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True knowledge
sets the soul free Knowledge, perceived
in its most complex and vibrant forms in the 6th Century BC South
Asia, is best found in the Brahmmajala sutta expounded by Siddhartha
Gautama. The bottom line in the Buddhist theory of knowledge "is
understanding things in their true perspective". Knowledge
then is also equated with the concept of 'truth' or reality. It
then brings out the best of the humane spirit in perceiving this
knowledge. In the Majjhima
Nikaya this is described as Svakkhato bhagavata dhammo (lucidly
explained is the Dhamma by the Enlightened One), sanditthiko (to
be self-realized), akaliko (timeless), opanayiko (inviting investigation),
paccahattm veditabbo vinnuhiti (to be realized by ones own self)." Thus knowledge
cannot be imposed from above but is to be realized through an uninhibited
spirit of inquiry devoid of any religious trappings and dogmas.
Siddhartha Gautama instructed the members of the Kalama lineage,
that knowledge could not be realized through revelation, tradition,
the teachers' word and even by pure reasoning and logic. One who seeks
knowledge, said Gautama, must break away from the four extremes
or fetters (satara agati) identified as, chanda (bias), dosha (prejudice),
bhaya (fear) and moha (delusion). This in fact is a sound recipe
for modern research methodology, nurturing intellectual expressions
devoid of any inhibitions and parochialism. Knowledge defined in
Buddhist epistemology had a definitive goal i.e. the final termination
of consciousness clinging on to material conditions where both are
in a constant state of flux. Knowledge was
valued in a worldly sense too. This boils down to common sense application
of life skills. Even in the Buddhist texts of lay ethics (Sigalovada
sutta and Parabhava sutta for example) correct livelihood based
on social-friendly life skills finds a prominent place. In the Jataka
texts we read of the acharin at Taxila who imparted their knowledge
on various subjects to young students from elite families. The ancient
city of Taxila, nurtured by the best of indigenous and Indo-Greek
cultural traditions, is in fact a classic example for a cosmopolitan
multi-cultural centre of learning in historical south Asia. The
Manu Dharmashastra and even early inscriptions give priority to
instructions in the political-economy, currency systems and accountancy,
combat art etc. as life skills prescribed in the curriculum imparted
to royalty of that time. The Arthashastra
of Kautilya (a third Century BC thesis on the political-economy
of north India) provides an excellent insight into early historic
pragmatism and worldly knowledge of seeking power and political
legitimization. The curriculum at great universities of the Middle
Historic period, such as Nalanda and in our country at Abhayagiri,
apparently went beyond philosophy and logic. Historical sources
of south Asia in general mention specialist teachers in music, dancing,
the martial arts, astronomy, therapeutic systems, alchemy etc. There
were even specialized manuals on architecture, sculpture, medicine
including sensual pleasures, indicating some areas of study that
constituted this very vibrant system of information that was based
on a holistic approach to knowledge. Culture and
environment cannot be isolated from each other. Each community carries
its own cultural personality while it shares many elements of other
techno-cultural groups as well. Cultural diversity is a living reality
and will continue to be so despite the overarching (and imagined)
global culture imposed from above. In contemporary
Sri Lanka we possess ethnic, language, religious and religio-cultural
diversity providing this island society with multiple identities.
Into this, one may also add class, caste and gender variations that
have an additional bearing on identities shaping the cosmopolitan
cultural ethos of this island. The critical
question to pose, as Lynch does in his thought provoking paper entitled
"Human Rights, Racism and the Multicultural Curriculum"
is, the level of our commitment to the ethical aspect of respecting
other cultures. This is all about sensitivity towards cultural identities
and interaction among culturally diverse resident communities that
may be identified as interculturism. It is the community
of children and youth that I identify as the next generation. They
are the inheritors of our world and whatever legacy we bequeath
to them. We have a moral obligation to manage the present world
with wisdom for their very existence. As much as we have borrowed
the environment from the next generation it is incumbent upon us
to pass down the best elements of our inherited culture to them.
Transmission of wisdom and 'appropriate knowledge' is all about
that. We must respect
their aspirations, place greater confidence in their judgement and
provide the next generation with all the space they require for
their expression. If we are unable to come to terms with that obligation,
the next generation will turn on our generation with a vengeance.
The human carnage of 1971, 1983, 1987-89 is a harsh reminder of
that reality. There is yet
much soul searching to be done as to why several generations of
Sinhala and Tamil speaking youth took up arms against the existing
socio-political and economic system and sacrificed their lives to
realize a dream of creating their own space and culture. Not only
has our generation failed to come up with answers we have miserably
failed even to understand the problem. To what extent
is our educational system knowledge-oriented? Is it capable of developing
the intellectually oriented multi-cultural personality of the next
generation? Do we even provide sufficient space for knowledge? Do
we simply equate knowledge for our immediate subsistence and livelihood
requirements and reduce it to a demand and supply dictum? Is knowledge
per se a luxury for developing countries? Being very pragmatic about
it, do we then draw a distinction between knowledge and education?
Is our educational system parochial, inward looking and stagnant? In her book
Education for a Multicultural Society, my colleague Professor Ashoka
Jayasena writes "multi-culturality is a social reality in Sri
Lanka and this fact has to be recognized in all educational institutions.
The call for acceptance and respect of other cultures is based on
the belief that the existence and expressions of differences can
improve the quality of life for individuals, for all cultural groups
and for society as a whole." It is time for us to look beyond
the narrow confines of the monolinguistic-compartmentalized curriculum
and take stock of the subjective and objective ground realities
in the interest of the very survival of a historically evolved social
fabric in this country. Conversely we also have to pose the question
whether we should opt for an inter-cultural curriculum in a multi
cultural society. State 'controlled'
education has outrun its functional use in the new pan-national
context. The emergence of alternative information systems and centres
of primary, middle and high schools including degree-awarding centres
outside the pale of state control is a case in point. This is not
to say that state funding be withdrawn. Economic disparities within
south Asian societies necessitates that state funding is provided
but without state control over the dissemination of knowledge. If
the need of the hour is prioritizing the acceptance of a plural
society, it must then thrive within a liberal education rubric.
Roy in fact elaborates this in the following words. "Education
for democracy does not consist in teaching just reading and writing,
but in making people conscious of their humanness, in making them
conscious of their right to exist as human beings, in decency and
dignity. Education means to help them to think, to apply their reason".
Whether this will be achieved under a curtailed state controlled
system or private system is yet to unfold in clear terms even as
a concept. The dilemma whether "Education cannot be given free"
or "Knowledge is not for sale" must be resolved within
this decade. Preparing the
student for global citizenship in a shrinking world; Distinction
between knowledge and skills; Education as a vehicle of change for
construction and sustenance; Multi-disciplinary research into intercultural
inquiry; Humanizing the sciences; Cosmopolitan education; The need
for internationalizing and diversifying higher education; Awakening
of the next generation to the complexities of the global economy.
Problem-oriented and issue-related curriculum. Heterogeneous faculty
and students. This almost
runs parallel to the vision of Olcott - what we once possessed and
then lost later. May I conclude
with the spirit of Olcott's idealism expressed in Rabindranath Tagore's
poem, The Heaven of Freedom! "Where
the mind is without fear and the head is held high: Where knowledge
is free: Where the world
has not been broken-up into small fragments by narrow domestic walls: Where words
come out from the depth of truth Where tireless
striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear
stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand
of dead habit Where the mind
is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action: Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake." |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
