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Some of the newest students at Emory University's student body may act like typical college kids, but there's a key difference: They're Tibetan monks sent by the Dalai Lama to the United States to learn science. Wearing the traditional crimson robes and closely shorn heads of Tibetan monastics, the six men — most in their 30s — are taking physics, biology and chemistry classes with hopes of returning to Tibetan monasteries in India to teach science to other monks and nuns. It's the first established program for Tibetan monks from India to train at a Western university, said Geshe Lhakdor, director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in India. "They are pioneers," he said in a recent interview while visiting Atlanta. The program is the newest evolution of the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, which is helping the Dalai Lama with his goal of training monastics for the 21st century. Monks and nuns are masters of the mind through the practice of ancient traditions, but they must also master modern concepts of science and technology, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said in a recent visit to Emory. "The monastic institution is traditionally the learning center, so we must put science in this institution," said the Dalai Lama. "Even Buddha himself said 'All my followers shouldn't accept my teachers out of faith, but out of constant investigation.'" For the monks, the year spent at Emory in Atlanta means long hours sitting in classes conducted in a language they struggle with and terms they've never studied before. Try explaining the concept of photosynthesis — a process where plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen with the help of sunlight — to someone who has never even heard of a chemical compound. "My mother wasn't happy about my coming here," said Ngawang Norbu, 36, who is from Bylakuppe, the largest Tibetan settlement in India. "But when I told her it was part of His Holiness' vision, she was very happy. I'm taking a small step toward fulfilling his wishes." Each morning the monks wake up early to meditate in their bedrooms before heading to classes, meetings with professors or English tutoring sessions. They cook meals at their off-campus apartment to save money and shop together at Indian food markets and the dollar store. In their free time, the monks pore over their lessons, revise homework, watch science teachings in English onYouTube and play sports with Emory classmates. Some of the monks listen to the Dalai Lama's teachings on mp3 players on the way to class or watch videos of the spiritual leader online. Dylan Kady, 18, an Emory freshman from Holland, Penn., invited the monks to play tennis a few times during the semester and took a freshman seminar class with two of them. "I asked if they had shorts and shirts to wear," said Kady, who is on the Emory tennis team. "The only time they would take their robes off was on tennis court. They would wear them onto the court and then take them off, play in shorts and shirts, and then put their robes right back on." The monks use Facebook as a way to connect with classmates at Emory and keep up with their fellow monks and nuns back home. Some of the monks had to take a crash course in using a computer when they got to campus because they don't have much access to technology at the monasteries. "In the monastery, we don't use the Internet that much," said monk Kunjo Baiji, 30, adding that the connection is slow and undependable in India. The Emory-Tibet Partnership hopes to bring a handful of monks and nuns to campus each year to take science classes. The relationship between Emory and Tibet began in 1991 when former Tibetan monk Geshe Lobsang Negi moved to Atlanta with the blessings of the Dalai Lama to establish the Drepung Loseling Institute, a Buddhist monastery and learning center near campus. Slowly a partnership began to evolve, and in 1998, the university formally launched the Emory-Tibet Partnership. Three years ago, Emory professors published a general science textbook translated into Tibetan. They travel each year to Dharamsala, India, home of the Dalai Lama's headquarters, to teach science to monks and nuns. And dozens of Emory students go to Dharamsala annually to study at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, where the Dalai Lama is the founder and a top teacher. "I'm constantly amazed it's gotten as far as it has," said Arri Eisen, an Emory professor who teaches in Dharamsala each year and has monks in his biology classes in Atlanta. "A lot of it is the sheer energy or power of His Holiness. He has this way of envisioning things and making them happen and inspiring people to make them happen." The close ties with Emory led the Dalai Lama to accept a five-year appointment as a distinguished professor at the private university in 2007 — with regular visits to campus to give lectures and work with faculty and students. Although the Dalai Lama has honorary professorships at universities across the globe, Emory was the first place he has a teaching professorship. The Dalai Lama, the winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, has talked of mixing science and mathematics training into monastic life for years but wasn't able to do it until Emory developed curriculum in the monks' native tongue. There have been challenges: professors well versed in evolution are looking for ways to explain the theory to monks who believe in reincarnation and translators have had to develop new Tibetan words to describe some scientific concepts that don't exist in Eastern traditions. "I was very happy when I heard I could come here," said Sherub Tenzin, 33, one of the monks who fled Tibet for India when he was 19. "In India, we cannot learn science like this." | |||||||||||
whereami
JoinedPosts by whereami
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Tibetan monks turn to USA to train minds in science
by whereami inhow long till these poor souls realize they've been dupped?
tibetan monks turn to usa to train minds in science.
updated 4d 2h ago | comments 41 | recommend 13e-mail | save | print | enlargeby david goldman, aptibetan monks thabkhe lo, left, lodoe sangpo and ngawang norbu talk with professor alexander escobar following biology class at emory university in atlanta.
