Education in the Vision of Swami Vivekananda
Introduction
Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), a great thinker and reformer of India, embraces education, which for him signifies ‘man-making’, as the very mission of his life. In this paper, which purports to expound and analyze Vivekananda’s views on education, an endeavor has been made to focus on the basic theme of his philosophy, viz. the spiritual unity of the universe. Whether it concerns the goal or aim of education, or its method of approach or its component parts, all his thoughts, we shall observe, stem from this dormant theme of his philosophy which has its moorings in Vedanta.
Vivekananda realizes that mankind is passing through a crisis. The tremendous emphasis on the scientific and mechanical ways of life is fast reducing man to the status of a machine. Moral and religious values are being undermined. The fundamental principles of civilization are being ignored. Conflicts of ideals, manners and habits are pervading the atmosphere. Disregard for everything old is the fashion of the day. Vivekananda seeks the solutions of all these social and global evils through education. With this end in view, he feels the dire need of awakening man to his spiritual self wherein, he thinks, lies the very purpose of education.
The Goal or Objective of Education
Vivekananda points out that the defect of the present-day education is that it has no definite goal to pursue. A sculptor has a clear idea about what he wants to shape out of the marble block; similarly, a painter knows what he is going to paint. But a teacher, he says, has no clear idea about the goal of his teaching. Swamiji attempts to establish, through his words and deeds, that the end of all education is man making. He prepares the scheme of this man-making education in the light of his over-all philosophy of Vedanta. According to Vedanta, the essence of man lies in his soul, which he possesses in addition to his body and mind. In true with this philosophy, Swamiji defines education as ‘the manifestation of the perfection already in man.’ The aim of education is to manifest in our lives the perfection, which is the very nature of our inner self. This perfection is the realization of the infinite power which resides in everything and every-where-existence, consciousness and bliss (satchidananda). After understanding the essential nature of this perfection, we should identify it with our inner self. For achieving this, one will have to eliminate one’s ego, ignorance and all other false identification, which stand in the way. Meditation, fortified by moral purity and passion for truth, helps man to leave behind the body, the senses, the ego and all other non-self elements, which are perishable. He thus realizes his immortal divine self, which is of the nature of infinite existence, infinite knowledge and infinite bliss.
At this stage, man becomes aware of his self as identical with all other selves of the universe, i.e. different selves as manifestations of the same self. Hence education, in Vivekananda’s sense, enables one to comprehend one’s self within as the self everywhere. The essential unity of the entire universe is realized through education. Accordingly, man making for Swamiji stands for rousing mans to the awareness of his true self. However, education thus signified does not point towards the development of the soul in isolation from body and mind. We have to remember that basis of Swamiji’s philosophy is Advaita which preaches unity in diversity. Therefor, man making for him means a harmonious development of the body, mind and soul.
In his scheme of education, Swamiji lays great stress on physical health because a sound mind resides in a sound body. He often quotes the Upanishadic dictum ‘nayamatma balahinena labhyah’; i.e. the self cannot be realized by the physically weak. However, along with physical culture, he harps on the need of paying special attention to the culture of the mind. According to Swamiji, the mind of the students has to be controlled and trained through meditation, concentration and practice of ethical purity. All success in any line of work, he emphasizes, is the result of the power of concentration. By way of illustration, he mentions that the chemist in the laboratory concentrates all the powers of his mind and brings them into one focus-the elements to be analyzed-and finds out their secrets. Concentration, which necessarily implies detachment from other things, constitutes a part of Brahmacharya, which is one of the guiding mottos of his scheme of education. Brahmacharya, in a nutshell, stands for the practice of self-control for securing harmony of the impulses. By his philosophy of education, Swamiji thus brings it home that education is not a mere accumulation of information but a comprehensive training for life. To quote him: ‘Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there undigested, all your life.’ Education for him means that process by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, and intellect is sharpened, as a result of which one can stand on one’s own feet.
Method or Procedure
Having analyzed the goal or objective of education, the next question that naturally arises is about the method of imparting education. Here again, we note the Vedantic foundation of Swamiji’s theory. According to him, knowledge is inherent in every man’s soul. What we mean when we say that a man ‘knows’ is only what he ‘discovers’ by taking the cover off his own soul. Consequently, he draws our attention to the fact that the task of the teacher is only to help the child to manifest its knowledge by removing the obstacles in its way. In his words: ‘Thus Vedanta says that within man is all knowledge even in a boy it is so and it requires only an awakening and that much is the work of a teacher.’ To drive his point home, he refers to the growth of a plant. Just as in the case of a plant, one cannot do anything more than supplying it with water, air and manure while it grows from within its own nature, so is the case with a human child. Vivekananda’s method of education resembles the heuristic method of the modern educationists. In this system, the teacher invokes the spirit of inquiry in the pupil who is supposed to find out things for himself under the bias-free guidance of the teacher.
