Humble before the Void: A Western Astronomer, his Journey East, and a Remarkable Encounter Between Western Science and Tibetan Buddhism by Chris Impey (PDF)

Description

“This book will provide readers with a greater awareness of the spirit of curiosity and inquiry that lies at the heart of the Buddhist tradition, as well as the fruitfulness of maintaining active communication between the Buddhist and scientific commu­nities.” ―from the Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai LamaIn Humble before the Void, Impey, a noted astronomer, educator, and author gives us a thor­oughly absorbing and engaging account of his journey to Northern India to teach in the first-ever “Science for Monks” leadership program. The pro­gram was initiated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to introduce science into the Tibetan Buddhist monastic tradition. In a vivid and compelling narrative, Impey intro­duces us to a group of exiled Tibetan monks whose charm, tenacity and unbridled enthusiasm for learning is infectious. Impey marvels not only at their enthusiasm, but at their tireless diligence that allows the monks to painstakingly build intri­cate sand mandalas―that can be swept away in an instant. He observes them as they meticulously count galaxies and notes how their enthusiasm and diligence stands in contrast to many American students who are frequently turned off by sci­ence’s inability to deliver easy, immediate payoffs. Because the Buddhist monks have had a limited science education, Impey must devise creative pedagogy. His new students immediately take to his inspired teaching methods, whether it’s the use of balloons to demonstrate the Hubble expansion or donning an Einstein mask to explain the theory of relativity.Humble before the Void also recounts Impey’s experiences outside the classroom, from the monks’ eagerness to engage in pick-up basket­ball games and stream episodes of hip American sitcoms to the effects on his relationship with the teenage son who makes the trip with him. Moments of profound serenity and beauty in the Himalayas are contrasted with the sorrow of learning that other monks have set themselves on fire to protest the Chinese oppression in Tibet. At the end of the three week program, both the monks and Impey have gained a valuable edu­cation. While the monks have a greater under­standing and appreciation of science, Impey has acquired greater self- knowledge and a deeper understanding of the nature of learning and teaching in the East and West. This understand­ing leads to a renewed enthusiasm for making his topic come alive for others.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Chris Impey is a university distinguished professor and deputy head of the department at the University of Arizona, in charge of academic programs, where he runs the nation’s largest undergraduate majors program in astronomy and the second largest PhD program. His research is on observational cosmology, gravitational lensing, and the evolution and structure of galaxies. Impey has over one-hundred seventy refereed publications, has written over forty popular articles on cosmology and astrobiology, and authored two introduc­tory textbooks and four popular science books: The Living Cosmos, How It Ends, How It Began, and Dreams of Other Worlds. Impey has served as the vice president of the American Astronomical Society, and has also been an NSF distinguished teaching scholar, a Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholar, and the Carnegie Council on Teaching’s Arizona Professor of the Year. He was co-chair of the Education and Public Outreach Study Group for the Astronomy Decadal Survey of the National Academy of Sciences, and was elected a fellow of the Ameri­can Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐While I applaud Mr. Impey’s enthusiasm and creative teaching methods, I was hoping for more about the culture and lives of the monks. Instead most of it seems to be about astronomical concepts and the methods he used to convey them in the classroom. I’m a teacher, writer and an astronomy buff–but I already knew most of the material the author explains in such detail. For me the book was a bit tedious.Moreover Mr. Impey relied on a translator to explain some fairly sophisticated concepts (relativity, quantum mechanics, the expansion of the universe). It’s quite difficult to explain these subtle ideas to educated English-speaking westerners, and I can’t help but wonder how much these monks really understood about these and other topics. I suspect not much. It was a worthy effort on his part, but something was lacking for me in this book. I guess I wanted to know more about the individual monks, their spiritual practices, and the Tibetan community as a whole. He has some material about this, but not nearly enough.By the way, one quarter of the book (kindle version) consists of the index. Take that into account when estimating the page count.

⭐The book appears at a time when the Dalai Lama is attempting to introduce modernity to a people and a religion that have been almost hermetically sealed for centuries. In this context, potential buyers might have the expectation that this is a book illuminates the interaction of a modern science and an ancient religion. This assumption is enhanced by the subtitle of the book, “. . . A Remarkable Encounter Between Western Science and Tibetan Buddhism.” On one level it is, but this book is primarily an introduction to astronomy and cosmology, and in that the author succeeds wonderfully. His terrific teaching tools throws light on some of the more obscure aspects of the field. Weaving the reactions of the monks throughout, makes the lectures more interesting but doesn’t move us much closer to understanding the deepest complexities of the “remarkable encounter.”

⭐A lovely and well written story. I learned a lot as well. I curled up with this and read it cover to cover, a great break from the snow and ice of northern NH in February.

⭐This is an especially good book for individuals with a career in teaching and education. It describes very well the teaching methods and experiences of the author as he traveled to India’s border with Tibet and taught a three week class to buddhist monks. The author describes his day to day experiences, his interactions with his students, and observations of life around him during his trip. This book also contains complex cosmologic concepts that are explained in an way the average individual can understand. I bought the kindle version because I wanted to learn more about Buddhism, and I did. But the book contains much more information about astronomy, science, physics, the nature of time.

⭐This book is well written, and provides simple, elegant means to understand complex scientific principles. I only gave it four stars because I wanted more insight into the cultural differences between the author and the monks. (I only read half way through, so maybe the rest of the book did this to a greater extent.)

⭐A good read but if you are looking for a book that deals with astronomy as its major focus then you may want to look at other books. I’ve had a class with Dr. Impey and he is both s fantastic teacher and researcher.

⭐The basic sicience was interesting. My most valuable take away was the writer’s struggle with the cultural diferences, and the insights he developers . I plan on rereading this book.

⭐This book pretty much delivers everything one would expect from its title and synopsis. The sheer enthusiasm Impey has for his subject is only matched by the monk’s uninhibited desire to learn everything they can. The situation exacts every kind of on-the-spot inventiveness by Chris Impey to convey his subject ‘The Cosmos’ to the cloistered lives of the monks. They in turn by their presence (both of body and mind) open Impey to a world beyond the simple materialism he works in. It’s a wonderful book, to read slowly and enjoy – as well as learn from.

⭐Fast delivery. A good read.

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