FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION :: VEDIC EDUCATION, BUDDHISM, JAINISM AND ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN MEDIEVAL PERIOD.

 Happy Diwali to all the Readers!!

India is a spiritual land. Our country is a paradise on this earth. It is recognized all over the world. It was regarded as a golden bird (Sone ki chidiya). The land with many traditions, customs, cultures, religions, languages, resources etc. There are so many diversities still we are united. The thread of love and bond of national integration hold all the various beads together to make us a strong nation, which we all are proud of!!! 

Through my other blog (https://srividyapalavalasa.blogspot.in/), we discussed previously about Diwali festival and it's connection with other religions. Today we are going to learn about the Education system and influence of various religions on it. Over the period of time how the Guru-Shishya parampara have undergone major metamorphosis.

 

SALIENT FEATURES OF VEDIC EDUCATION:

The term Veda comes from the verbal root ‘vid’ means to know. Veda is knowledge of the ways and means of achieving spiritual progress in life. The subject matter of Veda is Dharma and Brahman. The entire concept of education during the Ancient, Vedic, Vedantic or Upanishadic period was to impart knowledge to liberate an individual and realization of an individual. Lot of importance was given to teachers. Education of Vedic rituals was given in the Gurukulas. 

Aim:

• Achieve knowledge about the Supreme/ Ultimate reality.
• All around development of the individual.
• Development of character and personality.
• Bring in spiritual enlighten.
• Understand the real self.
• Liberate the self from the bondage.
• Well acquaint with the culture, traditions and values.

1. Supreme-Brahman: To acquire the knowledge about the God, the Supreme reality. To develop the real knowledge which id beyond the worldly pleasure and pain. The knowledge that leads to acquire the knowledge above all knowledge- the supreme knowledge.
2. Character and personality: Students are trained to do all good deeds, observances and abstinences as suggested by the Upanishads. Students become selfless, self-reliant and self-confident devoid of ignorance. They develop social and individual qualities toward good character and integrated personality.
3. Spiritual Enlightment: Students are trained to develop spiritual dimension by making them develop the knowledge about the supreme Brahman.
4. Through the learning of Vedas, Vedangas, Upanishads and Vedanata the disciples acquire the knowledge about the traditions, values and cultures also which were acceptable during the period.
5. Disciples are made to practice certain observances i.e. both yama and niyama during their studentship. They were also trained to practice yoga and meditation.
6. They were also trained and encouraged to strive for self-liberation through different Vedantic traditions and are provided the true knowledge i.e. Brahmajnana. Brahmajnana to overcome the ignorance and know about supreme knowledge which will release the self from the bondage of the body and will not have rebirth again.

Curriculum: 

Here the students are taught both kinds of knowledge-

• Paravidya: Relation between God and Self.
• Aparavidya: This includes the scriptures like Vedas, Vedangas, Rituals, Astronomy, Ithihasas, Puranas, Ethics and Military sciences etc.

Methods:

• Discussions is the most popular method os the Vedantic period.
• Vada or debates.
• Sravana.
• Manana.
• Intuition/ revelation.
• Mostly individual methods were used.

Teacher:

• Guru is considered supreme, the Brahma, Vishnu and the Maheshwara. Later role includes that of a father and everything for the child.
• Guru used to provide all the knowledge. (Brahmavidya)
• He always encourages the child to attain the true knowledge.
• He used to train self-discipline and teach everything with utmost transparency.
• He used to teach whatever he knows selflessly.
• He used to help the students to acquire the true knowledge.

Disciple:

• The students must abide by Brahmacharya.
• Devotion to Guru.
• Students used to go for alms and provide divine/ sacred fire.
• He used to resume back to his studies after his work.
• Serve the Guru with manasa, vacha, karmana.
• He used to develop self-discipline, self-denying, self-restraint, patience, tolerance etc.
• Evaluation:
• Informal tool: Observation.
• Teachers used to be very objective in their aspects and fair in their dealings.