Swamiji lays a lot of emphasis on the environment at home and school for the proper growth of the child. The parents as well as the teachers should inspire the child by the way they live their lives. Swamiji recommends the old institution of gurukula (living with the preceptor) and similar systems for the purpose. In such systems, the students can have the ideal character of the teacher constantly before them, which serves as the role model to follow.
Although Swamiji is of the opinion that mother tongue is the right medium for social or mass education, he prescribes the learning of English and Sanskrit also. While English is necessary for mastering Western science and technology, Sanskrit leads one into the depths of our vast store of classics. The implication is that if language does not remain the privilege of a small class of people, social unity will march forward unhampered.
Fields of Study
Vivekananda, in his scheme of education, meticulously includes all those studies, which are necessary for the all-around development of the body, mind and soul of the individual. These studies can be brought under the broad heads of physical culture, aesthetics, classics, language, religion, science and technology. According to Swamiji, the culture values of the country should form an integral part of the curriculum of education. The culture of India has its roots in her spiritual values. The time-tested values are to be imbibed in the thoughts and lives of the students through the study of the classics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Vedas and Upanishads. This will keep the perennial flow of our spiritual values into the world culture.
Education, according to Swamiji, remains incomplete without the teaching of aesthetics or fine arts. He cites Japan as an example of how the combination of art and utility can make a nation great.
Swamiji reiterates that religion is the innermost core of education. However, by religion, he does not mean any particular kind of it but its essential character, which is the realization of the divinity already in man. He reminds us time and again that religion does not consist in dogmas or creeds or any set of rituals. To be religious for him means leading life in such a way that we manifest our higher nature, truth, goodness and beauty, in our thoughts, words and deeds. All impulses, thoughts and actions which lead one towards this goal are naturally ennobling and harmonizing, and are ethical and moral in the truest sense. It is in this context that Swamiji’s idea of religion, as the basis of education should be understood. We note that in his interpretation, religion and education share the identity of purpose.
Why religion forms the very foundation of education becomes clear in his following words: ‘In building up character, in making for everything that is good and great, in bringing peace to others, and peace to one’s own self, religion is the highest motive power, and, therefore, ought to be studied from that standpoint. Swamiji believes that if education with its religious core can invigorate man’s faith in his divine nature and the infinite potentialities of the human soul, it is sure to help man become strong, yet tolerant and sympathetic. It will also help man to extend his love and good will beyond the communal, national and racial barriers.
It is a misinterpretation of Vivekananda’s philosophy of education to think that he has overemphasized the role of spiritual development to the utter neglect of the material side. Vivekananda, in his plan for the regeneration of India, repeatedly presses the need for the eradication of poverty, unemployment and ignorance. He says, We need technical education and all else which may develop industries, so that men, instead of seeking for service, may earn enough to provide for them-selves, and save something against a rainy day. He feels it necessary that India should take from the Western nations all that is good in their civilization. However, just like a person, every nation has its individuality, which should not be destroyed. The individuality of India lies in her spiritual culture. Hence in Swamiji’s view, for the development of a balanced nation, we have to combine the dynamism and scientific attitude of the West with the spirituality of our country. The entire educational program should be so planned that it equips the youth to contribute to the material progress of the country as well as to maintaining the supreme worth of India’s spiritual heritage.
Another important aspect of Swamiji’s scheme of education is women’s education. He realizes that it if the women of our country get the right type of education, then they will be able to solve their own problems in their own way. The main objective of his scheme of female education is to make them strong, fear-less, and conscious of their chastity and dignity. He observes that although men and women are equally competent in academic matters, yet women have a special aptitude and competence for studies relating to home and family. Hence he recommends the introduction of subjects like sewing, nursing, domestic science, culinary art, etc which were not parts of education at his time.
Conclusion
The exposition and analysis of Vivekananda’s scheme of education brings to light its constructive, practical and comprehensive character. He realizes that it is only through education that the uplift of masses is possible. To refer to his own words: Traveling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people and I used to shed tears. When made the difference? “Education” was the answer I got.’
He states it emphatically that if society is to be reformed, education has to reach everyone-high and low, because individuals are the very constituents of society. The sense of dignity rises in man when he becomes conscious of his inner spirit, and that is the very purpose of education. He strives to harmonize the traditional values of India with the new values brought through the progress of science and technology.
It is in the transformation of man through moral and spiritual education that he finds the solution for all social evils. Founding education on the firm ground of our own philosophy and culture, he shows the best of remedies for today’s social and global illness. Through his scheme of education, he tries to materialize the moral and spiritual welfare and upliftment of humanity, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality or time. However, Swami Vivekananda’s scheme of education, through which he wanted to build up a strong nation that will lead the world towards peace and harmony, is still a far cry. It is high time that we give serious thought to his philosophy of education and remembers his call to every-body-‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.’
What is Character?
