“Our speech becomes a tool for protecting others,” said group leader John Christopherson as the members of the Diamond Way Meditation group chanted “Ooohm” back to him.

“Our speech becomes a tool for protecting others,” continued Christopherson in a soft voice. The group chanted back.

“The power of all Buddhas work through us,” Christopherson said as the group fell into a trance.

Christopherson continued to lead one of the group’s many weekly meditations at Union South while the sounds of soft, sibilant whispering and the gentle clacks of prayer beads rustled in the background. The air was quietly intense.

“I just wanted to get rid of stress and negative energy,” said University of Wisconsin freshman Ashley Bieber of her first session with the group Tuesday night. “But I would attend it on a regular basis.”

Her friend, freshman Sarah Felt, agreed and said she had become interested in meditation after attending a class on Eastern world religions last year.

“One of the things we learned is that Buddhism isn’t really a religion,” Felt said. “It’s not really a religion thing. It’s just a different way of looking at things in your life.”

Christopherson, also a local grade-school teacher, agreed.

“If people find it useful, maybe it’s the thing for them,” he said. “We don’t try to do anything where we’re forcing someone to accept a belief. People should just check it out and see if it matches their experiences.”

Christopherson believes that Buddhism, actually more of a philosophy than a religion, can be applied to anyone’s life.

“It covers everything. All experiences up to an orgasm,” he said laughing.

Using the example of a student who only received $43 back on his tax return, Christopherson taught that the situation was a study of the importance of acceptance when things go wrong, a central tenet of Buddhism.

“He owes me money, but I can accept that,” Christopherson said. “This illustrates the power of these methods.”

The room the group used was scattered with small pillows, and members seemed to want to make guests as comfortable as possible.

“It’s not written anywhere, but we go out of our way to introduce ourselves to strangers,” member Matt Schafer said.

A card with a picture of a figure holding a bell and a diamond scepter was passed around and explained as being a representation of compassion and wisdom in balance. A traditional Tibetan song was also sung at the end of the meditation.

Diamond Way Meditation meets two to three times a week, and new members are welcome to attend.