Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- The resuscitation of Nalanda University have recently been questioned by Buddhist groups
from South and North East Asia. The biggest lament was that no Buddhist
monks have been elected to its board. Unlike the Nalanda U of old,
where eminent Buddhist scholar monks were the rectors, governors in the
proposed new set up contains an overwhelming majority with 'secular'
credentials.
Fueling the concern coming from the make up of the academic board, it
has been revealed that "the new Nalanda International University will
focus on the humanities, economics and management, Asian integration,
sustainable development and oriental languages" (BBC report, May 28,
2013). The objective of the school was claimed to be "aimed at advancing
the concept of an Asian community...and rediscovering old
relationships".
Why is it that the regeneration of a once great ancient academia be
based on a secular curriculum entirely focused on humanities and
economics? Compare this with the curriculum of the original Nalanda U.
According to an unattributed article, the curriculum at the time of Mañjuśrīmitra contained:
...virtually the entire range of world knowledge then available.
Courses were drawn from every field of learning, Buddhist and Hindu,
sacred and secular (Para and Apara Vidyas as they are known in
Sanskrit), foreign and native. Study of Sanskrit grammar was compulsory.
In addition, there were five more compulsory subjects which included:
Shabda Vidya (Science of sounds and words; otherwise called Grammar and
Lexicography); Shilpasthana Vidya (Arts and Crafts); Chikitsa Vidya
(Science of Medicine); Hetu Vidya (Logic), and Adhyatma Vidya
(Philosophy).
n contrast, the revived Nalanda would largely be a post-graduate
research university, with the following schools: School of Buddhist
studies, philosophy, and comparative religion; School of historical
studies; School of International Relations and Peace; School of Business
Management and Development; School of Languages and Literature; and,
School of Ecology and Environmental Studies
At first glance, it would seem that it's hallowed name has
been borrowed to entice funders to rebuild a fabled campus. In fact, it
is far easier to criticize the absence of Buddhist personalities on its
board and for its lack of Buddhist centered values and philosophy. What
is truly tragic, however is the revivalist's lack of vision and courage.
They totally missed the core philosophy and ingenuity of the original
Nalanda.
A reported US$ 1 billion has been committed by its funders (New York
Times, December 9, 2006), a consortium led by Singapore, including
China, India, Japan and other nations. US$ 500 million will be used to
build the new university and another US$ 500 million to develop
necessary infrastructure.
With that kind of money committed, surely the Governors would have set a more lofty course for the new Nalanda?
The 'original' Nalanda
Eight centuries ago, the university located in Patna attracted
scholars and students from as far away as Tibet, China, Greece, and
Persia. With esoteric Buddhist philosophy and teachings at its core, its
rapid development from the 6th century to the 9th was dominated by the
liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age. In its heyday,
it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. Chinese
pilgrims estimated the students between 3,000 and 5,000.
Four doxographies (Tibetan: grub-mtha’) - a term used for the works
of classical historians, describing the points of view of past
philosophers and scientists - were taught here. Alexander Berzin specifies these as Sarvāstivāda Vaibhāṣika, Sarvāstivāda Sautrāntika, Mādhyamaka, the Mahāyāna philosophy of Nāgārjuna and Cittamatra, the Mahāyāna philosophy of Asaṅga and Vasubandhu.
Imagine a period where Europe did not yet have any universities (the
first, University of Bologna was established only in 1088 AD), Nalanda
with its eight separate compounds and ten temples encompassing an area
of 14 hectares was monumentally ahead of its time. It's library, called
the Dharmaganja, or Piety Mart, contained three large
buildings. One of it, the Ratnasagara, meaning the Ocean of Gems, was a
nine stories high tower and housed sacred manuscripts such as the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Guhyasamāja Tantra (Sanskrit; Tantra of the Secret Community).
