TALKS ON EDUCATION official source: Prout in a Nutshell Part 18 cross-references: none this version: is the printed Prout in a Nutshell Part 18, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. The Importance of Caryacarya in Individual and Social Life Human beings are neither isolated individual beings nor insignificant creatures destined to serve an abstract collectivity. Rather, each individual is a unique entity living in a dynamic social order which is progressing towards a sublime goal. Each individual has to keep physically and mentally pure and serve the society in the best possible manner. The collective psychic momenta of all the members of society makes the collective momentum of the social order strong and powerful. Hence, as an individual, one must be able to manifest and express a powerful psychic momentum. Society must not impose any restriction on the psychic and spiritual elevation of its members, nor should it allow anyone to accumulate physical wealth to the point that it is harmful to the other members of society and leads to exploitation. Caryacarya* contains the guidelines for how an individual can best contribute his or her efforts to the collective momentum. It also provides guidelines for how the collective body shall foster each individual's physical and psychic welfare. * Caryacarya was written by P.R. Sarkar in April 1956 Human life is an ideological flow. The human mind expresses this flow, and the physical body is the base and medium through which this flow is manifested. A pure and subtle physical body or Annamaya Kosa is the best medium for a subtle psycho-spiritual manifestation. The purity of the Annamaya Kosa depends upon the food we eat and other rules such as bathing, fasting, etc. These rules have been explicitly mentioned in Caryacarya. If a person follows these rules, he or she shall feel a change in himself or herself within three days. 1969, Ranchi * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Subtlest Way of Enmity is the Deprivation of Prana Dharma The words Prana Dharma mean the cardinal characteristic of a person which differentiates one person from another. Just as each human being has his or her own traits, similarly an entire race living within a particular geographical, historical and cultural environment will also inhere some traits which distinguish that particular race from other. These traits or specialities are inseparably embedded in the internal behaviour of the entire population, and they help to form a particular bent of mind, expression of external behaviour, attitude towards life and society, and on the whole a different out look. If we look at the racial stocks of the world, this fact becomes evident -- that in their approach of life, different races invariably differ from one another. This variation is less external and more internal. The gradual development of internal discipline springs directly from the mode of living and education. This internal discipline is known as Prana Dharma. To be more clear, when the vital expression of a race takes a particular course of manifestation, that course of manifestation is known as Prana Dharma. Take the example of India. The people of India have been inhering their own Prana Dharma since time immemorial. They are basically subjective in their approach to life and the world. By nature they are parabhimukhi from the very inception of childhood -- that is, they ascribe Godhood to every action, thought and expression. The reason for this is very clear. In ancient India, at the age of five, a boy was sent to the residence of a Guru or enlightened teacher to learn till the age of twenty-five. The child used to learn mainly paravidya or spiritual knowledge and some aparavidya or mundane knowledge from the Guru. After the completion of student life, the youth could return to Garhasta Dharma. In the Garhasta Dharma, he used to cultivate both spiritual knowledge and mundane knowledge. After reaching 50 years of age, he used to leave Garhasta Dharma and entered into Vana Prasta where he used to only cultivate spiritual knowledge. This is the very reason why people developed a subjective approach towards life. This subjective approach to life became the Prana Dharma of the people of India. We find that in India, even when a notorious robber goes to commit a crime, he takes the name of Mother Kali. In the educational system of India, the cultivation of spiritual knowledge was primary, and this instilled in the students a high standard of behaviour, reverence and modesty. Now, the best way of enmity against a person or a race is to deprive the person or the race of the freedom to cultivate their Prana Dharma, and to prevent them from channelising their potentiality accordingly. For example, the best way of enmity against a bird is to put it in a cage so that it will become a biped animal. The long confinement in the cage, which is against the Prana Dharma of the bird, will deprive it of the capacity to fly. Capitalism and communism are both ultravires to the Prana Dharma of the people of the world. PROUT wants to maintain the integrity of Prana Dharma of each and every race. Capitalism, by its hydra-headed greed for economic exploitation, has made human beings slaves to circumstances beyond their control. In India, capitalism has sucked the vital energy of the people by rendering them poverty stricken. Similarly, communism has gone against the very vital life surge of the people of India. Communists mouth enchanting, hollow