And they are diligent about their studies. Every evening I watched the high school students who would circumambulate the temple that stands high amidst their little village for hours at a time, studying their notes for upcoming exams. Each morning I awoke to the sounds of chanting, not from the monks, but from the children. Before breakfast, each family would chant together and the crisp mountain air was filled with their prayers. After breakfast, the children would don their uniforms and walk to the classrooms.
School too begins with chanting.
Here they would gather with their classes and again chant to remind themselves of their primary ambition, to follow the path of Buddhism. The heroes of these students, I came to learn, were not musicians, movie stars, athletes or leaders, but saints and moral exemplars including people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. The school from early childhood through Grade 12 is quite traditional. Instruction is pedantic with teachers lecturing, students taking notes, and the use of regular exams. But again, the focus in every subject is guided by the foundation of Buddhist philosophy.