Tag Archives: schedule

Summer Break Begins in June

We currently have the Chapel reserved for in-person meditation sessions for 4 Tuesdays in May (see Our Schedule for dates). After that I plan to take a break from weekly sessions for the summer (June-July-August) so that I can attend to other pressing matters.

The outstanding question at the moment is whether or not we will resume weekly sessions in the Fall 2024 semester. I am currently undecided. This is partly because I am waiting to see how my family commitments evolve this summer. “Wait and see” is the operating phrase here.

In the meantime, the blog and its resources will remain available to all who are interested. And, as always, I will try my best to respond to email questions and requests. -Alan, alan@reed.edu

Welcome to Reed College meditation

“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:

  1. silent
  2. 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)
  3. offered during the noon lunch hour with an “official” silent period from 12:10-12:40 pm
  4. open to everyone in the campus community (staff, faculty, students), to all campus visitors, and to online participants (no prior experience necessary)
  5. 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.

Continue reading →

Online Meditation Goes Global

Reed meditation went online just over a month ago. We were far from alone. Tricycle magazine has compiled a list of online meditation sessions that span the continent and even the globe. So whatever time zone you are in, there’s a chance to join together with others in silent and/or guided meditation, paying attention to what is, what connects, noticing the thoughts that sometimes seem to say we are separate, and coming back what is.

The Tricycle online meditation list is super-easy to use. It’s basically a rolling calendar with times, time zones (pay attention, y’all), sponsors, and web links. I just read through the upcoming sessions for today (Sunday, May 3) and tomorrow and I found dozens of opportunities. Here’s a very small sample…

Prefer to meditate with other Oregonians? Check out the Zen Community of Oregon and the Portland Insight Meditation Community. Want to share your attention to the present moment with practitioners at well-known western centers of Buddhist practice? Check out the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Bodhi College, and Nyingma Institute. How about centers of higher education? Mindfulness Center at Brown. Or, skip the Buddhism altogether and lower your stress level with the founder of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), Jon Kabat-Zinn. See all this and more at the Tricycle online meditation list (I’ve also added a link to this list on our Sit Now page).

So why are you doing something? Just sit! We are in this together.

Early March 2020 practice – Still early days

The news is filled with stories about The Virus. It is truly no laughing matter, and the most appropriate response will vary from one day to the next, and even from one person to the next (fyi – I’m a male over 60 and which places me in a higher risk group).

For now, however, the risk of infection for nearly all Oregonians is still estimated to be quite low. But now’s the time to prepare. Practice your hygiene. Wash your hands. Familiarize yourself with the experts’ recommendations and learn where to go for more information.

As it happens, the opportunity for close contact with anyone during our meditation period is extremely low. The Reed Chapel is extremely large and we are very few in number (space yourselves as you think best). Until the College tells me otherwise, we will continue to host our weekly meditation periods.

But why meditate at a time like this? Because maybe there is no better time than this. Meditation provides an opportunity to spot our knee-jerk reactions, whatever they might be, and see them for what they are. A habitual grasping after, or a turning away from, the things that we hope will keep life the way we want it.

So I encourage you to make some time to sit. Sit, notice, pause, and then see. Aha! That is what is going on! A thought. A mind bubble that might pop as fast as it forms. Once we see our knee-jerk reaction, we have already expanded our horizon, already loosened the hold (at least a little) of whatever had grabbed us. We can, if we choose to, anchor our awareness once again in whatever we had originally intended: the breath, a touch, the sound of the world, ….

This is something we must repeat over and over again. Recognizing habitual reactions before we get swept away by them is a practice, a cultivation. The act of recognition can make itself felt immediately, but that recognition and the freedom it provides, can vanish just as quickly with the next thought, the next jerk of the knee.

