Education in Jainism

SR No.: 269156
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hemant Shah
Publisher: Hemant Shah
Total Pages: 9
Language: English
Classification: Article & 0_not_categorized
File Size: 130 KB

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Education:
Let us understand 'Education' its concept and its role in life. In its very simple sense education is a process; it is a training. The training of the body, mind and soul is education. This training has its aims and objectives. Education is a means to live a life more effectively as well as more efficiently. In short education aims at a student's or learner's physical, mental and moral development. Education aims at imparting knowledge and making a child intelligent, it imparts yoga and other physical exercise to make a child physically strong, through its cultural and life skill activities, it makes a child good in conduct and finally it inculcates values in a child and makes his character virtuous. Thus education aims at all round development of a student. In the words of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, "It is the aim of education to train us to apprehend human virtues and simple decencies of life. We must educate not for cruelty and power but for love and kindness. We must develop the freshness of feeling for nature, the sensitiveness of soul to human need. We must foster the freedom of the mind, the humanity of the heart, the integrity of the individual". With right education one attains right knowledge, right vision and faith, right conduct and victory over sensuous limitation. It is a path that leads to liberation. Its role, no doubt, is vitally significant and important. In order to see how the ideas of a true education- system are reflected in a Jaina way of life, let us first briefly glance at Education as it is and as it should be in future. Avoiding a big discussion on the system of Education that was in ancient India, let us know about education from seventeenth century with the notion of progress and development till it prevails now and the education of future. To know this it becomes very important that we know the Indian approach to education. The Vedas, Upanishads and Jain canonical literature say: "Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man." Knowledge is inherent in man, no knowledge comes from outside, it is all inside. According to Jainism also, the soul has all infinite powers- infinite knowledge, infinite power, infinite faith and infinite bliss. The knowledge and all these infinites are veiled and education is simply unveiling. Education means to lead, to bring forth, to educe - to educe the inner, hidden, dormant potential within every human being. Sri Aurobindo writing on education says, "The first principle of the true teaching is that nothing can be taught."
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