Features of Buddhist education : aim & objectives , curriculum , methods of Buddhist education.
Features of Buddhist education : aim & objectives , curriculum , methods of Buddhist education.
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Features of Buddhist education :
1. Aim of education:-
The aim of Buddhist education was liberation from life and the world. But in this there was a difference between Vedic and Buddhist. According to Vedic, liberation will come through proper fulfillment of life's responsibilities and duties. But the only aim of Buddhist education was ideal Nirvana; that is, domesticity has no importance here. The aim of education was sadhana, knowledge of ethics, living a moral life, education of discipline in the life of a free association and service to the religion. Basically, the aim of education was the extinction of desires.
2. Beginning of formal education:-
Buddhist education began with a religious ceremony called ''Prabrajya''. Since there was no caste system in Buddhism, a person of any caste could take the ordination. However, taking the ordination and entering the monkhood without the permission of parents was prohibited at the age of eight. The young student who entered for the first time was called ''Shraman''. After spending twelve years as a monk in the Buddhist monks' community, if he was considered worthy, the monk was given ''upasampada''.
3. Curriculum -
Combination of religious education and secular education: -
The aim of Buddhist education was to teach the student about religion and philosophy. In the early stage, there was no place for secular education in the curriculum of Buddhist education. Sutras, Dharma and Vinaya were compulsory for monks. Grammar, astronomy, etc. were also gradually included in the Buddhist curriculum. The Buddhist education system was not limited to monks only. Students from their own houses also relied on the monastery for theological education. For secular general education, they relied on the education system prevalent outside the monastery. In secular higher education, Buddhist education was rich in the fields of medicine, law, arts, etc.
The monks living in the monastery also learned handicrafts such as weaving. In the field of medicine, a seven-year curriculum was created combining theory and practical education. The traditional centers of medicine were - Taxila, Rajgriha and Varanasi.
4. Stage-based education system: -
For full monkhood, the student had to pass through different stages. The education system was according to the stage. The first stage was recitation, the second stage was discussion, and the third stage was teacher-teaching. A significant feature of the spread of Buddhist education and the teaching system is that as this education reached the masses, the language problem arose in education. So that everyone could understand the message and meaning of Buddhism, the Buddha asked them to teach in their mother tongue. At this time, Pali language gained importance as a medium of education. Later, both Pali and Sanskrit languages gained importance in Buddhist education.
5. Teacher-disciple relationship: -
There were two classes of teachers in Buddhist monasteries. The teacher of theology was the Upadhyaya. The supervisor of moral life was the Acharya or Karmacharya. The relationship of the ascetic with both the Upadhyaya and the Acharya was like that of a father and son. The ascetic served the Guru in various ways. He would leave his bed at the moment of Brahma, complete his work, start preparing for the service of the Guru and assist him in various tasks of the Guru. He could not accept any gift without the Guru's permission. If the Guru was sick, it was the disciple's responsibility to serve him. But despite such loyalty, it was not illegal for the disciple to leave the Guru for any reason. In the Buddhist education system, a keen eye had to be kept on the nature, character and behavior. If the Guru acted against the ideals of the Sangha, it was the disciple's responsibility to bring it to the notice of the Sangha. On the other hand, the Guru also always kept a watchful eye on the spiritual progress of the ascetic and his correct behavior.
6. Universality of Education: -
People of all castes had access to the Sangha schools. It is not that there were no restrictions at all. In Buddhist education, special attention was paid to moral and character purity. For this reason, there were some rules regarding education. If one crossed a certain age limit, one could not enter the Sangha. Moreover, the wicked and the sick did not have the right to get education. People engaged in political affairs, soldiers defending the country or criminals did not have the right to get education.
7. Life in monasteries or Bihara :-
Buddhist schools are called Buddhist monasteries or Bihara. Buddhist culture developed around monasteries. The administration of monasteries was democratic. Compliance with rules and mutual cooperation were one of the reasons for the success of monasteries. Along with education for acquiring knowledge, there were good arrangements for arts and practical education in monasteries. Debate meetings were organized within monasteries . Scholarly discussions on Buddhist theology and philosophy of life were held with the heads of monasteries . The monks owned eight daily necessities, such as the monk's robe, alms bowl, etc.
8. Discipline : -
Strict discipline was part of monastery life. Chanting the Trisaran mantra, following the Ashtangika Marga and observing the ten precepts were the philosophy of life of the residents of monasteries . The prohibitions on the behavior of monks are called precepts. There is mention of ten such precepts in Buddhist philosophy. There was no question of chaos in monastery life due to the strict rules and regulations.
9. Female Education:-
In Buddhism, being born is considered a cause of sorrow. Since the female race was considered the main cause of birth, considerable injustice was done to women's education. Moreover, for various other reasons, Buddha was against female education. However, at the request of his beloved disciple Ananda and foster mother Mahaprajapati Gautami, he agreed to make women disciples. Although nuns were accepted into the Sangha, the supremacy of monks had to be respected. They had to study under many prohibitions. There were a total of twelve prohibitions for nuns. Such as - not traveling alone, not crossing rivers, not touching male parts, not living in the same house as a man, etc. Despite all these prohibitions, many rich girls expressed their desire to become nuns. Buddhist texts mention high-class nuns like Visakha, Shuva, Anupama, Sumedha. Buddhist nuns with high philosophical knowledge were called ''Mera''.
10. Educational Institutions:-
Education during the Buddhist era was monastery-centric or Sangha-centric. Although residential monasteries also operated as educational institutions. Education during the Buddhist era attracted students from various countries outside India. Notable educational institutions during the Buddhist era were Nalanda, Vikramshila, Ballavi, Jagaddal, Odantapuri, etc. These were actually considered international standard educational institutions.
11. Evaluation Method:-
In the Buddhist educational system, the twelve-year residential education of the monastery or Sangha life ended with the Upasampada ceremony. During the Upasampada ceremony, the monk had to attend the meeting of the monks and answer various questions. Only if he could give satisfactory answers to the monks' questions could the monk obtain the title of Upasampada. Upasampada was the initial stage of final ordination.
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