slogans, and are trying to push the entire race down the path of animality where cardinal human values are non-existent. The English colonialists were also cunning enough to discern the Prana Dharma of the people of India, and they deprived them of the freedom to express their Prana Dharma. The British wanted to bring the entire Indian race under their colonial grip to make the people slaves. They reformed the old educational system of India and bluntly introduced the English system of education. The English education system was contrary to that of India, because it was based on an objective approach and the complete denial of the subjective approach. The British colonial masters educated the subjugated race on the lines of their own education system, and produced a peculiar group of people who were neither Indian nor civilian nor serviceable. These so-called educated people of India were a complete departure from the mass of Indians in their habits, behaviour, thoughts, modesty and personal integrity. That is why a gulf of difference developed between the so-called educated people and the village people of India. By applying these subtle tactics, a group of people in India became European in attitude although they were Indian in colour, and this group were instrumental in perpetuating the British Raj in India. The British colonialists applied the same tactics in China. The Chinese people, before the Kuomintan regime, were labourious and dexterous as well as religious. But by introducing opium, the British made the entire Chinese race inactive and indolent. Afterwards the communists, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, killed the religion of the Chinese people and deprived them of their Prana Dharma. In this way, the British and the communists brought the entire Chinese race under their grip. PROUT does not want to turn the hands of the clock back. PROUT does not reject the western educational system. But at the same time, the western education system utterly failed to inculcate a sense of morality, reverence and a high standard of behaviour among the students of India during the time of the British Raj. That is why in PROUT's system of education, we stress the need to start `Ashramic Schools' in every village of India. If this is done, the corrosive tendency introduced by the British can be checked at an early stage. In the post-independence period of India, the leaders and educationists could not deeply understand the prevalent crisis of the Indian education system. This crisis was largely due to the defective British education system which was fundamentally against the Prana Dharma of the Indian people. All the attempts to reform the education system proved futile and led the nation towards further degradation. This was because India's educationists could not reform the education system according to the Prana Dharma of the Indian people. Our A'nanda Ma'rga school curriculum is based on the Prana Dharma of the people of India, and furthermore, it strengthens the people in their Prana Dharma. PROUT is of the opinion that the different races will assimilate PROUT philosophy according to their Prana Dharma. There is wide scope for adjustment. Svadharme nidhanam' shreyah paradharma bhayabahah "It is better to die while pursuing one's Dharma Than to be led to catastrophe by following adharma." During the Muslim period in India, social distress increased in the fabric of Indian society. But the Muslims could not deprive the people of India of their Prana Dharma. But during the British rule, both in the social and spiritual spheres, the people were deprived of their Prana Dharma. Some so-called western educated people even now look down upon villagers for their simplicity and na ivete. These so-called educated people were misguided away from Prana Dharma because they were denied any subjective approach in the western education system. This is why such people have failed to become one with the mass. PROUT equips human beings with their own Prana Dharma and thereby reinforces and strengthen their march along the path of progress. Ranchi, 1969 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Basic Differences in Attitude Between the East and the West Though the human society is one and indivisible, still there are certain differences in the attitudes to life and the world between the East and the West. Both have their distinctly different mentalities. The East is predominantly subjective in outlook, whereas the West has a mainly objective bent of mind. The East, throughout its development, has maintained a subjective approach, whereas western countries put great stress on objective development. Too much emphasis on either one of these approaches is not conducive to the all-round growth of the society. We can build up an ideal society only on the basis of a happy adjustment between the subjective and the objective approaches. Here is the greatness of A'nanda Ma'rga ideology. While the East is essentially spiritual in outlook, some philosophies have distorted spirituality to such an extent that they regard the world as an illusion. Some Indian Monists emphatically declare, Brahma satyam' jaganmithya'. "Brahma is the only reality; the expressed world is an illusion." Human life is like a drop of water on a lotus leaf, therefore it is futile to try and develop the material world. Such philosophies advise "atmanam viddhi" or "know thyself". All the religions of the East have clearly instructed their followers to try and