Written by
Shang Chen '25
Oct. 31, 2024

Santikaro’s meditation courses on mindfulness and breathing started on September 17th, 2024. Ordained as a Theravada Bhikkhu in Southern Thailand in 1985, Santikaro has since been practicing the Thai Forest Tradition, translating the works of Ajahn Buddhadassa and exploring intersections between Buddhist practices and social responsibility. At 12:30pm, every Tuesday, students would meet Santikaro (virtually) and Dean Matt Weiner in Murray-Dodge to engage in a reflective meditation session and enjoy some samosas afterwards. Students with all levels of experience in meditation are invited to sit in a circle to meditate and to discuss our struggles as well as takeaways afterwards. Like quite a few others, I was inexperienced with meditation but had an interest in learning about practicing mindfulness. 

 

The first course focused on learning how to relax the body and mind. As we finished adjusting into comfortable sitting positions, we were instructed to relax our muscles and shift our attention from noticing sensations in one part of the body to another. For example, Dean Matt Weiner suggested that we notice the physical sensations of our breath around the nose and in the throat. When I surveyed my body in this way, I felt pain in my upper back and neck. I knew my work was cut out for me when my tired shoulders and buzz in my head from sleep deprivation put me at risk of folding in on myself and falling asleep on the floor. 

 

For the second session, Santikaro wanted us to notice and sit with any physical discomfort we might be experiencing. Compared to the first meditation session, I found much more ease getting into an upright sitting position during the second week. However, as time went on, I became acutely aware of my shoulder pain again and it became a reason for me to start slouching. As if he could read my mind through the computer screen, Santikaro called out from Zoom, at this precise moment, that we should beware of slouching as we study our bodies. I responded immediately by sitting up straighter. My physical pains were rather helpful to recognize since, rather than brushing off discomforts that add up over time, I could easily make small adjustments to relieve some pain. As Santikaro says, it’s good to send love towards the pains in our body as we become more aware of them.

 

The third meditation session was all about becoming more aware of breathing patterns. Rather than giving extensive instructions like previous classes, Santikaro was quiet throughout the meditation and only spoke up occasionally to remind us to pay attention to breathing by following our breath as it passes through the body. We were encouraged to take deeper breaths when we can. For me, deepening my breath meant feeling my physical discomforts more acutely, as the air draws attention to each muscle and disk down your spine, all the way to your diaphragm. 

 

Ironically, while I struggled constantly to draw my attention back to the present during meditation, I always felt especially clear headed and in tune with my state of being afterwards. I found myself relieved of some frustration when walking out of Murray-Dodge. It was as if noticing my thoughts and stressors offered me some distance from them, allowing me to see that they are present in my mind and body but do not have to override my system. 

 

Questions brought up by students at the end of meditation sessions focused on two main issues, one of which was the inability to fully clear their minds. I personally struggled with this too, as class assignments, work, and interpersonal relationships all turned into questions and thoughts for me during the meditations and drew my attention away from the present moment. 

 

Physical pain was another area of discussion at the end of the sessions. Dean Weiner emphasized that answers pertaining to physical discomfort inquiries would be given on an individual basis, since everyone faces unique challenges and has different comfort levels with meditative solutions such as sitting with the pain. While we were encouraged to sit upright, some students found solutions to physical pain by laying on their backs or leaning against a wall.

 

Overall, after attending the first three classes, it was apparent to me that future meditation sessions would continue building upon the previous to help us become more in touch with the states of our bodies and minds.