{"id":62532,"date":"2022-04-21T01:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T05:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=62532"},"modified":"2022-04-21T01:16:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T05:16:00","slug":"biology-with-tibetan-buddhist-monks-what-im-taking-back-to-my-college-classroom-from-teaching-at-a-monastery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/biology-with-tibetan-buddhist-monks-what-im-taking-back-to-my-college-classroom-from-teaching-at-a-monastery\/","title":{"rendered":"Biology with Tibetan Buddhist monks: What I\u2019m taking back to my college classroom from teaching at a monastery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nIt would be quite appropriate for a college professor to assume students know that a tree is alive and a rock is not.<\/p>\n

Or would it?<\/p>\n

For several summers, I have had the pleasure of teaching biology to Tibetan Buddhist monks\u00a0exiled in India<\/a>. This program, called the\u00a0ETSI (Emory-Tibet Science Initiative)<\/a>, was sparked by discussions\u00a0the Dalai Lama<\/a>\u00a0had with Emory University researchers in the 1990s and has blossomed into a way for monks of all ages to learn about science in the decades since.<\/p>\n

The differences between modern biology and traditional Buddhist\u00a0understandings of nature<\/a>\u00a0can seem significant \u2013 even in their definitions of what is \u201cliving.\u201d Biologists\u2019 understanding of life incorporates animals, plants and bacteria.\u00a0Traditional Tibetan monastic teachings<\/a>, on the other hand, base life on the idea of consciousness. Bacteria and animals, including humans, are recognized as having consciousness, and therefore are considered \u201cliving\u201d beings. Plants, according to these traditional teachings, do not have consciousness and are thus \u201cnonliving.\u201d<\/p>\n

But differences like these have led me to understand what I take for granted in\u00a0my teaching at the University of Richmond<\/a>\u00a0and how much richer learning can be when we step back to explore the most basic \u2013 yet biggest \u2013 questions together. Thinking about how I would present various topics to the monks has given me\u00a0concrete lessons<\/a>\u00a0to take back to my classroom in Virginia.<\/p>\n

Looking at life up close<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I study the relationship between bacteria and plants<\/a>. In most introductory biology courses, college students bring an intuitive sense for what science defines as \u201clife,\u201d one they have built since kindergarten. But what if educators don\u2019t assume that students \u201cknow\u201d what defines a living thing \u2013 or, better yet, what if we used assumptions to spark inquiry?<\/p>\n

Developing a definition of a \u201cliving thing\u201d can be an effective way to introduce scientific inquiry. Through an activity in which students place something in \u201cliving\/nonliving\/once-living\u201d categories, students can explore questions at the edges. For instance,\u00a0is a virus a living thing<\/a>? How about\u00a0artificial intelligence<\/a>? How would we decide when we discovered\u00a0extraterrestrial life<\/a>? These philosophical discussions about life spark interesting discussions across both cultures.<\/p>\n

In both educational settings, we can use students\u2019 observations of pond water under a microscope to discuss how scientists have built their\u00a0concept of life, based on the following characteristics<\/a>: something that is made of cells, has the capacity to reproduce, grows and develops, has evolved, uses energy, responds to stimuli and\u00a0maintains homeostasis<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a way to maintain an appropriate level of all sorts of chemicals and large molecules.<\/p>\n

Different biologists will include or exclude some of these properties, and discussing whether to include them in our classroom\u2019s definition can be an exciting process for students. In addition, we often extend this conversation to discuss how the definition of life has changed throughout human history and consider what questions biology may not be able to field, such as the notion of a soul or the Tibetan Buddhist\u00a0concept of consciousness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Asking questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There are seeming contradictions between scientists\u2019 and monks\u2019 perspectives on other topics, as well. For example, traditional Buddhist teachings affirm\u00a0spontaneous generation<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the idea that life can arise from nonlife \u2013 which biologists rejected in the 19th century, based on experiments by Louis Pasteur and others.<\/p>\n

According to Tibetan Buddhist perspectives, some life, like worms and bacteria,\u00a0can be created through \u201cdampness<\/a>.\u201d In the monks\u2019 view, too, all animals\u00a0are sentient<\/a>, meaning that they have consciousness, as opposed to plants, which do not. This has traditionally been how Tibetan Buddhism forms a definition of life.<\/p>\n

To explain the biologists\u2019 view, we ask ourselves: How can biologists truly show what makes something \u201cliving\u201d?<\/p>\n

The key is\u00a0the scientific method<\/a>, based on testing and analysis. At the monastery, science instructors approach questions about spontaneous generation or sentience through the method\u2019s series of questions: What experiments could you perform that could test your hypothesis that life arises from nonlife? What controls would you include to be confident in your results? How do you increase your confidence in the conclusions?<\/p>\n

These conversations highlight that the foundation of modern science, this scientific method, is extremely compatible with the Buddhism the monks practice.<\/p>\n

In part, this is because\u00a0debate<\/a>\u00a0is central to their monasticism. Like the scientific method, debate requires that the participants approach ideas with skepticism and request \u201cproof.\u201d Tibetan Buddhists\u00a0practice debate<\/a>\u00a0for hours daily. As one monk challenges another, they volley a religious idea back and forth to develop a deeper understanding of the concept.<\/p>\n

While scientists don\u2019t practice formal debate, we exercise similar muscles when we try to build a deeper understanding of the processes of life through theory, experimentation and challenging one another\u2019s ideas.<\/p>\n

Where science and religion meet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As we go further in any kind of classroom \u2013 at the monastery, or at a university \u2013 teachers and students sometimes find questions for which biology does not have especially satisfying answers: What are the origins of life? What is the purpose of sleep?<\/p>\n

As teachers, we can use those to spark students\u2019 curiosity, along with additional questions about how religion and biology intersect. Though some may bristle at the idea of theological questions entering a biology course,\u00a0raising them can engage students<\/a>\u00a0by integrating science with deep questions they may have about their lives. What does biology have to say about\u00a0the evolution of religions<\/a>? How does what we learn in biology influence the concept of a soul? If we believe in the idea of souls, what organisms have them?<\/p>\n

For the monks, this last question is critical, as Buddhism teaches that all life is\u00a0sentient and sacred<\/a>. When working with the monks, visiting teachers are very careful not to dispose of the microorganisms we inspect using a microscope as I would at the University of Richmond. Out of respect for their views, we simply pour the microorganisms outside in the grass. The monks have given me a new perspective on experimentation, including reconsidering the necessity of using certain organisms in research and teaching.<\/p>\n

Scientific inquiry truly crosses cultures. And when we engage our differences head-on, with openness and compassion, it can prompt more meaningful learning for teachers and students alike.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Daniel Pierceo is Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Richmond<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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