accept the path of shreya or that which leads to supreme benevolence only, to the utter exclusion of preya or that which leads to the acquisition of mundane objects! It may be that this sort of philosophy is not logically incorrect, but in practice this type of extreme idealism preaches that the world should be ignored. The individual human being may develop conscience, morality, renunciation, etc., and may reach the height of spirituality, but the society as a whole will not thereby progress. The maximum development of the society will be reached when there is balanced development in the physical, mental and spiritual spheres. The Asian countries, in spite of their long heritage of morality and spirituality, have been subject to great humiliation during periods of foreign invasion. While the higher knowledge of philosophy propagated by the oriental sages and saints has been accepted as a unique contribution to the store house of human culture and civilisation, the people of these lands could not resist the foreign invaders. The history of all the Asian countries, a region of so many religions, has been dominated by foreign powers for centuries together. This imbalance brought about their material deprivation and political subjugation. On the other hand, the West is completely obsessed with physical development. It has made spectacular progress in the fields of politics, economics, science, warfare, etc. In fact, it has made so much material progress that it seems to be the sovereign master of the water, land and air. But for all that, it is not socially content and miserably lacks spiritual wealth. Unlike the East, in the West plenty of wealth has created a crisis. Therefore, it is abundantly clear that no country can progress harmoniously with only one-sided development. Therefore, it behooves both the East and the West to accept a synthetic ideology that stands for a happy synthesis between the two. Here, the East can help the west spiritually, whereas the materialistic West can extend its material help to the East. Both will be mutually benefited if they accept this golden policy of give and take, expressed in Bengali as, "Dive ar nive milave milive." In the educational system of the East, there is the predominant element of spirituality. Oriental students used to go to their Guru's house at the age of five and live there up to twenty-five years of age. They led a strictly ethical and spiritual life and were mainly taught paravidya or spiritual knowledge and some aparavidya or mundane knowledge. Then next in their domestic life, they cultivated mundane knowledge and spiritual knowledge up to 50 years of age, and in the last quarter of their life they cultivated spiritual knowledge exclusively. So the people of the orient could not but be spiritual in their thoughts and actions. Whereas there is, in the western system of education, a clear and unilateral emphasis on mundane knowledge. So to build up an ideal human society in the future, the balanced emphasis on the two is indispensable. We should remember that morality, spirituality and humanity, and a happy blending of occidental extroversial science and oriental introversial philosophy is the very foundation of our system of education. Unlike Rudyard Kipling who wrongly observed that "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet," A'nanda Ma'rga believes in one universal society with one ideology and one cosmic goal. 1969, Ranchi * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learned and Educated We can only call those people "learned" who have read a lot, understood what they have read, remembered what they have read, and understood and acted according to what they have read, understood and remembered. Educated and learned people may or may not be illiterate, and literate people may or may not be educated. To be learned in the real sense mentioned above, all four factors are necessary. A person who has one of these points missing is not a learned person. The following examples illustrate this. 1) It is necessary to read a lot. Limited reading or reading only one subject will not be enough. It is necessary to read many books. We would not call a person who reads only a little learned. 2) It is necessary to read a lot and to understand it. If any body reads a lot but does not understand it, then he or she cannot be called learned. 3) Whatever has been read and understood should also be remembered. If one does not remember, then one is not learned. If you were to ask a man who had previously passed his M.Sc. to appear now for the matriculation examination, he would be unable to pass it as he has forgotten everything. 4) Reading, understanding and remembering should go together and then one will have to act accordingly. If a lawyer were to do the work of a clerk, she could not be called learned. She should do only legal work. An Advocate, if she does not practice her profession, will forget all the laws, then how can she be called learned? Only one who posses all the above four points can be called learned. Only that person is educated. How many ways of reading are there? There are three ways of reading. First, there is reading using the eyes. Then there is reading by hearing. In the olden times, many people were not literate but they knew many things by hearing them. You may still find some old people who do not know how to read or write, but they know the Ramayana and the Mahabharata very well. Thirdly, there is reading by mudra or movement. A blind person