Mindfulness, which originated in the Buddhist tradition, has become popular in the West and has been integrated into schools. During this migration from a particular-traditional-religious context into a universal-modern-secular one, mindfulness has shed key ethical values and became a "science of happiness." In addition, in the West it…

In Thailand, Buddhism has played an important role in terms cultivating morality and ethics for people in the society. Later, it has become an important part of the educational system of the country. This paper has its aims to clarify some backgrounds of Buddhist studies in Thai educational system from the early period to the present day. First,…

Today, teaching literature has an established place within the school and university curricula in Western and East Asian countries. This seems so natural that we take the educational role of literature for granted. However, history teaches us that elevating literature to an academic subject required a defense of literature against the critical…

The aim of this essay is to give hope to those who are in the middle of struggles relating to personal experiences associated with sexual/gendered harassment. In it, Kanako W. Ide inquires into the moral conditions around speaking out publicly about such incidents through critical analysis of the social norms of gender and economy. Jane Roland…

This article proposes a theoretical framework for research and pedagogy development in the context of education for sustainable development (ESD). It combines transformative learning theory with elements drawn from Buddhist and other Eastern spiritual perspectives. Firstly, it outlines the ESD context and its current gaps. Secondly, it analyzes…

This paper makes the case that environmental education needs to be taken up as a moral education to the extent that we see the connection between harm and destruction in the environment and harm and destruction within human individuals and their relationship, and proceeds to show this connection by introducing the key notion of human alienation…

The importance of proper language, in the context of multicultural education, and how it can be of help in conflict prevention is discussed. A brief discussion of what a model does and how a scientific model is constructed is provided. A circular model is developed where it is proposed that thought, language, and action, as the three most…

The Ministry of Education in the country of Thailand recently announced the establishment of two distinct educational tracks--a conventional/ traditional track and an unconventional/progressive/alternative track. This decision was perhaps guided by the success of innovative pilot education programs in the country, collectively called "the…

Explores the unstated ethics that exist in the silent space between teacher and students, highlighting Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Lacan, and Buddhism. The paper uses the juxtaposition of west and east to help illuminate ethical pedagogy, and it argues that there is an unknowable dimension which raises the question of ethics in human relations that…

This book describes the immigration of tens of thousands of Cambodian refugees to the United States from their war-torn country in the early 1980s, highlighting the efforts of Khmer Americans to recreate the fabric of culture and identity in the aftermath of the Khmer holocaust. Based on long-term research among Cambodians residing in metropolitan…

Identifies authenticity as the idea that there exists an innate and knowable self. Discusses this concept and how it relates to social, philosophical, and religious thought. Compares the Western concept of self, autonomous and individualistic, with the more interdependent and enigmatic Eastern ideal. (MJP)