Introduction:
“Zen is the only religion or teaching that finds room for laughter”
This quotation from D. T. Suzuki, author of An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, may reflect a traditional perception that often religion (in both the East and the West) and laughter ought not to go well together. Yet, there exists a wide body of literature that both highlights and historically interprets how laughter has been used as a symbol in myths, rituals, and festivals of many of the world’s religions (Ingvild Saelid Gilhus ).
From the Greek god of laughter, Momus, to the Laughing Buddha, to the carnival, to the idea of Christ as Clown , to charismatic movements with people rolling in the aisles with laughter, to Osho (the joking guru from India), laughter has been presented as a live-giving and spiritually-based force, perhaps a channel to the divine and sacred. Yet, laughter is simple, common, and profane.
The idea and practice of Laughter Yoga comes from Hasya yoga in India, which provides the model that anyone can laugh for no reason and that laughter has physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. The recent explosion of the popular international Laughter Yoga movement began in 1995 by Mumbai-based physician Dr. Madan Kataria with only 5 people. Today, and under the continued guidance of Dr. Kataria and his School of Laughter Yoga, the movement has grown to over 6,000 Laughter Yoga groups in 60 countries. And, there is a growing body of medical and scientific research that offers evidence of the benefits of this particular yoga, which also serves as a practice of meditation, a way-of-being in the world, an energy force, and a vibration. Laughter is not only “the best medicine ,” it is a great medicine for eroding away our self-obsession, or at least an effective treatment in realizing the absurdity of our self-obsession (Ajahn Sumedho ). Essentially, laughter is about living mindfully and joyfully!
Beyond the wave of popular and social Laughter Clubs, there exist many therapeutic applications and benefits of Laughter Yoga, for example, with the elderly, the incarcerated, the depressed and other groups who may struggle with finding joy and contentment in life. Interestingly, Laughter Yoga, itself, is not necessarily about comedy or humor; the spheres of laughter and humor may intersect with each other; they do not completely overlap. Rather, Laughter Yoga is initially about creating safe and sane environments where participants can “practice” Laughter, experience its benefits, and take both the “practice” and the “attitude” of Laughter into their daily lives.
Generally, traditional theories of laughter dealt with three reasons about why people laugh: the superiority theory, the incongruity theory, and the relief theory. Laughter has been linked to destruction and death, derision and shame, ridicule and blaspheme, and tragedy. Currently, laughter’s cultural value is changing and emerging as an opposing phenomenological field. Today, laughter is linked to creation and birth, joy, sexuality and eroticism, food and intoxicating drinks, feasts and comedies, dancing, ecstasy, madness, and wisdom (Gilhus). Any tension between traditional and post-modern views of laughter needs to consider an understanding of the “mind-body” problem. Rather than a Western, dialectic approach of an “either/or” model, there are benefits in at least exploring the Eastern approach of “both/and.” It is not a matter that either one is “right” or the other one is “wrong.” They simply are different, and they are both useful!
Proposed Project:
Thus, I am pleased to submit my application to The Frederick P. Lenz Residential Fellowship Program at Naropa University for the 2010-11 academic year!
I propose a detailed course of study, teaching, and research that engages Naropa University’s students, faculty, and community in an experiential fellowship addressing the following goals:
- Laughter Yoga’s theories and practices contribute to the theories and methods of contemplative education
- Laughter Yoga is about the conscious practice of yoga , breathing, meditation, living joyfully, and especially silence
- Laughter Yoga expands opportunities for collaboration among students, faculty, and communities across diverse campuses and disciplines
- Laughter Yoga is being brought into new learning models, both academically and experientially, including the newly founded International Laughter Yoga University near Bangalore, India
- Laughter Yoga’s philosophy of “world peace through laughter” is successful because laughter, itself, is a practice on non-violence
- Laughter Yoga is a positive and transformational practice of transgression, contagious by nature and understood in any language and culture, and
- Laughter Yoga is a way to experience the inter-connectedness of mind and body, allowing one to laugh, and to enjoy the benefits of laughter, both externally and internally
Method and Timeline (a detailed timeline will be provided after my acceptance):
In order to realize these goals at Naropa University, the method by which I propose to implement this project, as well as the evaluation of its outcomes, includes:
- The exploration of teaching a class, or workshop, on “Laughter Yoga as a Buddhist Approach to Non-violence,” as a model of contemplative education
- A manageable, yet foundational, research project that studies theories and practices of the integration of yoga, breathing, meditation, living joyfully, and silence
- Offering my experience and expertise in Laughter Yoga to the students, faculty, and community of Naropa University through lectures, demonstrations, and contemplative practice, which could include presenting a 2-day Laughter Yoga Leader Certification training class and/or a 2-day Laughter and Silence Retreat through Naropa University
- Creating a proposal for Naropa University to partner in a possible future collaboration with the newly founded International Laughter Yoga University (in India), where I would expect to be teaching at some future date
- Develop a essential piece of a curriculum that integrates Laughter Yoga as a practice on non-violence, which eventually could become part of a larger and inter-disciplinary curriculum
- Measure the transformational success of Laughter Yoga through a simple study of its effects on a small, selected group of participants through Naropa University
- Write and submit an article for professional publication (within 3 to 6 months after my Fellowship) on the results of my Residential Fellowship at Naropa University, with a strong emphasis on the Buddhist understanding of inter-connectedness, in order to share my insights, my professional and personal growth, and to keep open possibilities of future scholarship and practices in contemplative education
Summary:
As I recognize and embrace the fact that this is an ambitious application, I wish the offer the following reasons that support my competence, enthusiasm, and vision to actualize this at Naropa University:
- I have a proven track record of excellent verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills
- I have a proven track record of organizational and leadership skills, including vast international experience and travel (44 countries!)