The character of any man is but the aggregate of his tendencies, the sum total of the bent of his mind. We are what our thoughts have made us. Thoughts live; they travel far. And so take care of what you think. Every work that we do, every movement of the body, every thought that we think, bears an impression on the mind-stuff. What we are every moment is determined by the sum total of these impressions on the mind. Every man's character is determined by the sum total of these impressions. If good impressions prevail, the character becomes good, if bad, it becomes bad. As pleasure and pain pass before his soul, they leave upon it different pictures, and the result of these combined impressions is what is called man's "character". If you take the character of any man, it really is but the aggregate of tendencies, the sum total of the bent of his mind; Character is repeated habits... Never say any man is hopeless, because he only represents a character, a bundle of habits.... If you really want to judge the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Every fool may become a hero at one time or another. Watch a man do his most common actions; those are indeed the things which will tell you the real character of a great man. Great occasions rouse even the lowest of human beings to some kind of greatness, but he alone is the really great man whose character is great always, the same wherever he be.
Why Character Building?
The basis of all system, social or political, rests upon the goodness of men. No nation is great or good because Parliament enacts this or that, but because its men are great and good. Men are more valuable than all the wealth of the world.
Men, men, these are wanted: everything else will be ready, but strong vigorous, believing young men, sincere to the backbone, are wanted. A hundred such and the world become revolutionized.
What we want is to see the man who is harmoniously developed...great in heart, great in mind, [great indeed]....We want the man whose heart feels intensely the miseries and sorrows of the world.....And [we want] the man who not only can feel but can find the meanings of things, who delves deeply into the heart of nature and understanding. [We want] the man who will not even stop there, [but] who wants to work out [the feeling and meaning by actual deeds]. Such a combination of head, heart, and hand is what we want.
We have seen that it is the subjective world that rules the objective. Change the subject and the object is bound to change; purify yourself, and the world is bound to be purified. This one thing requires to be taught now more than ever before. We are becoming more and more busy about our neighbors, and less and less about ourselves. The world will change if we change; if we are pure, the world will become pure. The question is why I should see evil in others. I cannot see evil unless I be evil. I cannot be miserable unless I am weak. Things that used to make me miserable when I was a child, do not do so now. The subject changed, so the object was bound to change; so says the Vedanta.
The more we grow in love and virtue and holiness, the more we see love and virtue and holiness outside. All condemnation of others really condemns us. Adjust the microcosm (which is in your power to do) and the macrocosm will adjust itself for you. It is like the hydrostatic paradox, one drop of water can balance the universe. We cannot see outside what we are not inside. The universe is to us what the huge engine is to the miniature engine; and indication of any error in the tiny engine leads us to imagine trouble in the huge one.
In our families there are the heads; some of them are successful, others are not. Why? We complain of others in our failures. The moment I am unsuccessful, I say, so-and-so is the cause of the failure. In failure, one does not like to confess one's own faults and weaknesses. Each person tries to hold himself faultless and lay the blame upon somebody else, or even on bad luck. When heads of families fail, they should ask themselves, why is it that some people manage a family so well and others do not. Then you will find that the difference is owing to the man---his presence, his personality.
A man comes; you know he is very learned, his language is beautiful, and he speaks to you by the hour; but he does not make any impression. Another man comes, and he speaks a few words, not well arranged, ungrammatical perhaps; all the same he makes an immense impression. Many of you have seen that. So it is evident that words alone cannot produce an impression. Words, even thoughts, contribute only one-third of the influence in making an impression, the man, two-thirds. What you call the personal magnetism of the man---that is what goes out and impresses you.
Coming to great leaders of mankind, we always find that it was the personality of the man that counted. Now, take all the great authors of the past, the great thinkers. Really speaking, how many thoughts have they thought? Take all the writings that have been left to us by the past leaders of mankind; take each one of their books and appraise them. The real thoughts, new and genuine, that have been thought in this world up to this time, amount to only a handful. Read in their books the thoughts they have left to us. The authors do not appear to be giants to us, and yet we know that they were great giants in their days. What made them so? Not simply the thoughts they thought, neither the books they wrote, nor the speeches they made, it was something else that is now gone, that is their personality. As I have already remarked, the personality of the man is two-thirds, and his intellect, his words, are but one-third. It is the real man, the personality of the man, that runs through us. Our actions are but effects. Actions must come when the man is there; the effect is bound to follow the cause.
The ideal of all education, all training, should be this man-making. But instead of that, we are always trying to polish up the outside. What use is polishing up the outside when there is no inside? The end and aim of all training is to make the man grow. The man who influences, who throws his magic, as it were, upon his fellow-beings, is a dynamo of power, and when that man is ready, he can do anything and everything he likes; that personality put upon anything will make it work.
Religions of the world have become lifeless mockeries. What the world wants is character. The world is in need for those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like thunderbolt.
Money does not pay, nor name; fame does not pay, nor learning. It is love that pays; it is character that cleaves its way through adamantine walls of difficulties.
Perfect sincerity, holiness, gigantic intellect and an all-conquering will---let only a handful of men work with these, and the whole world will be revolutionized.
Suppose the Government give you all you need, where are the men who are able to keep up the things demanded? So make men first.
Was it ever in the history of the world that any great work was done by the rich? It is the heart and the brain that do it ever and ever and not the purse.
How is Character formed?
