I have an international student in one of my classes who I have noticed is very engaged. I can see that he follows the lectures closely. His expressions change as the class period moves forward. He stays for a minute or so after class and will ask questions about the lecture, but I have noticed that he had a larger question that he was not asking and was looking for the right time to ask. This week, after class, he asked if we could talk. We walked to my office, and I waited in anticipation for him to ask his question. It was a difficult and profound question that gets to the heart of why we are here at JBU. He asked, “In class you talked about [how] the purpose of a university is for students to learn to think and that you try to teach students how to think, not just the facts we need to learn. I am wondering, how do I learn to think?”
After recovering from being impressed by the question, I tried to stem the flow of sweat that was forming on my back and brow. I licked my lips to bring moisture back to my mouth and I said a quick prayer: “Oh, God give me wisdom to answer this question.” My student had asked the ultimate question: the question that gets to the heart of why we go to university and why we attend classes taught by professors who are learned in their fields of expertise.
We discussed the answer to his question for a full 20 minutes. I explained how I learned to think. I told him it takes imagination. It takes time. It takes discipline. It takes repetition. It takes dedication to set aside time to think, every day. I gave an example. If you are in history class and reading about World War II, do not just read the text for facts, but stop as you are reading and imagine the scenes in World War II. Imagine the concentration camps and what it must have been like to be a Jew in the camps. Imagine being a soldier on a ship, moving toward a beach in Normandy, with the wind blowing, the water crashing against the sides of your boat and the sounds of machine gun fire. Spend time imagining and thinking about those things. See World War II from the perspectives of those that were in it. When you have done that, you not only know the facts, but you know something of the experience of World War II, and you truly learn it.
If you are studying Buddhism, take time to meditate for a week or two. Stop eating meat for a few days. Imagine what it must be like to believe in reincarnation, karma and carrying those unforgiven sins into “the next life.” What must that make a person feel like? How does that compare to how we feel as Christians, being forgiven of sin and not required to carry the burden, not just in this life, but in the next, and the next? When you have done that, you understand Buddhism.
Learning how to think is a process; it is a discipline. It requires patience. It is painful at first, but it gets more natural, deeper, and broader with practice. Ask the “why” questions, not just the “what” questions. Use your imagination. “Become” a Buddhist for a week, then come back to yourself and take an inventory. You will notice that you have changed. Do this regularly, with discipline and purpose, and you will learn how to think.
Photo courtesy of Markus Winkler at Unsplash