जनम-मरण

जनम और मरण आदमी के लिए दो घटनाएँ हैं | ये दोनों घटनाएँ हर आदमी के लिए जरूरी है | जितने भी आदमी हैं उन सब का जन्म तो हो ही चुका है | उन सबका मरण भी होगा ही | संसार में बहुत सारे जनम और मरण नित्य होते रहते हैं |

हमारा जन्म हो ही चुका है | इसके बारे में हमें कुछ करना-धरना नहीं है | मरण न हो ऐसा हो नहीं सकता इसलिए मरण न होने के लिए भी कुछ करना-धरना नहीं है |

मरण कब, कहाँ और किस तरह होगा इसके बारे में कोई जानकारी मानव परंपरा में अभी नहीं है | किसी भी पल किसी भी जगह पर किसी भी प्रकार से किसी का भी मरण हो सकता है | जन्म और मरण दोनों ही निश्चित घटनाएँ है | ऐसा ही प्रकृति का नियम है |

अस्तित्व स्वयं शुभ ही है | अस्तित्व में होने वाली हर घटना शुभ का ही प्रकाशन है | इसलिए मनुष्यों का मरण भी शुभ ही घटनाएँ हैं |

जन्म को तो मनुष्य शुभ मानते ही आए परन्तु मरण को शुभ मानने को तैयार नहीं हैं | जन्म-मरण तो परस्पर पूरक हैं अतः दोनों ही शुभ है |
शरीर की आयु सौ साल के आस-पास हो जाए तो मरण की स्वीकृति सी लगती है फिर भी ऐसे मरण की सूचना भी "शोक सन्देश" के रूप में दी जाती है तथा कहा जाता है कि इस मरण से परिवार और समाज ने कुछ खो दिया है |

शरीर की आयु सौ साल से काफी कम होने पर मरण हो जाने को सभी अशुभ मानते हैं | आजकल किसी भी आयु में किसी के भी मरने की संभावना बनी ही रहती है | उधर मनुष्यों में यह मान्यता गहरी बनी हुई है कि सौ साल तक शरीर का स्वास्थ्य बना रहना ही उचित है | मान्यताएं अपनी जगह हैं और घटनाएं अपनी जगह |

रोगी शरीर को केवल केवल जिन्दा बनाए रखना तो कोई कार्यक्रम नहीं हुआ | विचार करने का मुद्दा यह है कि जब तक शरीर बना हुआ है तब तक इसका सदुपयोग और इसकी सम्भाल कैसे की जाए ? अतः कितनी आयु शेष है के बजाए यदि यह विचार करें कि जो भी आयु शेष है उसका पूरा-पूरा सदुपयोग किया जाए और तब तक शरीर का उपयुक्त पोषण और संरक्षण किया जाए तो सार्थकता है |

इस दृष्टि से अपने बार में विचार करता हूँ तो-
(क) मेरे शरीर की शेष आयु का सदुपयोग कैसे हो ?
(ख) इस दौरान शरीर की सार-सम्भाल कैसे हो ?
पहले बिंदु की पूरकता में ही दूसरे बिंदु की सार्थकता है | शरीर की केवल देख-रेख होती रहे और कोई सदुपयोग न हो ये बेकार की बात है | शरीर का सदुपयोग होता रहे इसके लिए उसकी देखभाल जरूरी है |

मैं मनुष्य हूँ | वास्तविकता को समझना व समझाना ही मेरा मुख्या कार्य है | अतः सदुपयोगिता के रूप में यही निकालता है कि-
(१) जो जिज्ञासा है उसे तृप्त करने के लिए अध्ययन करता रहूँ तथा
(२) जो समझ में आ गया है उसका प्रकाशन करता रहूँ, व्याख्या करता रहूँ और उसके अनुसार जीता रहूँ |
(३) उपरोक्त कार्य के लिए शरीर की श्रेष्ठतम स्थिति बनाकर रखूँ |

जन्म की तरह मरण भी सभी मनुष्यों के लिए जरूरी घटना है इस सच्चाई को सभी जानते हैं और इसकी याद दिलाने के लिए रोज हमारे चारों तरफ किसी न किसी के साथ मरण की घटना घटित होती रहती है | हम सब तरह-तरह से इन घटनाओं को वर्णन भी करते रहते हैं | इन अवसरों पर प्रायः मनुष्य अपने-अपने कार्यों और भावनाओं का अवलोकन भी करते हैं तथा उनकी निरर्थकता को मानते हैं परन्तु शीघ्र ही पूर्ववत जीने लगते हैं | एक भाई ने एक बार यमुना किनारे चिता जलाते हुए कहा था कि मैं सैकड़ो बार शमशान घाट आ चुका हूँ | यहाँ आकर बहुत कुछ सोचता हूँ परन्तु लौटते समय ऊपर सड़क पर पहुँचते ही पूर्ववत ही जीने लगता हूँ | इसी से मिलती जुलती घटनाएँ सबके साथ बितती रहती है |

