A Buddhist-Informed Institution of Higher Education in Australia
Auspicious greetings! I am Juewei, an academic staff in Australia’s Nan Tien Institute (or NTI for short).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
In the spirit of reconciliation, please allow me to begin with an acknowledgement of country. I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land I walk, study, and reside on, the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present and extend those respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of today. We, at NTI, are honoured by their generosity, care, and knowledge.
INTRODUCTION
NTI is Australia’s first and only institution of higher education informed by Buddhist wisdom and values. The characters “Nan Tien” are the transliteration of two Chinese characters 南天 that mean “paradise of the South.”
NTI sits on the other side of a footbridge from the Nan Tien Temple near Wollongong, south of Sydney. The footbridge passes over an expressway and is built by the Temple to offer safe passage to students and visitors. The footbridge has other symbolic significance too: it links the east (represented by the Temple) with the west (represented by NTI); it also connects the temple’s spiritual practice with the institute’s academic study. The vision which created NTI's foundation originated in the wisdom of the Spiritual Leader of the Fo Guang Shan international Humanistic Buddhist movement, Venerable Master Hsing Yun. It has been his lifelong wish to bring the insight and depth of Buddhist values and care into contemporary education.
A SYMBOLIC BUILDING
NTI's building itself reflects these values, providing inspiration for students the moment they enter. The building is designed by an award-winning Australian architect as a Learning Lotus. Buddhists often use the lotus to symbolise the purifying process as one rises above the muddy waters of worldly attachment. The NTI building is built atop a landfill, very much like a symbolic lotus growing out of mud, and hence, our association with it being a “learning lotus.”
Different sections of the building are connected by stylistically designed bridges, signifying the interconnectedness of all parts into a whole. The building uses large glass windows to let in as much light as possible throughout the day and, as the sun travels, the changing lighting effect reminds its inhabitants of the truth of impermanence. Buddhist practices are also built into the interior design. Students and staff can use the meditation hall and large learning spaces for quiet reflection, as encouraged by our contemplative pedagogy.
THE AUSTRALIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR
Now, allow me to provide the context in which NTI is founded. NTI is a government-accredited institution of higher education offering postgraduate level courses. We are one of about 170 higher education providers in Australia.
THE NTI DIFFERENCE
NTI is purposively woven into the wider Australian educational system but offering something not offered elsewhere. That is the contribution of the deeper values of our humanity to complement the quality secular programs in existence. NTI’s Buddhist-inspired curricula are designed to better equip tertiary education graduates to understand the conditions of the world they are in and to care for people they may encounter, but particularly in vocations which focus on human support and sensitive management. In this way, NTI provides unique added value to all other tertiary education in Australia.
[1] For more information about how reality is essentially unreal while appearing real, see Cheng, C 2001, “’Unity of three truths’ and three forms of creativity: Lotus Sutra and process philosophy”, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, vol. 28, pp. 449-456.
We are a secular institute that educates postgraduate students in a context informed by Buddhist wisdom and values through academic study. Let’s examine the meaning of “Buddhist wisdom.” A Buddhist term prajñā comes to mind. Prajñā is not ordinary wisdom but wisdom into the nature of reality gained through intuitive insight. With prajña, one can see more clearly in any given situation and, hence, can more skilfully negotiate the situation with compassion and care. Understanding emptiness or non-substantive “essence” also allows for creative possibilities to emerge. [1]
SKILFUL CURRICULUM
Let’s look at one skilful use of prajñā.
In her critique of neoliberalism in Australian universities, former President of the National Tertiary Education Union Jeannie Rea points to the commodification of higher education learning and research (Rea 2016). In the book, Transforming Universities in the Midst of Global Crisis, it is observed that western-centric values dominate the curricula of Australian universities and that alternative ways of knowing, being, and relating are often subsumed (Hil, Lyons, and Thompsett 2021, ‘Neoliberal enclosure and its origins’).
NTI was set up as a non-profit institute of higher education. In establishing NTI, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, who has founded three other universities prior, focused on the need for the facilitation of cultural understanding and appreciation between east and west. Students will have an opportunity to learn both sets of wisdom, neither one dominating over the other.
This can be seen in the courses we teach. Instead of a Buddhist seminary, NTI was set up in 2011 to be secular based on humanistic needs, such as Health. Our leadership team has realised the need for alternative healthcare education. In the Health and Social Wellbeing as well as Mental Health courses, students learn about how Buddhism can be applied in their fields from subjects such as Buddhism and Psychotherapy or Ethics, Mental health and Buddhism just to name a couple.
