IIT DELHI.
A Foundation Course in Human Values
(Draft of Course Modules prepared by Dr. R. R. Gaur, Chairman, National Resource Centre for Value Education in Engineering, IIT Delhi)CONTENT:-
Ch-1: Course Introduction
Ch-2: Are we happy? A Look at the prevailing World View and its consequences
Ch-3: Probing further into Human Happiness
Ch-4: Discovering ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ in the Whole Existence
Ch-5: ‘Jagriti’ – The Universal Human Purpose
Ch-6: ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ at the level of Individual – Understanding myself! Ch-7: ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ in Family and Society
Ch-8: ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ in Nature
Ch-9: Implications and Expected Outcomes of the Right Understanding
Ch-10: Taking up the Journey from ‘Bhram’ (ignorance) to ‘Jagriti’
Ch-11: Plans and Programs to facilitate the Right Understanding
Ch-12: Summing Up – The Crux of ‘Jeevan Vidya’
CH-1: COURSE INTRODUCTION
· What is this course ‘Jeevan Vidya’ about?
o It is a process of understanding Human Happiness in correct perspective
· It is a Dialogue between ‘What you are’ and ‘What you really want to be’
· It presents an opportunity and the requisite training to test/validate your beliefs and assumptions about various salient issues.
Concerning
o life and profession
o relations and values
o ‘success’, prosperity, excellence
o welfare, development etc.
· It is intended to make you more competent to set your own goals in life and to achieve them.
· It will enable you to comprehend what the right human conduct is.
CH-2: ARE WE HAPPY?
- A Look at the prevailing World View and its consequences.
· All Human beings want happiness.
· All Human beings want happiness all the time - perpetually.
· What is our prevailing notion about happiness – How successful are we in achieving the above objectives.
· A Look at the present state of things about ‘Ourselves’ – Some serious road blocks to our happiness.
· Rising Crises at the level of Individual, Family, Society, Nations as well as Nature
o Growing tensions, conflicts and confusion at the Personal Level.
o Growing disharmony in Family, strife and crimes in Society
o Growing violence and terrorism Internationally
o Ecological degradation and resource depletion
o Growing disparities among ‘Haves’ and ‘Have nots’ – Large scale migrations
o International conflicts and Arms proliferation
o Large scale corruption and criminalization of Politics
o Multiple dilemmas and paradoxes
· Analyzing some salient briefs and assumptions of prevailing World View regarding (say, Prosperity, Development, Welfare, Attitude to Nature, Motivating people, Excellence, etc)
· Largely, people could be categorized into – SVDD or SSDD but How to be SSSS?
o ‘Sadhan-Sampann-Sukhi-Samridh’
· Efforts of economic domination through so called ‘globalization’ and ‘liberalization’.
What is the way out?
CH-3: PROBING FURTHER INTO HUMAN HAPPINESS
· Our immediate frequent exposure to happiness through sensory interactions with the material.
· The Transient Nature of Sensory Happiness (Pleasure) and the Human Quest for perpetual happiness!
· Futility of the effort to synthesis perpetual happiness out of sensory pleasures – the common misery trap.
· Happiness based on Right Understanding;
· Happiness based on Universal Human Values; Wisdom based Happiness – The Abiding Happiness, mutually fulfilling, resulting in Peace and Harmony.
· Possibilities of building up a Harmonious Society (‘Akhand Samaj’)
· Right Understanding – The Key to Human Happiness
· But what is this Right Understanding about?
o About the ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ inherently existing in the Universe – About the Human Role in this Cosmic ‘Vyavastha’ – About the definitive Human Conduct, Right Human Relations and Human Values.
CH-4: DISCOVERING ‘VYAVASTHA’ AND ‘SAH-ASTITVA’
IN THE WHOLE EXISTENCE
· Drawing attention to the innate order, self regulation and inter- connectedness ever-manifest in Existence.
· Drawing attention to the Reality consisting of innumerable finite entities operating in co-existence with the all pervading (‘Vyapak’), infinite, changeless space – ‘Satta’. – Forming the Whole.
· The continuous mutual interaction, self regulation and self energization of all the entities in ‘Satta’.
· The Whole Existence manifesting as Inter-connectedness (‘Sah-astitva’).
· ‘Vyavastha’ at six levels of Human Interaction starting from Self to the Existence as a Whole, namely,
o In the Self
o With the Body
o In the Family
o In Society
o In Nature
o In Existence
These, then, become the subject of Understanding
CH-5:‘JAGRITI’ – THE UNIVERSAL HUMAN PURPOSE
· Human beings thus form an integral constituent of the Cosmic ‘Vyavastha’.
· Human beings are the only entity in existence capable of understanding, intelligently cognizing the ‘Vyavastha’ of Existence.
While all other entities spontaneously manifest their innateness (‘ ‘) and recognize their complementarity with all other entities and fulfill it, the Human beings have to go through the process of Understanding and then accepting on the basis of this Understanding. Accordingly recognizing and fulfilling their complementarity in the whole system.
· Thus, ‘Jagriti’ – i.e. acquiring the Right Understanding of ‘Vyavastha’ and actualizing this Understanding by living accordance with it becomes the Universal Human purpose.
· Persuing this purpose leads to abiding happiness, prosperity and harmony at all levels.
· The lack of it leads to ‘Avyavastha’ i.e. disharmony and crisis at all levels.
· All human endeavour, should cater to this Universal and ‘All Time’ Human Purpose.
