Students at a Dharmic Life religious service in the Dharmic Meditation Center

Dharmic Life at Georgetown

Experience Dharma in its vibrant variety at Georgetown, where hundreds of Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs from across the spectrum gather regularly in diverse settings to discuss, engage, celebrate, and discover. Dharmic Life at Georgetown seeks to equip every seeker with relevant, logical, and well-explained teachings and practices from the diverse depths of the Dharmas. We aspire to be a pluralistic space that welcomes everyone inclusive of all varieties of religious/spiritual, gender, sexuality, physical ability, race, ethnicity, color, class, or caste identities. Thus, together, we empower one another to progress along our journeys towards physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

Our Ethos: Experience, Question, and Compassion

No human is alike, and celebrating this variety is the backbone of Dharma. Whether one is devout or occasional, a believer or a skeptic, Dharmic Life provides various opportunities to deepen their Experience, Questioning, and Compassion.

Experience

Community with student-led organizations such as the Buddhist Student Association, Hindu Student Association, Jain Student Association and Sikh Student Association, plus numerous independent cultural organizations
Spiritual Gatherings with like-minded students – from the skeptical to the inquisitive, from the cultural to the devout: Weekly Āratī followed by dinner for all (resuming post-pandemic), and Weekly Buddhist Meditations.
Festivals, from the fun of Holi, Songkran, and Vaisakhi to the deep spirituality of Diwālī, Wesak, and Guru Nānak Jayanti, we endeavor to invite all to an authentic experience of the celebrations.
Annual Overnight Retreat held at the University’s retreat center in the Blue Ridge Valley.
Regular meditations and other programs by invited speakers, professors, leaders, and innovators.

Question

Decoding Dharma – fortnightly seminars facilitating deep, probing questions on anything to do with the Hindu Dharmas: from the Vedānta Sutras to the Kāma Sūtras and everything beyond: we believe learning to question brings logic and clarity!
Regular opportunities to question during the Weekly Āratī dinners
One-on-one or small group discussions on topical issues
Jijñāsa sessions, exploring the teachings in greater depth

Compassion

Learn compassion for oneself through one-on-one discussions with Brahmachariji, exploring the connection of our emotional and mental selves with our sense of spiritual balance.
Understand with compassion about the various social issues that affect our world through discussions, classes, and an Annual Immersion Trip in partnership with the Center for Social Justice to India and other countries.
Live compassionately to bring harmony to one’s body, mind, intellect, and spiritual essence with numerous resources.
Serve with compassion, utilizing the various networks of people and spiritual organizations that conduct themselves with integrity.

Weekly Āratī & Buddhist Meditation

Unless otherwise noted all gatherings take place in the Dharmic Meditation Center in the Leavey Center.

All gatherings have ended for the academic year and will resume in the fall semester.

Introduction to Hatha Yoga | Dharmic Meditation Center, Leavey Center
Monthly Sikh Sangat with SSA, followed by Langar Brunch | Select Sundays | Check the Sikh Student Association Instagram account for dates.
Weekly Buddhist Gathering with BuSA | Buddha Pūja followed by Chā | Sundays
Weekly Āratī Gathering in the Śākta, Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, Smārta, Sanātana (Hindu) Dharmas, followed by dinner | Sundays

As the above are affected by the changing lunisolar dates, please sign up for the Dharmic Life Newsletter for the latest schedule for each week.

To see a full schedule of all Campus Ministry gatherings and services, please visit our Campus Ministry Religious Services Calendar.

Meet Our Team

Aparna Ramaswamy, Dharmic Spiritual Advisor

Dr. Ramaswamy is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Clinical Supervisor in the State of Maryland and in the District of Columbia. She completed MS in Counseling at Johns Hopkins University (2004) and served as a counseling faculty for 6 years since 2015. Her first doctorate (PhD) in 2012 linked practices of Indian classical dance to ashta anga principle of yoga based on the seminal yoga text, Yogasutra. In 2017, Dr. Ramaswamy completed a second doctorate (EdD) on cultivating multicultural counseling competence, using meditation and mindfulness practices. At Sri Siva Vishnu Temple (SSVT) Dr. Ramaswamy teaches a Dharma-focused Sunday school program for students of all ages, that highlights the significance and relevance of dharmic wisdom, especially in modern times. As an
educator, she has worked with school and college students since 1990 adopting a transformative learning pedagogy where both teacher and students co-create a nurturing and generative space for new learning to emerge.

Allyson Huval, Graduate Assistant for Dharmic Life

Allyson Huval serves as the Graduate Assistant for Dharmic Life. Allyson supports the Director for Dharmic Life in event planning throughout the year including weekly gatherings, the annual Dharmic Life retreat, and festival celebrations like Diwali. Her favorite part of her job is meeting with students to chat about everything from classes to the best mango lassi in DC. Allyson received a BA in religious studies and a BA in public relations from Louisiana State University before continuing her studies at Yale Divinity School where she received a Master of Arts in Religion concentrating in Asian Religions. She is currently a PhD student in the Department of Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown researching Yoga philosophy, post-colonialism, Hindu diaspora, and Christians who practice yoga. Of all the titles she holds, the one that makes her the most proud is being “the cool aunt.”

Questions? Please email dharmiclife@georgetown.edu