Post-Trip Post

Last week, after a long 36 hour trip from Bir, India, I arrived safely back in the States.  The day after I arrived, I became very ill:  fever, body aches, headache, nausea, dizziness, stomach problems.   I think something I ate on the plane made me sick.  After 24 hours of feeling terrible, I recovered.

If you have been following this blog, you know that my trip to India was cut short.  The other instructors were able to pick up the slack and from what they have told me through email, the entire workshop was a great success.

I hope to return to India in several months to continue my work with the monks and nuns. 

Stay tuned!

Must Leave

Thursday morning I received some sad news from home and must leave Bir, my fellow instructors, and the monks and nuns immediately.  Unfortunately, I will have to shorten my stay and return to the States now.  I am entering this post from the airport in New Delhi where I am waiting for a flight back to the USA.

Before I left Bir, the monks and I were able to discuss the anatomy and physiology of neurons and reflexes.  We talked about the different parts of a neuron, the resting potential, the action potential and chemical transmission.  This was a lot of material to cover in such a short period of time, but I think I was able to provide the monks with the basics to understand neurotransmission.  Because I have to leave them so soon, I will not be around to answer what I am a sure will be their many, many questions.  I gave my email address to all of the monks and nuns and my TA (Tenzin) will translate emails for any of the monastics who do not understand English.  I expect to hear from many of them. 

Immediately after my teaching session on Friday, I was ready to leave for the Dharamsala airport.  Bryce Johnson and Bobby Sager were able to change my flights to get me out of India as fast as possible.  However, I was told that because of bad weather, my flight from Dharamsala to Delhi had been canceled.  I would have to drive five hours to a different airport to catch a flight to Delhi and then another flight back to the US.  

So I started towards the new airport with one of the Tibetan translators who was going to be dropped off at Dharamsala.  He was able to call the airline and found out that the flight was re-scheduled and that I would make my original flight to Delhi.  So, instead of a 5 hour drive, I had only a 2 hour drive back to Dharamsala.  (I was lucky to see my first monkeys on the side of the road during the drive!)

It is unfortunate that I will not be able to stay with the program for the second week.  The Tibetan monks are such great students; they are so attentive and curious and ready to learn each and every day.  Even though I spent only a short time with them, I consider them to be my students, my teachers and my friends.  I will miss them.  But this is not the end of the story.  It is likely that I will join them again for a second workshop in a few months and we will continue our discussions about the brain. 

The Rain Returns

The lightning returned for a second show on Thursday night.  That night, Bryce, one of the Tibetan translators, and I ventured into the small town below the Deer Park Institute in search of chocolate.  Although several shops had chocolate, Bryce was not satisfied with the selection.  One shop, however, had what he was looking for:  chocolate with fruit and nuts!

On the way home, we heard thunder and saw lightning flashes getting closer and closer.  The first raindrops fell as we were about 100 yards from the gates of the compound.  These first raindrops were only the beginning of another strong storm.  This storm had more lightning and thunder than the previous day’s storm, but it was not as windy.  I tried to photograph the lightning, but the images I recorded are not very good.

We lost power again, but it was restored before I went to sleep.

Another Morning Walk

On Friday morning, Paul, Modesto, Richard and I took a morning walk to the paragliding landing spot just down the road from the Deer Park Institute.  Bir has a worldwide reputation as a place for paragliding because of its tall mountain peaks and favorable winds.  We started our walk at about 6 am and came to the landing zone at about 6:30 am.  We went a bit further and were joined by one of the program’s monks who was out for a morning jog.  This particular monk had lived in Bir for several years and was familiar with the area.  He encouraged us to hike a bit further and joined us as our guide. 

We were rewarded for following him with a fantastic view of the valleys looking to the west.  We returned to the Deer Park Institute at 7:20 am just in time for breakfast.

A Short Break

On Thursday morning, the monks and instructors took a break from the classroom.  The monks planned to hang traditional Tibetan prayer flags from the trees above the Deer Park Institute.  First, they lit a small fire and chanted a few prayers.  Then they unraveled the long ropes with the prayer flags and hung them from the surrounding trees.  Some monks had to climb up tall trees (with their bare feet) to find good spots to anchor the flags.  The monks then chanted again before they formed a circle and threw some fine powder in the air.

And The Rain Begins

Yesterday, we discussed the peripheral nervous system.  The monks became neurologists and tested their 12 cranial nerves.  They really seemed to enjoy testing their vision!

As I left class in the afternoon, I saw dark clouds on the horizon.  It certainly looked like rain.  Sure enough, 30 minutes later, the skies opened and huge raindrops pelted the ground.  Thunder, lightning, and strong winds came along with the storm.  My shoe that I used to prop open my door got soaked.

One of the translators mother made a dinner of mutton dumplings (momo) for us guests from the States.  Bryce, Richard, Paul, Modesto, Bobby Sager and all of the translators huddled from the rainstorm as we ate dinner.  This was the first meat I had eaten in the six days since I left Seattle.

The storm also knocked out power.  Without electricity, I called it an early night and went to sleep at 9:30 pm.  A few hours later, I was awakened by the light in my room:  the power had come back on and of course, I had left the light on.

Writing Groups

Each day, Richard Sterling leads the monks and nuns in writing exercises.  The monastics sometimes write on their own or sometimes they get into writing groups and discuss specific assignments.  They keep a journal with questions that they have about the day's lessons or things that hey have learned.  The video below is a short clip of the monks and nuns in writing groups, discussing what they will be teaching us about Buddhism.

