McLeod Ganj, India

The highlight of my final night in McLeod was undoubtedly the public debate-training of junior monks at the Dalai Lama Temple. The ferocity with which they approach both religious and secular ethics and the tenacity of their mannerisms underscores the importance that logic and reason play in shaping Buddhist philosophy. It's methodology of attaining mental stability cannot be explained as anything but scientific and it continues to permeate western cognitive therapy. It's incredible to me that some of the most oppressed people in the world, the Tibetans, can fervently stay even-minded in the face of their conditions. Their belief system advocates understanding over condemnation, patience over jumping to unfounded conclusions, and compassion over division. I hope someday that history and philosophy classes will no longer focus merely on the musings of Plato and Descartes, but evolve to be a true history of the world and present the logical validity of its other hemisphere... The shrinking of judeo-christian faiths and the growth of the self-help-and-compassion-oriented Mahayana Buddhism is no surprise, and although I doubt I will ever formally declare myself a Buddhist, the value it holds will only strengthen with scientific and neuropsychological progress.Read more