Vital Sings: Science and Spirituality

Premieres: May 11, 2020.

00:27 SANJAY – VO

THE COLORS…THE ARCHITECTURE…IT’S LIKE SOMETHING FROM A POSTCARD.

THIS IS DREPUNG LOBSANG MONASTERY, IT’S A PART OF A TIBETAN COLONY IN MUNDGOD, INDIA.

00:40 SANJAY – ON CAM

We’re in a remote part of southern India where this really unique partnership is starting to take shape. It’s a partnership between scientists and Tibetan Buddhist monks. This is Vital Signs – I’m Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Call it a convergence between science and spirituality, forming insights into mindfulness, into meditation, even into happiness, and the impact that all of that can have on our physical health. And the champion of this cause is none other than the Dalai Lama himself.

01:17 SANJAY – VO

SOME 13-THOUSAND TIBETANS AND MONKS IN EXILE LIVE HERE…AND THIS PARTICULAR MONASTERY IS NOW CELEBRATING ITS 600th ANNIVERSARY. THERE’S ALSO THIS AIR OF ANTICIPATION… AS A VERY SPECIAL GUEST IS SET TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE.

01:36 SANJAY – VO

THE DALAI LAMA HAS BEEN THE SPIRITUAL AND POLITICAL LEADER OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE. THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE-WINNER IS HERE FOR A MEETING OF THE MINDS, BETWEEN SCIENTISTS, AND BUDDHIST MONKS. IT’S CALLED THE EMORY-TIBET PARTNERSHIP — AND IT STARTED AT EMORY UNIVERSITY IN ATLANTA NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO.

      

01:56 SANJAY – VO

RIGHT FROM THE START, THE DALAI LAMA PUTS EVERYONE AT EASE WITH HIS CLASSIC SMILE, SOME CANDY — AND A WHITE WASHCLOTH ON HIS HEAD, TO COOL HIM DOWN. AND THEN, WE HAD THE HONOR OF SITTING DOWN WITH HIM OURSELVES, ONE-ON-ONE.

02:13 SANJAY – ON CAM

So you taught me yesterday to have a genuine smile. You said you should smile genuinely, right?

02:20 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Right right, we are social animal..

02:25 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

..we need friend in order to develop genuine friendship, trust, very important for trust if you show them genuine sort of respect genuine love then trust come, so here I think that the expression of genuine warm feeling, smile, I think part of that, that is genuine smile…

03:01 SANJAY – VO

THE DALAI LAMA SMILES, AND LAUGHS — A LOT. AND THERE’S SOMETHING TO THAT. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT LAUGHING DOESN’T JUST SIGNAL HAPPINESS, IT PRODUCES IT — AND IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS HOLINESS, YOU CAN’T HELP YOURSELF.

03:14 SANJAY – ON CAM

When you smile I notice everyone around you smiles. It’s very contagious as well. What keeps you happy? With so much that’s going on in the world, how do you maintain your happiness and your optimism?

03:28 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Mainly, your own mental attitude, honest, truthful and then try to be some service to other. some scientists also say basic human nature is compassionate. Then also you see the medical scientists and they also say constant anger is very bad for our health. I try to keep compassion and then surrounded by compassionate people health much better.

04:06 SANJAY – VO

THE DALAI LAMA STRONGLY BELIEVES WE CAN PRACTICE COMPASSION THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING. AND STUDIES SHOW — COMPASSION BENEFITS OUR HEALTH…BY ALTERING THE BRAIN NETWORKS ASSOCIATED WITH EMOTION, ATTENTION, AND EMPATHY.

04:19 SANJAY – VO

COMPASSION MEDITATORS SHOW LESS ANGER, AND FOCUS MORE ON PROBLEM-SOLVING. BUDDHIST MONKS DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO PRACTICING COMPASSION, AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION…AN ANCIENT CONCEPT FOCUSING ON PRESENCE OF MIND — PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT MOMENT, FREE OF JUDGMENT.

