Spirit At Cal

by Jerlina Love

Cal students are known for their school spirit, evidenced by their enthusiasm for Cal football and anything with a Cal logo. From September to May Bancroft and Telegraph function as catwalks for Cal merchandise, from sweatshirts and T-shirts to tote bags and sandals. While I have never been attracted to the idea of school spirit, I am attracted to the idea of spirit being a unifying principle and have actively sought it out in less materialistic and competitive manifestations since coming to campus two years ago. Fortunately Berkeley has an abundance of opportunities to learn about and experiment with spiritual practices from across the globe. My involvement with this form of Cal spirit has greatly enhanced my Berkeley experience.

There are many ways to approach spiritual exploration and development. You can take courses, participate in student groups, take recreational classes, enroll in a decal, or get off campus and take classes at the Graduate Theological Union (http://www.GTU.edu) or visit a spiritual center. Before I go any further let me explain what I mean by spirituality. Michael Nagler, the founder of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, borrows a definition of Spirituality from the Scottish Council of Churches as "an attempt to grow in sensitivity to self, to others, to nonhuman creations and go God who is within and beyond this totality." While I usually shirk away from "God talk" the idea of there being a totality or a universe with infinite interdependent beings that recreate the world with each new action, is something that is incredibly interesting to me. Growing in sensitivity or raising my awareness of this totality and my place within it has been an increasing interest for me. It is this growing sensitivity to our interdependence that guides my activism on campus and in the community.

I started my own spiritual journey when I began practicing Buddhism nearly three years ago in New York. I practice with the Soka Gakkai International (http://www.sgi.org) and the World Peace Buddhist Club is a student group of Nichiren Buddhists who gather weekly to chant and discuss Buddhist philosophy. This is one of dozens of student clubs that welcome Berkeley students to try new forms of chanting, meditation and prayer. These groups are fairly easy to find out about as many of them have tables on Sproul Plaza.

In addition to developing my Buddhist practice by chanting with the WPB student group, I enrolled in the Peace and Conflict Studies Meditation class. It meets four mornings a week where a professor lectures for half an hour and we practice silent meditation for the second half hour. This form of meditation was nondenominational but has a slight Hindu orientation. This class will continue to be held for credit through the PACS program. There is also a very popular decal entitled “Meditation, Mysticism and the Mind.” (http://meditate.berkeley.edu) In this decal students are introduced to a variety of spiritual practices and teachers. I have not taken the class but I have heard very good reviews.

In addition to taking classes on spiritual practice there is a plethora of courses on spiritual philosophies. I took a course on Hindu Mythology with Dr. Gonzales Reimann in the South Asian Studies department which was phenomenal! Whether you are interested in Hinduism, Buddhism, or other forms of Mysticism, taking a class MIGHT be a great way to learn more. The one drawback of taking a course on a form of spirituality from a non-practitioner and without an opportunity to practice yourself is it may leave you intellectually enriched but spiritually unsatisfied.

One alternative to taking a course on spirituality at Cal is cross registering at the Graduate Theological Union. At GTU they blend analysis with practice by offering courses in Christian Mysticism, Sufism, Jewish Mysticism and Buddhism for credit by practitioners. I have taken three courses at the GTU including one on Mysticism and Social Change which was incredibly fascinating and life enhancing. But why stop at the GTU? There is a cornucopia of spiritual resources off campus from Buddhist community centers to Hari Krisna Temples and the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Finally, there are various indirect ways to tap into your greater self and awaken to the interdependence of the world. Introduction to Nonviolence, offered by the PACS department, teaches a spiritually grounded form of social analysis and activism. Recreational Sports Facilities (http://calbears.berkeley.edu) offers Yoga and Qi Gong classes, where you can strengthen your body and awaken your consciousness. If you look hard you can find a course that discusses string theory, systems theory, ecology, Permaculture, holistic healing or other manifestations of a worldview that emphasizes universal interconnectedness and the role that your consciousness plays in the social, ecological and spiritual fabric of the universe.

There may not be a campus more ripe with opportunities to experiment with spirituality. Campus clubs, academic courses, decals, off campus opportunities and recreational activities all offer ways to expand your consciousness and world view. You may not like everything you try but as my spiritual mentor Daisaku Ikeda says, “If you fall seven times, get up the eight.” You may not find the community or practice that suites you right away but the rewards of spiritual practice can be tremendous both personally and socially. So get out there and get involved with campus spirit!