When 28-year-old Buddhist nun Paldan Zangma saw the sun appear like a ring of fire in a washed December sky at Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka last year, she was less overawed than meditative.
바카라When the light dimmed, I realized the transitory nature of our existence,바카라 says Zangma, who set foot in the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery set amid the low-lying hills and paddy fields of North Karnataka at the age of 10. 바카라But the science behind the partial eclipse of the sun was equally important.바카라
Zangma and over 100 other nuns of Mundgod, armed with filters, eye-masks and shiny mirrors, assembled in the courtyard of their over three-decades-old institution last December to witness the solar eclipse as a scientific phenomenon 바카라 a clear break from their traditional thinking.
Nuns at the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka watch the solar eclipse. Photo: Priyadarshini Sen
바카라In our village, our elders would tell us the devil eats up the sun. So, they encouraged us to stay indoors to protect us from evil,바카라 says Tsering Lhanzom, an 18-year-old nun from Ladakh, who believes her exposure to science and Buddhist philosophy has broadened her mental horizons and sharpened her critical thinking skills.
바카라We now reflect on the interplay between science and dharma, logic and emotional intelligence. It바카라s a novelty for Buddhist monastics who had limited exposure to the sciences.바카라
Since 2000, driven by the Dalai Lama바카라s personal interest in science, the new discipline was introduced in the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries to bring a new approach to ancient Buddhist philosophy.
Nuns at the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka watch the solar eclipse. Photo: Priyadarshini Sen
The interest in science caught on quickly among student nuns and monks, who began to rely on debates, seminars, exhibitions and lectures for their philosophical study topics.
Progressively, science classes were organised at the monasteries through logistical, financial and professional support from organizations such as Science Meets Dharma, Science for Monks and Nuns and the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative.
In December last year, women astronomy teachers associated with the Science for Monks and Nuns Project worked with the nuns to provide guidance, equipment and tools prior to the eclipse event.
The buzz around the festival even broke community barriers as it drew school children from surrounding areas keen to know about the astronomical event from monastics.
바카라The interest in science at the nunnery has grown steadily in the last few years,바카라 says Bryce Johnson, one of the founders of Science for Monks and Nuns. 바카라Events like the solar eclipse allow the nunnery to reach out to the community, spark conversations and break down community barriers.바카라
The head of the institution, Lobsang Tsultrim, says women are receptive to new learning, and science helps them keep up with dynamic study approaches across the world.
바카라India is the best place to study Buddhism and ancient philosophy, but science will help monastics spread this learning across the world for the benefit of all sentient beings,바카라 said Tsultrim.
Paul Syska, a German supervisor who doubles up as a science teacher at the nunnery on his visits to India, believes science education prepares monastics for the modern world.
바카라Women monastics have a high spiritual consciousness, and this when combined with a modern learning system, has the potential to turn them into knowledge powerhouses,바카라 he says.
A nun at the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka works on a science experiment. Photo: Paul Syska
But it바카라s not just about expanding the science ecosystem in the Tibetan monasteries.
Syska believes scientists have as much to learn from Buddhist philosophers in order to cultivate a more mindful and empathetic approach to natural phenomena.
바카라It바카라s all about give and take,바카라 says Mopsang Dhamchoe, a former monk from Dharamsala who has kept himself abreast of the latest developments in Tibetan monastic education.
바카라Scientists are helping monastics view natural phenomena like solar and lunar eclipses logically, while Buddhists are teaching them how to use the heart when making scientific observations.바카라
Dhamchoe says despite the science behind natural events such as the solar eclipse, their traditional beliefs and folklores can바카라t be wished away.
바카라During an eclipse, the microcosm of our bodies is affected by the macrocosmic movement of celestial bodies,바카라 he says. 바카라Through meditation and prayers, we can heighten our elemental energy and nullify negative actions.바카라
Many nuns spoke about self-imposed dietary restrictions, ritual purifications and positive thinking they continue to practice during major astronomical events to ward off misfortune and ill omens.
A nun from Spiti said, in her village, even now it바카라s believed both living and inanimate objects die during a solar eclipse due to abandonment of solar rays, especially if their astrological alignments are in conflict with planets involved in the eclipse and their life force is particularly weak.
바카라It바카라s hard to abandon these ideas altogether because surely science can바카라t explain everything,바카라 she said. 바카라But still, science allows us to logically analyse these events.바카라
The Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka. Photo: Paul Syska
During the eclipse viewing festival at the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery, the monastics were keen to use the equipment and tools at their disposal to enhance their scientific knowledge.
바카라Just as the Buddha said you have to learn and experience everything to end your ignorance,바카라 said 27-year-old Tenzin Namsel from Tibet, 바카라I saw the eclipse as an opportunity to learn something scientific, while also enhancing my karma.바카라
(Priyadarshini Sen is an Independent Journalist based in Delhi. She writes for various India and US-based media outlets.)
