“What do you regard as the greatest source of your suffering?” asked Professor Michael Sudduth as he began his discussion about Buddhism.
Students of the Los Medanos College Philosophy Club were enlightened by Sudduth’s discussion, which he led at their most recent meeting April 17.
To introduce Buddhism, Sudduth explained that one of its key insights is “the interest in human wellbeing is very deeply connected to how we address the lack of satisfaction that we have in life.”
He went on to mention the importance of being in the present moment.
“We are very much in this maze of our thinking, and much of what we’re thinking about is the past and future,” Sudduth said. “Buddhism wants to encourage practices that can bring us to the only place we can actually be, which is now.”
He explained that the root cause of suffering is avidyā, which refers to the ignorance of oneself. He also showed students how to improve their awareness of themselves.
“The self that we think that is there isn’t quite what we think it is,” he said. “Meditation is designed to disclose that we’re not static things, we’re more like a river.”
Sudduth guided students through a 15 minute meditation, which he referred to as a “mindfulness practice.”
He began by instructing them to close their eyes and notice sensations in their body. He then had them gradually shift their attention to the sensations in one hand, then to the sounds around them, and back to their body before opening their eyes.
After completing the meditation, President RJ Rivasplata said, “I feel like the last 15 minutes happened in one.” He explained that he felt a sense of clarity from it as well.
Sudduth encouraged everyone to practice this meditation every day as he said it can bring positive change.
Treasurer Madison Santos was excited to learn more about Buddhism from Sudduth as it’s a topic she has a profound interest for.
“I feel like humans are a little bit too materialistic in a lot of ways,” she said. “I like how Buddhism is more who you are in the absence of all that because everything that we have is temporary.”
Santos explained that the club discusses different topics every week like consumerism, social constructs and other concepts that students can identify with. She added, “It’s very relatable and it’s not as intimidating as everyone seems to think it is.”
Rivasplata said that other guests like Sudduth also speak at meetings, adding, “It’s really cool when you get somebody who’s an expert on a specific topic to come in.”
The Philosophy Club encourages all students to join them to watch presentations and engage in discussions. They meet every Wednesday from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. in room CC-256.