Every thought that we think, every deed that we do, after a certain time becomes fine, goes into seed form, so to speak, and lives in the fine body in a potential form, and after a time, it emerges again and bears its results. These results condition the life of man. Thus he moulds his own life. Man is not bound by any other laws excepting those which he makes for himself.
If a man continuously hears bad words, thinks bad thoughts, does bad actions, his mind will be full of bad impressions; and they will influence his thought and work without his being conscious of the fact. In fact, these bad impressions are always working, and their resultant must be evil, and that man will be a bad man; he cannot help it. The sum total of these impressions in him will create the strong motive power for doing bad actions. He will be like a machine in the hands of the impressions, and they will force him to do evil. Similarly, if a man thinks good thoughts and does good works, the sum total of these impressions will be good; and they, in a similar manner will force him to do well even in spite of himself. When a man has done so much good work and thought so many good thoughts there is an irresistible tendency in him to do good, in spite of himself and even if he wishes to do evil, his mind, as the sum total of his tendencies, will not allow him to do so; the tendencies will turn him back; he is completely under the influence of the good tendencies. When such is the case, a man's good character is said to be established.
We are what our thoughts have made us...
Every thought is a little hammer blow on the lump of iron which our bodies are, manufacturing out of it what we want to be.
character is manufactured by Karma.
Man is, as it were, a centre, and is attracting all the powers of the universe towards himself, and in this centre is fusing them all and again sending them off in a big current....
Good and bad, misery and happiness, all are running towards him and clinging round him; and out of them he fashions the mighty stream of tendency called character and throws it outwards. As he has the power of drawing in anything, so has he the power of throwing it out.
Education – what it means
Sister Nivedita used to say that those who knew Swami Vivekananda understood thathe was one whohad experienced in his own life all the truths about which he spoke.This is equally valid when he addressed the subject of education. To him educationplays a vital role in curing the evils in society, and it is critical in shaping the futureof humanity. Although Vivekananda did not write a book on education, he contributedvaluable thoughts on the subject that are relevant and viable today. In order tounderstand his thoughts, we should first consider his oft-quoted definition of education– ‘Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man’ (CW, vol.IV, p. 358)
.Vivekananda’s definition of education is one of remarkable insight. First of all, theword ‘manifestation’ implies that something already exists and is waiting to be expressed.The main focus in learning is to make the hidden ability of a learner manifest. AsVivekananda said, ‘what a man“learns”is really what he “discovers”, by taking the coveroff his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge’ (CW, vol. I, p. 28). Accordingto the Vedanta philosophy, knowledge is inherent in a human being, like a spark in apiece of flint, and all that is needed is the strike of suggestion to bring it out.
‘Manifestation’ indicates spontaneous growth, provided that the impediments, if any,are removed.
Next in importance in the Swami’s definition of education is the expression ‘already i n man’. This refers to a human being’s potential, which is the range of the abilities and talents, known or unknown that he was born with. ‘Potential’ speaks of the possibility of awakening something that is lying dormant. Israel Scheffler, in his bookOf human potential,4 considered three aspects of this:
(a) the capacity to acquire a specificcharacteristic or to become someone who possesses it. For instance, we might say,‘Amal has the capacity to become a Maradona, the world-famous soccer player’;
(b)the propensity – an attribute which indicates what a person is likely to do when theopportunity comes and freedom of choice is available. It suggests something about aperson’s motivation. For example, Rabindranath Tagore’s propensity, expressed in hisGitanjali, indicates his strong aspiration to discover the wonder behind this creation;and
(c) the capability – i.e. a person’s motivation and efficiency in working towardsan intended outcome. It refers to something more than a person’s capacity to perform.Rather, it is a person’s strength and capacity to get rid of obstacles to his learning –such as his lack of motivation or the obstacles in his environment.
Thus, these three concepts – capacity, propensity and capability – emphasize three aspects ofeducation, respectively: (a) that which makes learning possible; (b) the development of learning; and (c) self-development or self-empowerment. A child has many potentials of variable worth, and they may create mental conflict within him. Therefore, he has to learn to choose which he should try to develop, and which he should minimize, counter or ignore. Then again, as his chosen potentials start to unfold, they should be supervised in order to achieve their harmonious sand purposeful development. The word ‘perfection’ in the Swami’s definition of education is also very significant. We can see that every act connected with learning, training, etc., is part of a process directed towards an end. The English word ‘perfect’ implies completion, or something being made whole. The Greek word teleics is translated as ‘perfect’, and suggests the idea of attaining a goal or an end. Drawing on these meanings, one may conclude that perfection in educational parlance is the goal of actualizing the highest human potential.
