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16 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

This is why Buddhist education is not at all idealistic. The second two areas of education are internal:
It is not meant to produce unworldly people, virtuous
(a) This third area deals with emotional development:
but unable to cope in the so-called ‘real world’. It
developing skillful means to reduce and abandon
is rather based on the conviction that the Buddhist
negative emotions, and to bring forth and cultivate
developmental process which can, in its fullness, take
positive emotions. It includes strengthening the
someone all the way to enlightenment, on a scaled-
ability to restrain negative impulses, promotion
down level provides the best possible kind of education
of the wholesome desire for truth and goodness,
for ordinary people.
patient endurance, resilience and good humor,
The Four Elements of Bhāvanā or the so-called meditation practices to enhance mindfulness, inner
Education in four areas peace and clarity of mind, the promotion of loving
kindness and compassion.

The first two elements are external:
(b) The fourth and the last area concerns the
development of the wisdom faculty itself, the gem
(a) The first area of education entails learning about
of the Buddhist tradition. It includes training the
the physical world in which we live and developing
ability to think with reason and without bias, to
a wise and balanced relationship towards it. The
think creatively and freshly, to think constructively
physical world in this context begins with the
about one’s thinking, to be able to reflect on
physical body. Students learn about the body, and
experience and learn from it. Ultimately, it means
how to take care of it. They learn the importance
developing the ability to look directly at the way
of nutrition, exercise and moderation, how to
things are free from conceptual proliferation.
deal with physical needs and wise cultivation of
the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting
These four types of cultivation carried to the highest
and touching. The second level concerns those
level result in enlightenment - the attainment of the
elements of the physical world that students have
ultimate peace, unlimited wisdom and compassion. In a
to deal with every day and directly influence their
conventional educational system, the effort is to create
well-being. This includes their relationship to
an atmosphere, an environment, a curriculum which are
money, personal possessions such as toys, clothes,
in harmony with the Buddhist path to enlightenment,
mobile phones, computers and the internet. The
but adapted appropriately to the needs and capacity of
third level concerns the relationship with the
school students.
environment and responsibility to the well-being of
the planet on which we live. This area of education
Rote learning versus memorization
would thus encompass such subjects as nutrition,
physical exercise, sport, biology, time management,
First of all, rote learning must be separated from
computer studies, maths, art, physical sciences,
memorization. It’s been recognized for thousands
geography, environmental studies etc.
of years that memorization of texts is a very useful
(b) The second area entails learning about developing a element in an education system for a number of
wise and balanced relationship to the social world. reasons. The first one is that it is a very good mental
It includes teaching the foundations of Buddhist exercise. You have to be very patient. You have to
morality as a scheme for living together wisely with apply yourself, and memorizing things is a good work-
trust and integrity, communication skills, language out for your brain. It helps to teach the student how
skills, sociology, history, community service etc. knowledge can be systematized, categorized and
summarized most effectively.