At the end of August I was able to visit my friend in California, and together we went to Metta Forest Monastery outside of San Diego. This is a Theravada Buddhist monastery, and the abbot monk who founded it is the teacher whose books, sermons, and scripture translations have served as the foundation of my Buddhist practice this last year. I was able to meet this monk, Thanissarro Bikhhu, and ask questions about his decision to ordain decades ago. I had been imagining meeting him and asking him these questions for a long time; as this was my first visit to a monastery, it felt like the culmin ..read more

For the past year of studying philosophy and now with a declared philosophy major, I’ve encountered numerous ideas that have shook my core beliefs and opinions about various matters. A few examples of challenging areas that have prompted insightful and dynamic discussions include absurdism and idealism—two of the areas of philosophy that I am most interested in. For my whole life, I’ve always been the person asking the difficult questions, such as the why and how questions, when most people generally gravitate towards the what questions. I’ve spent so much time searching and seeking for the ul ..read more

This past spring quarter has been one of turbulence and contained some of the highest-highs followed by the lowest-lows in my life. At one point, I even reached rock bottom––the worst and most painful I’ve ever felt in my life. Looking back, at the end of winter quarter, I had a somewhat strange vision about my future and how there was a dissonance between the person I was then, and the person who I had envisioned myself to become. When the spring quarter began I aggressively searched for ways to make those plans, dreams, and visions a reality.  I started off by focusing on my health, or ..read more

A year and a half ago, the meditation mustard seed was planted in my brain by none other than...Chelsea Handler. I know, not the meditation master you were expecting right, but it's true. During the summer between my junior and senior years of high school I took Handler’s book, Life Will be the Death of Me, on vacation and devoured it. I related so much to Handler and the way she spoke about meditation really sold the practice, so when I got home, I downloaded Headspace, a guided meditation app and timer, and began my journey. I stuck to it for a bit and even made it through the month-lon ..read more

I landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on the 3rd of January, 2020. I was now on the other side of the world — back in Chicago after a six week break back home in Thailand. I found myself back in the dorms the next day surrounded by the friends I had made the earlier quarter. Things seemed normal… I remember one night being in my friend’s room and getting a notification on my phone about the new coronavirus being identified in Seattle –– not taking it too seriously –– it was far far away from Chicago after all. And this was one of the most advanced and sophisticated countries in the ..read more

I have always thought of the spring season as a time to reflect on all of the changes in my life. Some of the changes are good, and some aren’t as good, but at the end of the day, the concept that something in my life has changed is good. In other words, even the seemingly bad changes in our lives (break-ups, bad test grades, roommate drama, etc.) are good changes in the big scheme of things.  With the fleeting two weeks of blossoming cherry trees, I always reflect on the changes in my life (big or small, ugly or beautiful) as normal things. Buddhists are taught that life is impermanent ..read more

Though I do not identify with any particular religion, I am intrigued by the way religious traditions and cycles frame one’s intentions and expectations throughout the year. The themes, philosophy, and narratives that weave with the movement of the year help people maintain connection with their self, community, purpose, and sense of divinity. Recently, a Christian friend and I were discussing the ways that they interpret the season of Lent and Easter in their lives. Previously, I’d say I associated Lent with sacrifice and submission to God, and perceived it as a very heavy time. I associate i ..read more

Hi! I’m Olivia, the agnostic/spiritual Interfaith Scholar. I am also a singer/songwriter, and my sense of spirituality is perpetually dancing and weaving through my music. To explain my spirituality as best I can, I would say I believe in a metaphysical/spiritual interconnectedness that calls us all to be caregivers to each other and to our natural world. In order to do this, I believe we have a responsibility to use our human gifts and tools to maintain/preserve/promote the systems of love and life that make this world so special and miraculous. I use music and art to process my reality and e ..read more

Quarantine has certainly taken a toll on all of us. One of the beautiful (and perhaps ugliest) things about quarantine is how its removal of the distractions in our lives has left us time for reflection. Beautiful because of the opportunity to reflect. Ugly because of how we might stumble into that reflection. Over the summer, I had an overwhelming experience. I was sitting in my apartment, talking to my older sister, when I began feeling light headed. It was bothering me, but I couldn’t bring myself to get off the couch to take anything for it. Maybe I was just being lazy. My sister continued ..read more

As a Buddhist, I’ve always been taught that life is fleeting. We never know when our time on earth will come to an end, so we must make the most of each day. This philosophy is called impermanence –– knowing that nothing in life will last, so we mustn’t grow attached to unnecessary possessions, thoughts, or actions. Because of this, I developed a go-go-go mentality. I’d often find myself trying to solve problems on my own and accomplish my daily tasks without making a fuss. I thought that independence was the only way I could make the most of my present moment. This mentality led me to interna ..read more