The goal of education – general or ultimate – is essentially laid down by society and therefore varies from society to society. Even as every society tries to keep pace with the contemporary world, societies with a stable and older tradition cherish some higher goals of everlasting value. Taking into consideration the vast experience of the Indian civilization, Vivekananda’s use of the word ‘perfection’ needs to be viewed at two levels:
1. ‘Perfection’ in the metaphysical sense implies the realization of the soul’s own ever perfect nature. The Vedanta philosophy says that a human being is not born a sinner, nor is he necessarily a victim of circumstances. The main cause of his suffering is his ignorance of his true nature. Explaining the implications of this, Vivekananda once said: The Light Divine within is obscured in most people. It is like a lamp in a cask of iron, no gleam of light can shine through. Gradually, by purity and unselfishness, we can make the obscuring medium less and less dense, until at last it becomes transparent as glass (CW, vol. VII, p. 21).
2. At the empirical level the concept of ‘perfection’ has to address the various problems human beings encounter in society. As Vivekananda said: The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lion – is it worth the name? Real education is that which enables one to stand on one’s own legs (CW, vol. VII, pp. 147–148).
Education, he said, must provide ‘life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas’ (CW, vol. III, p. 302). The ideal of this type of education would be to produce an integrated person – one who has learned how to improve his intellect, purify his emotions, and stand firm on moral virtues and unselfishness.
There are two levels designated by the ancient Indian scriptures as para vidya (spiritual values) and apara vidya (secular values) respectively. This division is merely for practical convenience; otherwise vidya, or learning, is a continuum, leading onetowards the ultimate goal which, according to Vivekananda, was complete freedom of the soul.Vivekananda also observed that, if education is to serve the entire human being,in all his/her dimensions, the pursuit of knowledge will be a lifelong process. Even an illustrious being like Sri Ramakrishna said, from his own experience, ‘As long as I
live, so long do I learn.’ At the empirical level, today’s knowledge explosion can keep people engaged for their entire lives. Therefore, education must be considered a continuous and lifelong process. So far, our discussion of Vivekananda’s ideas on education has been a simplistic analysis centring round his definition of education. However, this fails to do justice to some of his ideas on related issues, such as the relationship between education and society, between education and the teacher, between the professed goals of education and the goals actually achieved, and so forth. It is apparent, therefore, that Vivekananda’s deep concern for social justice has not been reflected so far in our definition.
To this end, we can probe further into the expressions ‘manifestation’ and ‘already in man’, bearing in mind the situation in India in those days. In explaining the term ‘manifestation’, the Swami quoted part of one of the yoga aphorisms of Patanjali (author of an ancient Indian scripture – 4.3) – Tatah kshetrikavat [Therefore the obstructions] – that is to say, just as a farmer breaks the barriers to a course of water, which thereafter flows by its own force to irrigate his fields, so also a person’s inherent power will spontaneously manifest itself when external and internal obstacles, if any, are removed at the proper time by the teachers or the education system. Such obstacles are of various kinds. External obstacles might be in the form of unfair distribution of educational resources and opportunities, inequalities in economic development and socio-political instability; whereas internal obstacles might have to do with the dynamics of the education system, such as the teacher/student relationship, the student’s capacity to make personal judgements or to adapt to changes, and the student’s mental or physical capacities.
In order to tackle these obstacles, the education system should take on two responsibilities:
(i) it should help a person build a healthy and dynamic frame of mind to enable him to meet the challenges of life; and (ii) it should try to prevent, through proper training of its present students, any future evils in people and society which are likely to further complicate the problems of human beings. At the same time, however, the teachers and the designers of education systems must always keep in mind the Vedantic idea that whatsoever good or bad impressions a mind carries, ahuman being is essentially pure and divine, and a repository of immense possibilities. In Vivekananda’s view, educational concerns related to a person’s interaction with society should receive due attention. The purpose of society is to help secure the well-being of human beings. In reality, however, human beings frequently find themselves entrapped in a society that threatens their freedom, a freedom essential for
their educational growth. An ideal society, according to Vivekananda, should provide the resources as well as the opportunity for each of its members to develop his or her potential to the maximum. Education must embrace the whole society, with special attention to those who are most in need of it and who, for one reason or another, are unable to avail themselves of the existing facilities.
Training the mind:
Vivekananda concurred with contemporary thinkers when he asserted that the mind – the chief instrument of learning – deserves more attention than it had earlier received. Training the mind should be a student’s highest priority, and not simply the accumulation, the memorizing and the repeating of facts. In the long run, stuffing one’s mind with information, technical skills and useless trivia only creates more problems if one’s mind is not nourished and strengthened and made healthy. Yet training of the mind in all its aspects is conspicuously absent in today’s education. Learning to concentrate the mind was the focus in the Swami’s scheme. He said:To me the very essence of education is concentration of mind, not the collecting of facts’ (CW, vol. VI, p. 38). In doing anything – such as thinking, working with the hands, etc. – the better the power of concentration the better the outcome will be. And this power of keeping the mind on the task can be improved. Training the mind to concentrate on a specific subject has several stages, the primary one being learning how to collect the mind and preventing it from running hither and thither. The student trains his mind to be more attentive and more ‘mindful’. Next, the student must learn how to detach his mind from distractions that impose themselves in spite of himself. Then, simultaneously, he must direct the mind on to the desired subject and focus the full force of his mind on it. To give an example: a convex lens gathers sunlight and focuses it on one point to burn a piece of paper. Likewise, when a mind becomes concentrated, it acquires tremendous power and is able to unlock the mysteries of the subject it is focused upon. Similarly, the Swami also wanted students to cultivate will-power. According to him, will-power is developed when ‘the current and expression of will are brought under control and become fruitful’ (CW, vol. IV, p. 490). Will-power is necessary not only to conduct the learning process, but also to strengthen one’s character.
