By Ward ‘SN’ Mailliard, MMS faculty
On March 22, thirteen Mount Madonna School (MMS) seniors will depart on an adventure that will take them half way around the world to New Delhi, India. For the students it will be a significant journey to another culture, where they will experience a society that is far older and quite different from what they are used to: different in language, history, food, religion and social customs. At the same time, it will also be a unique inner journey for each student to discover something about themselves as they engage in the many distinctive experiences and people they will meet on the journey. The students have chosen the name Bodhicitta Project for this journey, meaning “awakening the mind for the good of all beings.”
This extraordinary trip is part of MMS’ two-year Values in World Thought program, an innovative high school social studies curriculum developed by faculty member and trip leader Ward Mailliard.
The students will see some of the major attractions of India, such as the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Golden Temple in Amritsar. However, they will also go beyond the usual tourist experience. Soon after arrival, they will visit the Pardada Padadi Girls Vocational School, in a remote rural area south of Delhi, where 1,200 village girls are being given an education and the opportunity to learn job skills. Most are the first females in their families to be allowed to attend school. The students will also spend three days at Sri Ram Ashram, a home for abandoned children near Haridwar, in the state of Uttarakhand. There the students will discover a new and different definition of a loving family and home. They will also visit a local Gujar village, where the once-nomadic tribe now live in ecologically-sound mud and thatched homes and tend cattle as their main income. They will also attend a beautiful service on the Ganges River where thousands of the faithful gather every evening amidst the ringing of bells and waving of lamps.
The next stage of the journey is the one the students have been diligently preparing for all year. From Amritsar they will make the climb by jeep into the Himalayan foothills to Dharamsala, which is home to a significant part of the Tibetan community in exile. On April 3, these young Americans will meet with the Dalai Lama to present an ethics and human values curriculum they have been developing based on his book, Ethics for the New Millennium . The students, with support from faculty and friends, have been conscientiously creating a curriculum designed to encourage a dialogue with other students around the globe on human values and ethics. The Mount Madonna students have started two web sites (see below) and are preparing an e-book that will be distributed for free on the internet. Their intention is to explore with other young people across the globe that which brings lasting happiness and meaning to a human life. During their interview with the Dalai Lama, the students will present their work to him and have the opportunity to discuss the ideas that they have taken directly from his book.
While the outcomes of the journey are uncertain, there are a number of clear intentions behind both the preparation and process of the actual journey. First, as Americans we can be a bit isolated from the rest of the world by our two oceans and our relative economic prosperity. Without experiencing other cultures we cannot truly understand our responsibilities as citizens of the world, or understand the impact of on the rest of the world. Secondly, coming together in a positive way with others who occupy different places on the cultural and economic spectrum has a way of helping us understand our own humanity, and helps develop sensitivity to others. Finally, giving up some our need for comfort and security to accomplish a collective mission can be quite liberating. To be successful in this, the students must prepare themselves emotionally for the uncertainties and discomforts of traveling in a foreign land. They will have to let go of some of their personal preferences to be part of a group in service to a larger cause.
We can hope that when the plane lands in San Francisco on April 7, the students who disembark will be considerably more knowledgeable and perhaps even transformed by their experiences in India. On April 19 there will be one more very significant and final stage to their journey: the traditional ‘Return’ – an assembly for families, friends and the larger community – that is held at Mount Madonna School after such trips are completed. This ‘Return’ presents an opportunity for the students to reflect on how they were touched by this unique adventure, and for parents and friends to hear first-hand from the students about what kind of awakening their involvement in the Bodhicitta Project brought them – we hope you will join us!
See the Bodhicitta Project blog:
http://www.values.mountmadonnaschool.org/category/blogs/india-2013/
For more information, visit these student-created website:
www.ethicality.org
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, Media & Public Relations,
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.