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.
