The Buddhist prayer flags that hang in Don Jones' driveway are Tibetan, but the Buddhist meditation that Jones practices in his living room is not.

Jones hosts an informal Insight Meditation group in his west Rapid City home, an Americanized strain of Buddhism that stems from the Theravedan tradition. The prayer flags out front belong to the better-known Tibetan tradition, the form of Buddhism most familiar to Americans, thanks to the high public profile of its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in India about 2,500 years ago. The religion he founded split into four main traditions after his death: Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan and Zen, which now claim 350 million adherents worldwide, including about 1.5 million in America. The Buddha did not consider himself a god, so some of its practitioners consider Buddhism a philosophy, not a religion.

Buddha is a Sanskrit word that translates to "awakened" - and that's an accurate description of what is happening to the world's fifth-largest religion here in America, ever since it was imported to mainstream U.S. populations in the 1960s. In Rapid City, there currently are at least three Buddhist meditation groups that practice three different varieties of Buddhism.

A Zen Buddhist group, the Laughing Teabowl Sangha, has been meeting in Rapid City for 12 years, said Suzan Nolan. That tradition practices seated meditation (zazen), as well as the formal Japanese tea ceremony and a walking meditation called kin hin. It meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and at 9 a.m. Sundays in the Yoga Studio, 2050 W. Main St.

A Tibetan Buddhist meditation group, the Mother of Wisdom Buddhist Sangha led by Joe Tolson, meets weekly at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at 907 Columbus St.

Tibetan Buddhism, with its dense, complex theology, can sometimes appeal to Catholics or people from Orthodox church backgrounds who seek a Buddhist practice, Jones said.

"There are differences of style, more than of belief," he said. "Zen is very formal, very ritualized, very traditional. Insight Meditation is more casual, more relaxed."

Still, it can be hard for Rapid City residents to practice Buddhism, which is why Jones decided to launch an Insight Meditation group.

The Rapid City Meditation Group that gathers twice each month in his living room is small but enthusiastic, with just six members to date. "But we know that there are many people here interested in Buddhism, judging from the number and turnover of books on the subject at Borders," he said.

The group has a 20-minute meditation practice, sometimes utilizing a guided meditation tape, followed by a discussion of various aspects of Buddhism. Anyone interested in learning more about the group can call Jones at 342-2155.

All Buddhists are trying to unravel the big question posed by Buddha: What is the nature of suffering?

"And how to get rid of it," Jones said.

Buddhism teaches the Four Noble Truths, which say that suffering is caused by attachment and can be eased by following the Eightfold Path: right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration. Buddhists also believe in karma, the concept that actions have consequences, and in cycles of death and rebirth, or reincarnation.

Insight Meditation has been popularized by American Buddhists such as Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron and Joseph Goldstein. Jones has tried other forms of Buddhism over the years, but this style works best for him. Culturally, other forms of Buddhism felt too foreign to his American sensibilities.

"For me, it got to a point where I didn't want to go to any more 2-1/2-hour chant sessions to a deity I didn't know, in a language I didn't understand, to a tune I couldn't stand," he said. "Insight Meditation System strips much of that away to the basic truths and paths that all Buddhists believe in."

If you go

The Laughing Teabowl Sangha will offer a weekend meditation retreat Nov. 21-23 at a Black Hills area home. The group meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and at 9 a.m. Sundays at the Yoga Studio, 2050 W. Main St. It welcomes anyone and provides meditation instruction for newcomers.

Rapid City Meditation Group meets at 6:45 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 4851 Cliff Drive. There are no fees, no dues and no donations accepted. Call Don Jones at 342-2155 or e-mail him at djartist@tsp.midco.net

The Mother of Wisdom Buddhist Sangha, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation group led by Joe Tolson, meets weekly at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at 907 Columbus St.