Journey into the Brain

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings started out with short hikes into the foothills around the Deer Park Institute.  These morning walks, led by Bryce Johnson, are quite nice because the sun has not yet climbed above the mountain peaks and the valley is still shaded.  Once the sun is out, it warms up into the low 100s.

I have been assigned a monk (Tenzin) who will serve as my TA for all of my sessions. That’s Tenzin and me in the photo.  In addition to Tenzin, another person, Paldon, translates everything I say; she even translates my powerpoint slides into Tibetan.  Tenzin participated in previous year’s workshops and his English is excellent.  Tenzin and I meet after dinner each night to discuss our teaching plan for the next day.  I found several lessons that he will lead.

 During the first morning session, I introduced myself to the group more fully and explained my research and my interest in neuroscience education.  Tenzin then took over and had the other monks write down reasons why it is important for them to learn about the brain.  We discussed these reasons and then I introduced the topic of neuroethics.  I explained that science can do many things, but often questions about whether science should do these things should be discussed before they are done.

After a 30 minute break for tea, we discussed the basic structure and functions of the nervous system.  We did the “What is a brain game” where groups of monks were given common items and asked to compare and contrast their items to the brain.  We also discussed brain size, gender differences and brain-body ratios.  The session ended with a short discussion of comparative neuroanatomy where the monks were asked to guess which brain went with a particular animal.

On Wednesday, my session discussed localization of brain functions and right/left brain dominance, especially as it is related to language.   The session ended with the monks getting into pairs and testing their 12 cranial nerves.  They seemed to like testing their vision most.

I have misjudged the amount of time it takes to get through the material I brought.  With the need to translate everything I say into Tibetan, I have already fallen far behind with the material I want to present. 

I tried a third night of melatonin last night.  I slept through until 4 am, woke up, then went back to sleep for another two hours.  I am not convinced melatonin is working.

Day 1 Workshop

I am not sure if the melatonin is working or not.  I seem to fall asleep quickly, but I wake up early at about 4 am.  Anyway, it gives me time to edit photos from the previous day and plan for teaching.  We have also been taking long walks in the hills starting at 6:30 am and we are back for breakfast by 7:30 am.

Yesterday was the first full day of the workshop.  After breakfast, we started with a brief ceremony in Tibetan and then a welcome to the program.  Modesto and Paul presented lessons to introduce perception and ways that the monks can use to engage students in learning.  The monks tested their limits of hearing by dropping smaller and smaller pieces of paper into plastic cups until they could no longer hear the sound.  They were quite surprised at how small the paper must be before they could no longer hear it.   Paul used a piece of string that allow the monks to experiment with how the eyes put visual images together and we briefly discussed right/left eye dominance.

Richard Sterling closed the last teaching session of the day by explaining the writing assignments for the monks and establishing writing groups.  One assignment the monks will do is to create a lesson about Tibetan Buddhism that they will teach to us instructors.  Because I know very little about Tibetan Buddhism, I look forward to learning from the monks.

After dinner, Bobby Sager, the founder of the Sager Foundation and sponsor of this Science for Monks program, talked to the entire group about the purpose and promise of the workshop.  He explained the need to assist the Tibetan Buddhist community in creating leaders and that although it may take time, the Science for Monks program should be an excellent way to establish the monks as leaders in the communities where they live.

One Bumpy Ride

Don't adjust your computer...the video is very choppy because the road was so bumpy.  I tried to hold the camera as still as possible.  Here is a short clip (about 30 seconds) of the ride from Dharamsala to Bir.  You only have to experience this for 30 seconds...it was a TWO HOUR ride for me.  Sometimes the road narrowed to only a single lane; sometimes the road was not paved.  Along the way we had to dodge cows, goats, dogs, and lots of oncoming traffic.

In BIR!

After five hours of sleep at the hotel in Delhi, it was back to the airport to catch a flight to Dharamsala.  The 1.5 hour flight north on a prop plane (see photo) was very bumpy and I must admit that I felt a little nauseous by the time we landed.  Nevertheless, all of our bags arrived safely with all of the passengers.

We (Richard Sterling, Paul Doherty, Modesto Tamez, and I -- the workshop instructors) were met at the airport by the director of the Tibetan Language Library who had two cars waiting to take us to the small village of Bir.  Driving on the roads here is quite an experience; dodging cars, overloaded trucks, cows, cars, stray dogs and the occasional goat over roads that are sometimes unpaved did not help with the way I felt when I got off the plane.  I'll try to post a video shows a small clip of the two hour drive.  Don’t adjust your computer – I tried to hold the camera as steady as possible!

We arrived in Bir, a small village of about 1,000 people at 4 pm.  A brief thunderstorm cleared the air a bit and cooled off the temperatures.  The workshop is taking place at the Deer Park Institute which has an old Tibetan Buddhist monastery on its grounds.  The Deer Park Institute holds classes and workshops throughout the year on a variety of topics.  The rooms for guests are quite basic:  a desk, bed, bathroom.  Everything, and I mean everything (use your imagination), is recycled at the Deer Park Institute.   

The village of Bir is nestled up against the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains.  From my room (see photo), I Iook out my door and can see a Buddhist temple framed by snowcapped hills that  lead to the highest mountain range on Earth.

Everyone took a few minutes getting settled and then Bryce Johnson, the director of the Science for Monks program, took us for a walk around the compound.  Dinner was served promptly at 6 pm and consisted of noodles, soup and cooked vegetables.  I felt much better by dinner time and was able to eat a bit.  The rest of the evening was spent preparing for teaching.  I took one of my melatonin pills (1 g) and fell asleep quickly at about 10 pm.  However, I woke up at 3:30 am and was not able to go back to sleep.