The Traveling Wheelchair

99 Pound Road
Cumberland, RI 02864
Phone: 401-658-1464
http://www.providencezen.org/
Tucked in the deep woods of Cumberland, RI is the Providence Zen Center.  I recommend that you call ahead for an appointment to tour it. The cost of a tour is FREE. My Aunt Nancy told me about this place and I decided I wanted to check it out. On my first visit I had a great experience as one of the Zen Monks showed me around the center and told me all about the Providence Zen Center and all they do such as meditation, yoga, chanting etc…  Today, I visited it again for I liked my first visit so much plus I wanted my mom to see it. There is  disabled parking right in front and it’s easy to get to the door. If you are in a wheelchair, you’ll have to get help to open up both doors to get though for they are not automatic.

We were first asked to take off our shoes before we toured the place and  saw their Meditation room with their great golden statue of Buddha.  You have to go around the porch to get the door to get in this area as there is a step on the inside of the building to get into this Meditation room.

I was told about how to clear my mind by the Monk. He explained to me the “I Don’t Know’ technique. He showed me how to do the sign while saying “I don’t know” and explained how it clears the mind. I also got a great  book that explains all of this and it was great reading too. The monk was so nice to me and listened to all I had to say and answered my questions. It’s amazed me that he understood every word I said even though my speech is somewhat slurred due to my disability.

I was also shown the Buddhist retreat, located  outside in the back on a hill with a pond in front. It was a beautiful calming experience with a really nice view of the water.  I enjoyed listening to the birds chirping as they have many bird houses there that attracts them to the center. Zen is to help you to discover your true self.  There’s lots of great of advice here that can be applied to everyday life. To learn more about the Zen teachings and schedule  visit their website which is above. Every Wednesday night they have a public vegetarian dinner that is free and open to the public at 5:30 PM. After the dinner they have a mediation training session and then a chanting session and I plan on attending one soon.

I recommend a visit to the center to all. I give the Providence Zen Center THREE STARS for accessibility of the building as there are some areas I couldn’t get to. I give the Zen Monk FIVE STARS for he was fantastic and took the time to show me around and teach me their philosophy. I really enjoyed my visit. They could earn the other Two Stars for accessibility if they installed automatic entry doors and replaced the small steps inside the building with ramps.