Profs and Pints Charlottesville presents: “The Future of Meditation,” on rethinking ancient contemplative practices to fit our times, with David Germano, professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia.

Meditation in one form or another is central to the spiritual practices of the world’s religious traditions. It does not exist in such traditions in one single common form, but rather in distinct forms shaped by each tradition’s views of the universe and how best to exist and relate to others. They include mindfulness, yoga, centered prayer, tai chi, qigong, dhikr, and ecstatic dance.

In our current era, meditation has also become increasingly popular among people who consider themselves spiritual but not religious. While they might clearly reap benefits from meditation, the lack of guidance and context from any religious tradition can leave them at a loss when it comes to deciding what form their meditation should take.

Is there a way to tap into the world’s religious traditions to create new meditative practices for the world we live in today?

Come hear that question tackled by David Germano of the University of Virginia, a scholar of ancient meditative traditions and the leader of the Generative Contemplation Initiative, which seeks to develop innovative ways to understand and access the spiritual legacy of our species’ contemplative past while also fashioning new processes to design innovative forms of meditation for the future. Having spent over forty years exploring meditation in spiritual communities and ancient texts from India to Tibet and devoted 15 years seeking to adapt these traditions to contemporary times and settings, he’s distinctly qualified to help you consider how to integrate powerful meditative practices into your life.

Professor Germano will walk you through various methods of meditating such as postures, visualizations, movements, breathing patterns, and chanting. He’ll discuss how a variety of meditative experiences and broader worldviews further determine the nature of any given meditative practice. He will conclude by outlining a pathway for more intentionally designing new forms of meditation adapted to specific needs and contexts.

His talk will benefit everyone from longtime practitioners of meditation to novices wondering how to bring meditation into your lives. (Tickets must be purchased in advance at $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. No door tickets are available. Doors open to talk attendees at 4:30 pm and the talk itself starts at 6 pm.)

Image: Photo by Timothy Yiadom / Pexels