can know about something by touch ing it. This is called "the tactual method". If a man is standing far away and you need to tell him something, then you can do a mudra to call him nearer -- you can make him understand without speech. The deaf and dumb use this method of mudra. If one indriya (sense organ) ceases to work, then the others become more sensitive. For example, there are five sense organs. Suppose that every sense organ has a power of 20 degrees. If any one of the sense organs ceases to function, then the power of that organ is shared between the remaining organs. That is, the remaining sense organs will get 25 degrees of power. A deaf man can understand everything with the science of the eyes and facial expressions and a blind man by hearing, smelling or touching. The fine arts came into existence through the medium of mudra. Lord Shiva is the creator of the fine arts. Mudra is "the externalisation of internal feeling" and means "to express the desires of the mind". Sa'tsaungena bhavenmuktih asatsaunges'u bandhanam Asatsaungamudran'am' yat sa' mudra' parikiirtita' "Keeping good company leads to salvation, whereas the company of bad people leads to greater bondage. Shunning the company of wicked people is called "mudra'"." To communicate ideas through gesture and posture is called "mudra". In the East we find that dance is dominated by mudra, and in the West we find that it is dominated by rhythm. Indian folk dance and classical dance are also mudra-dominant. Mudra is more subtle than rhythm. What is samgiit or music? Singing, the playing of instruments and dancing are together called "samgiit". Where there is only singing and the playing of instruments but no dance, it is called "giita". In the time of the Mahabharata, what Krs'n'a said was called "Giita" because He only told it, he did not dance. If Krs'n'a had explained the nature of Dharma while dancing, then it would not have been called "Giita", it would have been called "Samgiita". Ya' Bhagavata' Giita' sa' Giita' "Whatever Bhagava'n has said is Giita." There are six primary ragas and thirty six primary raginiis. That is, uda'ra', muda'ra' and da'ra'. Today we find two types of dance in India. First, there is Aryavartha Nartya, and South Indians call it the North Indian style. Secondly, there is Dakhinavartha Nrtya or Karnatak or the South Indian style. Both styles were given by Lord Shiva, but credit for bringing them to the public goes to Maharsi Bharata. In the Vedas there is rhythm, because most of the Vedas come from outside India. The propagators of the Veda could not go against rhythm. They had to accept rhythm but not grammar. For this reason there are many grammatical mistakes in the Vedas. In Tantra, mudra is dominant. Rhythm is guided by mudra. In a few places, the Vedas also use mudra. For example, in shra'ddha (last rites) there is pindadan mudra which is called "ankush mudra". In pitr yajina there are also mudras, which are called namah mudra, abhaya mudra, varada mudra, etc., and are found in the Vedas. The portion of the Vedas which was made in India is responsible for these mudras. Instrumental music is also based on mudra. In western countries, only instruments such as the violin are based on mudra. Man'ipurii dance, folk dance, Cho dance and Ramvasa dance all have a predominance of mudra. Ramvasa dance has less mudra because it is a war dance. Cho dance, which is performed after battle during times of rest in the military camp, has more mudra in it. The dancer only dances, and does not sing. Another person sings and narrates in song what is taking place. In the Tandave Nrtya of Lord Shiva there is more rhythm, and in Parvatii's Laliita dance there is the dominance of mudra, sweet and refined. Both these dances make a person tired quickly in India because India is a hot country. In the word "ta'l", "ta'" is derived from ta'n'da'va and "la" from laliita, so it has become tal. Tal is the adjustment of both, that is why it has become more popular. 15 June 1970, Ranchi * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Some Hints on Education How to impart education has always been a very poignant question. The influence of the environment has a tremendous impact on the human mind. The environment in which one is born and brought up continues to exert a tremendous influence till the last days, till the dying stage, of human life. According to the type of education imparted, one's psychic environment is built up. The psychic environment is more powerful in human life than the physical environment. Let me drop a few hints. You apply your intelligence and try to understand. Suppose a man is born in a minority community in a particular country. He is put under severe strain because of the atrocities perpetrated on him. In this case, though the country does have an environmental influence on him, due to psychic pressure he leaves his country and defects to another country. This happens because psychic influence is stronger than the influence of the physical environment. If we wish to do maximum good to the people, we must find out the proper way, the best way, to impart education. If we can mould our minds in the proper way, then everything is accomplished. As soon as the mind is in the proper shape, the people understand where to seek inspiration from. That is, it is to be sought from Parama Purus'a (Supreme Consciousness). Education is just remoulding the old structure of the mind and goading it unto the highest state of realisation, the exalted