This season’s emergency is a virus. What emergency will the next season bring? We are always vulnerable to the emergency of the moment. (Notice that “emergency” contains the word “emerge”?) New things are always emerging to grab our attention. The importance of mindfulness practice never disappears. Nor does the beauty of those practice moments when we find ourselves sitting in peace, undisturbed, and realize that there is a choice in the paths our lives can take.

All thoughts are thoughts, but all thoughts are not equal.

Wishing all of you happiness and good health, and especially, peace. – Alan, 8 Mar 2020

Health-O-Ween Meditation Returns Next Tuesday

Did you know that Reed College celebrates a special once-a-year holiday called Health-O-Ween? H-O-Ween is sponsored by Reed’s Wellness Committee, a Reed community group that highlights a spectrum of wellness activities for the Reed community.

Health-O-Ween activities announced by the Wellness Committee for next week include:

Continue reading →

Tuesday Meditation Continues for Fall ’18

Weekly silent meditation sessions will continue each Tuesday, noon-1 pm, this Fall-Winter in the Reed chapel. See Our Schedule for dates and alternative rooms.

Our sessions are open to everyone in the Reed community and to all campus visitors. The sessions are marked formally by bells rung periodically from 12:10 (start) to 12:40 pm (end). However, you are welcome to drop-in/leave anytime as your schedule requires.

January Meditation News

Weekly silent meditation will continue on Tuesdays throughout January. Meditation on January 16 will be held in Eliot 419 (below), and on January 23 & 30 in Eliot chapel. 

Sessions run from 12:10-12:40 pm and are open to all members of the Reed community and campus visitors. Drop-ins are welcome! Learn more at Our Schedule and Our Practice. (“Drop-in” means you can arrive and leave whenever it is convenient for you. Late arrivals and early departures are both fine. We do not call roll or take attendance.)

Fall 2017 Schedule

Weekly silent meditation will continue on Tuesdays this semester from August through December 2017 in the Eliot chapel. Sessions run from 12:10-12:40 pm and are open to all members of the Reed community and campus visitors. Drop-ins* are welcome! Learn more at Our Schedule and Our Practice.

* “Drop-in” means you can arrive and leave whenever it is convenient for you. Late arrivals and early departures are both fine. We do not take attendance.

Schedule Change TODAY Only (Jan 31)

Apologies for the last-minute change, but the College is sponsoring a Support & Solidarity Rally today, 12-1, in the Library foyer. Because that event begins almost at the same time as ours, I’m delaying the start (and end) of sitting meditation by 5 minutes. So our first three bells will ring at 12:15 and final bells at 12:45.

Go to the Rally if you wish. Drop in at meditation when you can. There’s time for both (maybe).

Paideia 2017 – Meditation Classes & Sessions

Next week, Jan 16-19, brings some special meditation opportunities as part of Reed’s informal winter session: Paideia 2017. Here’s the full list (with class descriptions at the bottom):

  • Jan 16, M, noon-1 pm, Eliot chapel – Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners taught by Mary Priester ’76 and Prof. Alan Shusterman
  • CANCELLED (College closed because of weather) – Jan 17, Tu, noon-1 pm, Eliot chapel – sitting meditation, first bells at 12:10, last bells at 12:40, drop-ins welcome-come when you can-leave when you want
  • Jan 17, Tu, 2-3 pm, Dance Studio – Walking Meditation taught by Alan Shusterman
  • Jan 18, W, noon-1 pm, Eliot chapel – Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners taught by Mary Priester ’76 and Prof. Alan Shusterman
  • Jan 19, Th, 2-3 pm, Dance Studio – Walking Meditation taught by Alan Shusterman

All of the events listed above are also listed on the Reed Meditation Google calendar, and are open to all members of the Reed community and their guests.

While it isn’t necessary to sign up for the classes, doing so could be a good way to show Paideia organizers your support for meditation. Tuesday noon-1 sitting meditation repeats weekly throughout the spring semester. See Our Schedule for dates and locations.

New to meditation? Here are descriptions of the two meditation classes:

Continue reading →