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I recently interviewed fellow Neuroethics Blog contributors Dr. Julia Haas and Dr. Gillian Hue about courses they taught during the summer at Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in South India as part of the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI). Julia (who is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program at Washington University) taught philosophy of science at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Karnataka, and Gillian (who is the senior program coordinator for the Emory University Initiative to Maximize Student Development , program associate in the Emory Neuroethics Program , and the Managing Editor for AJOB Neuroscience ) taught neuroscience at the Sera Jey Monastery in Bylakuppe. A neuroscience class at Sera Jey Monastery (Photo credit: Gillian Hue) The ETSI (part of the Emory-Tibet Partnership ) works to introduce science programs into the education of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. Julia explained that “for the past six years they had a pilot program...

By Guest Contributor Brian Dias, PhD Imagine your day starting out near the Northern Indian town of Dharamshala with thirty minutes of spiritual chanting and meditation among Tibetan Buddhist monastics. Now you follow that by spending the whole day teaching Neuroscience to these same monastics. “Bliss”, “introspection”, “questioning”, “challenging” and “why” are some of the words that may come to mind. They certainly did for me while I had the privilege of being a Neuroscience faculty member as part of the Emory Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI) this past summer in India. Other faculty members included Dr. Melvin Konner (Evolutionary Anthropology, Emory University), Dr. Ann Kruger (Developmental Psychologist, GSU) and  Dr. Carol Worthman (Medical Anthropology, Emory University). An audience with His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama, and teaching monastics in Dharamshala, India. I intend to use this blog post to shed light on the intersection of Buddhist philosophy and western science ...