जिनका शरीर छूट जाता है उनके बारे में हम कुछ कह नहीं पाते हैं जो रह जाते हैं वो थोड़ी देर के लिए अफसोस करके पूर्ववत हो जाते हैं |

अनेक संतों और विद्वानों ने इन घटनाओं के आधार पर विभिन्न प्रकार से मनुष्यों को चेतावनी भी दी है | और किसी क्षण भी मरण हो सकता है इसको याद रखने के लिए आग्रह किया है आश्चर्य भी प्रकट किया है कि क्यों मनुष्य मरण को देखकर भी अनदेखा करते जाते हैं |

प्रश्न यही उठता है कि याद करके भी क्या करें ? क्या मौत के दिन जैसा सन्नाटा बना कर रखें ? क्या निरंतर रोते और पछताते ही रहें ? ऐसा तो हो नहीं सकता | कार्य तो हमको जीने के लिए और जीवन को अभिव्यक्त करने के लिए ही करने हैं |

श्रद्धेय स्व० यशपाल सत्य जी की डायरी से

Do flowers Fly?

WORK AND COMFORT by Late Y. S. Satya

WORK AND COMFORT

Y.S. Satya, CES, IIT, Delhi

Context

Place: a classroom in IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Delhi, India

Time: 3-4pm

Activity: 1^st tutorial exercise of EEE (Environment, Ecology and Energy) class, a discussion

Objective:

1. Clarification of certain ideas,

2. Maitri (friendship) between students and teacher

Topic: Progress

A Dialogue

Student: Man has made so much progress

Teacher: What is progress?

Student: More comforts

Teacher: What is comfort?

Student: We want to do less work

Teacher: Comforts refer to our body

Student: Yes

Teacher: That means keeping the body fit

Student: Yes

Teacher: How can the body remain fit? For this, fresh water and air are required. Proper temperature, humidity, pressure, light, sound and airflow are also needed. This is ENVIRONMENT. Flowers, butterflies, chirping birds, trees and animals also help keep our body fit. This is ECOLOGY. We also need nutrition for growing and maintaining our body. This is ENERGY. Thus, fresh environment, rich ecology and bountiful energy are, of course, required. To keep the body fit we also need to do work. What work?

Student: Work to strain our body muscles e.g. exercise and games

Teacher: Yes, so that our muscles remain active and do not degenerate. Let us think of some experiments. Suppose you are asked to lift a stone, take it there, bring it back and so on, just strain your muscles. How long can you do it? How much do you like it?

Think of another activity, which gives enough strain to our body and also is Meaningful and Creative. Will you like to do such a work? How much? How long?

Obviously, we like to do meaningful work. We don’t want to do useless work. Meaningful work we like to do more and more. In fact, continuously. The only limitation is our body strength it gets tired. It needs rest. Okay, we take rest, we sit, lie down, and sleep. Once the rest is complete, we again continue doing meaningful work. How long? Forever. In fact that is what we want to do. Only meaningful work.

This also defines the fitness of the body. A body is fit as long as it is useful for a meaningful work. It is unfit if we cannot use it for meaningful work. Without this meaningful work, “Keeping the body fit” cannot be defined.

In conclusion, it turns out that we want to do more and more work; we take rest only due to body limitation. A healthier body means the capacity to do more work.

Nobody wants to do less work. Less work implies either the body is not fit or we do not find meaning in work. Let us think of another experiment. In good health and fresh mood, take a day’s leave and decide to do No Work. Just don’t do anything. Say to yourself, “I want less and less work, doing less work is comfort. Let me do no work today”, that is, let me to remain most comfortable.

This experiment will reveal that no healthy and fresh person wants to do NO WORK, nor wants to do meaningless work without interest. Therefore it is a misconception that progress and comfort implies doing less work. In fact PROGRESS could and should only mean doing more and more meaningful work. What is the MEANINGFUL WORK? Yes, that is THE QUESTION? And this has nothing to do with physical comfort. In fact, physical comfort and in turn, body fitness and for that clean environment, flourishing ecology and rich earth (energy) could be defined only if the above question is correctly answered.

Obviously this question does not pertain to physical body only. The work MEANINGFUL refers to the human mind. We shall call it Jivan (self) because the word mind is not sufficient. Mind of course is included in Jivan (self).