Culture and education – the teacher and the pupil
Every society has its outer aspect called ‘civilization’, and also its inner aspect called ‘culture’. In both of these a child is moulded and educated so that the beliefs and practices of his forefathers are carried on and not forgotten. Nevertheless, as Vivekananda says: It is culture that withstands shocks, not a simple mass of knowledge. [. . .] Knowledge is only skin-deep, as civilisation is, and a little scratch brings out the old savage (CW,vol. III, p. 291).
A society is forever adding to its learning and culture. To the brilliant mind of T.S. Eliot, education was but a manifestation of culture. He said, ‘The purpose of education, it seems, is to transmit culture: so culture is likely to be limited to what can be transmitted by education.’5 Similarly, Vivekananda observed that, through education, a child learns a culture and his behaviour is moulded accordingly, and he is thus guided towards his eventual role in society. In this process, several agents – such as his parents, peers and teachers – assist him. But nowadays, as formal education has become more and more institutionalized, teachers are expected to play a more significant role. A teacher needs to help a
student learn how to think, what to think, how to discriminate and how to appreciate things. This is not just a matter of intellectual manipulation. This kind of teaching requires moral conviction and the courage to continuously pursue one’s own course at all costs. The teacher must not only possess the knowledge he is to transmit to the student, but he must also know how to transmit it. And, in addition to the content of the teaching, what the teacher gives or transfers, to be truly effective, must possess
some other elements. For instance, the teacher should share with the student the conviction that they are both truly one in Spirit – at the same time cultivating in the student a feeling of dignity and self-respect.6 As Vivekananda said: The only true teacher is he who can immediately come down to the level of the student, and transfer his soul to the student’s soul and see through the student’s eyes and hear through
his ears and understand through his mind. Such a teacher can really teach and none else (CW,vol. IV, p. 183).
In a favourable ambience such as this ‘the process of uncovering’ the veil of ignorance works smoothly (CW, vol. I, p. 28). On the student’s side, in order to facilitate the manifestation of his innate strength
and knowledge, he should cultivate the spirit of shraddha – that is, faith in himself, humility, submission and veneration for the teacher. This is also necessary to create a favourable environment for learning. The Taittiriya Upanishad (an ancient Indian scripture – 1.11.2) gives the instruction: ‘Acharyadevo bhava – Let the teacher be your deva’ [i.e. a person fit to be worshipped or highly honoured]. The teacher/pupil relationship, based on respect and mutual trust, is the cornerstone of the edifice of Vivekananda’s scheme of education. The Upanishads also advocated this. Before starting
the lesson, the teacher and the pupils were to pray together so that they would mutually benefit and be strengthened by the teaching/learning process.
Character education and universal values:
Vivekananda’s guru, Sri Ramakrishna, used to say that manush needs to become man-hush – that is, a man needs to become a true man. ‘He alone is a man,’ he said,’ whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened’ (Gospel, 851). Following his Master, Vivekananda emphasized that ‘the ideal of all education, all training, should be this man-making’. Lamenting over the prevailing system of education, he said: But, instead of that, we are always trying to polish up the outside. What use in polishing up the outside when there is no inside? The end and aim of all training is to make the man grow (CW, vol. II, p. 15).In order to rectify the defects in the existing system, man’s limited view of himself, on which the existing system of education is based, needs to be reconsidered. A human being is not simply a composite of body and mind. He is something more. According to the Vedanta philosophy, a human being has five sheaths, or coverings: the physical sheath, the vital sheath, the mental sheath, the intellectual sheath, and the blissful sheath.
Today’s education can at best touch the first four sheaths, but not the last one. Secular knowledge, skills and moral values may take care of the first four sheaths, but spiritual knowledge is essential for the fifth. Moreover, it should be noted that the fifth sheath is the reservoir of bliss, knowledge and strength, and all the other sheaths are activated by the fifth. There is no doubt that today’s education neglects training of the mind in all its aspects, but it also neglects the spiritual side of human beings. People’s minds are not directed to higher pursuits of life with the result that their hidden potentials are not revealed. Only when wisdom, peace, strength, unselfishness, loving concern for others and other virtues become evident is a person transformed from a sensuous being to a true human being.
