First
Conclave of Ethicists and Educationists
at
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 21st April 2017
Role
of Universal Ethics in Higher Teaching
Organized
by Tibet House and Centre for Ethics & Values, Ramanujan College, Delhi
University
Presentations:
Importance of Secular
Ethics in Educational Curriculum
How can ethics
improve teachers’ morale, delivery and the learning outcome?
There is nothing amazing about being educated; there is
nothing amazing about being rich. Only when the individual has a warm heart do
these become worthwhile.
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"Teachers
are the builders of nations" is an old universal adage, and the saying is as
relevant today as it has been in the past. The young students that we have in
the schools and colleges today will ultimately be the ones who will succeed us
and take over the administration and lead the nation. And the quality of
service and leadership that they will provide in the future will define the quality
of education that these young people have received from us. So the role of the
teachers and the educational value that we impart to the students are very
important. This brings us to think about what education is and what the
teachers' role is. Education that we generally impart in the colleges is focused
on the information and knowledge related to the subject matter that the
students are studying. Emphasis is more on making them professional and
knowledgeable to enable them to stand on their feet and make a good living. But
in the process, moral and ethical development is neglected.
We have
achieved substantial progress in the field of higher education in producing a
large number educated people: leaders, experts, professionals, etc. But has the
quality of the things around us like leadership, public service, neighborhood
security, law and order improved proportionately? It is difficult to say. Despite
the increased level of education and professionalism, we have not been able to
eradicate many of the ills in the society and people are indifferent to the
sufferings of others around them. Human values like love, compassion, tolerance
and the concept of putting others before self, have taken backstage. These are
the ethical values that our youngsters need to inherit and practice if the
humanity is to survive.
We have many
educated professionals who are good in making their living but are indifferent
to others' and societal needs. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said,
"Education is much more than a matter of imparting the knowledge and
skills by which narrow goals are achieved. It is also about opening the child's
eyes to the needs and rights of others. We must show children that their
actions have a universal dimension."
Therefore,
we need to see that the education that we impart to our youngsters makes them
positive and caring members of the community. Education offers knowledge to
live a better (successful?) life for oneself. Education with ethics offers
wisdom to live a meaningful life for oneself and for others. Education with
moral ethics is what we need to achieve a better and more compassionate society
for all. Many of the ills and problems in the society are man-made, especially
by the educated people. These educated people have great potential to help the people
around them and make a meaningful contribution in the society. But they are not
aware of this positive potential, because their knowledge is not supported by a
good heart and moral ethics. "The good heart which is the fruit of virtue
is by itself a great benefit to humanity. Mere knowledge is not."
Let me share
something about Buddhism here. Buddhism is known in western countries more as
science of mind than as religion. It talks about Bodhicitta mind [altruistic
mind] as a motivational factor to achieve Buddhood. Bodhicitta is a strong wish
to attain enlightenment motivated by great compassion for all sentient beings.
Buddhahood is achieved due to the force of this altruistic mind to help others.
Nirvana in Buddhism means liberation from the samsara for oneself. Here the
motivational factor is not Bodhicitta but self liberation. Nirvana can be
compared to the achievement of an educated person who can fulfil most of his
immediate material needs, whereas Buddhahood can be compared to the achievement
of a person who can fulfil the needs of the society.
Ethical mind
can be a strong wish to achieve educational goals motivated by ethical values
for the larger community. A teacher with strong ethics can inspire the students
in realizing their ethical mind. So, the ethical mind as a motivating factor is
necessary to use educational knowledge for the benefit of all. Without this
ethical motivational factor, education can end up fulfilling the narrow
interest of the individual person and not of the society as a whole.
According to
Buddhism, the basic human nature is pure and compassionate. But we are not able
to realize this Buddha nature or the pure aspect of our being because of mental
obscuration due to our negative emotions. Once
we are able to tame and overcome these negative emotions, our compassionate
Buddha nature mind is revealed. This is the source of joy and benefit for
oneself and for others. Scholars have thus summarized the Buddha's teaching in
a stanza as follows:
Don't do non-meritorious [unethical things]
deeds,
Do things which are meritorious [ethical
things].