What inspires us is the Guru- Shishya parampara. As the saying goes… Old is Gold!! Indeed, its precious. These techniques are to be used in the modern system to make students dutiful, self-disciplined, punctuality, self-confident and self-restraint to lead a successful life in this world full of crisis. It also teaches to the modern world of the followings: Purusartha, Loksangraham, Peace, Desire, Dharma-Adharma, Faith, Oneness, common teachings of all faiths, Pravritti-Nivritti, Suffering, Practice/abhyasa, Yoga, Food(Satvik), About all yam and niyama.
In our country still we have this form of education in few places of the country. We are fortunate enough that in this mass erosion of culture, we can still see such system of vedic education. A practical example being Sri Venkateshwara Vedic University, Tirupati.

SAILENT FEATURES OF BUDDHISM AND JAINISM:

BUDDHISM

Buddhism was found by the great heroic legend of Asia Siddhartha. He was born in a royal family on the foothills of Himalayas(Kapilavastu) in India during 6 B.C. From his childhood, Siddhartha was full of humanism and humanistic instincts. The reflection of his humanism can be traced from his first site of disease, old age and death. He came to an idea that “world is full of sufferings”. These brought change in him and made him restless to find the cause of these sufferings. He left his house to woods, to meet number of great scholars. He decided to know the cause, finally he got enlighten and became Buddha from Siddhartha. The works and message of Buddha has been established as a new religion and a philosophy. He has spread his message to various parts of the world like Burma, China, Japan, Tibet, SriLanka, Korea etc. His disciples recorded his teachings in the form of written notes in Pali. They are called the Tripitikas. 

The Tripitikas are: -

Teachings of Buddha: - (4 Truths)

1.Life is full of sufferings.

2.Cause of suffering. Birth, the will, clinging, thirst, sense-experience, sense- object contact, six organs of cognition, embryonic organism, initial consciousness, impression and ignorance of truths.

3.Cessa tion  of sufferings.

4.Path of liberation (8- fold path).             Right views,               Right resolve,              Right speech,              Right conduct,              Right livelihood,             Right effort,             Right mindfulness,             Right concentration.

Basically, Buddha’s teachings show his anti-speculative attitude, as an ethical teacher and reformer. He cannot be considered as a metaphysician. 

Ethical teachings of Buddha:                            

• Dependant Origination-  Buddha calls this as pratityasamutpada, as per which everything happens with a cause and leaves an effect. Nothing happens by chance. He believed in the madhyam marg or the ‘middle view’ than externalism (the reality exists externally) or nihilism (something that exists can cease to be).
• Theory of Karma- Karma is the principle of causation. Present existence of an individual is due to his doctrine of karma, causation of past and future.
• The Law of Universal Change and Impermanence- All things are subjected to change, everything arises from some condition and therefore impermanent everything, which has a beginning has also an end to it.  Buddha’s followers have developed this as a theory of momentariness of ksanika vada i.e. existence of things in momentary.
• The Theory of Non-existence of the Soul- Buddha opposed the concept of existence of soul. He believed that nothing remained without change i.e. the law of change is universal. Present state of soul inherits its characters from previous ones, hence past continues into the present. Memory becomes inexplicable without soul.

Schools of Buddha Philosophy- Basically, there are as many as 32 schools of later Buddhism. These are classified and distinguished under 4 schools. They are:

Pabbajja- The First Ordination:

Pabbajja means going out of home in to the Buddhist order. This is like the procedure of an individual going out in search of a Guru as in Brahmanical system. The minimum age for initiation is eight years.

Upasampada- The Final Ordination:

After Pabbajja, a Buddhist monk had to undergo this ceremony. It is different from Pabbajja. Upasampada means the arrival of the full status of manhood or a Bhikshu, a full-fledged member of the order. This ceremony was performed, when a monk complete twelve years of education that is at the age of twenty.

 

Buddhism and Educational Implications:

The whole philosophy of Buddhism ultimately prepares its disciples to find out the truth and overcome the sufferings through the 8-fold path.

Aim:

• No self, no God, no soul.
• To understand the 4 noble truths of life.
• To follow the 8- fold path to attain the truth.
• To understand Karma principle and cessation.
• To be more practical and realistic in deeds.
• To develop self-determination, confidence, overcome passions.
• Serve humanity.