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whereami
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Canadian top model a JW?
by behemot ini read somewhere that this top model is a witness:.
http://www.coco-rocha.com/.
anybody can confirm?.
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whereami
She grew up in the religion. Is she still one now?
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Non-evidence reasons why people embrace Evolution.
by hooberus inevolutionists always claim that the reason why they believe in evolution and reject creation is due to "evidence".
they frequently use the opposite term "no evidence" in relation to any type of intelligent design, or creation, (and especially to genesis creation and flood history !).
their advocated beliefs always tend to include whatever is necessary to believe in to intellectually "explain" the existence of the universe, world, and its creatures without needing god).
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whereami
Myself I believe in a young biblical earth under 10,000 years old probably 5 to 6,000 years if you do the math back to Adam.
How sad that adults in today's age believe this. No wonder this country gets mocked so much.
I belive God made the universe less than 10,000 years ago and he made it to look like its old, God spoke it into being and it has an apparent age just like adam and eve. If god made the univers big 7,000 years ago it would look big because of the math.
I've read this sentence over and over but there just are no words to address this. JB are you just trying to be funny here. Please tell us you're pulling our leg, please.
THere are many scientific writings to support a young biblical earth.
Please do list them.
But that is not the popular view.
Thank the heavens for that!!! You know when it was a "popular view"? Please think real hard on that one. The answer is very telling.
THe world lies in the power of the wicked one, and many people when they get a little education or money dont need God. THats the way it is. Its called pride. THat's what the Devil was full of. Also the bible says you cant be queer and you cant live
in sin out of wedlock so when someone mocks someone who believes in the bible those are a couple of factors you can check out. THe bible also says not to be Greedy or love money. Amerika is a very greedy, materialistic society its no wonder that many
have no use for God or the bible. If you choose not to believe in the bible then you can believe anything you want to make up.
I must say this is brainwashing at it's best. The Jw "force" is STILL strong with this one. It really is, out of the pan into the fire with some of you isn't it. Do you not even realise the pure condescending rhetoric you're spewing here?
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Non-evidence reasons why people embrace Evolution.
by hooberus inevolutionists always claim that the reason why they believe in evolution and reject creation is due to "evidence".
they frequently use the opposite term "no evidence" in relation to any type of intelligent design, or creation, (and especially to genesis creation and flood history !).
their advocated beliefs always tend to include whatever is necessary to believe in to intellectually "explain" the existence of the universe, world, and its creatures without needing god).
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whereami
Love how you made up this hypothesis itself without reference to any study or research - I.e. No evidence. How ironic. Nevertheless, in the interest of engaging:
Would you also agree then that the non-evidence reasons why people embrace religion are, mirroring your points-
1/ Social and Sexual Ineptitude
A strong desire to police other people's sexual habits to make sure they aren't having more exciting sex than their safe Sunday Afternoon (4pm) missionary position. Included in this is homophobia because not only is it fun to discriminate it's even worse to allow someone to experiment with consensual sex in ways they would never dare. A strong jealousy against gay, single, promiscuous people who don't have to shoulder the responsibility of kids.
2/ A history of Physical and Emotional Abuse
A desire to continue as a victim by choosing to worship a being who is the perfect absent father but when he does eventually return will whup you if you've been naughty. In the meantime surrogate fathers will be sought to emotionally abuse and remind you of your own worthlessness, weakness and need to contribute more time and money to the 'household budget'.
3/ A philosophical a priori condition that requires a God.
An inability to engage in any viewpoint that does not include magic leads to a necessary prime condition of the first magician who literally pulled fully formed rabbits out of his hat. Since everything that follows utterly requires the first wizard the entire worldview rests upon this and so it is the one part of the philosophy that cannot be reinterpreted or twisted as the magicians code is broken.
4/ Desire to be accepted by anyone.