A tremendous explosion of knowledge without commensurate wisdom, plus immense power not tempered with discrimination, have made education today a potential source of danger. This is a serious problem looming large on humanity’s horizon. As Vivekananda observed: Intellect has been cultured with the result that hundreds of sciences have been discovered, and their effect has been that the few have made slaves of the many – that is all the good that has been done. Artificial wants have been created; and every poor man, whether he has money or not, desires to have those wants satisfied, and when he cannot, he struggles, and dies in the struggle (CW, vol. I, p. 414). In order to counterbalance this uneven development, Vivekananda strongly recommended the adoption of a ‘spiritual and ethical culture’, and he looked upon ‘religion as the innermost core of education’ (CW, vol. III, p. 182; vol. V, p. 231). But by‘ religion’ he did not mean any particular religion. Religion to him meant the true eternal principles that inspire every religion. This is what touches the heart and has the potential to effect desirablechanges in one’s motivation. It also gives mental strength and broadness of outlook. Discussing the practical implications of morality, Swami Vivekananda once observed: ‘What is meant by morality? Making the subject strong by attuning it to the Absolute, so that finite nature ceases to have control over us’CW, vol. II, p. 137).
Thus, in order to be worthwhile and effective, education must be rooted in religion– or, to be precise, in the science of spirituality, and evidently not in dogma. Character-building was fundamental in Vivekananda’s educational scheme, as against career-orientation, which occupies centre-stage in today’s education. A person is what his thoughts have made him. Explaining this, the Swami said, ‘Each thought is a little hammer blow on the lump of iron which our bodies are, manufacturing out ofit what we want it to be’ (CW, vol. VII, p. 20). That is why one finds that the focusof the Swami’seducational thoughts was on assimilation of man-making, character building ideas.
Everything a person does, every thought, every move, leaves an impression on the mind. Even when itis not outwardly apparent, it is strong enough to work beneath the surface. A person’s character is determined by the sum total of these impressions. When a large number of these impressions come together, they form a habit. This then becomes a powerful force, for character is but repeated habits. This is why, through his acquisition and repetition of desirable habits, one’s character can be remodelled The people one associates with, good or bad, contribute much to the development
of one’s character. In fact, their impact is greater than that of didactic teaching. That is why Swami Vivekananda said: ‘Words, even thoughts, contribute only one-third of the influence in making an impression, the man, two-thirds’ (CW, vol. II, p. 14). He therefore desired that the teacher’s life and personality should be like a blazing fire which could have a positive influence on the pupils in his care. Exposure to exemplary role models, particularly when they are teachers, and also to wholesome curriculum materials that impart culturally-approved values to the young, are critical to character
education. Character-building education might focus on teaching what is right and wrong.
But simultaneously, or alternatively, it should teach how to decide what is right and wrong. It has been rightly argued that participation in discussions of morality is more instructive than simply hearing about it. In any case, however, the teachers should be
moral exemplars if the classroom and the school are to serve as arenas for the teaching of ethics. The students then have the experience of being part of a group of people who take moral values seriously, and this helps them imbibe moral values spontaneously.
The present education system has overemphasized the cultivation of the intellect at the cost of the general well-being of humanity. To check this dangerous trend ,Vivekananda strongly recommended all-round development of human beings. In one of his lectures he expressed the desire ‘that all men were so constituted that in their minds all these elements of philosophy, mysticism, emotion, and of work were equally present in full! That is the ideal, my ideal of a perfect man’ (CW, vol. II, p. 388).And the Swami expected that the education systems would be suitably designed to produce such wholesome human beings. Interestingly, the UNESCO report Learning to be published in 1972, while defining the aim of education, echoed this same idea.It reads: ‘The physical, the intellectual ,emotional and ethical integration of the individual into a complete man is a broad definition of the fundamental aim of education.’7
The education system and the poor
So far we have discussed education primarily in the context of the society that already benefits from education. Vivekananda, however, was a genuine friend of the poor and the weak, particularly the helpless masses of India, and he was the first Indian leader who sought a solution to their problems through education. He argued that a nation w as advanced to the extent that education and culture reached the masses. Unless there was uniform circulation of national blood all over the body, the nation could not rise. He insisted that it was the duty of the upper classes, who had received their
education at the expense of the poor, to come forward and uplift the poor through education and other means. In fact, the Swami’s mission was for the poor. He once said, ‘there must be equal chance for all – or if greater for some and for some less – the weaker should be given more chance than the strong’ (Letters, 255).The trend in recent years has been to shift the responsibility for education from
the family, religious institutions, private charities and so forth, to public authorities ,particularly the State. Yet, in spite of this shift to the State, education has hardly reached he most underprivileged. As they are often victims of malnutrition, poor hygienic conditions and overcrowded housing, they can hardly take advantage of any half-hearted opportunity that is offered. Vivekananda felt that alienation of any kind from the masses of society, who are mostly poor – whether it be alienation through learning, through wealth or through force of arms – weakens the leadership of a country. Therefore, for a sustainable regeneration of India, if not for anything else, top priority must be given to educating
the masses and restoring to them their lost individuality. They should not only be given education to make them self-reliant, but also ideas, moral training and an understanding of their own historical situation so that they can work out their own salvation. Furthermore, they must be given culture, without which there can be no hope for their long-term progress .The Swami was particularly worried about the degradation of women in India. He was emphatic that women must be educated, for he believed that it is the women who mould the next generation, and hence, the destiny of the country. In Vivekananda’ seducational scheme for India, the uplift of women and the masses received the highest
priority, and his ideas approximated to Paulo Freire’s concept of ‘Conscientization’.8
Conclusion
There have been many changes in the field of education since Swami Vivekanandapassed away one hundred years ago, but not as many changes as in other areas of society .One such noticeable change in education is that it is now engaged in preparing human beings for a new type of society, and it is trying to create a new type of human being for it. Interestingly, Swami Vivekananda had envisioned a society with a new type of human being in whom knowledge, action, work and concentration were harmoniously blended, and he proposed a new type of education for achieving this. The right to education for everyone, guaranteed by the Constitution of India, was Vivekananda’s dream, but it is still a far cry from its goal. His idea of continual, or lifelong, education, however, has been adopted in many countries already. Moreover, because of the adoption of continuous education in these countries, our idea of what constitutes success and failure has altered, raising new hope for the weak, underprivileged section of these societies – the very people who for various reasons cannot complete their education when they are young. Vivekananda’s cry for the uplift of the downtrodden masses, particularly of the long-neglected women, has evoked a favourable response from different quarters, but societies tailor education to meet their own needs, thereby often robbing the weak of their freedom to determine their own destiny. Unless radical changes are made in all societies the poor will never be able to raise themselves. This was a major concern of the Swami.
