________________
128 :
Sramaņa, Vol 59, No. 4/October-December 2008
to increase positive attitudes towards self, other, and the environment through creative experiences. Art is an excellent way of expressing emotions. It states views on life yet remain an individual. It mirrors life, a wonderful life. In this sense, it is a thing of beauty a joy for ever. Education provides direction to this way of life that becomes self-expressive and fulfilling. It paves the way for power of effective communication through which one can discriminate between good and evil. It helps in forming and be guided by a philosophy of life. Education and art, and its works push person/persons to imbibe inspirational culture, an effective continuity to progress. Both of them in their niceties make attempts to acquire excellent dispositions, refined attitudes in terms of vigor, courage, mettle or other such virtues to have refined and graceful mind. Both of them aim at presenting individual progress with social harmony to lead a cohesive way of life in learning self-rule or rule of the self for which philosophy in general and Jainism in particular aspire, practicise and untiringly take 'tapas' (penance). Art, Education and Jainism
Jainism is a philosophy and the problem of philosophy largely covers knowledge and experience, reality or existence and values. The Philosophy of Education as a branch of philosophy picks up the third i.e., acquisition and promotion of values through learning, training and education. Thus the task of this branch of Philosophy is to educate people on art of living, by allowing questions concerning practice of life shaping and by providing solutions of practical and life-sustaining significances. Education and art concretise them into living the philosophical life or the philosophical art of living. Fulfillment of this task elevates man to a kind of spiritual practice, an ethical/spiritual investigation into the meaningful life of courage and conviction through theory and practice, discourse and life that in complete correspondence affect one another and derive inspiration from and get strengthened from each other not only with words but through images as well. Jainism as a perfect philosophy and religion
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