Conquer [tame] your mind,
This is the
Buddha's teaching.
If we look
at this stanza, there is nothing religious about it. Ethical values are
something very much in us; we only need to awaken it through education and practice.
Educated people should be made aware of this ethical mind to stir the positive
potential within them to look beyond their individual interest and needs. In the
good old days, we heard folk stories from our parents. Most of these ancient tales
contain strong moral messages which we as children held dear to our heart.
These days, we don’t have time for folk tales. I see these moral and ethical
values as the Buddha nature within us that can be activated through proper
education and training. So, we need to educate our youngsters in conquering the
negative emotions and activating the ethical values within them. This will
greatly enhance the human value. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has made promotion
of human value as one of the three important commitments in his life. Compassion
is one of the core aspects of human values. Compassion is the key to a happy
and peaceful society. This compassion can be generated and realized only
through our proper understanding that we are all same in wanting happiness and not
suffering, and that we all are dependent on each other.
It is very
important that we take good care in inculcating positive ethical values in our
youngsters. We need to inspire and invoke the innate goodness and the compassionate
mind lying deep within them. The role of the religion is important in directing
these educational knowledge and professional skills for the betterment of
oneself and the humanity. But when we say religion, many are very cautious. Although
most religions are the epitome of universal ethics, it may not be advisable to suggest
a religious connotation or attribute these values to any particular religion. His
Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that in today's world, religion alone is no
longer adequate as a basis for ethics. The teaching and approach to ethics
should be based more on universal truth and understanding than on religious
principles; it should be acceptable to those with faith and those without also.
This is the essence of secular ethics as emphasized by His Holiness the Dalai
Lama in his book "Beyond Religion" in
promoting human values.
While referring
to the word secular and secularism, His Holiness has clarified on several
occasions that by secularism, he ascribes to the age old Indian tradition of respecting
and accepting diverse religious traditions. It does not mean rejection of
religious principles and beliefs, but rather inclusion of all, including the
non-believers. Secular ethics, therefore, means teaching on universal ethical
values without relating it to any religious teachings. Compassion, warm heartedness,
altruistic mind, universal responsibility, etc. are some the important human
values that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been sharing with people around the
world.
It is only
through incorporation of secular ethics in our educational curriculum that we
can build a warm and compassionate society, and educationists have a great role
in stimulating the ethical values latent in the minds of our youngsters. A
teacher's vision should be to impart education with strong ethics that will
motivate his or her students to venture beyond their narrow self interest and enable
them to discover meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in their life through helping
others. This altruistic vision to see the students full of compassion, driven
with a genuine sense of responsibility and sincere concern for the welfare of
others, can be a great motivating factor to improve morale, delivery and the learning
outcome for the teachers.
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=39276&t=1
References:
·
H.H. the Dalai lama:
o Ancient
Wisdom, Modern World, Ethics for the New Millennium, Abacus
o Beyond
Religion, Ethics for a Whole World, Harper Element
o Buddhism
of Tibet, Snow Lion Publications
o Introduction
to Buddhism & Tantric Meditation, Paljor Publication
· International Journal of Applied Ethics,
Vol-3, Centre for Ethics and Values, Ramanujan College, University of Delhi
·
In Praise of Dharmadhattu, Tibet House
teaching material, May 2016
· Lauren Alderfer, Teaching from the Heart of
Mindfulness, Green Writer Press
HH the Dalai Lama, Ancient Wisdom, Modern World, Ethics for the New Millennium,
p-35
H.H. the Dalai Lama, Ethics for the new millennium, p-188
ibid, p-118,
Ignorance, attachment, aversion, anger, greed, jealousy etc.
My translation to bring the stanza in the present context [Tib: sdig-pa ci yang
mi bya shhing, dge-ba phun-sum tsogs par spyod, rang gi sems ni yongs su 'dul,
'di ni sangs-rgyas bstan-pa yin]
H.H. the Dalai Lama, Beyond Religion, p-xiii~
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