In the living room of 3631 Prospect Street, a circle of simple wooden chairs awaits the arrival of a small group of students once every morning and evening.
On this particular evening, discarded shoes crowd the staircase as students settle around a coffee table holding a lit candle and a sculpture of two birds at a drinking bowl. Promptly at 9 p.m., a monk takes his seat on a cushion at the front of the room and opens the service.
The new Center for Meditation and Inter-Religious Dialogue opened its doors this fall to students of all faiths. Scholar-in-residence Fr. Laurence Freeman, a Benedictine monk and the director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, leads meditation services in the house twice daily.
Alex Miller (CAS ‘08) and Raymond Schillinger (CAS ‘08) live in a University townhouse next door as part of a volunteer agreement to facilitate the Center’s activities.
For both students, meditation provides a unique means of escape from the din and chatter of campus. “Frequently, prayer is all chatter and no listening,” Miller said. “The idea is to let the spirit pray through us.”
Each service opens with an inspirational reading from a spiritual text. A 15-minute period of silent meditation follows, and the service ends with another reading. The texts used come from both Eastern and Western traditions and include selections from the Gospels and Hindu liturgy.
Freeman, who teaches Roots of Christian Meditation in the Catholic studies department, has seen first-hand the positive effects that sustained meditation can have.
“Those who meditate regularly undergo much change,” Freeman said. “It is a personal change that is very subtle. One becomes more mindful and reflective.”
Freeman also praised the practice for its unifying powers, observing that people who meditate together often develop deep friendships.
Schillinger, who is Jewish, was enthusiastic about the interfaith aspect of these friendships. “We can reach all faiths together through meditation because meditation is an element of every faith,” Schillinger said.
Nonetheless, advertising has been minimal so far. This is a haven, so while all are welcome, there’s also a desire to keep the community small. Knowledge about the center has spread primarily through word-of-mouth.
In addition to hosting meditation services seven days a week, the Center is also planning to have regular Sunday brunch discussions with religious and spiritual leaders as well as monthly interfaith dialogues.
The World Community for Christian Meditation is an international organization dedicated to promoting meditation as a means of strengthening spiritual life.