Curriculum:

• Buddha didn’t write personally rather his disciples wrote about his preaching 100 years after his death.
• The collection of literature is known as Tripitikas (Vinay pitaka, Sutta pitaka, Abhidamma pitaka)
• Philosophical principles of Buddhism ( Pratitya samutpada, ksanikavada, arthkriyakaritva, anatmavada)
• Five Skandas or Tatvas (roopa skanda, vedanta skanda, sangya skanda, samskara skanda and vigyan skanda)
• Karmavad.

Method: 

• Direct methods.
• Imitation
• Recitation
• Practical experience
• Nirvana/ attaining bodhisattva personally through madhyam marg meditation.

Teacher:

• Teacher is God.
• Students must follow the teacher.
• Teacher teaches all the philosophical principles of Buddhism.

Pupil:

• They should follow the preaching.
• Follow the 8-  fold path strictly.
• Should learn/ follow/ practice the literature related to Tripitikas and know about the Tatvas.
• Should follow self-discipline.

JAINISM:

The preachers of Jainism are called Tirthankaras. There are 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism. Rishabanath was founder of Jainism and first Tirthankara. Parshwanath was the 23^rd Tirthankara. The last (24^th) Tirthankara Vardamana Mahaveera, lived during 6^th Century B.C and was a contemporary to Gautama Buddha. These 24 Tirthankara’s (teachers), their work and philosophy together gave rise to Jainism. The word Jain means the conqueror of desires. They believed that every spirit (Jiva) is in bondage.

The three Ratnas or Jewels: - (Three rules)

Angas are the holy books of Jainism. Most of the basic literature is available in ‘Prakrata’.

The followers were divided into groups of two, which are popularized later as:

·         SVETAMBARA

·         DIGAMBARA

Both groups believe in basic doctrine of Jainism, but differ in the practices.

The five vows are:

 Jainism believed in the five vows and they felt that by  following these will lead to good/perfect right/ conduct.

1. Ahimsa includes abstinence from injury to life (non-violence).
2. Sathyam is truth/ abstinence from falsehood.
3. Asteyam means non-stealing.
4. Brahmacharyam is following bachelor life/ spinster.
5. Aparigraha is non- attachment/ non-receipt of unwanted wealth. 
   

The Educational Implications of Jainism:

The monks must undergo rigorous practices/ observances to make an individual with good character and conduct. They spend their time throughout their life with all observances and ultimately try to liberate the soul from bondage. 

 

Aims:

• To adopt Triratnas.
• To attain good conduct, five vows are to be adopted.
• To make them self-reliant and self-restraint.
• Liberation in education should be maintained.
• Finally, to attain liberation from the bondage i.e. to overcome anger, pride, infatuation, greed etc.

Curriculum:

• Preaching’s of Jain Thirthankaras/ Saints.
• Triratnas.
• Religious knowledge of Jain.
• Knowledge regarding world, spirit and matter.
• Methods:
• Imitation.
• Recitation.
• Practical/ empirical method.
• Adopting all the five vows.
• Individual’s practice to acquire all the vows.

Teacher:

• A model.
• A living exemplary with all vows.
• Gurus are considered as Gods.
• Train rigorously to liberate the soul from bondage.

Disciple:

• Should respect the teachers and treat them as Gods.
• Emulate all the ideal character from their gurus.
• Aim at becoming like their gurus and liberate from the bondage.
• Follow the five vows to attain good conduct. (Panchamahavratas)
• To be careful in all the walks of life.
• Practice ten different dharmas like, non-attachments, forgiveness, self-restraint, austerity, sacrifice, celibacy etc.
• Discipline.
• Self-discipline.
• Self-restraint.

MEDIEVAL PERIOD

 ISLAMIC AND INDIAN PATASHALAS

The rise of the Mohammedanism is one of the most extraordinary events in the history of the world. It changes the whole history of India, just as in another way Christianity had changed the history of world. With a century after the death of Mohammed the Prophet (570- 632 A.D.), the Arabs conquered the extensive territories and in 711 A.D. the empire of Islam extended from the frontiers of China to the shores of Atlantic. The Arabs and the Turks brought many new customs and institutions to India. They differed a lot from Brahmanism and Buddhism.

