The Teacher-Past and Present
The Teacher: Past and Present
The teacher or 'guru' role in Indian philosophy is profound and significant. In ancient traditions and philosophical systems, the concept of the teacher was not limited to teaching. Instead, the role of a teacher was to create a sacred relationship between the thirst for knowledge and the source of knowledge. Teachers' responsibilities were diverse and involved providing knowledge, directions, and encouragement for self-realisation through various means. The guru-disciple relationship was highly regarded and fundamental to ancient schooling. The Guru served as an educator and a spiritual mentor, guiding disciples to embody honesty, compassion, altruism, and strong moral character. The community acknowledged the Guru as a highly revered man who was seen as a guiding light and a source of information. This knowledge and wisdom are achieved via study, meditation, and spirituality. Vedanta philosophy and Buddhism have placed significant emphasis on the attributes and presence of a Guru. This Guru can guide learners towards self-discovery, revealing the mysteries of existence and helping them attain spiritual liberation. The Guru applied unconditional love and good behaviour to develop ideals like humility, honesty, compassion, and social responsibility.
According to Indian philosophy, the Supreme Guru resides within oneself. Beyond the outward form and manifestation, the honest Guru is the inner voice of wisdom, insight and divine consciousness. Through practices such as meditation, self-enquiry, and introspection, the disciple attains the presence of the inner Guru. Guru-disciple tradition is rooted in sacred tradition. Guru illuminates the path of knowledge, nurtures the soul and guides the disciple on the path of spiritual transformation. A teacher's primary responsibility is discovering what is hidden in a person. The idea of education in ancient India was to awaken all the talents within the student and awaken humanity and all-round perfection in him. Vedanta philosophy, one of the six classical schools of Indian thought, offers profound insights into the nature of existence, consciousness, and ultimate reality. Central to Vedanta is the concept of the teacher, known as the Guru. Who plays an essential role in guiding seekers to self-realisation and spiritual enlightenment. Guru is identified as the embodiment of knowledge in Vedanta philosophy. The Guru was revered as the embodiment of knowledge, enlightenment and divine grace. Guru is not merely a teacher but the manifestation of eternal truth (Brahman). The Guru's role is to impart knowledge that leads the disciple from ignorance to self-realisation (Atma jnana), uncovering the eternal truths deep within one's being. The Guru's teaching is not based on mere intellectual discourse but lies in the direct realisation of the ultimate reality.
India was inhabited by numerous eminent educationalists, each bringing forth their virtuous educational philosophy and ideas. Swami Vivekananda (1863-102) was India's highly regarded and influential philosopher, educator, practitioner, and social reformer. He advocated fervently for moral and spiritual education and expounded his views on the true nature of education and the role of the teacher in numerous writings and speeches. He noted that although the current education system does contain a few positive aspects, it is rife with problems and obstacles; consequently, society is not far from benefiting from it. As a result of globalisation, capitalism, and unprecedented technological advancement, the modern education system is career-focused and measures success in economic terms. Mind discipline and the development of moral values and character receive scant attention. In contemporary education, learners are not instructed on self-actualisation, self-control, or establishing sincere and harmonious relationships with others. Furthermore, the system fails to foster a deeply connected and esteemed rapport between educators and learners. It neglects to impart the essential human qualities of truth, honesty, love, and compassion. The traditional approach fails to assist individuals in developing qualities such as grace, intelligence, fearlessness, self-reliance, self-assurance, morality, honesty, and empathy. These qualities were previously attained through self-effort, self-realisation, and appropriate education.
As stated by Swami Vivekananda, Education can emancipate. It frees one from negative tendencies and a lack of awareness regarding their authentic "Self." Therefore, education should not be regarded as an end in itself; instead, it should serve as a vehicle to facilitate an individual's development of self-awareness and lead him to comprehend the ultimate unity of existence, a notion that has been eloquently expounded upon by influential figures such as Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), and more recently. According to him, the purpose of education is to instil moral and spiritual development in children. In his opinion, Western education is predicated on industry, science, technology, and commerce to attain material prosperity. According to Vivekananda, Education is not the amount of information we put into our brains and runs riot there, undigested, all our lives. We must have life-building, man-making, and character-making assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library….the ass carrying its load of sandalwood knows only the weight and not the value of the sandalwood. If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopaedias are the rishis."