It is remarkable the extent to which there are similarities between Vivekanada’ s thoughts and actions taking place one century ago and the present concerns of
UNESCO.
• His commitment towards universal values and tolerance, his active identification
with humanity as a whole.
• The struggle in favour of the poor and destitute, to reduce poverty and to eliminate
discrimination against women – reaching the unreached.
• His vision of education, science and culture as the essential instruments of human
development.
• That education should be a lifelong process.
• And the need to move away from rote learning.
Himself a visionary and an original thinker, Vivekananda pointed out in his first public lecture in Asia, on 15 January 1897: ‘But education has yet to be in the world, and civilisation – civilisation has begun nowhere yet’ (CW, vol. III, p. 114). This is true. If we consider civilization to be the manifestation of the divine in human beings, as Vivekananda conceived it to be, no society has made much progress so far. This is why we find that mildness, gentleness, forbearance, tolerance, sympathy and so forth
– the signs of a healthy civilization – have not taken root in any society on an appreciable scale, although we prematurely boast of a global village. The lack of basic necessities among the underprivileged all over the world is no less striking than the lack of morality among the educated privileged ones. To squarely meet this great challenge, Vivekananda prescribed ‘man-making and character-building education’.9 For this reason, if not for anything else, Vivekananda’s thoughts one ducation ought to be seriously re-examined today.
Notes
1. Srimad Bhagavad Gita 5.25. An ancient Indian scripture.
2. Speech by Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the
Exhibition and Seminar in Commemoration of the Centenary of Swami Vivekananda’s
Appearance at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893, given at UNESCO
Headquarters, 8 October 1993.
3. Vivekananda had inspired Sir Jamshedji Tata to set up this educational scheme when
they had travelled together from Yokohama to Chicago on the Swami’s first visit to the
West.
4. Israel Scheffler, Of human potential, Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985.
5. G.H. Bantock, T.S. Eliot and education. London: Faber & Faber, 1970, p. 86.
6. Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.29.27.
7. Edgar Faure et al., Learning to be, Paris: UNESCO, 1972, p. 156.
8. Paulo Freire (1921–1997) of Brazil, one of the best known educators of our time, developed
a teaching system based on an educational process that focuses on the learner’s
environment. According to Freire, the learner must be aware of the historical situation
in which he is situated, and he must understand how the knowledge he acquires relates
to himself and to the society he lives in. Freire lay emphasis on building critical awareness
to enable a person to read and write not words, but true reality – i.e. to understand
true reality. Critical awareness building does not stop at reflection but includes action
on that reflection. Vivekananda also believed that a person is the maker of his own
destiny and proper education can help him achieve this.
9. In this connection we can cite the views of some historians. Will and Ariel Durant, in
their The lessons of history, said, ‘Evolution in men during recorded time has been social
rather than biological: it has proceeded not by heritable variations in the species, but mostly
by economic, political, intellectual and moral innovation transmitted to individuals and
generations by imitation, custom or education’ (Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The lessons
of history, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1968, p. 34).
References
Quotations bearing the reference CW in the text are taken from: The complete works of Swami
Vivekananda. Volumes I–IX. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1989. (Mayavati Memorial
Edition.)
Quotations bearing the reference Letters are taken from Letters of Swami Vivekananda. 4th ed.
Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1976.
Quotations from Sri Ramakrishna bearing the reference Gospel are taken from: The Gospel of
Sri Ramakrishna, trans. by Swami Nikhilananda. Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1981.
Other references are as follows:
Datta, B. 1993. Swami Vivekananda, patriot-prophet – a study. Calcutta: Nababharat Publ.
Gambhirananda, Swami. 1996. Yuganayak Vivekananda [Vivekananda, the leader of this era
