EDUCATION = SELF TRANSFORMATION

Introduction: 

Etymologically the term education is derived from Educare, Educere, and Educo which implies to bring out, bring forth and lead out. Today education is considered no more to be pouring out but to bring out what is best in every individual.

Generally education two ways:  The Narrow education and Broad education. Narrow education implies the instructions imparted in the four walls of class room. This may include teaching, delivering lectures, or any other instructions that take place in the class room. Whereas broad education includes the bite of mosquitoes, experience of biting cold, scorching heat, flying in the airplane, riding bicycle, skipping and playing; in short all the events that take place in our life starting from the day break to end of the day are all education. Education takes place throughout our life whether we are aware or unaware. Most of the education takes place not in the four walls of class rooms but in life. This does not mean we must opt for de-schooling. The present system of education which stresses much on instructions imparted in the class room, examinations, test, homework, class work and so on is failing to make a good human being who is good citizen of the country too. The education is to make good human being who is responsible. In other words education is for self transformation. This is more precisely clarified in the definition of Mahatma Gandhi.

M.K. Gandhi defined Education as, “Education I mean all round drawing out of the child – body, mind and spirit.” Education implies drawing out what is best in the individual and developing it to the optimum level so as to become a productive member of the society. Education enables individual to be self reliant. In other words it teaches one to earn one's livelihood. Side by side its aim is to make a person more human. It is process of self transformation. The more educated you are the better human being you must become. Education is not so much of acquiring high marks in the examination but is a process of self transformation. The state of your education is easily evaluated by your way of relating with others, here I mean with God, human beings and environment.  

All round education includes physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, aesthetic and ethical aspect of life.  Education helps individual to become physically fit, morally good, spiritually enlightened, intellectually alert, aesthetically sound, and ethically upright.  

NOT YET…

Introduction

From day break to noon and from noon to eve, and from eve to end of the day lot of events take place. Things happen in our awareness and unawareness. Everything has a purpose in our life. Our spatiotemporal reality reminds us of the shortness of our life. Events in our life happen in accordance with perfect, good eternal and good God's will. Often we fail to see or we do not want to see his will in our life working. We are in the process and not a final product. We are in the process of making…We are not yet…

There is a little story about a tea cup which will best explain this idea. 

One day a couple went in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially tea-cups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  One some fine day in this very beautiful shop they saw a beautiful tea-cup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the tea-cup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup.

There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "let me alone", but he only smiled, "Not yet." "Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the tea-cup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.' Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook his head, 'Not yet.'

Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.' Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.' Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself. And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

God knows what He's doing for all of us. For he says in the book of Jeremiahs:11 “I know the plan I have for you in my mind; plans for prosperity and not for disaster” He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He melts us, molds us and makes us continuously so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

INNER PEACE

Introduction

            We are witnessing a tremendous growth and advancement in all spheres of our life. There is advancement in Economics, Politics, History, Science, Technology, Psychology, and many other fields. But when we glance through news papers, watch Television, read magazines, browse through the net we come across lot of things which are contrary to the advancement  then one wonders and goes on to question the authenticity of growth,  progress and development. The authentic advancement will then take place when one is peace within himself. As rightly said by Mother Teresa , The fruit of silence is prayer,  The fruit of prayer is faith,  The fruit of faith is love,  The fruit of love is service,  The fruit of service is peace.

 When one is in peace, his peace attracts all others around him just like magnet attracting steel, or iron around itself. 

Recently I was watching a film, Kumphu Panda, and I came across a phrase “Inner Peace”. This very phrase is uttered by Kumphu Panda several times in this film. Now one may wonder what this inner peace is, or from where does it come, or how does one acquire it and so on?

            There are several ways in which one can attain peace. One of the ways one can acquire peace is through Meditation. Meditation is an analytic, contemplative approach to understand nature and functioning of the mind and to perceive the transitory nature of temporal reality. It does not end here but it bids us for post meditation practice. It consists of avoiding regression into old habits and through it one becomes a better human being day by day and having openness, goodness, patience, and most of all living an inspiring. These human virtues enable in the blossoming of inner peace. When one attains inner peace, his life seems to incline towards spiritual realm. His life becomes a sort of spirituality which inspires, attracts other around him/her.

Spiritual life consists of three complementary aspects

Vision is a philosophical perspective. Through this one goes through a process of investigation of the ultimate nature of reality.

Meditation is a familiarizing with this vision and integrating it through spiritual practice into the stream of consciousness that personality identifies with vision.

Action is expressed in the outer world. The inner knowledge acquired through vision and meditation needs application in all situations.

Spiritual life is matter of transforming oneself and search for truth. Spiritual search when it brings true inner transformation is an experience that is fully alive and unchangingly renewed freshness “we can end war ... but there will be more,” individual's mind need to change. 

There is way to discover inner peace that does not depend on – health, power, success, money, pleasures of the senses. The inner peace is treasure which no one can snatch it away from the individual. This alone can help one to master oneself by conquering all sorts of hardships and know who s/he really is.