“Reed College meditation” probably suggests more than it should. There are many meditation opportunities on campus (see listings of PE classes if you have an unusual schedule). This webpage provides information about a weekly, lunchtime silent meditation session that began operating in 2012 and has been available to all-comers. (*** See Summer Break Begins in June *** for updates regarding upcoming sessions in May, June, and beyond.)
The basic features of our sessions are that they are:
- silent
- not affiliated with any religious group or particular style of meditation (what we provide is a period of silence that you can use pretty much as you wish)
- offered during the noon lunch hour with an “official” silent period from 12:10-12:40 pm
- open to everyone in the campus community (staff, faculty, students), to all campus visitors, and to online participants (no prior experience necessary)
- available on a “drop in” basis, meaning that you can choose when to arrive and when to leave (you don’t need to contact us in advance – just show up!)
The overarching idea is to make it as convenient as possible for you to fit some meditation into your weekly schedule.
If all this sounds very simple and flexible, that’s because it is meant to be so. We offer a time and a place on campus (and online) for you to sit quietly. Come join us.
If you would like to learn more about silent meditation, or have more questions about how and when we operate, or would like to meditate this very moment, check out one or more of the following webpages:
Our Practice – This page provides some ideas for those who would like to give meditation a try, or who would like to learn more about what happens during one of our sessions. It also provides some practical instructions for those who are interested in joining us for in-person or online meditation.
Our Schedule – This page contains our calendar for the current academic period (fall semester, spring semester, summer break). It tells when bells are rung and how you can join our mailing list.
Resources – Here you can find some links to written meditation instructions, to “guided” meditations (a speaker provides instructions as you sit), to instructions for walking and for metta meditation, and to research journals and popular magazines that discuss meditation.
Sit Now – If you would like to meditate right now, you might find some of the tools on this page helpful. There are links that will help you find a group that is meditating online right now, a guided meditation of varying lengths, or a sound track that features bells-silence-bells (choose the silent period that works for you: 15, 20, 30 minutes).
The Blog – From time to time I have written short essays, or posted links to articles or webpages, that touch on some aspect of silent meditation. Most of these posts have been tagged according to the topics they deal with, and you can see the full list of tags in the “word cloud” on the right side of this webpage. If you would like to see a list of the blog posts related to any particular tag, just click on the tag in the word cloud.