status of Supreme Veracity, the highest status of factualities. We have to keep in view three fundamentals before imparting education. The first is that education must always be based on factuality. There must not be the injection of any dogma or fanaticism or any type of geographical or racial chauvinism in the education system. The second fundamental is that education must awaken the thirst for knowledge in the students' minds. The students themselves will create environmental pressure by persistent demands for answers to queries like: What is the answer? Is it correct? The longing, "I wish to know.... I wish to understand and assimilate the entire universe" should be created. Such a thirst for knowledge should be created in the minds of students. A learner, in Arabic, is called "ta'lib-ul-ilm", meaning "a genuine seeker of knowledge." So a tremendous thirst for knowledge must be awakened in the students' minds. They will constantly pry their teachers, their parents and their neighbours with questions like: Why is this so? What is that? Why does that happen? Why does this not happen? etc. They are ready to assimilate the entire universe. The third fundamental of education is that teachers and students should have a balanced mind, unaffected, unassailed by unimportant entities. These are the three fundamentals of education. Education is a must not only for human beings, but also for all living beings. For instance, if you train a dog, you can take much work from it. If you train a cow, it will give greater service. Some people may ask: Why does A'nanda Ma'rga run many kindergarten schools and not many high schools, degree colleges and universities? A kindergarten school is something basic and the mission of making human beings is accomplished here. If one has already become a thief or a criminal, in that case university education for such a person is of no avail. One is to be moulded in one's childhood. If one receives the fundamentals of education in the formative period of one's life, one will keep oneself alright in the teeth of the greatest trials and tribulations in life. A bamboo, when green, can be shaped or bent in any way you like. Once it ripens, any attempt to reshape it will break it. This is why more stress is to be laid on kindergarten schools. Such schools are the first phase of making human beings. So, what is the need of education? Proper education enables one to stand against the influence of the physical environment and awaken the psychic urge to attain a higher life, that is, the ideological goal. This gives a person much inspiration. We should do our best to impart proper education not only to the entire humanity, but also to all created beings. We can impart training to all trees, plants and birds, and put them on the path of welfare. August, 1980 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Some Educational Policies According to PROUT, the aim of education is: Sa' vidya' ya' vimuktaye "Education is that which liberates." The real meaning of education is trilateral development -- simultaneous development in the physical, mental and spiritual realms of human existence. This development should enhance the integration of the human personality. By this, dormant human potentialities will be awakened and put to proper use. Educated are those who have learnt much, remembered much and made use of their learning in practical life. In PROUT's educational system, emphasis should be given to moral education and the inculcation of idealism -- not only philosophy and traditions. The practice of morality should be the most important subject in the syllabus at all levels. The sense of universalism should also be awakened in the child. Etiquette and refined behaviour are not enough. Real education leads to a pervasive sense of love and compassion for all creation. As I have mentioned before, the word E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N itself has special significance: E - Enlargement of mind D - DESMEP ( D - Discipline, E - Etiquette, S - Smartness, 73 M - Memory, E -English, P - Pronunciation) U - Universal Outlook C - Character A - Active habits T - Trustworthiness I - Ideation of the Great O - Omniscient grace N - Nice temperament Special importance should be attached to children's education because todays child is tomorrows citizen. The receptive capacity of a child is great, but to enhance the receptivity the method of education should be thoroughly psychological. From the beginning, children in India can be taught three languages -- their mother tongue or natural language, basic Sam'skrta or the appropriate classical language, and the world language. Students should be encouraged to learn the history of their respective mother tongues. By learning the world language, students will develop a feeling of world citizenship in their minds. According to the policy of PROUT, besides the mother tongue, students can also learn as many languages as possible. Let people know as many languages as they can. But in the practical field -- government and non-government work and court work --the mother tongue should be used. During secondary education, (in Indian this is years 8, 9 and 10), vocational education should be introduced according to the natural tendency and spontaneous aptitude of the students. Talented students should be provided with special facilities if they are poor. After higher education, students with talent should get the opportunity to do research work with the financial aid of