Mindfulness and Meditation with the Emory Buddhist Club

In the past few years, the terms mindfulness and meditation have moved into mainstream parlance. At Emory, many groups encourage the use of meditation to relieve stress, relax, or improve focus and sharpen mental capabilities. Indeed, the benefits of meditation are numerous and powerful. Emory Buddhist Club aims to connect students, faculty, and staff with the philosophy of Buddhism, of which meditation is a key component.

Emory Buddhist Club was founded in 2009 by a Chinese-American undergraduate at the encouragement of Dr. Brendan Ozawa-de Silva, then a lecturer at the Candler School of Theology, who realized that Buddhism was the only major religion without a student-led presence on campus. Since then, the club has operated under the auspices of the Office of Religious Life, with a rotating slew of undergraduate leaders. The University’s academic affiliation with the nearby Drepung Loseling Monastery, campus presence of several student-monks studying at Emory under the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, and the highly anticipated visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to campus in 2013 have all increased awareness of Buddhism at Emory. The Buddhist Club has collaborated with some of these groups, in addition to hosting their own events, including meditation sessions, vegetarian food festivals, film screenings, and field trips to local Buddhist temples. In 2013, the club began inviting qualified Buddhist teachers to lead the club each week, most of them ordained monks or nuns from local organizations such as Dharma Jewel Monastery and Georgia Buddhist Vihara. Since then, the Club hosts guided meditation and Buddhist teachings representing various traditions every Thursday. Everyone is welcome, whether simply to de-stress and relax, or to delve into deeper philosophy. You don’t have to be Buddhist to attend and our goal is not to convert people to Buddhism. Rather, we aim to bring diversity to our university, to expose our members to different cultures and viewpoints, and to foster an appreciation for healthy contemplation. Through meditation and universal practices of tolerance, contentment, and compassion, we hope people become wiser and join together to create a more peaceful, happy, and harmonious world.

The Emory Buddhist Club meets at 6pm every Thursday in Cannon Chapel. Contact us at emorybuddhistclub [at] gmail [dot] com to sign up for our weekly email with additional event listings.