About

The Mindfulness Meditation Group was founded in Sarasota, Florida, and is led by Steve Lovinger, a long-time student and practitioner of meditation and Buddhist philosophy. With over 25 years of experience, Steve has studied and practiced across a range of traditions—including Tibetan, Theravāda, and secular Buddhism—drawing from each to cultivate a practical, integrative approach. His teaching is grounded in consistent personal practice, a deep appreciation for early Buddhist texts, and an interest in how contemplative wisdom intersects with modern understandings from psychology, biology, and philosophy. Through his guidance, the group explores meditation not just as a technique but as a transformative path of insight, awareness, and ethical living.

The Mindfulness Meditation Group meets every Sunday from 3 pm until 5 pm in the Library at the Unitarian Campus on Fruitville Road in Sarasota, FL.

Contact info: mindfulnessbhfsarasota@gmail.com

Please send an email to be added to our weekly emails, which include meeting topic announcements.

Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Rd, Sarasota, FL 34232

Steve Lovinger’s Philosophy

I wanted to share a little about where I’m coming from — the mix of influences, life experiences, and ideas that shape how I approach our meetings. Think of it as a snapshot of my current perspective, knowing that, like everything else in life, it’s always open to change.

My philosophy is a lived integration of early Buddhist practice (without metaphysics), phenomenology, biology, and the understanding that self-interest is the fundamental drive of all living beings. I distinguish self-interest from selfishness: when seen wisely, self-interest aligns with ethical living because it recognizes that my well-being is bound up with the well-being of others and the world I engage with.

This view is grounded in biology—not only what we are born with, but also how we are conditioned through our lived experience, our interactions with the external world, and our own thoughts, speech, and actions. I see these as part of what Merleau-Ponty calls the intentional arc, shaping perception, behavior, and meaning over time.

From Yogācāra Buddhism, I draw on the three natures and the storehouse consciousness, with the perspective that “it is and it isn’t” — recognizing both the constructed nature of our experience and its undeniable felt reality. Awareness is the key: if you can see the river, you’re not in the river. Awareness pulls us out of the storehouse’s autopilot reactivity, letting us respond rather than react.

Pleasure is not to be rejected, but refined. As Epicurus understood, simple, wholesome pleasures are essential for a healthy life. I believe a life oriented toward friendliness (mettā) for oneself and others, combined with these simple pleasures, is both skillful and sustainable.

Meditation is central to my path, not only for calming the mind but for enhancing sensitivity to lived experience. Awareness born of friendliness, acceptance, and understanding is the antidote to reactivity and to the friction (dukkha) that comes from resisting reality.

My approach blends influences: the Buddha as presented in the Pali Canon, Epicurus, Merleau-Ponty, Stephen Batchelor, Robert Wright, Robert Sapolsky, and certain principles of Yogācāra Buddhism. It’s a framework for living that is honest about our nature, grounded in science, enriched by philosophy, and guided by compassion.