The Exploring Religious Questions Series topic this year is Meditation, Mindfulness, and Contemplative Practices: Perspectives from Christianity, Buddhism, and Medical Sciences. The first session will be given on Oct. 13 at 7:00p.m.

In this series, pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Wilmur, Reverend Dr. Mari Thorkelson, will be presenting on “Cultivating Christian Mindfulness and Meditation Practices: Diverse Practices in the History of Christianity and Today.”

“The ERQ program is one more way Gustavus shares its gifts with and offers hospitality to the wider community.”—Marcia Bunge

The following session will focus on Buddhist meditation practices by Gustavus’ very own professor in Religion and Japanese Studies, John Cha. Cha will be exploring the origins of Buddhist practice in India as well as the various meditation systems that have developed in South Asia with an emphasis on religious dimensions of meditation.

The third session of the four part series will be given from the medical standpoint of a representative of the Mayo Clinic. MSW, ASW, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker from the Behavioral Health Department, Elizabeth Power Hawkinson will be talking about new research on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness for a person’s well being.

In the final session, a panel of practitioners will reflect on their personal experiences with meditation, explaining how and why it is useful and growing in popularity.

Professor in Religion and Bernhardson Distinguished Chair of Lutheran Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College, Marcia Bunge helps organize the Exploring Religious Questions Series and teaches courses on Lutheranism, World Christianity, and Interfaith Dialogue. In organizing the event, Bunge carefully selected speakers that are not only experts in their field, but also have years of experience practicing forms of meditation.

Bunge wanted to choose a topic that was relevant and insightful to Gustavus students, and a broader audience of people coming from outside of campus.

“The ERQ program is one more way Gustavus shares its gifts with and offers hospitality to the wider community,” Bunge said.

“This community partnership benefits Gustavus greatly— it engages our local community in a shared learning event.”—Chaplin Grady

She stresses that the topics are as important today as they have been throughout history in varied faith traditions and practices, and is even becoming more significant in the medical field.

“We are offering this series on Meditation, Mindfulness, and Contemplative Practices because contemplative practices have been important in Christianity and Buddhism for centuries, and mindfulness and meditation are also emerging hot topics in the field of medicine as well as in public schools and on college campuses,” Bunge said.

Everyone is welcome to attend any or all of the presentations, free of charge. Events such as these are important to the Gustavus community and intend to offer a chance to gain a more thorough understanding of the topics.

“During my time at Gustavus, the moments I have felt most inspired have been the times I have attended lectures from someone who has extensive experience in a specific field.”—Hannah Smith

“We are extremely lucky as Gustavus students to constantly be surrounded by professors and professionals who very often share their experiences and understanding of a certain topic. During my time at Gustavus, the moments I have felt most inspired have been the times I have attended lectures from someone who has extensive experience in a specific field, and whose undeniable passion is evident based off of one conversation,” Senior Hannah Smith said.

These series have been successful for the past six years due to the collaboration of the Center for Servant Leadership and the Bernhardson Chair for Lutheran Studies. The courses that they organize typically attract anywhere from fifty to eighty participants and is an opportunity for people to learn from the faculty and staff at Gustavus and other experts brought to the series.

“This community partnership benefits Gustavus greatly… it engages our local community in a shared learning event, gives our Gustavus faculty and staff an outlet to organize and refine new teaching material, offers students an intergenerational learning environment, and regularly brings local community members to campus,”Chaplain and Director for Church Relations in Center for Servant-Leadership and Chaplains’ Office Grady St. Dennis said.

The program is known for its ability to initiate group discussions, and is one of the more exceptional methods used to offer learning experiences to the community inside and outside of Gustavus.

“It is unique to have a multi-session course offering to bring together such a diverse collection of learners and presenters,” Dennis said.

-Haley Bell