Elon University / Buddhist Life

Buddhist monks from the Kadampa Center in Raleigh, visited Elon for three days to create a sand mandala in the Sacred Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion.

Buddhist monks from the Kadampa Center in Raleigh during the sand mandala closing ceremony. The two destroyed the completed mandala by swirling the various colors into the center of the display.

Buddhist monk Geshe Gelek, the resident teacher at the Kadampa Center in Raleigh, visits the Numen Lumen Pavilion to lead a meditation session.

Buddhist Life at Elon

The Elon University community and the Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life are committed to promoting an understanding and awareness of the Buddhadharma and its practices.

Elon is committed to supporting students’ individual growth, and our programming on campus enables students interested in Buddhism to explore this tradition as a religion and/or as a mindful path of self-cultivation.

Through Elon’s special events, forums, and regularly scheduled meditation sessions, students can discover Buddhist traditions, cultures, beliefs and practices while interacting first hand with one another. Read Frequently Asked Questions about Buddhist Life at Elon.

The progress of Elon’s commitment to a growing diverse population and its support towards all students can be seen through the Registrar’s report.

Welcome to the Elon community!

For more information, please contact Shane Atkinson or call the Truitt Center at 336-278-7729.

Past Events

Sand Mandala: Two Buddhist monks from the Kadampa Center in Raleigh visited Elon for three days and used colored sand to create a sand mandala, a Tibetan Buddhist symbol that fosters both healing and peace for those who view it.

Nirvana Day: Students celebrated Nirvana Day, the day the Buddha reached nirvana, by eating traditional Tibetan food and by hosting Buddhist Monks on campus.

Buddhism Beyond Belief: Ripple 2017 – Regional Interfaith Conference: The conference theme “Mindfully Plural” engages mindful and contemplative practices across diverse traditions and worldviews, both religious and nonreligious. The program includes interdisciplinary panels like: Mindfulness Across Traditions (Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish & Secular); and Buddhism Beyond Beliefs (Buddhism’s influence contemporary mindfulness practices beyond conventional religious belief).