“Interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without any religion, law, or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness.”

– H.H. Dalai Lama (The Compassionate Life)

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: 

Does anything truly exist independently?

At Middle Way School, the study of interconnection begins with a clear, hands-on understanding of how things function in the world around us. From these early explorations, students are gradually introduced to the deeper philosophical principle of Dependent Origination—a foundational concept in Buddhist thought that reveals how all phenomena arise through causes and conditions. By engaging with these ideas in tangible ways during the early years, students build a meaningful foundation for appreciating more advanced teachings later on, including the relationship between dependent origination and the concept of emptiness.

This unit naturally integrates with a wide range of subjects. Students might explore electrical circuits, radio waves, natural cycles, or hands-on gardening. The study of water, in particular, offers rich opportunities for connection. Spring provides an especially vibrant backdrop for this learning, as students observe the interconnected relationships among birds, seeds, and plants, and begin to recognize the mutual dependence that sustains life.

Alongside these external studies, students are guided inward to reflect on human connection. They explore how people can be both different and fundamentally alike, and what it means to live together in balance—forming relationships that are neither too rigid nor too distant, but grounded in mutual respect and harmony.

They are also invited to sit with life’s enduring unknowns—the origins of birth, the mystery of death, and the subtle cycles that shape existence, attuning them to the unseen interconnections that weave through all aspects of life.

As students grow older, their inquiry deepens. They begin to distinguish more clearly between interconnection and dependent origination, applying these insights to complex systems such as financial markets, globalization, climate, and food supply chains. At the same time, they turn their attention inward, examining how their own experiences are shaped by perception, conditioning, sense faculties, and countless interacting causes. With this growing awareness, students develop greater openness and flexibility, becoming less attached to any single perspective and more capable of engaging thoughtfully with the complexity of the world around them.

LINKING HOME AND SCHOOL

Examples from school for younger children:

• Examining life cycle of the seed 
• Community studies
• Ways that trees communicate 
• Fungi
• Currents
• Parts of the whole
  

For older children:

• Circuits 
• Indigenous wisdom 
• Climate
• Ways that music and dance connect us

Guiding questions for reflection and conversation:

What do I rely on to be alive?
Does anything truly exist independently?
How are people and plants and fauna connected?
How are people connected in societies?
Who am I connected to?
How are we connected?
How do past, present, and  future interrelate?