It is inside these walls that much of Tibetan Buddhism as we know it,
both its Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, stems from the late
9th-12th century Nalanda teachers and scholars. Other forms of Buddhism,
such as Mahāyāna Buddhism followed in Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan,
flourished from the scholarly endeavor of this university. Students like
the famed pilgrim Xuanzang,
studied here and subsequently worked as a teacher at the University and
spent about 6 years there. When he returned to China, he carried back
with him 657 volumes of sacred Sanskrit texts and spent the last years
of his life translating and interpreting them.
Nalanda became the synthesis and fusion center where new ideas of
Buddhist psychology and philosophy were debated, coded and classified.
The academic efforts of scholarly monks became the seeds which
germinated Buddhism into forms palatable to adherence of the religion
not from the Indian sub-continent. It is here - through
inter-disciplinary study, practice (of meditation) and translation -
that Buddhism became a global religion.
Nalanda’s aim was to create the most intellectually and spiritually
mature individuals who would become qualified to contribute to every
aspect of society for its overall being. To its custodians and teachers,
ideal education means a happy and harmonious blend of philosophy and
religion. The pervasive notion at Nalanda was that education was not
merely the conveyance of information but the transmission of spiritual,
moral, intellectual and aesthetic values combined with the opportunity
for full physical development.
What Nalanda 'could be'
If Nalanda were to claim back its glory, it needs to be 'monumentally
ahead' of its time, just like its predecessor. More importantly, it
needs Buddhist teachings and ideals as its core identity to drive its
sense of purpose. Why submit a famous academy to mundane courses (where
it has to compete with numerous and better endowed institutions) when it
has the chance to explore an ancient teaching so radically ahead of its
time and create undreamed of synthesis using tools of modern science?
At an age where information science and mind studies are flourishing,
Buddhism is at the stage where its ideas, philosophy and tenets can
play a major influence in all spheres of scholarly development. Thanks
in part to the internet and free flow of thoughts and ideas, this era
provides a similar - or even more - liberal cultural traditions inherent
in the Gupta era.
How different could the new Nalanda U be? Here are some ideas worth exploring.
Medicine and PharmacologyThe original Nalanda had medicine
as one of its compulsory subject. The new Nalanda curriculum should
consider accommodating the vast trove of Asian traditional medical
systems which encompasses synthesis of indigenous Tibetan, Indian
(Ayurveda), Chinese, Persian (Unani), and Greek. It could use the
template as derived from the Tibetan medical system, which embraces the
traditional Buddhist belief that all illness ultimately results from the
three poisons of the mind: ignorance, attachment and aversion. Tibetan
medicine follows the Buddha's Four Noble Truths which apply medical
diagnostic logic to suffering. By synthesizing traditional medicine with
modern medical research, this faculty could become a cutting edge
pharmaceutical and medical research institute.
Neuroscience and neural networksThe scientific study of
the brain and the nervous system has increased significantly,
principally due to advances in molecular biology, electrophysiology, and
computational neuroscience. Neuroscience has grown in tandem with
Buddhist meditation, and many new research (collaborations between
scientists and meditators) have produced new evidence on how our brains
work, how thoughts arise, how consciousness works. And in the concept of
non-self (anatta), neuroscience is starting to publish theories and
evidence that there is no self to be had, no central driver to speak of,
no unchanging internal self that made all the decisions. Indeed, when
results become more accomplished, the field of neuroscience can be an
important allied health discipline, collaborating with other fields such
as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,
medicine, philosophy, physics, and psychology. Continued in-depth
research and studies in Buddhist meditation will see to the flourishing
of this field.
Quantum physicsThe Madhyamika philosophers developed a
rigorous and razor sharp method of philosophical analysis which,
together with meditation investigation, penetrated into the ultimate
nature of reality. Emptiness (sunyata), the core view which is
propounded by the Madhyamaka, is the insight that there is nothing in
the universe which exists as an independent entity in its own right. It
follows that nothing exists as a fully independent feature of reality as
was always thought by Western science up until the advent of quantum
physics. Indeed, an understanding of emptiness can throw new
perspectives onto problems of quantum interpretation. Both Buddhism and
quantum mechanics illustrate that the universe is not what he or she
perceives it to be with their five senses, and that everything is
connected in some way. A serious and rigorous analysis of the "physics"
paradigm in Buddhist thought has been long in coming. The formulation
of discourses between modern quantum mechanics with certain aspects of
Indo-Tibetan Buddhist methodology, such as the elementary assertions of
"particle physics", will spearhead new form of synthesis. Who knows,
apart form finding answers to big questions such as "what is the
universe" and "what is self", students may stumble upon practical
by-products which may find useful applications, such as instantaneous
communication, quantum teleportation, quantum computers, energy
harvesters and quantum tunneling.