04:37 (NAT-SOT OF DALAI LAMA SPEAKING IN OTHER LANGUAGE TO MONKS)

04:41 SANJAY – VO

WHILE THE BUDDHISTS ARE EXPERTS ON MINDFULNESS MEDITATION…ITS THE SCIENCE THAT THE DALAI LAMA WANTS TO HONE IN ON. HES’ BEEN SPEAKING WITH MODERN SCIENTISTS FOR DECADES. AND AT THE CORE OF THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH EMORY, IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCIENCE CURRICULUM FOR MONKS TO STUDY. AND THAT MEANS CHANGING THE EXISTING MONASTIC CURRICULUM — THAT’S SOMETHING THAT HASN’T BEEN DONE, IN MORE THAN 500 YEARS.

05:07 SANJAY – VO

PROFESSOR ARRI EISEN IS HELPING DEVELOP THE BIOLOGY CURRICULUM.

05:11 ARRI – ON CAM

How ironic is it..

05:12 ARRI – ON CAM

..that the Dalai Lama is more open to science than many scientists are more open to spirituality or religion. Because science is supposed to be a great open-minded test everything or test anything place, right.

05:28 ARRI – ON CAM

I think we can learn from the Dalai Lama. I think we can learn from the monks, how do you hold science and medicine together, the best of science and medicine together with the best of religion, which are the things that Dalai Lama talks about – compassion, love, the things that all religions preach, how can you bring those together in an effective way?

05:48 SANJAY – VO

HIS COLLEAGUE, PROFESSOR CAROL WORTHMAN IS DEVELOPING THE CURRICULUM FOR NEUROSCIENCE…

05:44 SANJAY – ON CAM

It’s been really interesting because I think in some ways, you know, we are trained with the scientific method, we have this idea of how we look at things and try and prove it, and yet when I was speaking to His Holiness, he said look there’s the experiments and then there’s the experience.

06:11 CAROL – ON CAM

Yeah

06:12 SANJAY – ON CAM

We don’t place a lot of weight on just experience unless we can experiment with it and prove it. Should we be?

06:19 CAROL – ON CAM

Well, I’m an anthropologist so I voted early..

06:22 CAROL – ON CAM

..and often that way, right, I mean that’s why I didn’t go into medicine or hard science which is where I trained. But the idea was that, woah woah wait a minute, this is great stuff, but how is this in the wild? How is this in the real world?

06:38 SANJAY – VO

A BIG PART OF ALL OF THIS MEANS A COMPLETELY NEW LANGUAGE. MUCH OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORDS SIMPLY DON’T EXISTS IN TIBETAN…SO TRANSLATORS ARE WORKING TO UPDATE THE VOCABULARY. AND IT GOES BOTH WAYS — THERE ARE TIBETAN WORDS THAT GET LOST IN TRANSLATION…

06:53 SANJAY – VO

FOR EXAMPLE, THE WORD “MIND” IN ENGLISH DOES NOT HAVE AN EXACT EQUIVALENT IN TIBETAN. THERE ARE MULTIPLE WORDS TO CAPTURE THE NUANCES OF MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS, AND IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT.

IN SOME WAYS, MAYBE THAT’S NOT SURPRISING…ENGLISH-SPEAKING WESTERN COUNTRIES TYPICALLY PLACE LESS EMPHASIS ON THE SCIENCE OF OUR EMOTIONS — LIKE COMPASSION. AND THAT’S WHAT BUDDHISM — IS TEACHING SCIENCE.

07:20 SANJAY – ON CAM

What can science learn from Buddhism?

07:23 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

For the last 30 years I also experience all my observation many scholar when they heard the explanation quite detailed about system of our emotion and also method to tackle this emotion many scientists really show me interest. So, obviously, therefore, this is they can take some new outlook about all inner world

07:58 SANJAY – VO

THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION IS NOT ONLY HAPPENING HERE IN INDIA. BUT ALSO HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD, AT EMORY UNIVERSITY.

08:05 Male teacher – NAT-SOT

I try my best just to say bacteria in solution

08:09 SANJAY – VO

AND…THE DALAI LAMA EXTENDS AN INCREDIBLY SPECIAL INVITATION…

WE GET TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING RARELY EVER SEEN ON CAMERA…

08:25 SANJAY – VO

BIOLOGY CLASS — AT EMORY UNIVERSITY…

08:28 Male teacher IN CLASS

I try my best just to say bacteria in solution.

