The Justice

Media Credit: Robyn Spector The Soko Gakkai Buddhist Club meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Peace Room to discuss Buddhist philosophy. The club accepts members regardless of their religious affiliation.

One week, the club discussed the power of chanting.

When I asked a club leader if I could attend one of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist Club meetings, Kathleen Fischman '10 assured me that the group's atmosphere was open and welcoming. The club, she said, did not allow anyone to feel alienated, regardless of his or her religious affiliation or background.

Every Thursday at 7 p.m., the Soka Gakkai Buddhist Club comes together in the Peace Room in Usdan Student Center to discuss Buddhist philosophy. Each week's discussion is based on a different Buddhist value. At the meeting I attended, the topic was the power of chanting and positive thinking to help maintain an optimistic outlook despite everyday difficulties. The club members who came that night included Fischman, Jessica Delman '10, Varun Seth (GRAD), Faith Broderick '13 and Jackie Zais '13.

Because there was a large number of first-time attendees that night, the meeting started off with everyone introducing themselves and sharing what made them join the group. Delman was one of the first to explain how she came upon the Soka Gakkai Buddhist Club. "I started coming to support a friend who is very into it, and I've kept coming back because I enjoy the meetings." Among those present were individuals who had been practicing Soka Gakkai for a significant amount of time, as well as others who heard about it from family members or friends and wanted to see what it was about. I didn't know very much about Buddhism at all.

Fischman and Seth spoke about the power of chanting, the form of prayer and keeping a positive outlook. Despite our different backgrounds and levels of knowledge, we were all able to participate in the discussion, relate the values to our everyday lives and each connect with our own story.

At Brandeis, there are 18 spiritual and religious clubs and 58 art and culture clubs present on campus as well as over 100 countries represented in the student body. Although Brandeis, the only nonsectarian, Jewish-sponsored university in the United States, has a large population of Jewish students, other religious groups on campus are active as well.

When asked about the religious atmosphere on campus, students who are active in these groups as well as those who are not involved in any cultural or religious group on campus, felt that the Brandeis community is accessible and open to all groups, minorities and individuals who wish to find their place here.

Beth Bowman '10, treasurer of the Muslim Students' Association, described Brandeis as "a place where believing in God and being actively religious is OK and accepted with no regard to which religion you are associating with. For people who wanted to be active in that way, it is easier to function here than other places."

Even those who do not identify with any group on campus enjoy the open-minded feeling at Brandeis. In a discussion with a group of students who are not active in any religious group and are not Jewish, Anne Gregory '13 observed that Brandeis "is a friendly, welcoming atmosphere where people disregard who you are or where you're from." Comparing Brandeis students to those at other universities, Gregory also said, "People are more globally and culturally aware, and they use that to learn about different cultures and religions."

Stephanie Karol '12, a board member of the Mixed Heritage Club, said that, "People here are not all of the same opinion. It is diverse, and different people use that to connect and explore and engage in others' cultures."

Some members of cultural and religious organizations expressed the feeling that Brandeis is open and accessible to all religions and that they are able to find the religious community they seek. Adhip Sacheti '13, a member of Namaskar, the association for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, said that "you can always find people here who are the same religion as you."

In comparison to communities outside Brandeis, many of the students I talked to said that in the communities where they grew up, there weren't many Jews, or Jews were never as close to the religious majority as they are at Brandeis. Regardless, many agreed that Brandeis' Jewish majority is not overwhelming but a positive addition to their college experiences.

Abby Zadina '13, who described herself as an Agnostic, from Omaha, Neb., said, "Growing up, I was used to a community that did not have a large number of Jews, and my town is primarily protestant. Here, I can tell that there is a majority, but I see it as a positive thing because the atmosphere really is open and friendly."

Jasnam Sachdev '12, an administrator of Namaskar, said that because the club comprises three different religions, all members learn about and celebrate each other's holidays. Sachdev compared the club's religious experience to Brandeis as a whole. "Because the Jewish majority is not something that is common outside of Brandeis, I've learned more here about Judaism than I have anywhere else and don't think I could have at any other university."

Correction: In the original version of this article, the name of the Buddhism club was misspelled. The club's name is Soka Gakkai, not Soko Gakkai.

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