Science for Nuns and Monks

Thanks to a generous grant from the John W. Templeton Foundation

Documentary Film
Premieres 2026

From Santa Barbara, California; Dharamsala, North India; near Sera Monastery, South India; Ladakh, Kashmir; back to South India; and…

Inspired by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, I set out to make a documentary that explores the relationship between science and spirituality.

In 2016 and 2017, the film crew and I traveled to North India to Dolma Ling nunnery and Sherabling monastery to film science workshops, where we observed Tibetan monastics studying the nature of consciousness and matter. That resulted in the six minute fundraising reel on this page. 

Shortly after, I realized that going with nun Lobsang to her place of birth (Spiti) and returning with her to her chosen community (South India) could be an eye-opening way to show what it looks like when spiritual practice is suffused with scientific understanding and vice versa. Co-traveling would offer vivid insights into Lobsang’s life and permit audiences to gain a more profound understanding of how she relates to her communities of birth and her chosen communities. A sparkle in the eye as she talks about food made in Ladakh, raucous laughter with her nearest and dearest, her liveliness and warmth as she walks and travels on buses and is greeted by strangers: these all come together and provide a texture to the daily life of Tibetan monastics in exile.

In 2023 (following the pandemic) I did a final shoot with the crew in North India. As a result, I have made a documentary focusing on two nuns, Lobsang and Kalsang, and one monk, Tashi. Buddhists for Science (working title) follows young Buddhist nuns and monks as they discover different fields of science—and grapple with the tension between their faith and their multi-generational world. A thriving intellectual curiosity propels them into astronomy, physics, and neuropsychology alongside Buddhist writings and texts. As we walk the kora with them, and watch the monastics debate ideas and practice, we witness their deep commitment to understanding our planet. Their joy sustains their compassion, their love of the outdoors, and their irrepressible humor.

My hope for the film is to move audiences to gain a richer appreciation for Buddhism, science, and for the life of monastics, as part of the greater quest for social justice.