08:31 SANJAY- VO

AT FIRST, NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY…UNTIL YOU REALIZE THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL GROUP OF STUDENTS TO BE SITTING IN A SCIENCE LAB. SIX BUDDHIST MONKS, PART OF THE EMORY-TIBET SCIENCE INITIATIVE, HAVE BEEN STUDYING HERE IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FOR A YEAR AND A HALF. THEY’VE TAKEN CLASSES IN ASTRONOMY, PHYSICS, NEUROSCIENCE, AND THIS ONE — BIOLOGY. IT’S TOPDEN’S FAVORITE SUBJECT SO FAR.

09.00 TOPDEN – ON CAM

From my experience, that it’s very helpful for our Buddhist tradition also.

09:06 SANJAY – VO

FOR 34-YEAR-OLD THINLEY, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT TAKING CLASSES AT EMORY HAS BEEN HIS INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER STUDENTS.

09:12 NAT-SOT

So these are hundred microlitres ethanol.

09:14 THINLEY – ON CAM

I have experience at university with my friend, when they feel low and and they feel stressed,

09:21 if they engage in the meditation, like the Breath  meditation, it helps a lot to divert our mind you know toward positive things and it helps to neutralize our mental state.

09:37 SANJAY – VO

THINLEY PLANS TO RETURN TO HIS MONASTERY IN SOUTHERN INDIA AFTER HIS STUDIES ARE COMPLETE, AND HE WANTS TO TEACH SCIENCE TO THE MONKS THERE. HE SEES BUDDHISM AND SCIENCE AS NATURAL PARTNERS — AND TOPDEN AGREES.

09:51 TOPDEN – ON CAM

I’m thinking that if these two traditional like to cooperate together then..

..it will be lead to compassionate and peaceful world.

10:04 SANJAY – VO

YOU CAN SEE THE ENTHUSIASM FROM THE MONKS. BACK AT THE MONASTERY IN MUNDGOD, INDIA — A SCIENCE FAIR OF SORTS GIVES STUDENTS A CHANCE TO SHOW OFF WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED.

10:16 SANJAY – ON CAM

Those are supposed to be neurochemicals that are actually going down this axon,

and this is what it’s all about really, this collision of neuroscience and Buddhism. I guarantee you’ve never seen anything quite like this before, this room is filled with monks who are learning about the brain, how it works, the various senses, the anatomy of it, and then they’re gonna take all of this knowledge they’ve gained back to their own monasteries, to teach other people. That’s how they’re gonna put science out there in the world of Buddhism.

10:46  ARRI – ON CAM

As one of the monks put it when I was talking to him

he wants, he studies science so he can understand his Buddhism better. How many Westerners would say something like that? We’re hoping to get to the point where a Westerner would say, I’m studying Buddhism so I can understand my science and medicine better. You can see that in the monks, and I’m hoping one day, and its beginning, that you’ll start to see that in the scientists.

11:08 SANJAY – VO

THERE’S MORE WE CAN LEARN FROM TRADITIONAL BUDDHIST PRACTICES AS WELL…INCLUDING, THE WAY WE LEARN. BUDDHIST MONKS SPEND THEIR DAYS STUDYING AND MEMORIZING TEXT…BUT INSTEAD OF WRITTEN EXAMS, THEY ENGAGE WITH WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED, BY PARTICIPATING IN DEBATES, LIKE THIS ONE.

11:26 (NAT-SOT IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE DURING A DEBATE)

11:32 SANJAY – VO

IT’S LOUD AND DYNAMIC — WITH THE CLAPS ACCENTUATING EVERY POINT. BUT THIS ISN’T A DEBATE IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, WITH A WINNER AND LOSER — IT’S ALL ABOUT LEARNING.

11:44 SANJAY – ON CAM

One of the most fascinating parts of what happens here are these debates. They’re debates right? People are literally challenging each other, sometimes strongly held belief systems.

