Science for monks

Dharamshala: About 60 monks representing all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, from monasteries across India, will soon be putting up at the Sera Monastery in Bylakuppe, for the Eight Annual Science Workshop, organized by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archive from 14 January.

"Providing hands-on science and math education to the advanced scholars within the Tibetan Buddhist community in India," sums up the mission of the workshop.

During this month-long intensive workshop, co-sponsored by the Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow, the monk scholars will attend daily four classes, each about an hour and half, on genetics, mathematics, astronomy and physics.

Time and again, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has emphasized that science must be incorporated into the academic studies of monasteries.

"According to the expressed wish of His Holiness, 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," says the director of the Library, Geshe Lhakdor.

He further adds that "such an open-minded approach will also facilitate the monks to share their Buddhist knowledge in the language most easily understood by ordinary people."

Earlier in November, the Library organized a ten-day, "Understanding Reality Through Physics: A science introductory course for Geshes", in collaboration with the science faculty of Emory University.

The Library also publishes a biannual Tibetan Science Journal, in addition to a quarterly science newsletter, Tsenrig, released earlier this year on the occasion of the 71st birthday of His Holiness. Both the publications are in Tibetan.

  (www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)

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