30 monks graduate as science teachers in monasteries[Saturday, 15 May 2010, 3:22 p.m.]

School kids listen to monks at a science exhibition held last year, file photo/LTWA

Dharamshala:
The first batch of 30 monks have graduated to become science teachers
in Tibetan monasteries in exile. A convocation was held yesterday at
Deer park in Bir Tibetan settlement, some 60 Kilometres from
Dharamsala, Phayul.com reported.Presiding over as the
chief guest at the convocation was Kalon Thupten Lungrik, Kalon for the
Department of Education. The monks will be teaching science at various
monastic institutions including Sera, Ganden, Drepung, and Bon Menri
monastery.His Holiness the Dalai Lama had in the past suggested
that monks must be conversant in some of the main science concepts to
assist and deepen their understanding of Buddhist philosophy, and also
to expose them to new scientific findings.The monks have been
receiving science education under the auspices of the Library of
Tibetan Works and Archives which has held several workshops and
training sessions for the monks in the past few years. “The monks will
bring back to their home monasteries a variety of teaching strategies
and educational materials, from cosmology to neuroscience, developed
through support of the Sager Family Foundation that include; hands-on
activities, translated articles, writing assignments, and fully
translated and dubbed educational science videos,” a press statement
issued by the LTWA said.The monks will publish articles on
Buddhism and science, conduct science exhibition, organize dialogues on
the interface of science and spirituality, and help develop the vision
and materials that grow opportunities for fellow monks to engage with
science.Since 2001, the Sager Family Foundation has been
working in partnership with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
in Dharamshala, India, to provide opportunities for Tibetan Buddhist
monks to study science. Through the Science for Monks the LTWA has
launched Science Leadership Institute in 2008, through which, the 30
monks were trained to teach and lead science education. The Science
Leadership Institute organized local monastic leadership groups
supported through bi-annual 2-week workshops conducted by expert from
major educational institutions, including the Exploratorium in San
Francisco, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., University of
California, Berkeley, and the University of Arizona, Tucson.In
addition to continued support of the 1st cohort, a second cohort of 30
monks will be recruited in 2011, expanding the study groups and science
centers to new traditions of Tibetan Buddhism both in India and Nepal.
The new cohort will also include a strong representation of nuns. The
Sager Family Foundation and the LTWA are committed to partnering in
this historic initiative for many years to come, said the statement.LTWA
has also partnered with many other educational institutes in the west
including Emory University which is now supporting the creation of a
comprehensive science curriculum for all the monasteries.