It's time to fill the wisdom gap.

Every day we face an ever more extensive suite of existential risks, from algorithms that compete for our attention, exponentially more powerful Artificial Intelligence models, geopolitical instability, climate change, and nuclear warfare. Moreover, we are immersed in an ever more polarized and reclusive society – less open to dialogue and more open to the pursuit of fast pleasure. And yet. Deep wellbeing and contentment are available to all us of, here and now.

To prosper collectively in the uncertain years ahead, we must first learn to flourish on the individual level. This begins by awakening to a state of innate wellness. Well-being and contentment are available to all of us, here and now. All of us have the responsibility to become contemplatively literate, turn our awareness inwards, discern truth from careful observation of our bodily and mental processes, and reclaim our birthright of living wondrous lives.

Yet, before we can flourish, we must accord ourselves harmoniously with reality. To attune ourselves to reality – we must understand how to align ourselves with the patterns and principles of existence. This process begins with literacy.

My pedagogy and passions revolve around fostering scientific, mathematical, technological, and contemplative literacy. I believe that meditation should be embraced as our universal mother tongue. It is essential for young minds to be well-versed in the languages of contemplation, inward reflection, curiosity, and wonder. Through this awakening, they will discover the boundless joy and well-being that every human is entitled to as their birthright. By initiating this profound journey early on, we pave the way for humanity to soar to even greater heights.

Education

M.A. Buddhist Studies | The University of Hong Kong
Dissertation: On Mind and Matter: A philosophical and psychological exploration of Satipatthana practice
B.Sc. Physics, Philosophy, & Mathematics | University of Toronto
Thesis: The Enigma: The challenge of dark matter to the modern scientific enterprise
PGCE Education | The University of Sunderland
Case Study: A case study on the multi-faceted application of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in a Hong Kong Secondary School

Professional Experience

Founding Teacher of Science and Mathematics Pine Street School (2023 - Present)
Mathematics Faculty Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM)
Curriculum Designer & Module Writer Common Ground Collaborative, Portrait of a Learner
Teacher of Science, Mathematics, & Outdoor Education Kawartha Montessori School
Science Teaching Fellow & Deputy Sustainability Coordinator Chinese International School
Program Leader University of Toronto Science Unlimited Camp
Trip Leader Westcoast Connection
Judge Canadian Young Physicists’ Tournament
Community Engagement Lead The Entrepreneurship Hatchery
Writer Substack & Medium
Fitness Trainer GoodLife Fitness
Fitness Assistant HKU Centre for Exercise and Performance
Volunteer International Association of Buddhist Studies

Professional Development & Licenses

Creating Balanced Assessment Systems Jay McTighe & Kevin Bartlett
Certified Carbon Literate The Carbon Literacy Project
Yoga and Child Development  Neuroscience & Yoga Conference
200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Alliance & IAM Yoga
Foundations of Education for Sustainability The Cloud Institute for Sustainability
Reboot Curiosity in Education MIT & J-WEL World Education Lab
Creating Authentic Units for MYP International Baccalaureate
Pranayama in Medieval Yoga Dr. Jason Birch (DPhil, Oxon)

Ontario Certified Teacher (The Ontario College of Teachers)
Registered Teacher (Education Bureau of Hong Kong)
Registered Yoga Teacher (Yoga Alliance)

Awards & Publications

Centre of Buddhist Studies Postgraduate Scholarship $15,000

Tung Lin Kok Yuen Postgraduate Scholarship $10,000

Dean’s International Initiatives Fund $5,000

Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication
“Transcendental Aporia.” UPAYA: The Undergraduate Journal of Buddhist Psychology, Vol. 7, Spring 2018.

Report Contribution
Mathie, R. G. And Wals, A.E.J. (2022). Whole School Approaches to Sustainability: Exemplary practices from around the
world. Wageningen: Education and Learning Science/Wageningen University

Meditation Teaching

Taught my six-week Introductory Buddhist Meditaiton course in New York City at Fractal University.

Created and facilitated a six week in-person introductory Buddhist meditation course in Peterborough, Canada.

Taught over 40 participants breath meditation at the CreativeMornings Hong Kong chapter.

Introduced over 50 participants at Soho House Hong Kong to breathing techniques and meditation exercises that enable restful states of consciousness.

Created and led a workshop on the interconnection of bodily posture, breathing, and mental state.

Taught donation based Vinyasa and Breathwork classes in the park.

Pedagogy

Education is wondrous contemplation.

To be educated is to have opened oneself to the great mystery of life – something that is only possible through deep, conscious, and embodied experience. My most profound learning has occurred in immersive settings, from silent meditation retreats, mountain expeditions, to witnessing science in action. Similarly, my most profound teaching moments have occurred in nature, in the lab, and in a community.

To teach is to properly introduce.

As an educator, I aim to expand the worldview of my students through an experiential and conceptual understanding of the patterns of nature. As Joseph Campbell writes: “I don’t believe in being interested in subjects because they are said to be important and interesting. I believe in being ‘caught’ by it somehow or other.” Science expands your worldview and allows you to understand reality as a single interconnected system. However, this is not always made plain when exploring this enchanting discipline. I aspire to give all students a proper introduction to the subject – to present material in a way that is captivating and inspiring. Once a student’s innate curiosity takes over, I become a facilitator of learning, removing obstacles and accelerating development.

As within so without.

Experimentation, not opinion or consensus, is the test of scientific truth. All of our most powerful mathematics, from the field equations of both Maxwell and Einstein to Schrodinger’s Equation and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, model how reality is constantly changing. The premise is that if we align ourselves with this changing reality at the external level, through discerning general principles via the scientific method - we can intervene successfully in the processes of nature. The contemplatives have uncovered that if we align ourselves inwardly with the fact that reality is changing and impermanent - we can find lasting peace and liberation.

I’ve had the privilege of educating students in a variety of settings, from jungles in Thailand, science laboratories in Hong Kong, to the deep Canadian wilderness.

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Interests

Meditation, Uncertainty, Meaning, Archetypes, AI Alignment, Scientific Literacy, Contemplative Literacy, Truth, Beauty, Yoga, Buddhism, Physics, Dark Matter, Cognitive Science, Lord of the Rings, Education 4.0, Physics, Pedagogy, Human Development, Interconnection, Satisfaction, Regenerative Kinship, Habits, Early Buddhism, Love, Harmonious Mindsets, Non-duality, Ethics