In the Applied Buddhist Studies and Humanistic Buddhism courses, students also learn about the interaction of Buddhists east and west in subjects such as Buddhism and Modern Society and Principles of Professional Engagement. Taking the best from the worlds constructed as east and west, laity and monastic, Buddhists and non-Buddhists, our overseas and domestic students often discuss and exchange practices and worldviews inside and outside the classroom.
SKILFUL PEDAGOGY
Like all other educational institutions of higher education around the world, NTI experienced the severe restrictions that Covid-19 placed on face-to-face learning since 2020. NTI adjusted creatively and rapidly, turning a problem into an opportunity which strengthened its outreach internationally as well. Although our students missed the conducive study environment, we as teaching staff did our best to embed the Buddhist principles and practices into our fully digital classrooms.
[2] For a discussion on prajñā and upāya, try von Brūck, M 2015, “Wisdom and responsibility: towards a relationship of knowing and acting in Mahāyāna-Buddhism”, Journal of Philosophical Research, vol. 40, issue supplement, pp. 213-220.
As an accredited institution of higher education, NTI’s curricula and operations abide by and are evaluated by Australia’s quality standards. But we do not stop there. The purpose of setting up NTI is to offer alternative ways of knowing, being, and relating. Hence, Buddhist-inspired contemplative pedagogy and compassionate pedagogy are now embedded into our online spaces, in addition to the critical inquiry, research, and academic study skills typical of any postgraduate education in Australia. We have a Buddhist term for skilful means guided by the Buddhist wisdom of prajñā; it is called upāya.[2]
Let me now briefly illustrate the upāya of contemplative and compassionate pedagogies in NTI.
In our Applied Buddhist Studies classes, we encourage critical inquiry and sensitivity to world issues based on ancient Buddhist wisdom. Such inquiry is undertaken together with journeys of introspection to help students contemplate ways to improve the society in which they belong. Since 2017, NTI has designed a Buddhist-informed Contemplative Pedagogy model for learning in digital spaces which teachers then adapt to their classroom experiences.
Let me share what I do in my Buddhist Ethics classes as an illustration of how I adapted Contemplative Pedagogy to improve the learning experience on Zoom. I start each intensive learning day with a Mindful Check-In meditation. Students are then invited to set their learning intention for the day and end each day with a journaling exercise. Throughout the day, we take reflective breaks to internalise the day’s learning. One exercise that students enjoy is consciously practising one of the five Buddhist precepts for a day and reflecting on that day’s experience in a Journal entry. For those who are not familiar, the five Buddhist
precepts form the basis of Buddhist Ethics; they are refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants. I am often impressed with how much students change their perception and understanding of the precepts after that one day of practice. The journal articles become more meaningful, and the textbook knowledge comes alive after that day of deliberate and contemplative practice.
NTI’s Compassionate Pedagogy invites teachers to create a safe space for students to critically reflect on their emotional responses to suffering guided by Buddhist principles learned in class. Compassionate Pedagogy is embraced in the Compassion at Work subject as well as the Humanistic Buddhism subjects. Talking circles and Friendship circles offer safe spaces for students to share difficulties encountered and allow others to give time, support, and the gift of listening in a spirit of unconditional generosity.
POWER OF GENEROSITY
Speaking of unconditional generosity, NTI is made possible by the power of generosity. Our Applied Buddhist Studies and Humanistic Buddhism students receive scholarships and our academic staff receive research grants. These are made possible by individuals who selflessly volunteer in fund-raising and other activities in the Nan Tien Temple and Hsing Yun Education Foundation conveniently located across the footbridge.
I am reminded of a Chinese proverb: “It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate people.” Based on a 2,500-year-old story whereby a Prime Minister invested in education for long-term benefits, this proverb reminds me that a country can only be prosperous if it values high quality people. Knowing that investment in higher education cannot be for short-term gains, the Buddhist temple and its devotees have pledged support for NTI to benefit the nation and the world.
