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Educating the Heart & Mind:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama Joins Emory as Presidential Distinguished Professor
By Nancy Seideman

His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama has been named Presidential Distinguished Professor at Emory University, the first university appointment accepted by the 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate and leader of the Tibetan exile community.

The Dalai Lama will deliver his inaugural lecture during an Oct. 20-22 visit to Emory, during which he will participate in a conference on science and spirituality, and an interfaith session on religion as a source of conflict and a resource for peace building. His Holiness is scheduled to give a public talk, "Educating the Heart and Mind," at an Emory-sponsored event in Centennial Olympic Park Oct. 22.

"I firmly believe that education is an
indispensable tool for the flourishing of human well-being and the creation
of a just and peaceful society, and I am delighted to make a small contribution in this regard through this appointment."
"To have a colleague of the Dalai Lama's stature in our community will be a constant source of inspiration and encouragement to our faculty, staff, and students as we strive to realize the vision of educating both the heart and mind for the greater good of humanity," said Emory President James Wagner. "His presence will contribute significantly to fulfilling the university's strategic goals, including bringing engaged scholars together in a strong and vital community to confront the human condition."

"I look forward to offering my services to the Emory students and community. I firmly believe that education is an indispensable tool for the flourishing of human well-being and the creation of a just and peaceful society, and I am delighted to make a small contribution in this regard through this appointment," said the Dalai Lama. "I have long believed in and advocated a dialogue and cross-fertilization between science and spirituality, as both are essential for enriching human life and alleviating suffering on both individual and global levels."

The Dalai Lama's appointment is the most recent outgrowth of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, which was founded in 1998 to bring together the best of Western and Tibetan Buddhist intellectual traditions.

HIS HOLINESS RECEIVES EMORY DELEGATION IN BANGALORE, INDIA

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate, has his permanent home in exile in Dharamsala in northern India, where he also leads the Tibetan government-in-exile. From there, he travels extensively throughout the world as well as to various Tibetan communities in India. In January 2007, he visited the Tibetan community in the south Indian state of Karnataka, home to the largest number of Tibetan settlements in the country and the most prominent Tibetan monastic institutions.

After concluding an extensive teaching at Sera Monastery in Bylakupee (a three-and-a-half hour drive from Bangalore), attended by many monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery, the Dalai Lama flew by helicopter to stopover in Bangalore – Karnataka's capital city otherwise known as India's "Silicon Valley." One thousand meters (3,300 ft) above sea level, the climate of Bangalore remains pleasant year-round. There, the Dalai Lama received Emory's Geshe Lobsang Tenzin, director of the Emory-Tibet Partnership and Atlanta's Drepung Loseling Institute, and Holli Semetko, vice provost for International Affairs to sign the official documents accepting the Presidential Distinguished Professorship. In conversation with them, the Dalai Lama shared his vision of an education that molds both intellect and character, a vision that Emory also shares. Excerpts from his remarks follow:

"The problems we see in modern society are closely related with the emotions. The purpose of secular education is not for cultivating religious faith, but rather for creating better human beings, better families, and a better society. Emotions are naturally a part of that, and are very much involved in that. Modern education up to now, however, has not paid adequate attention to the area of emotions, and has not provided adequate information about the emotions and how to deal with them. So the ancient Indian traditions and ancient Indian thought could be beneficial in this field. In Hinduism, and in Buddhism as well, one finds a great deal of discussion about the nature of emotions, of samadhi (meditative concentration), and related issues. So for the sake of promoting a healthy society, a healthy human family and healthy individuals, I feel that some research work, and some new ideas or new methods in the field of education on how to deal with the emotions is important and necessary – not as a religion, but rather as just the training of the mind.

Here I think there is a potential for the Buddhist tradition to make some contribution, but not just by some lamas or scholars giving talks – not in that way – but through more detailed research work, more discussion, collaboration, and experiments. If this can take place not just through the work of one or a few individuals, but through the efforts of an entire university, I think it would be very healthy. It would be a healthy way to go about it, and it would be very good. So I'm looking forward, as a professor now, to making some contribution to this, although I don't know how much of a contribution I can make!"

Emory is recognized as one of the premier centers of study of Tibetan philosophy and religion in the West, primarily due to the university's extraordinary relationship with Tibetan Buddhist institutes of higher learning based in India, including the Drepung Loseling Monastery and the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. One of the most ambitious projects of this partnership is a historic initiative to develop and implement a comprehensive science education curriculum for Tibetan monastics (see p. 20).

Many of Emory's university-wide strategic plan initiatives address the interface between religion and science. His Holiness has pioneered in promoting a genuine and substantive dialogue between science and spirituality. Emory's commitment to developing and implementing a science education program for Tibetan monks and nuns will help realize the Dalai Lama's vision of offering comprehensive science education within the monastic curriculum.

As Presidential Distinguished Professor, the Dalai Lama will continue to provide private teaching sessions with students and faculty during Emory's study-abroad program in Dharamsala, as well as provide opportunities for university community members to attend his annual teachings. He also will make periodic visits to Emory to participate in programs. Emory will establish a fellowship in the Dalai Lama's name to fund annual scholarships for Tibetan students attending Emory undergraduate and graduate schools.

The Dalai Lama has devoted his life to the non-violent resolution of the Tibetan-Chinese conflict and to the preservation of the Tibetan history, education, culture and traditions. The 1959 occupation of Tibet by China forced the Dalai Lama to flee his country and take exile in India, where he serves as the political and spiritual leader of six million Tibetans worldwide, including the Tibetan community and government-in-exile based in Dharamsala.

In September 2006, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to award the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor in the nation, for his advocacy of religious harmony, nonviolence and human rights throughout the world, and for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue through dialogue with Chinese leadership.

For more information, visit www.dalailama.emory.edu