Thus, Jivan needs the MEANING. It explores meaning in harmonious evolution for the entire nature including all human community.

There are these five meaningful questions:

1. How can I, as an individual, remain continuously satisfied, full of happiness and enthusiasm?
2. How can I be well behaved and responsible in my family? How can my family be always rich (Prosperous) and loving?
3. How can my family and I participate in National Affairs? How can this entire world remain problem free and full of happiness for all?
4. All these animals, plants, insects, water, air, soil, etc. (Nature) can be bountiful and beautiful?
5. What is this entire existence (Astitwa)? What is this purpose and meaning in it (Prayojan)? How is this achieved? How do I relate to all this? Do I have any real freedom? What for and in what form?

All these five types of questions have to find mutually consistent and complementary answers.

All the students went into deep thought and left for the next class as the time for class was over.

Methodology in Education

- Understanding, learning and doing (implementation and practice)

- Not emphasizing the question of ‘how’ to do (DOING aspects) but proposing to encourage to explore/investigate to know ‘why’ & ‘what-is’ (BEING aspects).

- The process is one of self-exploration and self-investigation, rather than giving lectures or stating dos & don'ts. Whatever is found to be a reality may be stated as a proposal and students must be able to verify it in his/her own right.

- This process of self-exploration/investigation takes the form of a dialogue between the teacher & students. This process is ultimately to ensure resolved thoughts of one's own (rather than imposed thoughts) and living without conflicts/contradictions

- To encourage children to look within. The emphasis is on authenticity while encouraging self-exploration and self-investigation for child’s originality.

- Acknowledging what children already know- Learning from what children already know about the topic and build upon their knowledge. Examine various dimensions and angles from which the topics can be explored)

- Teaching through the local context:

§ Choosing topics from the children’s daily life – both cultural (e.g. festivals, customs, lifestyle, methods of cooking and food habits, manner of farming etc.) and physical (trees and shrubs, local crops, a busy street or a market place, any local issue, home, school etc.)

§ Integration of subjects: Teacher weaves in the subjects rather than teach subjects and then apply it to real life situations. Understand real life and bring in the required subject whenever needed.

§ Teachers create the space for discussing socially and environmentally relevant issues with the children. The discussions give an opportunity for debates, listening, speaking, articulating, questioning and writing. Teachers can provide reading materials to enhance the level of discussion

§ The children learn through real life situations by formulating and asking questions, interviewing people, documenting, collecting information, seeking out knowledge from observations, examining patterns in situations and learning from them. Students develop strong communication and listening skills in the process.

§ The teacher’s role is more that of a facilitator and co-learner. The teacher needs to be aware of where & how he/she weaves in the subjects in the process.

Teacher and Teaching/Learning in Education

- The role of a teacher as a facilitator: Teaching and learning are inseparable. The teacher and child may learn different dimensions or they may learn the same thing but they both learn.

- Effective Communication- The process of communication differs from speaker and listener. The process of communication of the speaker moves from reality to meaning to word (speaker), while the listener moves from word to meaning to reality (the listener). There is a need to recognize the importance of listening in teaching/learning. Understanding and agreeing – are distinct from each other. Understanding is the most important aspect of education, not agreeing and disagreeing.

- The difference between seeing and observing; between hearing and listening; between talking and communicating. The importance of noticing (paying attention) in learning, seeing and observing: the difference lies in noticing (paying attention). The teachers role is to draw students attention to reality

- Observing how education leads to imitation and (hidden) assumptions about who and what is ‘forward’, who and what is ‘developed’ and who and what is ‘backward’ etc. symbols.

- Investigating how textbooks create myths and assumptions in a hidden manner

- Importance of teaching from reality (which the child knows already) to meaning to word (that she/he is familiar with) and finally the alphabet.

Content of Humanized-Education

Humanization of Education implies aligning the content (“what” of education) and process of education (“how” of education) with understanding of coexistence.

Humanization of Education entails:

1. Study of consciousness along with the study of science and technology


2. Study of self-awareness/wisdom, human-values and character along with the study of psychology



3. Study of protection and proper-use of personal and natural resources along with the study of economics


4. Study of humane-culture and humane-civilization along with the study of sociology


5. Study of policy of protection and enrichment of humanity along with the study of politics

6. Study of self-realization and practice/action along with the study of philosophy

7. Study of human-being, human-ness and humanity along with the study of geography and history


8. Reality orientation with the study of literature



Due to the absence of the subject content identified above, the following subjects are currently being taught-

1. Profit based economics
2. Consumerism based Sociology
3. Senses and sensual pleasure based Psychology
4. Conflict based materialism
5. Struggle based humanities/humanism
6. Mystics based spiritualism

