I am a Buddhist, a citizen of the world, aspiring author and amateur musician. I am a student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., although I am currently taking a year to study at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where I am focusing my studies in English, History and Sociology. I devote my life to progressing spiritually while at the same time making a real impact on my community - both global and local. I generally try not to let the current focus of my energies define my character (I am not an author; not a musician; perhaps a student, but in the broader sense of the word), which I would much rather associate with the unchanging joy of being. I don't like to use the word "I," but evidently my efforts up until now have not gone so smoothly.

At Georgetown, I am involved in building a sizeable and respectable meditation community, which is sponsored by the World Community for Christian Meditation; while it is Christian in its focus, I am a proponent for its Interreligious Dialogue aspect, which I feel is immensely important in today's world where borders are being removed and contact points between faiths and cultures are increasing exponentially. We have just recently received, through the kind donation of the university, a new meditation space, in what is coincidentally the oldest building on campus, built in 1785 as a cabin for workers constructing the larger Old North Hall. I am very excited to see the development of the Meditation Centre in this new space.

I am also involved in promoting social justice on campus and throughout the Washington, DC greater metro area, through a fantastic organisation called the Center for Social Justice, which is an incorporated part of Georgetown. My chief involvement is with the First-Year Orientation to Community Involvement (FOCI) program, a weeklong program that incorporates intensive service and reflection activities for incoming freshman at Georgetown, in an effort to introduce them to the many opportunities for community service in the city of Washington, DC, and above all, to lift them out of their traditional zones of comfort. I swear by this program - it stands testament to what a group of caring citizens can do to benefit the world around them, effecting major changes with comparatively miniscule means.

I invite you to send me a message and talk about whatever you please. I'd love to get to know you.

Blessings


aseem