the government. The examination system should undergo a radical change so that the knowledge of the student both in the applied and theoretical sides can be properly assessed. Students should be encouraged to involve themselves in social welfare and other constructive activities within their school or campus. After completing their education, students should be guaranteed appropriate employment. Proper care should be taken in the selection of teachers. Academic certificates are not the only criteria for selecting teachers. Qualities like a strong character, righteousness, social service, selflessness, an inspirational personality, and leadership ability should be evident in teachers. Teachers should get the highest respect in society and their economic needs should be properly looked after. The framing of educational policies, the control of the educational system, and all other activities concerned with education should be managed by a board comprised of efficient teachers. This board should enjoy full freedom and authority to carry out its duties. Education must be free from all political interference. Education should be free at all levels. Should PROUT support the participation by students in the administration of educational institutions? Grown-up students, that is, adults, may take part in the non-academic side of administration. The academic side should be controlled and managed by educationists with the help and co-operation of grown- up students, just as grown-up children may help their parents a lot in managing family duties. The relation between students and teachers should be sweet. Radio, television, films and other media must be free from exploitation and vested interests. Qualified professionals should utilise such media for the benefit of students to ensure high quality education. The teaching of science must always be encouraged. The study and application of science will assist in the spread of knowledge and help to ensure that the right to knowledge in every sphere of life -- social, economic, psychic and spiritual -- is attained by all. Knowledge and science must be free like the light, the air and the unhindered wealth of nature. They must serve all and supply the vital juice of life. April 1981, Calcutta * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Role of Youth The nature of life is to change and to grow. Where there is no change, it is just like the condition of death. In all living structures, the young are resilient and open to change. If a limb of a child is broken, it heals quickly. If a child is mentally wounded, he or she soon recovers. When new ideas and technology come forward, it is the young minds that can grasp them. The old become fossilized. To move the old is an effort; for the old to adapt to change is difficult. Our world needs a great change in order to move forward and progress. A new order, a new wave, will have to take the place of the old to remedy all the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual ills of the world. As the vanguard of this new movement, the youth are indispensable. It is the youth, and the youth only, who have the vigor to bring about the necessary change. It is the youth who have the resilience to change and adapt and implement the vision of a new society. Without this vision, without the youth, the world will continue in the morass of suffering, injustice and exploitation that is our present social condition. It is the youth of the world only who can help bring about the new world order and the vision of a new humanity. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Education and Neo-Humanism You know, it is the inherent wont of all living beings to expand in the physical arena, and for this purpose, rather because of this element -- this wont is nothing but a sort of element -- they exploit others, they forget the interest of other living beings. Just now I said that it is the inherent wont of all living beings, both human beings and animals, to expand in the physical arena. In the case of human beings there is another wont, another inborn instinct, and that is simply to expand in the psychic arena also. So unlike other animals, human beings have got one scope, or got the scope, to divert their physical longings into spiritual aspirations. Other animals have not got this. But because of this psychic wont, they exploit others in the psychic level as well as the physical level, and this exploitation in the psychic level is more dangerous than in the physical one. So that there may not be any intellectual extravaganza or any physical subjugation, human beings require proper training both physically and mentally. And this is what is called "education" -- properly training the physical existence and also the psychic world. Because of the want of such a training in proper time, there remains no co-ordination, no adjustment between inner being and outer being. Sometimes people are very sincere in the vocal field but there remains not an iota of sincerity in the inner world, in the internal world. And this is what happens in the modern world. The existence of both individual and collective existence has become one-sided, that is, it has lost its balance. For this what we require most is a proper system of education. Just to show their sincerity of purpose, just to show that they are developed human beings, sometimes people speak of disarmament. They say there should be a check, a control over the manufacturing of weapons, of deadly weapons. They