शिक्षा : मन के प्रशिक्षण की जरूरत
Summary
The article, published in a special September 2009 edition for Teacher's Day, presents philosopher Acharya Shri Mahapragya's critique of modern education. He argues that while education has successfully developed intellect and language, it has failed to train the mind. This, he contends, is the root cause of society's persistent problems, as all negative emotions and distortions arise from the mind's restlessness, not from the intellect. He states that current education focuses on external causes (nimitta) rather than the internal substance (upadana), leading to a cycle of temporary fixes without permanent change. True transformation, he asserts, requires training the mind, which is the most crucial yet neglected aspect of education. Mahapragya explains that development has two bases: language and thought. However, to reach a higher stage of consciousness, one must learn to transcend these. He clarifies that this is not a regression to an undeveloped state but a progression beyond the current limits of mental activity. The key is to achieve a state of stillness where memory, imagination, and thought cease, allowing access to deeper consciousness. This is achieved through practices like meditation, which aim to calm the mind and conserve vital energy (prana shakti). He links the depletion of this vital energy to societal issues like violence, possessiveness, and mental instability, arguing that unrestrained indulgence in sensory pleasures leads to its waste. Therefore, principles like non-violence, celibacy, and non-possessiveness are not about weakness but about conserving and enhancing this inner power. The ultimate goal of education, he concludes, should be to train the mind, cultivate equanimity, and achieve a balance between activity and stillness, thereby unlocking new dimensions of consciousness and enabling genuine, lasting change.
Conclusion
The document argues that current education, focused solely on intellectual development, fails to address the root cause of personal and societal problems: the untrained mind. It concludes that without training the mind to achieve stillness and balance, all efforts at change are superficial and temporary. The key implication is that true, lasting transformation requires a new educational paradigm that includes mental discipline, such as meditation, to conserve vital energy and cultivate equanimity. The outcome of such an approach would be a more stable, peaceful, and genuinely developed individual, moving beyond mere intellectualism to unlock deeper human potential.