Therefore, it is clear that our objective is to provide an education that fosters the development of character, enhances intellectual capacity, and enables individuals to stand independently. Swami Vivekananda's philosophy of education also talks about the inherent perfection of man. Very simply, he defined `education': Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man." That is, education is what reveals the inner fullness of man. The main task of a teacher is to bring out the hidden knowledge in people. Knowledge resides within humans. So, knowledge is not something external. It is not possible to give the medicine of knowledge to any student. A teacher should guide a student through proper guidance to discover his inner wisdom. The universal ideal of a teacher is to harmoniously develop all the intrinsic qualities of the student – physical, mental and spiritual.
Like ancient Indian philosophy, Western philosophers have also shed much light on the ideals of education and teachers. Since the dawn of human civilisation, the art of teaching has been identified as the mainstay of human civilisation. Ancient philosophers pondered over the method of education, its essence and significance. If we shed some light on the ideas of Western philosophers about teachers and education. In that case, we can understand that the ideal of the teacher is the same in Eastern and Western philosophical thought. In the history of Western philosophy, Socrates is world-renowned, revered and universally admired as an enlightened figure for his method of dialectical inquiry. Instead of imparting knowledge directly, Socrates saw himself as a "midwife of knowledge". Just as the mother, as a midwife, helps the pregnant woman deliver her child, He (Socrates), as the male midwife, helps the child of knowledge to be born. There is a wisdom child hidden in every human being. A teacher helps draw out that knowledge from within the child through proper guidance and teaching. For Socrates, Education was not about filling empty vessels but rather about igniting the flame of inquiry in the learner, encouraging critical thinking and the pursuit of wisdom.
The world-renowned Greek philosopher Plato, disciple of Socrates, explained the ideal form of education in his indelible seminal work "The Republic". According to Plato - "The aim of education is to develop in the body and the soul all the beauty and all the perfection to which they are capable". Education aims to bring out as much beauty and perfection as possible in body and soul. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato illustrates the transformative power of education, comparing the journey from ignorance to enlightenment to the ascent from the depths of a dark cave to the realm of sunlight and truth. Central to Plato's concept of education was the development of moral character, intellectual excellence, and the pursuit of transcendental ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness. Humanising a student by coordinating those qualities was the teacher's principal responsibility. Another great figure in ancient Greek philosophy was Aristotle. He gave deep insight into the nature and purpose of education in his seminal work "Nicomachean Ethics". Aristotle supported the concept of eudaimonia, or human flourishing, as the ultimate goal of education. According to Aristotle, Education should cultivate the qualities necessary for excellence and a fulfilling life. That is why the teacher's central role is to motivate the students to realise their potential, encouraging the development of moral qualities, intellectual excellence, and practical wisdom. Only through self-realisation will people achieve true happiness and live a prosperous life. In ancient China, the philosopher Confucius also emphasised the teacher's important role in forming the student's character and self-reliance. The teacher's role for Confucius was to impart knowledge and exemplify the virtues of generosity, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity. By cultivating these virtues, Confucius believed that individuals would achieve self-realisation and contribute to the harmony and development of society. In the Confucian tradition, teaching was a holistic endeavour to foster students' moral and intellectual growth, guide them on self-cultivation, and foster harmonious, loving relationships within family and community.
But with the evolution of time, everything has changed. They were changing our society, politics, economy, family policy, and the social philosophy of our relationships. We are almost five thousand years away from Vedanta philosophy. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle passed away more than two and a half thousand years ago. For the last two thousand years, philosophers like Cicero, Quintilium, French philosopher Rousseau, German philosopher Herbert, English philosopher Locke and India's Rabindranath Tagore have preached many valuable doctrines about education and teacher's duty. But the world is changing quickly in this 21st-century era of globalisation and information technology frenzy. Changes have come in our needs, tastes, culture, language, and psyche. Capitalism and consumerist philosophies are running rampant in everything.
Teachers are not only teaching students relentlessly in the classroom, but they are also taking on many responsibilities. They are sometimes educators, sometimes service givers, mentors, protectors, or givers of blessings, love and encouragement like a father or mother. Many teachers spend sleepless nights worrying about the students daily so that every student can rise to the heights of life. They are as proud as the parents of the child while celebrating the achievements and as devastated and burdened as the parents at the failure of the students or any sadness. What a wonderful aesthetic social philosophy! Teachers should be the best parents in society, the great hero whose touch of blessing and light of knowledge will soften social excellence, and the generation will be as strong as a horn full of enthusiasm. Every person in the society should respect the teachers - because the future of the society is most secure in their hands. Behind every great inventor, every great philosopher and every great idea in history is a teacher's contribution. Great humanitarian leaders - from Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Ratan Tata - had a teacher's influence in their early years and were always respectful and grateful to the teacher. I firmly believe that countless future leaders and future contributors to society will one day revere their teachers and offer their gratitude.