The alternative proposals of humanized education for the prevalent economics, psychology, sociology, materialism, humanities and spiritualism are:

1. Cyclical Economics (Realization of universal-prosperity while enriching nature)

2. Behavioural Sociology (Realization of united-humankind/ undivided-society with justice)

3. Human-Consciousness based Psychology (Realization of human-consciousness, which manifests as humane-conduct- a combined expression of values, character, and principled-living)


4. Resolution based Materialism (Realization of omni-dimensional/all-encompassing resolution. Freedom from all kinds of conflict)
5. Behaviour based Humanities/Humanism (Realization of co-existence and goodness of all human beings/universal goodness)
6. Realization/existential-experience based Spiritualism (Self-realization/ awakening and comprehension of truth. Freedom from all kinds of illusions.)

This is a proposal for the study of human beings, consciousness, and human-ness. Humanized education (based on Madhyasth-Darshan/Co-existential Thought) gives the basis for value and character-education through consciousness-development. Evidence of this knowledge is humankind realizing resolution in all aspects of living in harmony, undivided humane-society and orderliness. 
Humanized education shall ensure the continuity of resolution and peace and equip every student with the following:

1. Self-Confidence,

2. Respect for Excellence,

3. Trust in Self-Talent,

4. Balance/Equilibrium in Talent and Personality,

5. Sociality in Behavior,

6. Self-Reliance in Occupation

Potential Impact and Transformation by Humanized Education

Humanized Education propels towards a paradigm shift– a change in mentality/ perception from that of-

· Struggle mentality into resolution mentality

· Competitive & opposition mentality into co-operation and complementariness mentality

· Exploitation mentality into enrichment mentality

· Domination and controlling mentality into self-regulation (self-organized-ness) and orderliness mentality

· Consumerist and profit mentality into justice mentality

· Accumulation, possession and deprivation (feeling of lack) mentality into living with a feeling of prosperity mentality

· Problem/conflict centered mentality into resolution & peace centered mentality

· Group/divisiveness mentality into undivided society and unanimity mentality

· Violence and hatred mentality into love and oneness mentality

· War mentality into co-existence mentality

This shift in mentality/perception will lead to a transformation within oneself that will be expressed in relationships with other human beings and with all of nature. Humanized-education ensures learning atmospheres that are conducive to awareness/clarity, honesty/integrity, responsibility and participation. It will foster holistic education to help students develop holistically as well as create safe, happy, inclusive and cooperative atmospheres in educational institutions and in the world at large.

Nature and Criteria of Humanized Education

Education should satisfy the following criteria-

• Universal: With respect to time, space and individuals. Non-sectarian. Not restricted to race, religion, class, gender etc.
• Rational: Yields to logic and reason. Free from mystics, preaching, rituals, and blind faith. Based on the independent free will of every human being. Everything is stated in the form of a proposal.
• Accessible: Shareable, inclusive and understandable by all.
• Verifiable: Through experience and experimentation.
• Practical: Becomes part of one’s life. All human beings can live it.
• Holistic: It covers all dimensions (work, behaviour, thought and realization) and all levels (individual, family, society and nature) of human living.
• Natural for Human beings and Nature: It is naturally acceptable to every human being and there is provision in nature for its fulfillment, leading to harmony within humanity and with all of nature

The nature of humanized education is based on universal values, which completely satisfies all of the criteria mentioned above.

Characteristics of Humanized Education

- Humanization of Education from Industrialization of Education- Current education, which developed for the industrial revolution, needs to be enhanced. Humanized-education is aiming for material resolution, intellectual resolution and spiritual resolution. (Material resolution is being definitive about one’s material needs, and being able to have/produce more than those needs as – Prosperity. It manifests as prosperity in the family while enriching nature. Intellectual resolution is having definitiveness and harmony in one’s thought-patterns (thoughts without conflict/contradiction). It manifests as harmony within and in one’s relationships with others in family and society. Spiritual resolution is having comprehension of reality (as it is) in existence (freedom from illusions, doubt and fear). It manifests as eternal happiness and trust within.)

- Education to help students develop holistically (e.g. physically, mentally, intellectually, emotionally, socially, culturally, spiritually and creatively)

- Humanized education is not only limited to specialization but to achieving excellence

- Education is not only to get a well-paid job, rather it is to ensure wisdom, value and character so that everyone can live with harmony and peace within, with others and with nature, as well as provide skills for self-reliance and prosperity.

