Spiritual Education
by J. Donald Walters (Swami Kriyananda), founder of the Education
for Life philosophy of Living Wisdom Schools
The first public service that Paramhansa Yogananda
undertook after becoming a swami was to found a school for young
boys. Starting in 1916 in the village of Dihika with only seven
students, he was "determined to found a school where young
boys could develop to the full stature of manhood." A year
later he moved the school to Ranchi and founded the Yogoda Satsanga
Brahmacharya Vidyalaya, which is still in existence today. Almost
sixty years later, in 1972 at Ananda Village, the first Living
Wisdom School was founded, based on the ideals and directions
that Master has given about education. Starting also with only
seven students, Living Wisdom School now has a campus of seven
buildings, plus branch schools in Palo Alto, Portland, and Seattle.
The following article is from an early talk
given by Kriyananda in which he discusses the system of education
called Education for
Life used in the Living Wisdom Schools.
What I've tried to do in my life is to take Yogananda’s
central teaching and apply it to many fields of life — business,
the arts, relationships, raising families, schools, communities,
and so on. The education of children was very dear to Yogananda’s
heart, but what he actually said about it was very little. Through
the years we have taken what he has given us, meditated on it,
and applied our understanding in the Living Wisdom School classrooms
in order to deepen our insights and attunement to Yogananda's
vision for spiritual education.
We are developing a system called Education for
Life, something which is very much needed in society today. The
reason for so many of the problems in our world is that we’re
giving children what Yogananda called an essentially atheistic
view of life. When we rigorously exclude all spiritual teachings
and higher values, our children end up getting the message that
there aren't any higher values, and that there isn't even a God.
Children have a natural longing for values and ideals, but our
society gives them a universe and a life in which they have no
faith. The cynical teachings of modern education are so ego-oriented,
and so money and job-oriented, that when children grow up cynical
and angry at the universe, it's hardly something to be surprised
at. It's the fault of our society that allows that kind of thing
to happen.
The purpose of spiritual education is to fulfill
the divine potential of children, and to prepare them for life
by giving them the tools needed to keep on learning throughout
the many experiences that will come to them. When we speak of
spiritual education, we don't mean a church kind of education.
What we mean is to help children understand that they're going
to be a lot happier if they are kind to others, if they work for
high ideals. The child who has a little bag of dates and eats
them all himself isn't nearly so happy as the child who shares
those dates with others. In all cases, we can see that people
who are selfish just aren't happy, and people who are selfless
are happy. They can apply this understanding not only at school,
but also at home and everywhere in life. If we can bring this
kind of teaching to children, this then is spiritual education.
Another purpose of spiritual education is to build
the person on all levels. We are triune beings composed of body,
mind, and soul, and if any part of us is starved at the expense
of the others, then we aren't complete. It's an interesting fact
that people who write, as an example of a mental activity, will
very often also do something physical to keep themselves grounded.
When Yogananda first had an experience of cosmic consciousness,
his guru, Sri Yukteswar, handed him a broom, saying, ”Let
us sweep the porch." We have to learn how to keep these worlds
in harmony with one another. If we let one go in favor of the
other, in some way we become unbalanced.
In the education of our children, we need to help
them develop their characters and their minds, but we must also
help them prepare for living successfully in this world. We don't
want them to go out into society and find themselves incapable
of relating to what's going on. They have to have the facts that
are a part of our modern upbringing. But, they don't need to have
those facts taught to them in such a way as to leave them believing
that there's no value in anything. There is a great deal of emphasis
on the wrong things today. The basis of spiritual education is
to prepare them for society in a way that will help them to remain
idealistic.
Suppose you have children who have learned how to
love everyone, who have learned the goodness of life. When they
go out into the world they may face hatred, criminal activity,
and many other negative things. Will they be able to handle that?
This is probably the primary concern that people have with spiritual
education. The answer to this concern is to be seen in those who
live with love. It isn't as if they become stupid or lose the
ability to relate to the world as it is. In fact, the broadest
understanding comes from that which is centered in love; the narrowest
understanding is that which is centered in hatred. If you're on
the lowest level, you can relate only to the lowest level; if
you're on the highest level, you can relate to all levels. To
see that this is true, we can point to examples of people who
live that way and who are able to handle life's many challenges
far, far better. I have observed that people who are complete
as human beings are generally more successful. A spiritual education
can actually guarantee greater success even in the way worldly
people define it.
An example of this is Yogananda’s most advanced
disciple, Rajarsi Janakananda. He was the chairman of quite a
few big companies and owned several others. He had the clarity,
calmness, and centeredness to be able to pull back from all the
stress and the excitement and see the way to resolve difficult
issues. The secret of his success was the fact that his consciousness
was rooted in God and the desire for right action.
Children are born with different inclinations; different
strengths, weaknesses, and educational needs. One of the unfortunate
aspects of modern education is the assembly-line approach to teaching
where the same information is more or less dumped out to everyone.
There isn’t any philosophy, it is just information. Small
classes, where the teacher can get to know each child personally,
are essential for giving individual attention and for discovering
what the natural level of understanding is for each child.
By teaching children kindness, concentration, will
power, strength of character, truthfulness, and other higher qualities,
life is made richer. These are deeply important to the development
of the human being, but such things are not taught today in public
education. The ultimate purpose of life is not simply to get a
job. So many people live this way and then die, not of old age,
but of deep disappointment with the life they have led. If you
don’t know how to be truly happy, money won’t buy
it for you.
Spiritual education is training people for life.
How many people get married, and then get divorced because they
don’t know how to get along with their spouse? They’re
not educated for that, nor for life.
Education, if rightly understood, is expansion of
awareness. It is preparation for that process of real learning
which takes place after we leave school and are in the constant
struggle, the battlefield of life. By giving children the tools
and understanding to make the right choices in life, we can lead
them to lasting happiness. Then they will be able to achieve the
kind of spiritual victories that are the true meaning of success.
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