Contemplative Practice and Diversity

Contemplative Practice and Diversity

 

The CALM Center celebrates the value of human diversity, as well as our core shared humanity.  

The CALM Center’s mission includes the goal to promote inclusivity, equity and social justice by increasing our capacity to connect and communicate with, and thereby learn from, one another. The CALM Center honors the ways in which contemplative, embodied and mindfulness practices can support increased self-awareness, learning, understanding and action for a more just society.  

What is diversity?

Our CU Boulder campus defines diversity as including, but not limited to:

  • Cultural differences
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Color
  • National origin
  • Sex
  • Pregnancy
  • Age
  • (Dis)ability
  • Creed
  • Religious or spiritual beliefs
  • Sexual orientation
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Class
  • Gender identity
  • Gender expression
  • Veteran status
  • Political affiliation
  • Political philosophy  

Social Justice

"There is a long tradition of social justice activism among contemplatives. 

  • Contemplative practices sustain our bodies and minds in the struggle for self-knowledge and against racism in all its forms
  • Contemplative sciences make these practices available to all people
  • Contemplative arts directly convey suffering and joy, and provide a vision of our unrealized potential
  • Contemplative philosophies contextualize our efforts, so we never lose our common humanity
  • Contemplative intelligence maximizes the influence of our efforts while supporting the wisdom and compassion with which we make them." 

— Professor Hal Roth, director of Brown University's Contemplative Studies Initiative

The CALM Center honors

  • The full range of human experience and the diversity of our community at CU Boulder
  • The land in Boulder, traditional territories of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Nations
  • The wisdom traditions from which the range of contemplative practices arise

The CALM Center links diverse initiatives across campus related to contemplative practices. We uphold the university standards of ethics, equity and inclusion and honor the ways in which contemplative, embodied and mindfulness practices can support increased self-awareness, learning, understanding and action for a more just society.