Trucks, motorcycles and cars rumbled through the streets of downtown Jefferson City on Saturday morning. But in a small room off East Dunklin Street, there was near silence, save for the whisper of the heating vent in the ceiling.
The lights were low and the smells of incense hung in the air. In the middle of the room, four people sat on cushions, their eyes closed and faces relaxed, concentrating not on any of the sounds outside, but instead on themselves and their thoughts.
This was the second day of the meditation retreat at the Vipassana Buddhist Church and Center for Buddhist Development.