Facts:

          Muslim education did not reach to such a high point in India as in other Muslim lands.

         There was no continuous growth and development of Muslim education in India.

Settlement of Muslims lead to the establishment of Mosque. They served as centres of instruction and literacy activity.

Islam- Concept of Reality: The ultimate reality or being is Allah.

Islam- Concept of Knowledge: The Prophet Mohammad gave huge importance to knowledge and education. He considered it more holy and as the true responsibility of a Muslim. He believes that, education is the best gift a parent can give to their children. With knowledge, the servant of God can rise to the goodness and attain happiness.

Islam-Values: The religion of Islam is based upon the foundations of love, respect, devotion and happiness. Islam stresses strong connections in between fellow human beings, between the body and soul. Most important connection between man and his creator, the Almighty God. Values of truthfulness, sincerity and purity to be cultivated till it becomes implanted in a person’s soul and disposition. These values should reflect throughout the person’s character.

Objectives of Islamic Education:

• The aim of Muslim education during Sultanate and Mughal period was multifarious and it   differed with different rulers.
•        During the reign of Akbar, the aim of Muslim education was to harmonize the patterns of political, religion and social aspects and organising a new nation.
•         During the reign of Aurangzeb, the aim of Muslim education was spreading Islamic education and cultures, destroying Hindu culture. The people acquired knowledge as a religious obligation.
• Islamic Patashalas: Education was imparted in different educational institutions based upon needs and potential of each student.
•       Maktab- It is an elementary school often attached to a Mosque, these were run by private individuals and education was rudimentary based on the three R’s and prayers of Koran.
•      Bismilah- Bismilah is a colourful ceremony conducted when a Muslim boy is four years, four months and four days old. The child is introduced to education and allowed to Maktabs after invoking God.
•      Madarasas- It is a school for higher learning and is generally attached to mosque. Some of them rose to the status of Universities. The course included grammar, logic, literature, science, metaphysics etc.
•       Khanjashs- Analogous to the monasteries.
•      Durgahs- Tombs of celebrated saints.
•       Kamkhanas- It provided technical training in handicrafts based on the system of apprenticeship.

Role of the Teacher:

Teachers were held in high esteem and their students considered it as a privilege to follow them.

Curriculum:

• Elementary stage- reading, writing, arithmetic and religious education.
• Higher stage- Astronomy, physics, medicine, algebra, geometry, law, history, economics etc.
• Hindus were taught their own religious books and they were allowed at the Madarasas. Many of the Hindus also read Persian and acquired mastery.
• Science and art/craft was getting more of importance.
• Theological curriculum, Dare-E-Nizami were followed in India.

Methods of Teaching:

• Oral
• Recitation
• Monitorial
• Akbar stressed on effective teaching by writing letters.
• Women education: Due to the Purdah system, women’s education was totally neglected. Young girls were secluded and so education was a matter of great difficulty.
• Examination system:
• No annual exams.
• Evaluation was a continuous process.
• Promotions was based upon assessment by the teacher.

The most important degrees were:

Education was centred mainly in towns and cities. Muslim education was confined to a very small group and basically to minority. It was on fifth of the population. Where ever Muslim power got established there was a university or college or Madarasas. These towns included places like Jaunpur, Delhi, Agra, Lahore, Jullundar, Sikri, Fatehpur, Ajmer, Hyderabad, Bihar, Lukhnow, Allahabad, Bijapur, Multan etc.

In the words of ― Friedrich Max Müller, India: What Can It Teach Us 
“...universities were not meant entirely, or even chiefly, as stepping-stones to an examination, but that there is something else which universities can teach and ought to teach—nay, which I feel quite sure they were originally meant to teach—something that may not have a marketable value before a Board of Examiners, but which has a permanent value for the whole of our life, and that is a real interest in our work, and, more than that, a love of our work, and, more than that, a true joy and happiness in our work...” 
 

India has always been a paradise on this Earth!! 
Few modifications for a further betterment of society  is the need of the hour!