BODHISATTVA VALUES
Some people see Buddhism as an escapist practice, and those who associate Buddhism with meditation only may construe Buddhism as a philosophy focusing only on personal liberation. However, Venerable Master Hsing Yun promotes Humanistic Buddhism in which people care deeply about the suffering of the world and with great compassion and wisdom. Such people model themselves after Buddhist bodhisattvas who genuinely commit themselves to the service of those in need. Bodhisattvas are selfless beings who seek enlightenment, not for selfish motives, but for the sake of all beings. They are committed to a lifelong service of care towards others.
The NTI values of compassion, wisdom, committed service, and practice are derived from the Buddhist bodhisattvas of Avalokiteśvara for great compassion, Mañjuśrī for great wisdom, Kṣitigarbha for great vow or committed service, and Samantabhadra for great practice. These values help individuals meet rather than turn away from suffering.
The Humanistic Buddhism course is created with the objective of understanding both the theory and practice of bodhisattvas in service sectors. In a recent study of students who completed Humanistic Buddhism subjects, some students found the self-compassion and
self-care modules so useful that they included them in their everyday lives. One student’s insight during the course led her to reframe compassion in a health education programme. She introduced to front line health workers the idea that compassion is not commiseration, but rather compassion is being present for all and is a joyous act.
Hence, we are pleased to find that the academic study of these humanistic values in a Buddhist context can also lead to students appreciating how they may be applied in real life.
POWER OF THE COMMUNITY
NTI’s engagement with students does not end in the classroom. All staff, students, alumni, and the community are invited to join a Communities of Practice in which mindfulness and Humanistic Buddhism are core to the practice. This is an entirely voluntary complement to the mainstream teaching program. It opens participants to the whole world in a form that allows deep sharing in a culture of trust. This is a fabulous practical experience for students and an inspiring experience for those from outside who can tune in to both share and listen to the contributions of NTI students who participate. The Community meets online every Sunday for a 30-minute check-in session to develop the habit of pausing and reflecting in community. All, whether they are associated with NTI or not, are welcome to join on any Sunday. Being present, deeply listening to one another, offering words of encouragement, and volunteering to operate the event each week are all bodhisattva practices that participants sincerely appreciate. The session is deliberately kept at half an hour so that it does not feel like a big commitment but rather more like a brief 'time-out' every week that weaves the values of NTI more deeply into daily life.
CONCLUSION
The Buddhist sūtras remind us that Pure Lands are not created overnight; in fact, their creation takes eons with the help of many like-minded people. At NTI, we have the privilege of working with a large community of people: our staff, students, and volunteers are Buddhists and non-Buddhists, lay and monastics, coming together in a multicultural environment. Guided by bodhisattva values of compassion, prajñā wisdom, committed service, and contemplative practice, we skilfully improve and innovate based on student and community feedback. We are firmly committed to the objective that everyone who passes through our doors will be able to participate more positively in the evolution of humanity to create a more sustainable future and a more compassionate society.
REFERENCES
Hil, Richard, Kristen Lyons, and Fern Thompsett. 2021. Transforming Universities in the Midst of Global Crisis. 1st ed. Taylor and Francis. https://www.perlego.com/book/3040980/transforming-universities-in-the-midst-of-global-crisis-pdf.
Rea, Jeannie. 2016. “Critiquing neoliberalism in Australian universities”. National Tertiary Education Union. https://www.nteu.org.au/tertiary_ed_providers/article/Critiquing-neoliberalism-in-Australian-universities-%28AUR-58-02%29-18947.
Venerable Dr Juewei holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, a Master of Arts in Buddhist studies, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. Juewei began her career as an applied R&D engineer in Artificial Intelligence systems in the 1980s, however made her millennial decision to join the Fo Guang Shan order when she realised that she could be of the best service to humanity through promoting humanistic values in an increasingly divided world. Juewei is now Director of Humanistic Buddhism Centre, Head of Program for Humanistic Buddhism, and Head of Program for Applied Buddhist Studies at Nan Tien Institute in Australia, where she teaches subjects supported by her research.
Juewei’s research interests include Humanistic Buddhism, Buddhist acculturation, and Buddhist issues in modern society, such as Buddhist Ethics. To increase the accessibility of Juewei’s research and development, she leads global teams to produce the Studies on Humanistic Buddhism journal, develops an NTI Visualiser of bibliographies, and conducts research on Buddhism in the Sea of Islands.
In addition, Juewei is actively engaged in the community through the Communities of Practice, Turning Points stories, Buddha’s Birthday Education Project, as well as mobile apps and podcasts.