Informatics and Computer ScienceThe Buddhist tipitaka
contains an immensely rich lexicon of mind training, philosophical
teachings and psychological discourses. Nevertheless, much of it are
inaccessible to common people due to the difficulty in deciphering its
meaning. The science of informatics can play a role in developing
digital sources and tools using artificial intelligence and smart
algorithms, so that meaningful searches can be processed by users
according to their level of understanding. To be practical and useful
however, such a system needs to adhere to international standards for
information exchange and search results must be freely accessible to the
public. Apart from that, Nalanda can offer advanced courses in computer
modeling, with emphasis on researching nano technology. Tools developed
here can be used to aid research in neuroscience and quantum mechanics.
The innate classification of Buddhist knowledge fits nicely into the
algorithmic nature of computer science, and this combination would make
this to be an important department providing anchoring services to all
other faculties.
Food and Agriculture SciencePoverty and endangered health
due to lack of clean drinking water and sanitation is a major problem in
this world. If any courses were to be moved by the teachings of
loving-kindness and compassion, this area would be it. Energy and
attention should focus on areas of research in organic protein
production, cheap processing of nutritional vegetarian meals,
genetically modified foods (vegetarian variety) and membrane technology
for clean water filtering. Cross experiments in Asian vegetarian
cuisines, from Korean to Chinese, Indian, Sinhalese and Thai foods may
yield interesting fusion. What's important that such research will have
to be made under the guidance of 'ahimsa' (non-violence), and to keep
with the first precept of respecting and non-harming of sentient life.
Law and BioethicsAs research goes into ground breaking
areas, stake holders and interest groups will be concerned on ethical
lines that can potentially be crossed. This is where a faculty for the
study of bioethics could be adjunct to other fields of research. Keeping
in line with the principles of non-violence (ahimsa), loving-kindness
(metta) and compassion (karuna), its formulation could encompass a
broader meaning such as solidarity towards the biosphere, thus
generating a "global ethics," a discipline representing a link between
biology, ecology, medicine and human values in order to attain the
survival of both human beings and other animal species.
Nalanda and the new world order
Bold visions and creative pursuits combined with Buddhist philosophy,
ideas and meditational practices can remake Nalanda University into a
beacon of human invention and high civilization. Like its predecessor,
having radical thinkers, innovative teachers deeply schooled in Buddhist
thoughts will enable it to take on the mantle of cutting edge research
in mind studies. It can be an unparalleled institution in this field.
At this moment, it is reported that the current setup has only attracted a commitment of about US$ 100 million,
which is far from its targeted sum of US$ 1 billion. Apart from
politicking and a general lack of trust in the board of governors
ability to revive the university's famous name, perhaps poor
foresightedness and a lack of deep appreciation of Buddhist values are
more to be at blame for the lack of support.
The die is not yet cast. But if the governors are open minded enough
and seek the participation of great living Buddhist minds such as the
Dalai Lama, Goenka, Thich Nhat Hahn, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ajahn Brahm,
Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Robert Thurman,
Ven Cheng Yen, the promise of Nalanda U as a global learning and
research center could well be realized.
Let's not have an entity that is survived by its past glory, for its
glorious name can become an enlightening guide for humanity in tune with
current needs. And for that to happen, Buddhism needs to be at the
center of its core, and the driver of its spiritual existence. BC
This article taken from: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8%2C11559%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0#.Ug4w0lP_GAl
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