The chanting began with a soft, feminine voice in the corner of the room.
From the opposite side of the living area, the men's deep baritones joined in.
With their eyes closed, legs crossed beneath them and hands raised to the sky, the 20 present members of the MSU Buddhist Study Group began their Friday night ritual in a typical home tucked away in a quiet East Lansing neighborhood.
For these men and women, their week culminates with this chanting at 7 on Friday evenings. It is their way to relax, to concentrate their minds, to help live their lives the way they believe Buddha intends.
Buddhists believe in four noble truths - that suffering exists, that it exists because of craving, or human desire, that the only way to end suffering is to be able to give up those human desires and that there is a middle way in life that is a noble path. Followers seek to reach enlightenment, as Buddha did, in their present or future life by working to give up worldly desires.
When a late arrival rushes in the front door discarding her shoes, coat and gloves, all bodies remain facing forward and the chanting continues.
The woman drops to her knees on the hardwood floor and lifted her arms, palms raised, to the shrine to Buddha in the center of the room - the Buddha of the future, surrounded by two goddesses of mercy.
Underneath the pictures is a burning white candle, an offering to Buddha to help bring light to their lives and a pyramid of oranges as an offering to ask for fruits from their labors.
She sits down on a round, red cushion set out for the occasion and covers her lap with a light blue towel. In front of her, Ying-Ying Wang, a postdoctoral student studying pharmacology and toxicology at MSU, chants timidly. Her voice is faint and her eyes flutter softly as she whispers the Chinese chant, "Take refuge in the Buddha. The infinity of life and light."
The chanting continues for 20 minutes, soft and melodic, interspersed with short prayers said by the group in unison and the soft ringing of a golden bell.
When they're finished, all the bodies held tense and upright relax and everyone opens their eyes. The music in the background dies down and the club members begin to talk.
Mei-Yu Tsai, the president of the club, said the chanting harmonizes the group individually and collectively.
"Everyone should be in harmony," she said. "Speaking is a distraction to the mind."
The group chants in order to clear their thoughts, Tsai said.
"You will be more healthy if you chant constantly and mindfully," she said.
The reflections of their week can help them grow as human beings and as Buddhists, Tsai said.
"That kind of wisdom can drive away the darkness and doom."
Have ideas for Human Spirit? Contact Faces&Places Editor Eric Morath at morather@msu.edu.