- Education to ensure sustainable and mutually fulfilling development

- Distinction between knowledge and information

- Education is not to accumulate information but to ensure conscience, knowledge and wisdom

- Textbooks as a means not an end

- Establish human-consciousness in all human-actions

- Helping to find the ‘true identity’ of one’s ‘being’ to ensure unity within diversity.

- Transformation of all kinds of divisive sectarian tendencies into human-consciousness.

- Bring about coexistence and resolution based social-consciousness

- Enable every student as equal participants to actualize a truly just and undivided-society- filled with trust, complementariness and mutual fulfillment

- Provide authentic learning experiences and create participatory and cooperative based environments based on inquiry, inclusion and sharing, where each child is valued.

- To help students in their pursuit for personal and academic excellence while connecting them to family, society and nature

- Education leading to self-awareness/clarity, honesty/integrity, responsibility and participation

- Enabling every child with the capacity to realize justice, comprehend truth, and the capability to achieve excellence in one's work and behaviour.

- Help students to investigate and explore their inner self in order to connect with what is innate and intact within them as something, which is universal, natural and all fulfilling for themselves as well as for others.

- Education that encourages the exploration of “what is valuable”? and “what is the value of human beings?”

- Teaching universal values to ensure ‘sustained and collective’ human happiness and peace.

- Enabling intrinsic (absolute/permanent) confidence based on self-worth rather than relative (fleeting) confidence based on comparison/competition.

- Relationships centered rather than resource centered

- Establish harmony between educators, students, and parents/guardians

- Educational institutions to have regular interactions with the larger society

- Ensuring the motivation of education is value and valuation, resolution and prosperity rather than punishment and reward or fear and greed

- Educating about fundamental rights, responsibility and duty

- Eliminate the generation gap by enabling all age groups to recognize and realize their duties and responsibilities.

- Education for proper diet, resolved thought, meaningful lifestyle, positive attitude, and mutually fulfilling relationships with human beings as well as nature in order to ensure optimum health (physical & psychological)

- Education for production with cyclicality (complementariness and mutual enrichment), resource based economics of sustainability leading to harmonious co-existence with nature

- Universal education of humane-culture, humane-laws, and humane-orderliness to realize humane civilization on earth.

- Realizing true freedom/swatantrata (self-organized-ness = being in harmony within) and swarajya (self-extension = living in harmony with all)

Objectives of Humanized Education

The objective of humanized education is to achieve complete harmony and integration in all dimensions of personal existence and at all levels of living. Thus the aim of humanized education is to achieve the following-

Harmony and integration in all dimensions of personal existence-

• Work- Prosperity and health
• Behaviour- Justice and mutual fulfillment/satisfaction
• Thought- All-encompassing Resolution (Thought without contradiction, fear or doubt)
• Realization- Sukh (Happiness), Peace, Contentment and Anand (Eternal bliss)

Harmony and integration in all levels of living-

• Individual level- A happy, healthy and self-fulfilling personal life
• Family level- Family characterized by prosperity as well as joyous and mutually fulfilling relationships, where all families can have a secure and meaningful means of livelihood.
• Society level- Justice, Humanity and fearlessness (trust) in society
• Nature level- Harmonious co-existence with nature in which ecological harmony is maintained in all its richness and diversity.

Need for Humanization of Education

Human beings have an innate desire and motivation to live in happiness and prosperity in continuity. Since ancient times, human beings have put forth considerable effort to achieve these goals. However, regardless of their level of material wealth, rich and poor alike are still searching to be in state of happiness and prosperity. There is a significant gap between human beings’ inherent desires and the ability to actualize them. Currently we live in a rapidly changing world characterized by modernity, new developments, advanced technology and physical comfort. Modern education has given rise to various social, economic, scientific and technological achievements. On the other hand, our world is witnessing rapidly increasing feelings of insecurity, self-centeredness and insensitivity towards others. Conflict and various forms of violence are becoming more prevalent, from the personal to the global level. The entire world is facing numerous and increasingly complex problems e.g. terrorism, exploitation, struggle, war, poverty, broken families, disharmony in relationships, resource depletion, environmental degradation, vanishing species and global warming etc. Our children are growing up with these complex challenges. Today we are all faced with numerous questions, such as:

• Are we feeling financially secure even after earning lots of money?
• Are we not feeling alone as our body ages? Perhaps we are unable to live in harmony in our relationships as we had hoped.
• Do most of our achievements and successes stem from comparing and competing with others? Is the confidence we achieve via comparison and competition, stable and permanent? Do we want stable, permanent confidence or fleeting confidence?
• After providing our children with very advanced, expensive or higher education, are we able to say with assurance that our relationships with them will remain harmonious and happy in the future?
• Are we able to live a happy and healthy life and ensure harmonious relationships after being educated?
• Are human beings feeling an increased or decreased sense of trust in political, economic, religious, educational and health institutions?
• How can we enhance the current education and development process to ensure future generations will lead happy, healthy, prosperous and fulfilling lives?

