CC吉尔曼学者研究印度和尼泊尔的佛教创意

Dan Schmidt ’25 recently returned to campus after spending four months studying Buddhism in Bodh Gaya, India, and Chiang Mai, Thailand, 并在尼泊尔进行民族志田野调查，以了解夏尔巴人如何将创造力概念化.

Schmidt is a recipient of the 2023 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, a U.S. Department of State federally-funded program for Pell Grant recipients that promotes cultural exchange through study abroad opportunities.

作为吉尔曼学者，施密特能够参加 Buddhist Studies in India program through Carleton College自1979年以来，该公司一直带学生去印度和泰国. 通过这个项目，施密特和其他16名来自美国的本科生.S. 花了九个星期在菩提伽耶的缅甸维哈学习佛教.

“Following a structure reminiscent of the Block Plan, we delved into the intricacies of Theravada, Zen, and Vajrayana, each studied intensively for three weeks,” says Schmidt. “Renowned masters from each tradition guided us through two daily one-hour meditation and lecture sessions in the required Meditation Traditions class. This class was intense, and far from a relaxing, 冥想静修——当我描述它时，很多人似乎都在想象它. 我们住在菩提伽耶的寺院离菩提树只有八分钟的步行路程. This sacred site, where Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, attained enlightenment, is not just a UNESCO World Heritage site but was a regular backdrop for our early morning meditations, ethnographic assignments, and moments of leisure.”

Schmidt, a Computer Science major at CC, also took a Hindi language course and an introduction to ethnographic fieldwork and anthropology course while in Bodh Gaya.

The final quarter of the Buddhist Studies in India 该项目是学生选择在亚洲国家进行的独立学习. While in Bodh Gaya, students had to navigate the low-technology policy of the program while researching and planning their independent study project, 包括写一篇30页的研究论文和文献综述.

“The Block Plan was very helpful in preparing me to do an extensive research project in a condensed period,” Schmidt says. “我在不到一周半的时间里写了一篇30页的研究论文, 多亏了“街区计划”教会了我快节奏的职业道德. Additionally, having never done ethnographic research, Block Plan让我在尼泊尔的这段时间里迅速了解了这个学科，并相对表现出色.”

在决定在尼泊尔进行独立研究的民族志田野调查之后, 施密特坐了18个小时的巴士从菩提伽耶到加德满都, Nepal.

“In the bustling city, I dedicated eleven days to fieldwork, engaging with artists and business owners,” Schmidt says. 我们的谈话探讨了他们对创造力的理解及其在他们生活中的作用. The journey continued as I, along with four fellow students, 开始了为期十天的穿越索卢坤布地区的徒步旅行. Within less-traveled, remote Sherpa villages, we found ourselves staying in homestays and monasteries. Guided by our translators, we navigated conversations in Tibetan and Nepali, 为我们的独立研究项目采访村民. These remote communities, 主要靠土地通过农业和畜牧业维持生计, offered a glimpse into a way of life intricately tied to the surrounding natural resources — quite the opposite of the hustle and bustle found in Kathmandu.”

而施密特想了解夏尔巴人是如何将创造力概念化的, he did not define creativity in his research, as he believes that measuring an interviewee’s understanding of creativity against a rigid definition was unproductive.

“I wanted the perspectives I uncovered to form a more holistic and unbounded understanding of creativity,” he says. “To do this, 我问过这样的问题:“创造力是在你体内还是体外?,“和”是创造力(无论如何理解)是进化的还是革命的.’ Through doing so, my project was an attempted phenomenological inquiry into creativity as understood by Sherpas and an explanation of the milieu within which they exist. By letting Sherpa’s conceptualizations of creativity exist entirely as Sherpa and not an amalgamation of the cultures that may have influenced them, 我希望当代夏尔巴人的创造力能通过我的作品得到体现.”

After spending three months studying Buddhism, Schmidt sensed a perceived tension between traditional Buddhist practices and the concept of individual expression, 他认为哪一点与创造力密切相关.

“这让我质疑，在佛教文化中，创造力是如何被理解的,” Schmidt says. “Nepal, 这里有着丰富多彩的文化和东西方文化的交汇, seemed to be an ideal setting for this inquiry. Focusing on the Sherpa people, a historically Buddhist ethnic group, 让我探究他们对创造力的概念是如何演变的, 特别是在受外国利益影响的不断变化的社会动态的背景下.”

Schmidt’s favorite part of the experience was doing his cross-cultural research project in Nepal because students had immense amounts of independence to conduct their projects, 这是施密特在他的学术生涯中一直渴望的东西.

“Conducting my research project in Nepal taught me many things about respectfully interacting with people cross-culturally, especially in non-verbal ways,” Schmidt says. “One of my favorite moments was when we were trekking in the Solukhumbu and celebrated Thanksgiving with one of our guide’s families in the village that he grew up in. We ate copious amounts of dal bhat (lentils and rice) and shared many cups of Sherpa’s favorite fermented drink, Chang.”

Upon returning to the U.S., Gilman Scholars complete a Follow-On Service Project to promote what they learned while studying abroad. Schmidt is working on a project to increase awareness of the Gilman Scholarship and study abroad opportunities among first-generation first-year students at CC.

“作为第一代大学生, 我对出国留学可能带来的经济压力有切身体会,” he says. “It’s like staying up late into the night filling out the FAFSA alone for the first time all over again. 通过分享我的经验和吉尔曼奖学金提供的资源, 我希望鼓励和支持其他第一代学生追求这些机会.”

Heather Powell Browne, Assistant Director of Global Education, and Shannon Amundson, Director of Financial Aid, helped Schmidt with the application process.

“Since 2001, 吉尔曼奖学金极大地促进了海外留学世界的多样化, and they represent the largest federal funding opportunity for students who are currently receiving a Pell Grant to receive additional awards to study or intern abroad,” says Powell Browne. “我们为这笔资金给丹带来的机会感到兴奋, and proud of how he can help spread the word about the Gilman Awards and studying abroad to his CC peers.”

The Gilman Scholarship Program has received over 154,000 applications and awarded more than 41,000 scholarships since the program began in 2001. Almost half of Gilman Scholars are first-generation college students and nearly 70% of Gilman Scholarship recipients identify as a racial or ethnic minority student. The Gilman Scholarship expands the U.S. student population abroad, 帮助更多的美国人获得成功事业所需的专业技能和世界知识.

“Beyond the financial support, being part of the Gilman alumni network feels like joining a community that not only values global experiences but also actively supports its members,” Schmidt says. “It’s more than just a scholarship; it’s an entry into a network that opens doors to fellowships and professional opportunities. The Gilman Scholarship, to me, is not just a financial boost; it’s a key to a community that fosters continuous learning and growth.”