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स्कूलों और कॉलेजों के पाठ्यक्रम में अध्यात्म की आवश्यकता || आचार्य प्रशांत (2020)
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5 years ago
Spiritual Education
Education System
Vidya and Avidya
Self-Knowledge
Worldly Knowledge
Upanishads
Teacher
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the question of incorporating spirituality into the education system. He affirms that spirituality is definitely needed in education. However, he clarifies that this does not mean the current academic curriculum, with subjects like social science, history, physics, chemistry, and mathematics, is wrong or unimportant. He emphasizes that these subjects are essential for students to function in the world and should be taught. He humorously questions the premise that his teachings are against subjects like social science or trigonometry, stating that he has no enmity with them. He explains that two streams of education are necessary. The first is worldly education, which the Upanishads call 'Avidya' or 'Apara Vidya' (lower knowledge). The second is spiritual education, called 'Vidya' or 'Para Vidya' (higher knowledge). He stresses that the Upanishads warn against underestimating either stream, as both are essential for a complete education. Acharya Prashant discusses the practicalities of implementing spiritual education. Ideally, both worldly and spiritual education would be provided on the same campus, but he is skeptical about this possibility. A more practical approach might be to have separate centers for each. However, he notes a severe lack of genuine centers for spiritual education, with many fake ones prevalent. He highlights two major challenges. First, finding qualified teachers for spiritual education is extremely difficult, as it requires enlightened individuals, who are rare and unlikely to seek employment in schools. Second, attracting students is a problem because spiritual education does not offer degrees or jobs, which are the primary motivators for students in the current system. He concludes that establishing such education requires immense hard work and, most importantly, the teacher's own knowledge must be absolutely pure and refined before they can impart it to others.