Biology with Tibetan Buddhist Monks

It would be quite appropriate for a college professor to assume students know that a tree is alive and a rock is not. Or would it? For several summers, I have had the pleasure of teaching biology to Tibetan Buddhist monks exiled in India. This program, called the ETSI (Emory-Tibet Science Initiative), was sparked by discussions the Dalai Lama had with Emory University researchers in the 1990s and has blossomed into a way for monks of all ages to learn about science in the decades since.