Quiet, Please

New Year’s Eve festivities start early — really early — for anyone who wants to celebrate in quiet contemplation instead of the usual debauchery. The doors to the one-month-old Rime (pronounced ree-may) Buddhist Center open at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday for the 15th annual Meditation for World Peace.

The event gives visitors a chance to see Kansas City’s newest spiritual center, located in the century-old redbrick structure at 700 West Pennway, known in recent years as the home of the City in Motion Dance Company. A metal ballet bar remains in the white-painted meditation room, with its scarred wooden floors, opalescent stained-glass windows, and fluttering prayer flags. In this room, members of the Rime Buddhist Center conduct services, teach Tibetan language classes, embark on spiritual studies, and give lectures.

Lama Changchup Kunchak Dorje, also known as Chuck Stanford, cofounded the organization with his wife, Mary. After 20 years of meditation, Stanford’s interest in Buddhism and Tibetan culture led to his study and ordination as a lama. The center’s fast-growing membership includes a local morning radio personality and several area business leaders. The 10:30 a.m. Sunday services draw both the Buddhists and the curious, who are attracted to an hourlong ceremony that blends chanting, singing, and meditation.

“‘Rime’ is the Tibetan word for ‘unbiased,'” Stanford says. “The Center is completely nonsectarian. Our focus is on the cultivation of wisdom and compassion, and the public is always invited to our services.”

The December 31 event includes the voices of non-Buddhist spiritual leaders. “It’s very early,” Stanford says of the meditation, “but it’s always been a popular event, so we’re expecting a lot of people.”