Abstract

India is known for its diversity of languages, cultures, ethnicities, religions and environment. However, the revisions to the current science curriculum and pedagogy in the National Curriculum Framework 2005 does not heed to the unique perspectives and value that this diversity brings to the vibrancy of its science classrooms and still imposes a monolithic curriculum in most schools. When I started my research into Tibetan Buddhist monastics’ experiences of learning Western science, the literature was devoid of any lessons to draw from India or its neighbouring countries, despite the existence of various religions, cultures, languages and indigenous groups in the sub-continent where negotiation between traditional ways of knowing and Western science has been ongoing. Hence, in my research, I used the science education literature involving indigenous people and communities around the globe. These include indigenous people from the Americas, South Africa and Pacific Islands, where research has been undertaken about the experiences and challenges of learners in negotiating and integrating their traditional worldview with the worldview implicit in Western science education. In this chapter, I will share the experiences of monastics negotiating the intersection of Western science and Buddhist theology from an educational perspective and provide a brief history of programs that were set up to formalise Western science teaching in the Tibetan Buddhist monastic academic institutions of India.