Meditation can lead to a calm, clear mind.

“Anyone who would like to meditate with us is welcome,” said Rev. Cynthia Marshall.

Marshall is the club secretary of the Crystal Lotus meditation group within the Butler Buddhist Sangha.

According to its website, “a sangha is a spiritual community who believe that suffering is universal, but can be alleviated through following the eightfold path.”

The meditation group will begin having Dharma talks to discuss just what the eightfold path is on Monday.

“The eightfold path is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation,” said Marshall.

The nondenominational group's weekly meditation sessions and monthly Dharma talks are free and open to everyone.

“I think that Dharma talks can be really nice organic options for people to understand the Buddhist way of thinking,” Marshall said.

The sangha started in 2011 and became a nonprofit organization in November.

“We found in Butler that there is a need,” Marshall said.

The club decided to start offering Dharma talks to give people the opportunity to learn more about the eightfold path without having to travel.

“Pittsburgh has more to offer, and a lot of Butler people have gone to Pittsburgh to be a part of their sanghas, but we have everything here to grow in Butler,” said club President Celia Puz.

Marshall and Puz said there is always the discussion of whether Buddhism is a religion or philosophy.

“(Buddhism) is as practical today as it was 2,500 years ago,” said Puz.

Puz said she feels Buddhism is the right way of life for her because it's very freeing, compassionate, nonjudgmental and loving.

“It teaches us how to live and be happy,” Puz said.

The sangha's spiritual leader is Master Tsung Tsai.

Tsai escaped China in 1959 to settle in Woodstock, N.Y., and now lives in Los Angeles.

The book “The Bones of the Master” by George Crane was written about Tsai's travel back to China.

The book is being made into a movie, involving Richard Gere according to the sangha.

“More people will know (Tsai's) name in two years than they do now,” said Marshall.

Part of the Crystal Lotus sangha's mission is to help those who care for others in hospice, the animals of those in hospice and animals who are going through illness themselves.

“We really are a sangha that wants its mission to be involved with sentient beings,” Marshall said.

Sentient beings are something that has the ability to perceive and have subjective experiences.

One of the things the sangha does to help someone after their pet has passed is to light a candle in the animal's honor during meditation.

Marshall said she received her hospice chaplaincy in March from the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, N.M.

Rev. Joshua Hudson met Marshall at the Rosemead Buddhist Monastery ordination in Los Angeles.

There were only about 15 ordained at the international school that day, and two of them were from Butler.

Hudson will speak about “Right Intention” on Nov. 19.

“I really do think that just like every other kind of spiritual philosophy, anyone can gain from coming to a Dharma talk,” Marshall said.

<B>What:</B> Dharma talks hosted by the Crystal Lotus meditation group<B>Where: </B>Butler Library, 218 N. McKean St.<B>When: </B>6 to 7:45 p.m. Sept. 10, “Right Livelihood” by Rev. Cynthia Marshall; 6 to 7:45 p.m. Oct. 15, “Right Effort; 6 to 7:45 p.m. Nov. 19, “Right Intention” by Rev. Joshua Hudson; 6 to 7:45 p.m. Dec. 10, “No Self”Weekly meditations are held from 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays when there is no Dharma talk.For more information, visit http://crystallotusmeditation.org or e-mail crystallotusmeditation@gmail.com.