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Buddhism Club
Since there were none offered at my college, I took the initiative to start a buddhism club on campus at my school. I have everything I need except a faculty advisor and a club constitution, which I'm still working on.
My idea for the club is that we'd have 20 minutes of meditation and then for the rest of it, we'd have a dharma discussion or just general banter.
Any college students here run or are a part of a buddhism club at their school? If so, would you care to share your experience and how you've worked things out?
In b4: the first rule of buddhism club is you do not talk about buddhism club.
My idea for the club is that we'd have 20 minutes of meditation and then for the rest of it, we'd have a dharma discussion or just general banter.
Any college students here run or are a part of a buddhism club at their school? If so, would you care to share your experience and how you've worked things out?
In b4: the first rule of buddhism club is you do not talk about buddhism club.
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Comments
I didn't have the experience, but I think it might be a good idea if you get a book and discuss it, somewhat like a book club. that way you will have an outline and people will get there with an idea of what to discuss, so you won't waste time with repeating topics, deciding what to talk about or talking randomly.
Focus on an specific school (Theravada, Zen, and so on), in order to keep things more organized.
Decide the level of knowledge these people should have. Are you doing a thing for beginners? Are you doing it for more advanced practitioners? And select the texts and topics accordingly.
These are my 2 cents.
I did the same thing at my college earlier this year. It helped that my school offers an 'activities night' so I was able to spread the word about the club. There was definitly alot of interest. Which is good because you'd be amazed at how difficult it is to get college students motivated enough to actually come out to a meeting. So my first piece of advice is never under-estimate the laziness of a college student! ;-)
Next, 20 minutes might be a bit long. I have alot of members who are new to buddhism and have not meditated before. Also, its more difficult in a situation with college students because we tend to have alot of energy when we get together. So you might consider cutting back on that time and instead doing what you can to encourage practice outside of the schedule time.
Another question I've wrestled with is how frequently to hold meetings. On one hand, once a week felt like it might be too much. But then it became difficult to coordinate with everyone exactly when it would be etc. So I suggest picking a weekly time and place and sticking to that and just making it as open as possible.
Those are just some ideas that come to mind. Please don't hesitate to ask any further questions. Overall, I have no regrets about starting the club, and I fully support your initiative 100%. GOOD LUCK!
Response to NamelessRiver: Preparation is important. But I would recommend not being too prepared. I found that keeping things causual was a big help. College students interested in buddhism tend to be very open-minded. Its almost lilke you can just say 'Compassion' and an incredibly thought-provoking 30 minute conversation will ensue. They're in college because we like to think (so we hope). Let them think.
I would start off with maybe a 5-7 minute GUIDED meditation.
Then talk about whatever you would talk about, have a question and answer time, i dunno, haha.
Then maybe invite people after to do a heavier 15-30 minute meditation, but emphasize that it can be over for anyone who doesn't wish to participate.
Thats my 2 cents. Best of luck, wish my school had one.
Palzang
And Anu delighted in the words of Venerable Palzang.
Hahahaha, bravo. very well done.
Good idea! I wish there had been such a thing when I was in college.
Mtns