THE NOBLE PATH OF SOCIALLY-ENGAGED PEDAGOGY: CONNECTING TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH PERSONAL AND SOCIETAL WELL-BEING by CLAY McLEOD LL.B., The University of Alberta, 1992 B.Ed., Malaspina University-College, 1999 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA - OKANAGAN September, 2007 © Clay McLeod, 2007 ii ABSTRACT This thesis is an articulation of how the principles of socially-engaged Buddhism, a spiritual practice rooted in the teachings of the historical Buddha that integrates Buddhist practice and social activism, can enrich and enhance contemporary educational practice. It discusses Buddhist epistemology, metaphysics, ontology, psychology, ethics, and practice and relates these things to holistic education, critical pedagogy, SEL, and global education. On the basis of the theoretical understanding represented by that discussion, it articulates several theoretical principles that can be practically applied to the practice of teaching and learning to make it resonate with the theory and approach of socially- engaged Buddhism. In integrating the implications of Buddhist teachings and practices with teaching and learning practice, it draws from bell hooks’ notion of “engaged pedagogy” in order to articulate a transformational, liberatory, and progressive approach to teaching called “socially-engaged pedagogy.” Socially-engaged pedagogy represents the notion that teaching and learning can be a practical site for progressive social action designed to address the real problem of suffering, both in the present and in the future, as it manifests in the world, exemplified by stress, illness, violence, war, discrimination, oppression, exploitation, poverty, marginalization, and ecological degradation. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................iii GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................. xiv DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Study ................................................................................................ 1 Purpose of the Study................................................................................................... 1 Framing the Study within a Theoretical Context........................................................ 5 Research Question .................................................................................................... 11 Related Literature...................................................................................................... 11 Research Procedures ..................................................................................................... 13 A Necessary Autobiographical Interlude...................................................................... 13 Potential Contributions of the Research ....................................................................... 17 Limitations of the Study................................................................................................ 18 The Program of the Following Chapters....................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 2: ENGAGING THE WHOLE STUDENT: HOLISTIC EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITY ............................................................................................................... 24 Distinguishing Spirituality from Religion .................................................................... 25 The Importance of Spirituality to Education: Educating the Whole Student ............... 27 Socially-Engaged Buddhism: An Example of Non-Religious Spirituality................... 30 The Buddhist Teaching of No-Self........................................................................... 32 No-Self and Mindfulness Practice ............................................................................ 34 Mindfulness Practice and Social Engagement.......................................................... 35 The Fundamentally Constructivist and Transformative Nature of Holistic Education 36 A Holistic Approach to Teaching and Learning: Engaged Pedagogy.......................... 38 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCING THE DHARMA: BUDDHIST HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY.................................................................................................................. 41 Spiritual Liberation: Socially-Engaged Buddhism as a Liberational Practice.............. 41 A Brief History of Buddhism........................................................................................ 47 The Buddha as a Historical Figure............................................................................ 47 Language and Schools of Buddhism......................................................................... 48 Socially-Engaged Buddhism..................................................................................... 50 A Buddhist Understanding of Reality........................................................................... 53 Impermanence, Emptiness, No-Self, and Paticca Samupp āda ..................................... 58 How the Dharma Addresses Ecological Suffering ....................................................... 65 Conclusion: Implications for Teaching and Learning .................................................. 68 CHAPTER 4: BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY: CULTIVATING WHOLESOME AND SKILLFUL MIND AND HEART STATES .................................................................... 70 The Four Noble Truths.................................................................................................. 73 The First Noble Truth ............................................................................................... 73 The Second Noble Truth........................................................................................... 74 The Third Noble Truth.............................................................................................. 78 iv The Fourth Noble Truth............................................................................................ 79 Causation and Psychology: Skillful States vs. Unskillful States.................................. 80 Liberation from Suffering............................................................................................. 85 Conative Balance ...................................................................................................... 87 Attentional Balance................................................................................................... 87 Cognitive Balance..................................................................................................... 88 Affective Balance...................................................................................................... 89 Conclusion: Implications for Teaching and Learning .................................................. 89 CHAPTER 5: BUDDHIST ETHICS AND PRACTICE: IMPLEMENTING “I-THOU” IN ENCOUNTERS WITH REALITY ............................................................................. 90 Introductory Note.......................................................................................................... 90 Prelude .......................................................................................................................... 93 Part I The Problem of Separation and Alienation................................................... 94 Part II Communal Connection Rooted in the Perspective of Relation .................. 100 Part III The Noble Eightfold Path ........................................................................... 106 CHAPTER 6: PROGRESSIVE WESTERN PEDAGOGY: TRANSFORMATIONAL TEACHING AND LEARNING GEARED TOWARDS LIBERATION AND WELL- BEING ............................................................................................................................ 131 Global Education: An Example of Transformative Pedagogy ................................... 131 The Efficacy of Global Education .......................................................................... 133 Defining Global Education ..................................................................................... 133 The Paradoxical Tension between Worldmindedness and Child-centredness ....... 134 Historical Development and Views of Global Education....................................... 135 The Future Focus and Action Orientation of Global Education............................. 136 Pike and Selby’s Four-Dimensional Model............................................................ 136 The Dialogical Character of Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy .................................. 139 The Importance of Critical Consciousness ................................................................. 145 The Relationship between Knowledge and Hegemony.........................................