The current education system has an important role to play in addressing the current concerns. We require an education that will bring clarity to resolve the inner conflict, which is the very essence of all forms of visible and non-visible violence from the micro to the macro level. How can we equip students with the means to understand themselves and their relationships in family, society and with nature? How can we ensure that by graduation, students not only possess skills related to subject matter but that they possess the understanding and ability to live in harmony with everyone? Without this understanding and ability, what kind of a world will we continue to perpetuate?

It is essential that our educational institutions provide an atmosphere where students can develop in a holistic manner, ask questions and seek to understand themselves and their relationships within the context of the world in which they live. Educational institutions must also be places where students can develop true confidence in who they are and in their ability to make wise choices for themselves and for the world at large.

All of these issues and questions need to be addressed in an effective and efficient manner. There is a need for an academic structure (curricular, extra-curricular), which can help students resolve their inner conflicts as well as address all of the problems, conflicts and questions related to family, society and nature.

In light of the above issues and questions, it is important to create an education system by which human beings can fulfill all their needs holistically, and which ensures that we can all live with continuity of happiness and prosperity. In order to fulfill all of our human needs as well as address the various concerns and issues facing everyone, there is a need to enhance the current education system. The first step can be to implement a program by which students can explore themselves, values and character. The term ‘value’ is often perceived in many ways, thus it is important to clarify its meaning and context. The ‘value’ of any entity is defined as its intrinsic-ness and its role in the larger order. It is important to have a program that encourages the exploration of “what is valuable”? and “what is the value of human beings?” Without doing so, our education system will only continue to provide skills that are aimless and directionless, which therefore can be utilized either constructively or destructively.

NOTE: The curriculum for humanized education for students (grade 1-12) and teachers as well as study materials are available. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the curriculum, please inform us. We facilitate a dialogue-based workshops as an introduction for teachers, administrators and parents etc.

Proposal for Humanization of Education

Objectives of Humanized Education:

The objective of humanized education is to achieve complete harmony and integration in all dimensions of personal existence and at all levels of living. Thus the aim of humanized education is to achieve the following-

Harmony and integration in all dimensions of personal existence-

• Work- Prosperity and health
• Behaviour- Justice and mutual fulfillment/satisfaction
• Thought- All-encompassing Resolution (Thought without contradiction, fear or doubt)
• Realization- Sukh (Happiness), Peace, Contentment and Anand (Eternal bliss)

Harmony and integration in all levels of living-

• Individual level- A happy, healthy and self-fulfilling personal life
• Family level- Family characterized by prosperity as well as joyous and mutually fulfilling relationships, where all families can have a secure and meaningful means of livelihood.
• Society level- Justice, Humanity and fearlessness (trust) in society
• Nature level- Harmonious co-existence with nature in which ecological harmony is maintained in all its richness and diversity.

Characteristics of Humanized Education:

· Humanization of Education from Industrialization of Education- Current education, which developed for the industrial revolution, needs to be enhanced.Humanized-education is aiming for material resolution, intellectual resolution and spiritual resolution. (Material resolution is being definitive about one’s material needs, and being able to have/produce more than those needs as – Prosperity. It manifests as prosperity in the family while enriching nature. Intellectual resolution is having definitiveness and harmony in one’s thought-patterns (thoughts without conflict/contradiction). It manifests as harmony within and in one’s relationships with others in family and society. Spiritual resolution is having comprehension of reality (as it is) in existence (freedom from illusions, doubt and fear). It manifests as eternal happiness and trust within.)

· Education to help students develop holistically (e.g. physically, mentally, intellectually, emotionally, socially, culturally, spiritually and creatively)

· Humanized education is not only limited to specialization but to achieving excellence

· Education is not only to get a well-paid job, rather it is to ensure wisdom, value and character so that everyone can live with harmony and peace within, with others and with nature, as well as provide skills for self-reliance and prosperity.

· Education to ensure sustainable and mutually fulfilling development

· Distinction between knowledge and information

· Education is not to accumulate information but to ensure conscience, knowledge and wisdom

· Textbooks as a means not an end

· Establish human-consciousness in all human-actions

· Helping to find the ‘true identity’ of one’s ‘being’ to ensure unity within diversity.

· Transformation of all kinds of divisive sectarian tendencies into human-consciousness.