say like this vocally. They express this idea vocally, but internally they remain ready for worse weapons or more deadly weapons, just to keep others under their servitude in the physical sphere. It is nothing but a very bad type of brutality. Once upon a time a certain person, a leader, said, "Keep the prospects of peace but keep your powder dry." That is what happens today. We may say this physical longing, rather this physical wont, should be diverted towards psychic longings. But if it is diverted towards psychic longings by proper mundane education -- that will not suffice. In that case there remains the fear of psychic subjugation. So the remedy lies elsewhere. Yes, human beings should be goaded by human feelings -- human sentiments, human ideas. No doubt it is good if human feelings serve as a moral check in this competition of weapons, but it is not the last word; human feelings cannot check the internal fighting, the type of infighting prevalent amongst human beings. For this purpose we should have a two-fold approach. For the purpose of training this turbulent mind, what is to be done? One is to get proper education, one is to be imparted with proper education -- not general education -- in the gospel of, in the idea of Neo-Humanism. This will help human beings in training the mind. And at the same time spiritual practice should go on for proper psychic remoulding. This what we require most. There is no alternative. R.U. Discourse 25 May 1985, Calcutta * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Teachers and Students What is the duty of teachers? What is the duty of students? In the Vedic language, "shiksa" means "to make others understand". You know something but you may or may not be in a position to make others understand what you know. The psychological interpretation is to assimilate objectivity by internal subjectivisation. Now, suppose there is a dialogue between a teacher and a student. Student: "Sir, what is the meaning of nationality?" Teacher: "Nat means "a collection within a geographical range, on a particular land." This collection in Latin is "nata". What is the result of nata? When the suffix "ion" is added it is "nation". Nation is incorrectly pronounced as "nashon" in English. In French it is "nation". Now, the abstract form for nation is nationalism. Nationalism is not something material. You can see the nation, but not the sentimental unity known as nationalism. Do you know the difference between a material noun and an abstract noun? When an entity comes within the jurisdiction of the sensory and the motor organs it is a "material" or "proper" or "common noun". But when it does not come within the range of the sensory or the motor organs but is a fact mentally, it is called "an abstract noun". Thus physical presence is common, but the idea is abstract." Student: "Sir, another question. What is the meaning of mysticism?" Teacher: "There are so many trifling entities and objects in this world. This is a pillow, this is a bolster. They are limited. They are units. They function within certain limitations. They are finite. You see, the universal entity is there, the vast cosmos is there. Do you follow?" Student: "Yes sir." Teacher: "Try to find a link between this finite and that infinite. That endeavour of yours is known as "mysticism"." Student: "Sir, there is another question. What is the correct pronunciation of the term "education" -- "ejucation" or "ajukation"?" Teacher: "You know, my boy, English is a blending of Latin and Scandinavian -- Anglo-Saxon terms and the Norman tongue. The Norman tongue follows Latinic intonation and the Scandinavian tongues follow the Nordic or Anglo-Saxon style. As per Scandinavian intonation, the pronunciation is "ejucation". The Latin pronunciation is "adukation". The French pronunciation of education is "e'ducation". "T" is pronounced as "s" in French." Now, education means assimilation, conversion or transmutation of external physicalities. Knowledge regarding this collection has been transformed into your mental realm. This transformation of the external objectivity into internal subjectivity is education. So education is the transformation of external objectivity into internal subjectivity." What is the duty of a student? The major tapasya of a student is to study. The duty of a student is to study, to go through, to assimilate, that imparted knowledge. What is the duty of a teacher? The schedule of a teacher is, say, five hours a day, but teachers have other duties also. Do you go marketing? Do you do cleaning? When you are marketing you are not doing the job of a teacher. You cannot neglect your other duties. Society is in a catastrophe. Should you restrict your duties to teaching, or should you help the society? When a society, nation or human world is in catastrophe or calamity, you have to do your duty to the entire human world. Sometimes this duty becomes the major duty. Sometimes it happens that people do their major duty but neglect their social duty. If they neglect their social duty when the society is in a calamity, are they not committing a social crime? No, because sometimes the minor duties become the major duties and substitute as the major duties for the time being. The proper knowledge of teachers will help much in removing dogma from the dogma-stricken human order. The social order is defective and is in a lopsided condition. It is to be brought in proper order first. Everything should be done accordingly. 3 January 1989, Anandanagar