11:54 (NAT-SOT OF MONKS DURING A DEBATE)

11:56 SANJAY – ON CAM

Are the debates useful? Are they helpful? Do they lead to something greater?

12:00 CAROL

We have looked at this a lot. I think that speaking past difference and engaging with difference is the great issue of our day. In western debate, it’s just the way

you say in the sense that you have one point, you have another point, and the whole point is to win. So that’s how we saw it at the beginning, that it’s the challenger and the defendant.

12:26 (NAT-SOT IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE OF THE DEBATE)

12:30 CAROL – ON CAM

but no – it’s a mutual learning process, that goal of debate is to remove your ignorance. To remove your confusion.

12:45 SANJAY – ON CAM

People who may be watching and hearing about this sort of partnership for the first time and wondering you know how does this benefit me or how do I incorporate some of this into my own life, ultimately, I’m wondering what you would tell them, and maybe also how you’ve incorporated some of this into your own life?

13:01 CAROL – ON CAM

This is a community in exile. But they’re not victims, they are engaging with the challenges that are confronting them and reaching out to others to play with them, right. And we all have reasons to feel disempowered or disengaged, so how to take joy in that project, how to be proactive and agentive and constructive, I think it’s a fantastic model.

13:32 SANJAY – VO

THE DALAI LAMA HAS BEEN LIVING IN EXILE FROM TIBET SINCE 1959…THAT’S AFTER THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TOOK CONTROL OF THE REGION. HE HASN’T BEEN HOME FOR NEARLY SIX DECADES — AND YET HE’S REVERED BY THE TIBETAN PEOPLE, AS WELL AS BUDDHISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

13:47 SANJAY – ON CAM

Do you feel a lot of pressure being the Dalai Lama. Do you, is it a sense of obligation?

13:56 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

pressure I think must depend on your own mental attitude. So if you feel some kind of sort of frustration or something..

..reluctance then pressure, it seems like pressure, but if you witness whatever way make some contribution some service, then no reason to feel pressure. No problem, provided evening late afternoon my body become like half dead so I need sufficient sleep usually 9 hours sleep.

14:41 SANJAY – ON CAM

You get nine hours? Yeah

14:43 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Uh-huh. Then morning, three o’clock wake up and do some meditation, I do my meditation period, meditation each day, five hours. So these meditations not just chanting or something, but analytical meditation, thinking, thinking, analyze, analyze, so this I think that kind of meditation analytical meditation also I think very very helpful to maintain sharpness of our mind.

15:21 SANJAY – VO

ANALYTICAL MEDITATION IS JUST ONE KIND. SO WHAT’S THE DALAI LAMA’S SECRET TO MEDITATION?

HE’S GOING TO SHARE IT WITH US — THAT’S NEXT.

15:37 SANJAY – ON CAM

We’re about to do something very special and very rare. His Holiness of Dalai Lama has invited us to come

..and meditate with him, to better understand how he meditates, how he becomes mindful, and what we can all possibly learn from that. Let’s go.

15:57 SANJAY – VO

AS HE DOES EVERY DAY, THE DALAI LAMA HAS BEEN UP SINCE 2:40 THIS MORNING, MEDITATING. AND HE HAS INVITED US TO JOIN HIM, IN PRIVATE — AN INCREDIBLY RARE HONOR. TRY IT WITH US — CONCENTRATE ON YOUR BREATHING, ONE OF THE SIMPLEST MEDITATION PRACTICES…BUT ALSO ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE, AT FOCUSING YOUR MIND ON THE PRESENT.

16:19 SANJAY – ON CAM

People often think you have to clear your mind when you’re being mindful or you’re meditating, but you say you should think about something.

16:27 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Yes, like…altruism, (implited altruism?) My body, speech, mind, dedicated to helping others.

16:42 SANJAY – VO

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT MINDFULNESS MEDITATION CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH IN MANY WAYS…

INCLUDING PAIN REDUCTION, LOWERING STRESS AND ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AS WELL AS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. SOME SCHOOLS HAVE EVEN STARTED IMPLEMENTING MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IN THE CLASSROOM.

