Being Here

Catalog description

How have spiritual guides and devotees in various religious traditions conceptualized presence and mindfulness, nature of the soul, purpose of life, suffering and joy? This course provides students with an experience of the daily life of mystics and monks committed to a spiritual path and ascetic ways of being. It will include daily reflective journaling, reading, and a final paper. To optimize the experience, each student will commit to a series of conditions of intentional living across religious traditions, which include modifications in technology, verbal communication, attire, and food. Students will study poetry and other writings, meditations, and prayers to provide insight into the metaphysical reality experienced by those who have committed themselves to lifelong contemplative living. Through experiential inquiry and intercultural encounters, students enter an intentional way of life to discover the mysteries and depths of these questions and have the rare opportunity to embody the timeless spiritual maxim, "be in the world but not of it".