· Bring about coexistence and resolution based social-consciousness

• Enable every student as equal participants to actualize a truly just and undivided-society- filled with trust, complementariness and mutual fulfillment

· Provide authentic learning experiences and create participatory and cooperative based environments based on inquiry, inclusion and sharing, where each child is valued.

· To help students in their pursuit for personal and academic excellence while connecting them to family, society and nature

· Education leading to self-awareness/clarity, honesty/integrity, responsibility and participation

· Enabling every child with the capacity to realize justice, comprehend truth, and the capability to achieve excellence in one's work and behaviour.

· Help students to investigate and explore their inner self in order to connect with what is innate and intact within them as something, which is universal, natural and all fulfilling for themselves as well as for others.

· Education that encourages the exploration of “what is valuable”? and “what is the value of human beings?”

· Teaching universal values to ensure ‘sustained and collective’ human happiness and peace.

· Enabling intrinsic (absolute/permanent) confidence based on self-worth rather than relative (fleeting) confidence based on comparison/competition.

· Relationships centered rather than resource centered

· Establish harmony between educators, students, and parents/guardians

· Educational institutions to have regular interactions with the larger society

· Ensuring the motivation of education is value and valuation, resolution and prosperity rather than punishment and reward or fear and greed

• Educating about fundamental rights, responsibility and duty
• Eliminate the generation gap by enabling all age groups to recognize and realize their duties and responsibilities.

· Education for proper diet, resolved thought, meaningful lifestyle, positive attitude, and mutually fulfilling relationships with human beings as well as nature in order to ensure optimum health (physical & psychological)

• Education for production with cyclicality (complementariness and mutual enrichment), resource based economics of sustainability leading to harmonious co-existence with nature
• Universal education of humane-culture, humane-laws, and humane-orderliness to realize humane civilization on earth.
• Realizing true freedom/swatantrata (self-organized-ness = being in harmony within) and swarajya (self-extension = living in harmony with all)

Nature and Criteria:

Education should satisfy the following criteria-

• Universal: With respect to time, space and individuals.
• Secular: Non-sectarian. Not restricted to race, religion, class, gender etc.
• Rational: Yields to logic and reason. Free from mystics, preaching, rituals, and blind faith. Based on the independent free will of every human being. Everything is stated in the form of a proposal.
• Accessible: Shareable, inclusive and understandable by all.
• Verifiable: Through experience and experimentation.
• Practical: Becomes part of one’s life. All human beings can live it.
• Holistic: It covers all dimensions (work, behaviour, thought and realization) and all levels (individual, family, society and nature) of human living.
• Natural for Human beings and Nature: It is naturally acceptable to every human being and there is provision in nature for its fulfillment, leading to harmony within humanity and with all of nature

The nature of humanized education is based on universal values, which completely satisfies all of the criteria mentioned above.

Potential Impact and Transformation:

Humanized Education propels towards a paradigm shift– a change in mentality/ perception from that of-

· Struggle mentality into resolution mentality

· Competitive & opposition mentality into co-operation and complementariness mentality

· Exploitation mentality into enrichment mentality

· Domination and controlling mentality into self-regulation (self-organized-ness) andorderliness mentality

· Consumerist and profit mentality into justice mentality

· Accumulation, possession and deprivation (feeling of lack) mentality into living with a feeling of prosperity mentality

· Problem/conflict centered mentality into resolution & peace centered mentality

· Group/divisiveness mentality into undivided society and unanimity mentality

· Violence and hatred mentality into love and oneness mentality

· War mentality into co-existence mentality

This shift in mentality/perception will lead to a transformation within oneself that will be expressed in relationships with other human beings and with all of nature. Humanized-education ensures learning atmospheres that are conducive to awareness/clarity, honesty/integrity, responsibility and participation. It will foster holistic education to help students develop holistically as well as create safe, happy, inclusive and cooperative atmospheres in educational institutions and in the world at large.

Content of Humanized-Education:

Humanization of Education implies aligning the content (“what” of education) and process of education (“how” of education) with understanding of coexistence.

Humanization of Education entails:

1. Study of consciousness along with the study of science and technology


2. Study of self-awareness/wisdom, human-values and character along with the study of psychology



3. Study of protection and proper-use of personal and natural resources along with the study of economics


4. Study of humane-culture and humane-civilization along with the study ofsociology


5. Study of policy of protection and enrichment of humanity along with the study ofpolitics

6. Study of self-realization and practice/action along with the study of philosophy

7. Study of human-being, human-ness and humanity along with the study ofgeography and history


8. Reality orientation with the study of literature



Due to the absence of the subject content identified above, the following subjects are currently being taught-

1. Profit based economics
2. Consumerism based Sociology
3. Senses and sensual pleasure based Psychology
4. Conflict based materialism
5. Struggle based humanities/humanism
6. Mystics based spiritualism

