NU Splash Biography

In this course, we will discussing a bit about the background, theory, and practice of meditation. Often associated with Buddhism, forms of meditation can be found among many other religious and non-religious groups. Nonetheless, Buddhist meditation serves as a good springboard to understanding the general goals of many forms of meditation, with the main aims often being the calming of the mind through concentration-type meditation, and the longer term path of understanding and gaining insight into one's own mind and emotions. Meditation is not easy, and many find boring, but for some this practice can be incredibly fruitful and interesting given patient efforts over time. There will be a little bit of actual dabbling with a few basic meditation techniques, but it'll be more important to understand WHY meditation is done and why it might make sense to pursue it further. I spent time in Asia in meditation centers and will also talk about some of my experiences there, but do not consider myself Buddhist or identify myself with any religious groups, so will be keeping things agnostic.

"Conquering matter is to understand it, and understanding matter is necessary to understanding the universe and ourselves: and that therefore Mendeleev's Periodic Table, which just during those weeks we were learning to unravel, was poetry." - Primo Levi In this class we will go on a tour of the periodic table, identifying the classes of elements which exist and the specific ones which make up the things we use and see everyday.