4. Glimpses of Awakening in Education

In the best of the traditional Indian systems, whether based on the “gurukula” model or the Nalanda University model, the fundamental principles, the philosophical foundations (based on Upanishadic or Buddhist wisdom) were well enunciated. It was recognised that the human problem is essentially one of fundamental ignorance, and that the ultimate purpose of life, and indeed of education, is to discover liberation from this deep-rooted ignorance. The ignorance pertains to the nature of one’s self and the inter-connectedness of one’s innermost being with that of the entire universe. One is unconsciously trapped into identifying, completely, with a narrow sense of self. This mistaken identity is the root cause of all problems in life, and denies us the realisation that our essential nature is already perfect.

This simple, yet profound, truth is the basic essence of all Oriental wisdom. Secular knowledge (dealing with worldly affairs and science) and the arts were also valued and developed, but the transient and illusory nature of all worldly phenomena was apparently never lost sight of.

Today, those fundamental foundations of education are conspicuous by their absence.

The “best” education of today is significantly different from that in ancient times (Nalanda University, for example). Priorities have changed completely, and there is absolutely no hint in today’s education of what was considered to be of the highest priority earlier. The guru (“dispeller of darkness”) has yielded place to the pundit (“learned scholar”). There is now tremendous awareness of technological things related to the material world, and at the same time, appalling ignorance related to man’s inner world.