The alternative proposals of humanized education for the prevalent economics, psychology, sociology, materialism, humanities and spiritualism are:

1. Cyclical Economics (Realization of universal-prosperity while enriching nature)

2. Behavioural Sociology (Realization of united-humankind/undivided-society with justice)

3. Human-Consciousness based Psychology (Realization of human-consciousness, which manifests as humane-conduct- a combined expression of values, character, and principled-living)


4. Resolution based Materialism (Realization of omni-dimensional/all-encompassing resolution. Freedom from all kinds of conflict)
5. Behaviour based Humanities/Humanism (Realization of co-existence and goodness of all human beings/universal goodness)
6. Realization/existential-experience based Spiritualism (Self-realization/ awakening and comprehension of truth. Freedom from all kinds of illusions.)

This is a proposal for the study of human beings, consciousness, and human-ness. Humanized education (based on Madhyasth-Darshan/Co-existential Thought) gives the basis for value and character-education through consciousness-development. Evidence of this knowledge is humankind realizing resolution in all aspects of living in harmony, undivided humane-society and orderliness. 
Humanized education shall ensure the continuity of resolution and peace and equip every student with the following:

1. Self-Confidence,

2. Respect for Excellence,

3. Trust in Self-Talent,

4. Balance/Equilibrium in Talent and Personality,

5. Sociality in Behavior,

6. Self-Reliance in Occupation

Teacher and Teaching/Learning in Education:

· The role of a teacher as a facilitator: Teaching and learning are inseparable. The teacher and child may learn different dimensions or they may learn the same thing but they both learn.

· Effective Communication- The process of communication differs from speaker and listener. The process of communication of the speaker moves from reality to meaning to word (speaker), while the listener moves from word to meaning to reality (the listener). There is a need to recognize the importance of listening in teaching/learning.Understanding and agreeing – are distinct from each other. Understanding is the most important aspect of education, not agreeing and disagreeing.

· The difference between seeing and observing; between hearing and listening; between talking and communicating. The importance of noticing (paying attention) in learning, seeing and observing: the difference lies in noticing (paying attention). The teachers role is to draw students attention to reality

· Observing how education leads to imitation and (hidden) assumptions about who and what is ‘forward’, who and what is ‘developed’ and who and what is ‘backward’ etc. symbols.

· Investigating how textbooks create myths and assumptions in a hidden manner

· Importance of teaching from reality (which the child knows already) to meaning to word (that she/he is familiar with) and finally the alphabet.

Methodology in Education:

· Understanding, learning and doing (implementation and practice)

· Not emphasizing the question of ‘how’ to do (DOING aspects) but proposing to encourageto explore/investigate to know ‘why’ & ‘what-is’ (BEING aspects).

• The process is one of self-exploration and self-investigation, rather than giving lectures or stating dos & don'ts. Whatever is found to be a reality may be stated as a proposal and students must be able to verify it in his/her own right.

· This process of self-exploration/investigation takes the form of a dialogue between the teacher & students. This process is ultimately to ensure resolved thoughts of one's own (rather than imposed thoughts) and living without conflicts/contradictions

· To encourage children to look within. The emphasis is on authenticity while encouraging self-exploration and self-investigation for child’s originality.

· Acknowledging what children already know- Learning from what children already know about the topic and build upon their knowledge. Examine various dimensions and angles from which the topics can be explored)

· Teaching through the local context:

§ Choosing topics from the children’s daily life – both cultural (e.g. festivals, customs, lifestyle, methods of cooking and food habits, manner of farming etc.) and physical (trees and shrubs, local crops, a busy street or a market place, any local issue, home, school etc.)

§ Integration of subjects: Teacher weaves in the subjects rather than teach subjects and then apply it to real life situations. Understand real life and bring in the required subject whenever needed.

§ Teachers create the space for discussing socially and environmentally relevant issues with the children. The discussions give an opportunity for debates, listening, speaking, articulating, questioning and writing. Teachers can provide reading materials to enhance the level of discussion

§ The children learn through real life situations by formulating and asking questions, interviewing people, documenting, collecting information, seeking out knowledge from observations, examining patterns in situations and learning from them. Students develop strong communication and listening skills in the process.

§ The teacher’s role is more that of a facilitator and co-learner. The teacher needs to be aware of where & how he/she weaves in the subjects in the process.

NOTE: The curriculum for humanized education for students (grade 1-12) and teachers as well as study materials are available. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the curriculum, please inform us. We facilitate dialogue-based workshops as an introduction for teachers, administrators and parents etc.