetings at the Dinh Quang Buddhist Temple, and met there for the next four years. In 2017 we formed a non-profit and moved to our current home at National Avenue Christian Church.