“When we take up the task of contemplative pedagogy as an essential, indeed as the essential feature of an integrative higher education, we are engaged in a revolutionary enterprise. We are not attempting a simple add-on, or an alternative. Instead, we are declaring that change, growth, and transformation of the human being are the hallmarks of genuine education.” — Arthur Zajonc
The Shambhala Vision of enlightened society involves a fundamental transformation in the way people view themselves and their world. Where better to encourage that transformation than in the process of education. Contemplative education provides an opportunity for young people to experience their inherent ability for self-reflection, and the insights that can arise from contemplation.
Contemplative pedagogy is a term that has come into use over the past decade to describe how teachers, particularly those working in higher education, are bringing contemplative practice into their classrooms.
The advances in this field were recently summarized in two issues of the highly regarded newsletter, “The National Teaching and Learning Forum” (http://www.ntlf.com/) . A number of leaders in contemplative pedagogy were highlighted. In addition to Arthur Zajoc, considered the most prominent spokesperson in the field, two Shambhalians were also featured; Judith Zimmer-Brown from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado and David Sable from St. Mary’s University (SMU) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In this post we will focus on David Sable’s work while a future post will highlight the work at Naropa.
David Sable has been a senior teacher in the Shambhala lineage for nearly forty years (he is currently a ‘Shastri’; a local senior teacher). Although his interest in contemplative education dates back to when he received a Master’s degree from Columbia (in Development Psychology within the School of Education) his development of specific methods to support contemplative pedagogy began twelve years ago when he started teaching courses on Buddhism in the Department of Religion at SMU. To offer students the experience of contemplative practice he began adapting traditional instructions to meet the mind set and vocabulary of his students, always with the intent of providing an opportunity for fundamental transformation.
An important influence was a meeting in New York City with Gene Gendlin In September 2001 (only five days after the 9/11 attack). Gendlin had developed “Focusing”, a self-reflective process that emphasizes awareness of the ‘felt sense’; the way we know things in the body before we have articulated them consciously. David incorporated ‘felt sense’ into the evolving contemplative process through which his students worked with open-ended questions.
The process further developed to include contemplative listening and inquiry in the context of communication with another person. While most contemplative processes remain internal, David’s students learned to share their contemplative responses to an open-ended question with another student while maintaining the overall sense of mindful, non-judgmental awareness. The same sense of practice is then extended into inquiry. The students reported that this shared experience led them to an appreciation and respect for the diversity of views among their classmates.
Four years ago David took the bold step of returning to the student role himself (while still teaching) to undertake an interdisciplinary PhD program at Dalhousie University in Halifax. His PhD thesis research, recently completed, uses a mix-method design (quantitative and qualitative analysis) to examine the experience of students who go through the contemplative processes offered in his classes. The results confirm that the majority of students undergo a significant shift in the way they relate to their own mind and how they interact with others. In some cases students report that the contemplative experience alters the way they work with subject material in other courses, not just the ones taught by David. The students also report becoming more interested in learning what their peers are thinking, especially if those views are different than their own. One striking results from the research data is that, through the contemplative processes, students develop a sense of “connectedness” (in their own words) with other students, particularly those whose views differ from their own.
David continues to develop and study the ways that contemplative processes can be used in higher education. His course entitled ‘Spirituality and Work’ attracts students from a wide range of programs and cultural backgrounds. Interestingly, the increased openness and appreciation of self-reflection can be observed in students who come from differing cultural and language backgrounds.
Many have noted the need in the world today for civil society in which citizens respect the basic intelligence of one another and are open to learning about views different from their own. David Sable’s work shows that contemplative pedagogy can cultivate those qualities.
–David Whitehorn, PhD, MSN
