Art in Buddhism

• Artist Painter

Speaker, author, singer, song writer, Yoga Instructor

Forest Tradition Theravāda Buddhism

Payne’s Prarie Tour Guide: The Theravāda Forest perspective on mindfulness and sharing insights on the art of being present in nature

Kirtan Singer & Musician

Tibetan Buddhism

• Maahaah-Rooh Mind-Body Exercises
• Meditation
• Singing Bowls

Laurie Reisman is the director of Gainesville Karma Thegsum Chöling and serves as Secretary for the Southeastern Buddhist Retreat Center. A licensed clinical social worker, long-time Buddhist practitioner, and PhD candidate in Mind Body Medicine, Laurie’s academic focus is on mindful leadership and contemplative approaches to end-of-life care. She is a certified Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and meditation instructor with over 20 years of experience in Asian healing traditions. Laurie brings ritual-rich presence, communal joy, and embodied presence to her teaching and leadership. She delights in connecting with nature, drumming, and sharing Dharma as a path of healing and transformation.

Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhism

• The love, kindness & compassion teachings of Chenrezig
• Vipassana Meditation

Dr. Billy Thomas is a retired Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences from Florida State College at Jacksonville. He is an avid motorcyclist, hiker and kayaker. Most importantly father to Matthew, Amelia, Teddy and “Mister Billy” to Dylan. He has an Ed.D in Educational Innovation from the University of South Florida, M.A in Christian Education from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Post-graduate hours in Educational Psychology Counseling from the University of North Florida, B.A in Religion from Stetson University and an A.A from Florida Junior College (currently FSCJ). He has been a Kama Kagyu practitioner and student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Bardor Tulku Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche since 1997. With the permission of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche has been teaching and leading meditation for more than 20 years. More than 10 years ago Billy established Amelia Island Karma Kagyu Study Group at the behest of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche and began leading Chenrezig practice following instructions from Rinpoche. Although having received many teachings and empowerments, Billy’s primary practice is Chenrezig and the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva.

Maahaah-Rooh Mind-Body Exercises, Q-Gong, Yoga & Tai-Chi

Gentle, intentional movement practices drawn from Qi-Gong, Yoga, and Tai Chi, all designed to reconnect breath, awareness, and physical presence. We slow down enough to feel the body from the inside out—noticing tension, softening where we can, and awakening the natural intelligence that lives beneath our habits of rushing and distraction. Each sequence becomes a meditation in motion: grounding the mind, opening the heart, and helping us return to a steadier, more compassionate way of being. The goal is not performance or perfection, but learning to inhabit the body with ease, curiosity, and kindness.

J. Carlo is a long time practitioner of energetic arts of Qi-Gong, Hatha Yoga, Aikido and Tai-Chi Chuan. He has attained the level of Shihan, or “master instructor” with 18 years of experience, expertise, and leadership skills in the Maahaah-Rooh martial arts system and is currently an instructor in Gainesville. He is an effective communicator who is fluent in Spanish.

• Nichiren Buddhism practices

Kali’s career has spanned decades in health and human services, serving in a multiple roles from nursing to welfare caseworker, children’s probation worker, home health aide and activist for Black history, affordable housing and academic enrichment.

After retiring from the University of Florida Shands Hospital as an R.N., Kali continued his mission of giving back in a variety of enterprises, including serving on multiple Citizens’ Actions Committees for Alachua County, as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, anti-tobacco counseling, volunteer nursing and a variety of other human service activities.

Kali’s educational background includes degrees in cardiopulmonary technology and nursing from Santa Fe University, Biology and Political Science from Wayne State University in Michigan, Urban and Regional Planning from Alabama A&M University.

Tibetan Buddhism

• Role of Goddess and Dakini in the Tibetan Theramandal Tradition

Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Zen

• Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Zen teachings
• Vipassana Zen Silent Meditation

• Tibetan Shamata Meditation

• Hatha Yoga
• Harmonium player & Chanting

Helene Hammer credits yoga with helping her find calm, clarity and joy in her life. Having taught middle and high school for 38 years, she was drawn to yoga in the year 2000, as a stress reliever. Helene decided to get certified to teach it in 2006, and received her advanced certification in 2020. She has taught children up to senior citizens, and her style is fun and playful, encouraging students to notice sensations without judgement and let go of stress.

Astronomy meets Astrology at the Santa Fe College Planetarium

Welcome to “The Sky Above Us” with James Albury!

James will give you a guided tour of the night sky and tell you what to look for during the coming weeks!

James C. Albury is the manager of the Santa Fe College Kika Silva Pla Planetarium and was co-host of the PBS television program “Star Gazers” (2011-2019).  He’s now the host of his own astronomy program “The Sky Above Us”.

Between 2019/2020, Albury served as President of the Southeastern Planetarium Association (SEPA); a professional organization for the support of planetaria and staff in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and all U.S. Territories off the southeastern coast of the U.S.  He recently served on the SEPA Executive Council as Past-president (2021-2022) and advised the then President and President-elect. Albury currently serves as the IPS (International Planetarium Society)-Advisor for SEPA (http://www.sepadomes.org).

• The Role of Women in Buddhism

MEDITATION CREDENTIALS

Studied with Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche in 1974 and authorized as a Meditation Instructor and Program Coordinator for Shambhala Training in Miami, FL; Boulder, CO; and Halifax, NS Canada. Completed Traditional Tibetan 3 Year, 3 Month Retreat, at His Holiness Karmapa’s retreat center with Khenpo Karthar. Rimpoche as retreat master. Both have authored many books.

Director for Sarasota Meditation Art Gallery 2023 ( www.meditationartgallery.com)

• Entrepreneur – Owner, Boulder Gardens Flower Shop, Boulder, Colorado
• Program Consultant, Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, Colorado. -Drop-out Program Coordinator 99.8 success rate)
• Curriculum Specialist, North Lake Community College, Irving Texas
• Founder of Goldlake Consultants Inc. – an educational consulting company
• Founder and Principal of King’s View Academy, a junior/senior high school in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2000. Recognized by the University of Toronto as being in the top 50 of schools in Canada. Retired in 2017.

Art in Buddhism

With deep gratitude to my teachers, Cynthia Moku, with whom I studied directly for over six years and continue to learn from to this day, and Ekabhumi Elik, whose guidance further shaped my path. The foundation of my work is rooted in the lineage of traditional Tibetan Thangka painting.

Thangka is an ancient sacred art form in which deities are drawn and painted according to exact geometrical proportions. Within this precise lattice of measurement and relationship, the image is not invented but revealed. Through this lattice work of geometry, the form begins to emerge on its own. At a certain point, it no longer feels like “my work.” It is not my hand alone. It comes through my being.

This process creates what I experience as a living mirror… an image that carries presence. For the one who meditates before it, there is an opportunity to internalize and embody the qualities it represents: compassion, clarity, strength, wisdom.

For me, art is alive. It is a practice.

It has the capacity to move beyond the chatter and evaluation of the mind, gently reaching into deeper layers of our being. Through color, proportion, and symbol, harmony can be transmitted directly, not explained, but felt. When we look at an image, there is an opportunity for awakening! Everything we behold evokes something within us.

When I paint, everything I experience enters the work; thoughts, fears, devotion, longing, gratitude. The canvas becomes a field where inner and outer meet. It is my intention that through these images we remember our interconnection with one another, with the earth, and with the quiet perfection that underlies all form.

Toward the One.