Interfaith House Living Learning Community students and staff learn together on retreat

For the second year, Elon University’s Interfaith House Living Learning Community has a mindfully plural theme.

​Eight junior and senior students from diverse religious backgrounds, supported by Carrie Seigler and Joel Harter from the Truitt Center, live together in intentional community. They encourage one another to keep a daily mindful or contemplative practice, and they have regular community meals together, taking turns sharing from their own traditions and facilitating interfaith conversation.

This year’s Interfaith House includes students who identify as Christian, Jewish, Zen Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Yogi and secular. Already the group has learned that Zen Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism are very different traditions and practices. The students all share an interest in mindfulness, but they’re also discovering how distinct their individual mindful and spiritual practices are.  That’s the goal of authentic interfaith exploration — learning to appreciate both the differences and similarities. 

The Interfaith House started this fall with a weekend retreat on Sept. 8-10 that included sharing Shabbat dinner with students from Hillel, practicing yoga together at the Clearwater Retreat in Chapel Hill and learning about Tibetan Buddhism at the Kadampa Center in Raleigh, which included mediation and dharma or teaching. The retreat also included sharing and group bonding on the Elon Challenge Course. 

You can learn more about the Interfaith House Living Learning Community (formerly known as Better Together) through Residence Life. Rising juniors and seniors can apply in early February to live in the community next year.