Faculty, Staff Invited to Join Weekly Zoom Meditation Group
When the University implemented online learning for students and remote work for faculty and staff due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Will Adams thought he’d have to suspend the psychology department’s weekly meditation group.
But, thanks to technology, Adams is using Zoom (both audio and video) to continue the weekly group he’s been leading for 14 years; and he has invited Duquesne faculty, staff and graduate students to join. No previous meditation experience is necessary, and Adams will guide participants. To ensure the groups can be as inclusive as possible, the meditations will not be affiliated with any particular spiritual tradition, Adams, an associate psychology professor, said.
“The recommendation to stay home as much as possible and avoid physically close contact with each other seems wise and compassionate given how easily this virus spreads,” Adams said. “We live in an inter-responsive world, after all. However appreciative of this very interdependence, I was concerned that such prudent actions would create a different epidemic—one of social isolation, anxiety, depression and diminished concern for others.”
After a conversation with one of his doctoral students and with a staff member in the Center for Teaching Excellence, Adams decided to move the in-person group online and expand it to additional University community members.
“In these days of the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to find ways to handle our stress and to refresh ourselves. Further, it is crucial that we pause, look carefully and tap into our deepest nature, thereby allowing real care for our self and others to arise spontaneously and inseparably,” Adams said. “Meditation and other kinds of contemplative practice can support both of these vital endeavors. Thankfully, many of us have the privilege of not being ill. Since the coronavirus plague is forcing us to stop anyway, meditation can help us stop and see and respond even more deeply.”
The Zoom meditation group will meet Thursdays through May 14 from 2 to 3:15 p.m.
“I will do a short introduction each week or other participants could lead a session if they wish,” said Adams. “We will ‘sit together’ for about 22 minutes, either with a guided or silent mediation, and then let our conversation flow from the contemplative consciousness we’ve cultivated.”
Participants can drop in or out at any time during the session, as well as week by week, but Adams said that arriving at the beginning of each meeting is preferred.
To join, visit https://duq.zoom.us/j/401515631. The meeting ID is 401 515 631. Individuals can also use One tap mobile: 646.876.9923, 401515631# US (New York) or 312.626.6799, 401515631# US (Chicago). Use the following numbers to dial based on your location:
- 646.876.9923 US (New York)
- 312.626.6799 US (Chicago)
- 669.900.6833 US (San Jose)
- 888.475.4499 US Toll-free
- 877.853.5257 US Toll-free.
To find your local number, visit https://duq.zoom.us/u/ahHDTUv5P.
Adams has been doing contemplative practice for about 35 years, and his primary influences are Zen Buddhism and Christian mysticism. He’s participated in several retreats with Christian teachers such as James Finley and the monks at the Trappist Abby of Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived. For the last 20 years, Adams has been studying Zen with renowned teacher Bruce Soun Harris Rōshi, who visited campus during the fall semester.