Most emotionally needy believers aren't too picky about which cult that pick as long as they love bomb. An additional status is those who join the cult of their family which entails continued attendance and profession of belief to maintain family ties.
Brilliant!!!!
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Have you ever seen/felt/known God's power in YOUR life?
by XPeterX inyou spent months,years or even decades as a christian.you sacrificed everything for god,gave him everything you had,you would speak every day for him to others and would live as a person dedicated to god.what did you receive in return after all your efforts?did he help you when you were in need?if yes,are you 100% sure that he was the one who helped you?could you feel his holy spirit in your life?.
p.s:this topic has nothing to do with the org.
i am talking exclusively about god and your relationship with him.
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whereami
Ask that to the families of the 40,000 CHILDREN that die EVERYDAY because they didn't have what you and you children apparently have (food) because your god is answering your prayers and not theirs.
Lady Lee, there are no words for what you've gone through. The fact that you are who you are today is a beautiful thing.
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whereami
Play the Hitler card and you are out
Just show them this jgnat, lol.
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whereami
Thanks cofty. Great flow chart.
Both groups are absolutely convinced that God does NOT hate them.
Yeah but the Christian believes that their God will kill you for not believing in their version him.
Big difference.
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Why babies go to hell (explanation)
by whereami inthis just doesn't sound correct.
can our religious friends help us understand this?.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aao98n9pqk8&feature=grec_index.
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whereami
So Burn, you would agree that the likes of Augustine of Hippo, John Calvin and the others mentioned on the second video including the Westminster Confession Of Faith to be completely wrong on this issue, correct?
I know this was direct at Burns, but if I may:
Yeah, they were wrong.
Human tend to NOT be right about everything, LOL !
Augustine was smart and very insightful, but he wasn't always right, no one is and it's ok to point out that People make mistakes.Augustine kind of blew the whole original sin thing WAY out of porportion, but he, he was only Human.
Thanks for your honest response PSac. And there is where the problem lies I believe. Sometimes at least. When some non believers point out some of these inconsistencies or absurdities in their faith the religious, quite understandably, "goes off" on the them. They say the mere fact of asking or questioning is a waste of time or absurd. It kind of reminds me of the ex-Jw that tries to point out inconsistencies or bizarre beliefs once held by the faith they so much cherish. They instead of addressing the issue and say it was wrong and admit that the only reason they changed was because of time or soceity in general forced them to, or else it would reflect bad on them in todays world, they brush it off on "New Light." What was exepted back then, today is looked at as just a simple missunderstanding or mistake. Alot like what the Jw's say to others when they get called on it. Of course I knew 99.9% of my Chritian freinds here would never approve of this teaching, unless it was clear in their bible that it was the case, I don't know. What if it was? What if today all Christians still believed what these "pillars of faith" said. And some still do today!!! What was exepted back then, today is looked at as just a simple misunderstanding or mistake. Alot like what the Jw's say to others when they get called on it. The "Oh we NOW see things more clearly" shpiel get's thrown out there as if it means something. Very fustrating, as we all here have gone through this at times I'm sure. I understand they were only human. I get that. It's just scary seeing that society has suffered so much, phsyically, mentaly and emotionally because of these "silly human mistakes" throughout the centuries, and til this day unfortunatly. Why does the man upstairs allow this? Just for once and for all make it clear what is truth and what is man's truth. Why is it so hard to do this? Does he enjoy watching his children killing, torturing each other over these things? I mean this has been going on for THOUSANDS of years!!!! This goes completely against the "God Is Love" theory. None of us would allow this if we had the power to change it. And we also wouldn't stop until it was fixed. There is no amount of logic you can throw at this that would make any sense. Oh well, just thinking out loud. Sorry about the rant. Again, thanks to all who have given their insight on this matter. Oh... HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. Please be safe out there.
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Why babies go to hell (explanation)
by whereami inthis just doesn't sound correct.
can our religious friends help us understand this?.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aao98n9pqk8&feature=grec_index.
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whereami
DP, now I no why the WTS condemned this type of music. Alice was ah...shall we say ahead of his time?
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Why babies go to hell (explanation)
by whereami inthis just doesn't sound correct.
can our religious friends help us understand this?.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aao98n9pqk8&feature=grec_index.
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whereami
Shelby, no need to apologize really. I completely understood where you and some others were coming from. This is a sensitive matter to me as well. That's why I was looking for some clarification.
Thanks again.