AND EVEN SOME POLICE FORCES ARE USING IT IN TRAINING.

17:03 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Optimism, that also helps our body.

Mentally, you lost hope and then (gibberish) like that I think I think there’s a very close connection mental state, and physical element yes.

17:28 SANJAY – ON CAM

You say when you have inner peace, you look young, I mean you have no wrinkles on your face, your face does look young. You think that comes from inner peace?

17:37 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

I think so. I think so. This is how my friends ask me, oh you not like looks not like you see 81 year old, but rather late 60 or like that. And then some people ask me, what’s your secret? And I typically respond, that’s my secret, I don’t share with other people. Then I explain, there’s nothing.

18:12 SANJAY – VO

AT 81, THE DALAI LAMA’S MIND IS SHARP. HE MIGHT SAY THERE’S NO SECRET — BUT HIS CONSISTENT MEDITATION PRACTICE IS A LIKELY CONTRIBUTOR. BECAUSE HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU CONCENTRATE ON MINDFULNESS. GRAY MATTER DENSITY IS INCREASED…IN REGIONS OF THE BRAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENTION AND SENSORY PROCESSING. ESSENTIALLY, MEDITATION CAN HELP OFFSET ASPECTS OF AGING IN THE BRAIN.

NOW, IF YOU THINK MEDITATING CAN BE DIFFICULT, YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY.

18:40  SANJAY – ON CAM

People who try to be mindful, who try to meditate but say that they have difficulty doing it.

18:48 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Yes, no question difficulties.

18:49 SANJAY – ON CAM

What would you tell them?

18:51 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Me too!!

18:51 SANJAY – ON CAM

You too

18:52 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

Not easy. You should remember now, 81 year old person, you see, last 50-60 years, daily basis effort, effort, then some experience comes.

19:09 SANJAY – VO

THE KEY — IS PATIENCE — A LESSON EVEN THE DALAI LAMA HAD TO LEARN.

19:14 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

When I was young, you see, I had a small plant or flower, flowers so sometimes I put small seed used to put in soil. Then due to impatience, you see about a week, opened the soil, hmm, and then gradually small things, you see, grow. Then I usually to grow faster. So it take time. So similarly, you see change or emotion of tolerant or inner experience, it take time.

20:01 SANJAY – VO

THE LESSONS — AND THE IMPACT THAT THE DALAI LAMA HAS ON PEOPLE — IS CLEAR. WE DON’T HAVE TO GO VERY FAR TO SEE IT FOR OURSELVES.

20:11 SANJAY – VO

AFTER MEDITATING, IT’S TIME FOR THE LAST SESSION OF THE SYMPOSIUM, AT THE MONASTERY DOWN THE ROAD.

THE DALAI LAMA HAS BEEN TRYING TO WALK MORE — HE HAS A BAD KNEE — SO WE’RE GOING ON FOOT.

THE ROAD IS LINED WITH TIBETANS, YOUNG AND OLD, SICK AND HEALTHY…DESPERATE TO BE IN HIS PRESENCE.

20:34 SANJAY – ON CAM

It’s so profoundly emotional to see how people react to His Holiness, the people who are sick, people who are hoping just to get a glimpse of him.

20:47 SANJAY – ON CAM

What do you want people to know about the Dalai Lama that they don’t know. Because they see the formal Dalai Lama they read your books they hear your lectures, but what do you want people to know about you that they don’t know?

21:01 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

I usually just have a simple Buddhist monk. So I always consider I’m just a human being. I always tell I’m one of 7 billion human being we all 7 billion human being mentally, emotionally, physically, same. We all have certain desire to have happy life. We all have the right, so then we are social animal so individuals happiness depend on rest of the society just finally rest of the humanity.

21:41 DALAI LAMA – ON CAM

A lot of problem which we are facing today is we too much emphasis individual, sort of individuals, or individual nation or individual society or individual religious belief. So world 7 billion human being consider as big one human family, then these different sort of minor differences on secondary level is it that not important. Let me face lot of manmade problem due to secondary level of differences then only answer to reduce this we must go deeper we are same human being.

THE END