A Call For Buddhist Education -- By Ven Omalpe Sobhita Thero (Religious Advisor, Bodhiraja Buddhist Society)

Some weeks ago, on my way to visit a friend in Bedok, I passed by a group of rowdy students hanging around at the landing of one of the blocks. These youngsters, aged between 14 and 17, were behaving loosely and many of them smoking, with cigarettes and light provided by the enterprising store-owner nearby. I learnt from my friend that they were students from a nearby school and that this is their daily routine after school. What a disgrace to the school indeed! Despite all the sophisticated facilities and modern school buildings, something is lacking behind in the education system.

Today, in many rich cities across the United States, Europe and Asia, parents and teachers are complaining about the unruly behaviour of the young at home, in schools and in public places. The moral decadence that pervades the consumer society at large is reflected in the arrogance and ego-centricity of our young population who do not care a hoot to give up their seats to the old and frail on public transport, who indulge in drugs and other vices to their parents?dismay, who hang out at game arcades and shopping malls and become a public nuisance, or engage in gang fights and other criminal activities.

In 1984, when some senior cabinet ministers expressed concern about the erosion of moral values of the wider society from modernization and undesirable western influences in Singapore, the government imposed "Religious Knowledge" as a compulsory subject for upper secondary schools. Regrettably, this was short-lived. Just five years later, in 1989, the policy was abandoned. "Religious Knowledge" would no longer be a compulsory school subject from the following year onwards; instead it would be an optional subject to be conducted outside curriculum hours. Had the government persisted in their policy, would it have made any difference?

In almost every country, formal education is seen as a means to secure a well-paid job that will increase one's standard of living and social status. On a wider scale, school syllabuses are tailored to meet the human resources need of the nation's economic growth. The product of such a narrow education system may be full of academic and technical know-how. He/She is also self-centered and reward-seeking, with little development in the way of spiritual or moral values. This is one of the major faults of our education system because we have forgotten the true aim of education.

The word "education" literally means to "to bring forth". The aim of education is to draw out the potentialities of the human mind, to develop them to their fullest capacity. Education is not simply to impart information and skills but to develop the individual in a holistic way - mentally, physically and spiritually. In his oft-cited book "The Aims of Education", Alfred Whitehead writes: "The essence of education is that it be religious'-A religious education is an education which inculcates duty and reverence."?

This religious nature of education is most evident if we look at the history of the major religions. In the Buddhist tradition, religion and education are so inextricably linked that it is impossible to separate the two. The Buddha himself has often been considered as one of the greatest teachers of mankind, by both by Buddhists and non-Buddhists. In Buddhist India, we find some of the finest educational institutes inspired by the Buddha's teachings, such as Nalanda, Valabhi, Vikramasila and Odantapuri. In traditionally Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, the temples were the centres of education and often, monks served as teachers until public education was introduced. In fact, when Buddhism was first brought to China in the first century AD, it was seen as an educational system rather than as a religion.

Buddhist education is built on the twin pillars of faith (saddha) and wisdom (panna). We have faith in the Triple Gem, and in the Buddha as the Fully Enlightened One. More importantly, we have faith in the teachings of the Buddha as the path towards the liberation and the end of suffering was what the Buddha has set out to seek in the first place. By faith, we do not mean blind faith (amulaka saddha) or idol worshipping. Rather, it is reasonable faith (akarawati saddha), faith based on right understanding (samma dithi). Rooted in faith, the student is inspired to understand and develop the virtues or morality (sila). When the practices of sila and their application in everyday circumstances enable one to overcome his difficulties, he begins to appreciate the positive virtues of kindness, compassion, generosity, honesty and truthfulness. Faith is strengthened, based on reason and contemplation. Ultimately, faith becomes firmly rooted and unshakeable when one progresses on the spiritual path and gains true wisdom (panna).

The second pillar, panna, means wisdom or understanding and is the highest virtue in Buddhism. The Buddha says, "Panna naranam rathanam"- wisdom is the gem for the people. This is the ultimate aim of Buddhist education - the development of the faculty of wisdom. True wisdom is more than mere intellectual understanding of a subject. It is a direct, experiential insight of the true nature of reality as embodied in the Four Noble Truths and is gained when the mind is purified with the practice of the Noble Eight Fold Path. As told by Venerable Nagasena to King Milinda in the Milindapanha, wisdom "is like a lamp which a man would take into a dark house. It would dispel the darkness, would illuminate, shed light, and make the forms in the house stand out clearly." Apadana sobhini panna - like the light, wisdom dispels the darkness of ignorance and brightens the character of one who has developed good virtues.

The two virtues of faith and wisdom are complementary. The former represents the heart while the latter the brain. The person who is strong in faith but lacks wisdom places his confidence foolishly in an unworthy object. The person who is wise but has no faith "errs on the side of cunning and is as hard to cure as a sickness caused by medicine." It is only when faith and wisdom are balanced can we have faith in a deserving object. As described in the Kasibharadvajia Sutta,

Faith is the seed, practice the rain

And wisdom is my yoke and plough.

Modesty's the pole, mind and strap

Mindfulness my ploughshare and goad.

Faith and wisdom go hand in hand, and reinforce each other.

Whether one regards Buddhism as a religion or philosophy, Buddhist education can serve as an important counterpart to the existing formal education system, to inculcate the moral and spiritual values which are an integral part of human development. It is a pity that in Singapore where more than half of the population are Buddhists (and a mix of Buddhism and other Chinese traditions, such as Taoism and Confucianism), there are only two Buddhist schools. (Compare this with the more than 40 Christian schools when the Christian population is only 15% of the population or the 6 Madrasahs for a Muslim population of 14%).

In recent years, there are encouraging signs with the establishment of a number of Buddhist colleges. More Buddhist centres and monasteries are also offering Dhamma courses and Sunday schools and these have generated a growing interest in Buddhist education among the young. Buddhist education is not the prerogative for monks but extend to all who have a genuine wish to develop fully as a human being. More attention to Buddhist education, especially from an early age, can contribute much to nurture a next generation of thinking, feeling adults who are not only technological wizards but have a strong sense of social responsibility and a deep concern for humanity. This is a direction that all Buddhist communities should work positively towards.