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Amma on Education

Long ago, everyone stayed at the residence of the Guru throughout the period of their education. You might have heard about the Guru-disciple relationship that existed. Students from all different castes and backgrounds used to come and stay at the gurukula. The period of education would last for at least 12 years. The system was entirely different in those days. It was not at all like modern schools and colleges As a result, students came to know the nature of life, how to live and how to behave in the world. Because of that, they were blissful. They became strong-minded and could overcome easily any obstacle.



During that time, the type of education which existed was gurukula vidyabhyasa. Even at a young age, obedience to parents and the Guru would be taught. After spending time in the gurukula, the purpose of life and the reason for taking birth would be understood.

Human intellect has taken humanity to great heights in the field of science. There was a time when people believed that much of which science has attained today was absolutely impossible. They never even dreamed that human beings could go to the moon or that people, while sitting in their homes looking at a small machine called a TV, could view events occurring in another part of the world. Think of the once unimaginable and unbelievable developments of modern science that are now taken for granted. From where do all these things come? What is behind all these wonderful inventions? They are achievements of the human intellect.



These inventions and achievements are clear-cut proofs of the tremendous power inherent in the human mind that is directed toward scientific discovery. And yet, the power of a scientist’s intellect is only an infinitesimal portion of the inherent power in the human mind. The power of human mind is immeasurable.

This infinite power is in all human beings. If a person really wants to do something, nothing is impossible. Nothing can enslave him, overpower him or control him if he is courageous enough to dive deep into his own mind, his own consciousness. He can contact the very fundamental basis of the source of power

When there is only respect and no love, fear is bound to occur. There is an aspect of fear in respect. For example, the schoolteacher asks the student to learn a poem by heart before he comes to class the next day. The poor student isn't interested in poetry. He’d rather play sports and watch TV. The student respects his teacher, but he doesn't love him. He feels that the teacher is forcing something on him that he doesn't like. He dare not say no to this teacher, because he is afraid of him and also afraid of his parents and of the punishment he may get if he doesn’t obey. So he practices repeating the poem several times and memorizes it. This is not real learning. No real learning is possible as long as there is fear. This form of learning will never help the student to attain any true knowledge, because it isn’t done with the heart. Out of respect and fear of his teacher, the student learns like a parrot without imbibing the meaning. But the student’s heart is closed. Fear closes the heart and there is then every probability that the student will forget what he has learned. Only if the heart is open, can he really learn. Otherwise, the process of learning and all his actions will be mechanical.



You feed and store information into a computer. Whenever you want to use this information, you simply press a few keys and it appears before you. But, if you happen to press the wrong button by mistake, that's it! ---all the data you have saved is gone. The screen goes blank.

The computer can only obey whatever command it is given. The computer is not intelligent and it cannot feel anything, because it's only a machine invented by the human intellect. A human being can become almost like a breathing, moving computer, if he doesn't have a loving and compassionate heart. Respect that is devoid of love and based on fear will close your heart and turn you into a human machine. If you obey your teacher or your parents only out of fear and respect, it is no more than feeding information into a computer. It can go blank at any time, because there is no love to hold and support it.

If you want to learn your lessons well, relaxation is the best method. It will keep your intellect clear, your memory power will increase tremendously, and you will not exhaust your energy by repeating a lesson a hundred times in order to memorize it. When you are deeply relaxed, you need only read the lesson one and you will know it forever.

When you relax, you forget everything. A space is created and your mind becomes empty. In that mood of emptiness, if you focus all your energy on something of your choice, the whole subject just enters into you. At that moment your whole being is wide open—every atom, every cell of your body is so receptive that you can just swallow the whole subject and digest it. This is the method that the rishis used in the education of their disciples. They made their disciples forget everything and relax. In that atmosphere of love and openness all their previous conditioning was forgotten.

We need to teach students the art of relaxation--how to be at ease. If they don’t feel relaxed, how can they learn? Without relaxation, no real learning is possible. This is the first lesson that clearly needs to be understood. It’s very important that parents should understand this before they ask their children to do something. Spiritual practices such as meditation, repetition of a mantra, and singing bhajans are different methods which are meant to relax the mind so that you can always be open like a freshly blossomed flower.



Only through relaxed study can knowledge be retained. A study undertaken with stress and strain, without any relaxed, restful moments for the body, mind or intellect, cannot be successful. In fact, it is relaxation that provides the clarity of vision and the energy necessary to learn and retain any real knowledge. The knowledge gathered in this way remains fresh forever, irrespective of your age. Whatever learning one does mechanically, under stressful and strenuous circumstances without any relaxation, will not help in the overall development of a person. Only someone who has gathered knowledge with a peaceful mind can really put that knowledge into practice and become a master in his field.

A person who knows how to relax continues to learn new things. Throughout his life, his thirst for knowledge will remain ever fresh. He feels no tension; he is relaxed, and he therefore keeps on gathering knowledge, which he actually puts into practice. For example, he not only studies about space, he invents new methods, new techniques and equipment with which to explore the subject. He not only learns about the undersea world, he dives deep into the water to discover what is there. His curiosity is inexhaustible. Even though he has an unquenchable thirst to learn and to know, he is always relaxed, and this relaxed mood gives him the strength and vitality to absorb more knowledge and to put it into practice through his experiments.

There are poets, painters, musicians and scientists who spend a lot of time in solitude, contemplating and relaxing. They withdraw from the noisy world and go into seclusion. While sitting in a fully relaxed mood, they withdraw from the mind and its thoughts. They will sometimes slip into a deep trancelike state, and as they come out of that state they are able to create a great masterpiece.

Creating fear and respect in order to teach obedience cannot be called disciplining, but it is true that constructive disciplining takes place when love is allowed to blossom. If love is absent, any reverence or respect will be based on fear. A loving relationship, however, will open up your heart and enable you to express yourself fully in whichever way you choose. Love brings you closer together, and in that closeness, there is no lack of discipline at all. Out of that love, which comes from proper understanding, a natural and genuine respect will be born. In other words, once a strong bond of love is established between the teacher and student, or parent and child, disciplining can be done easily, without causing any hurt feelings in the one who is being disciplined. This loving closeness, this meeting of hearts, is vitally important in the relationship between teacher and student, or parent and child. But for this closeness to happen, one must be patient and forgiving.



Parents should instill good qualities and good conduct in their children, and this means instructing them in spiritual matters. They should tell their children stories that depict moral principles and train them to do japa and meditation. Through sadhana, intelligence and memory will improve, as well as conduct.

Undoubtedly, self-discipline is needed during the present age. Each one of us must become aware of the urgency for self-discipline. It is not simply a need, but an urgent necessity which must be practiced by every individual of the country. Instead of polishing and beautifying the body and the world outside, while the mind remains a mess, we should do all this polishing and beautifying inside. Stop becoming tense about external situations. Once the inside of a person is clean, then the outer circumstances automatically become all right. Stop giving too much importance to external objects.

There are many masters around the world who have attained the ultimate state. If they could do it, you too should be able to do it. Why have doubts? Try. Doubting is learned; you have learned to doubt. You have never learned to believe, to have faith. Doubt is your number one enemy. Faith is your best friend. Have faith and put forth effort. You will see the outcome.



A medical student is not a doctor. It takes years of concentrated study and preparations to become a good doctor. But during the period when he is still an intern, we might call him a doctor even though he hasn’t yet received his degree. Why? Because it is the goal he will reach at the end of his studies. Whatever he does is done as a preparation towards that goal. His aim is to be a doctor; he constantly remembers this and makes every effort to attain that final goal. He refrains from any action or situation that could create an obstacle on his path.