- I have successful teaching experiences at universities in Philosophy, Theology, Theatre, as well as Laughter Yoga, all in a variety of international locations
- I recognize that this Fellowship would allow me the opportunity to research, to learn, and to teach in a very valuable and unique setting, and I am committed to the highest standards expected at Naropa University
- I have a strong foundation in the international Laughter Yoga movement and have been recognized as one of “the most senior figures” in the movement
- I have attached a copy of my C.V. which demonstrates my educational and professional accomplishments, provides a strong foundation for this proposed project, and includes my prior studies and involvements in contemplative practices
- My Proposed Plan of Study: Not knowing at this time whether I would be offered a Fall or Spring Semester, and not knowing exactly what courses would be offered, the following plan is, of course, flexible and negotiable. Ideally, I would teach 1 or 2 courses and audit 1 or 2 courses.
Courses I could teach could include:
REL 210 Religion in Human Experience (or Theology and/or Philosophy of Sexuality)
REL 250 Spirituality and Creative Expression (adapted from Theatre of Conscience)
REL 312 Spiritual Models of Social Action (or The Spirituality of Post-Apartheid South Africa)
PAX 250 Introduction to Peace Studies (or “American” Cultures and Values in Peace Studies)
PAX 335 Nonviolence in and through History (or Prophets of Non-Violence)
PAX 340 Conflict and Peacebuilding (or War and Peace)
PAX 430 Gandhi, Dorothy Day and Malcolm X: Quest Personal Social Transform (also Prophets)
PFAR 233 Performance Studies Seminar I (or Theatre of Conscience)
Courses I would like to audit could include:
REL 504W The Breeze of Simplicity: Buddhist Meditation Weekend (1 cr)
REL 515e Buddhism and Social Action
REL 532e Buddhism: The Way of Wisdom and Compassion
REL 546 Buddhism in America: Dharma Comes West
REL 554W Opening the Heart: Buddhist Meditation Weekend (1 credit)
REL 585 Spiritual Models of Social Action
REL 608 The Founder: The Life and Teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Naropa Faculty with whom I would love an opportunity to work, learn from, study with and collaborate: Robert Sussuma. Lee Worley Cara Reeser, Richard C. Brown, Sudarshan Kapur, Candace Walworth, Jessica Giles, Wendell Beavers, and others
- Budget Request: As an independent scholar, I would request the maximum amount of $2,900. (or more, if available) per month, plus either a round-trip airline ticket (from Cincinnati) or the equivalent for mileage and expenses to drive my car to Colorado.
“Love has to spring spontaneously from within; it is in no way amenable to any form of inner or outer force. Love and coercion can never go together; but while love cannot be forced upon anyone, it can be awakened through love itself. Love is essentially self-communicative; those who do not have it catch it from those who have it. Those who receive love from others cannot be its recipients without giving a response that, in itself, is the nature of love. True love is unconquerable and irresistible. It goes on gathering power and spreading itself until eventually it transforms everyone it touches. Humanity will attain a new mode of being and life through the free and unhampered interplay of pure love from heart to heart.” - Discourses by Avatar Meher Baba
I whole-heartedly believe that I am an excellent candidate for this Residential Fellowship. In addition to meeting all the requirements and expectations, I believe that my application brings a unique opportunity to both Naropa University and to myself to explore new possibilities in a unique and promising partnership.
Laughter Yoga has become a strong element in the consciousness and contemplative movements in the fabric of American social life. It addresses the challenges of convenience, consumerism, and the “can’t keep up with the changes” in our local and global societies and cultures. It recognizes the importance of both understanding and practicing the truth that all of life is connected, and that we have more in common than we have apart. Through the major revolutions of humanity (from hunter/gatherer, to agricultural, to industrial, and now to technological), it appears that we are going “faster and faster” while at the same time getting “smaller and smaller.” We have become so “scattered,” that one simply wonders: “What must be the next revolution in the human condition, in order to survive in peace and harmony?” The answer is obvious to me, and I believe to a growing number of others: We must have a revolution of consciousness. The good news is that this revolution is happening. The trick is to remember that! Now, we are individually and collectively “gathering” ourselves together. This revolution continues to grow, as more individuals and groups (including institutes of higher education, science, medicine, government, and corporations) explore and practice its potential. Laughter Yoga resides in the body, mind, and spirit of this revolution.
And because a core value of Laughter Yoga (that is, “world peace through laughter”) is beautifully in alignment with the Buddhist traditions and values of wisdom, compassion, and non-violence, we can share a renewed sense of hope and purpose. It is possible to practice what we preach and what we teach. What, pray tell, is the alternative?
Finally, this application contains a strong potential to live on, evolve, and grow in both academic and experiential arenas. It contains the seed of inspiration, which will eventually grow and become a strong branch in the tree of human potential and success. I respectfully submit this application for your serious consideration, and I certainly look forward to receiving a favorable response from you.
Thank you for taking the time to read, to reflect upon, and to discuss my application for The Frederick P. Lenz Residential Fellowship Program at Naropa University!
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”
— Buddha
With Gratitude,
Patrick Murphy Welage
P.O. Box 17009
Cincinnati, OH 45217
Telephone: 513.607.1830
E-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it