Our policies, plans, norms and institutions should only facilitate moving towards this goal.
CH-6: ‘VYAVASTHA’ AND ‘SAH-ASTITVA’ AT THE LEVEL OF
INDIVIDUAL – UNDERSTANDING MYSELF !
· Since Human being itself is the Understander, the process of Understanding should start from ‘oneself’.
· Let us proceed towards knowing myself correctly.
· What is my existing notion about myself?
o Primarily Body - centered.
Understanding ‘I’ and ‘Body’ as distinctly different constituents of a human being, although always operating together.
· ‘I’ (or ‘Jeevan’) as a non-material, structurally unchanging (‘Gathanpurn’) entity.
· ‘I’ (or ‘Jeevan’) as seer, understaner, enjoyer, doer, controller, etc.
· ‘Body’ – A material, physico-chemical entity, under continuance change – subject to growth and decay, usable as an instrument of ‘Jeevan’.
· Identifying and distinguishing clearly between the ‘Jeevan’ vis a vis the needs of ‘Body’.
Understanding ‘Sukh’ and ‘Suvidha’ in terms of the needs of ‘Jeevan’ and needs of ‘Body’.
· Consequences of mixing up and misplacing the needs and characteristics of ‘Body’ with those of ‘Jeevan’.
· The ‘Sah-astitva’ between ‘Jeevan’ and ‘Body’.
· Understanding in more detail the faculties and functionalities of ‘Jeevan’
· Deluded ‘Jeevan’ vis-à-vis Enlightened ‘Jeevan’
· ‘Samvedaniyata’ vis-à-vis ‘Sangyaniyata’
‘Priya’ - ‘Hita’ - ‘Labha’ - ‘Drishti’ vis-à-vis ‘Nyaya’ - ‘Dharm’ - ‘Satya’ - ‘Drishti’
CH-7: ‘VYAVASTHA’ AND ‘SAH-ASTITVA’ IN FAMILY AND SOCIETY
· Understanding Human-to-Human complementarity.
· ‘Ubhay-tripti’’ as the universal criteria determining mutual behaviour.
· Fear – Enticement – Motivation vis-à-vis Right Understanding and Motivation.
· Superficiality of differentiations perceived body characteristics, physical facilities, extraneous situations and even intellectual faculties inherent commonality among human beings on the basis of ‘Jeevan’, commonality of goals, etc.
The natural unit for actualizing Prosperity and Harmony and for perpetuating the ‘Manav Parampara’
· Human-to-Human complementarity manifesting in Right relations, Right expectations and Core values (eg. Trust, Respect, Love, Gratefulness, etc.) in the Family.
· ‘Nyaypurn Vyavahar’ in the Family.
· Judging people on the basis of ‘Intentions’ and ‘Competences’ to fulfill their ‘Intentions’.
· Widening horizons of Human-to-Human complementarity in the form of Harmonious Society (‘Akhand Samaj’).
Working towards ‘Swatantrata’ and ‘Swarajya’.
CH-8: ‘VYAVASTHA’ AND ‘SAH-ASTITVA’ IN NATURE
· Nature to be conquered or Nature to be harmonized with?
· Interdependence of Human beings and Nature.
· Mutual Complementarity among the four salient orders of Nature namely
o the Mineral Order (‘Padarth Avastha’)
o the Bio Order (‘Pran Avastha’)
o the Animal Order (‘Jeev Avastha’)
o the Human Order (‘Gyan Avastha’)
· ‘Ubhay-samridhi’ (Mutual Enrichment), the guiding criterion for Human interaction with Nature.
Recyclability (‘Aavartansheelta’) in Nature for sustainability.
CH-9: IMPLICATIONS AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF
THE RIGHT UNDERSTANDING
· The Holistic World View emerging from the Right Understanding of ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ in existence as a whole.
· Clarity about Abiding Human Happiness and Prosperity.
o ‘Samadhan’, ‘Samridhi’, ‘Abhay’ and ‘Sah-astitva’.
· Clear Demarkation of Universal Human Purpose, Right Human Conduct, Universal Human Values and Mutually Fulfilling Relationships.
· Ability to resolve all conflicts, dilemmas and apparent paradoxes.
Right motivation to work towards the Cherished Goal.
CH-10: TAKING UP THE JOURNEY FROM ‘BHRAM’
(IGNORANCE) TO ‘JAGRITI’
· Clear appreciation of the need to change from the present paradigm.
· Having the basic faith in one’s own capacity to understand the truth.
· Willingness to test/validate our important beliefs in one’s own right by way of
o Spontaneous acceptance.
o Rationality.
o By actual living out.
· Seriously pondering over the features of ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah-astitva’ at various levels of existence and observing these in day to day living.
Becoming more and more aware about ‘Jeevan’ by self-observation.
· Difficulties caused by our deep routed addiction to ‘Bhram’.
· Persistent awareness through ‘Adhyayan’, ‘Avdharana’ and ‘Abhyas’.
· Some helpful techniques for ‘Abhyas’.
· Evolving strategies to cope with the prevailing ‘avyavastha’.
· Persevaringly working step by step towards ‘vyavastha’.
· Persuing plans and programs for facilitating the Right Understanding in one-self and in others.
CH-11: PLANS AND PROGRAMS TO FACILITATE
THE RIGHT UNDERSTANDING IN SOCIETY
· Five major Domains of Human Action to facilitate the Right Understanding in the Society and to live in accordance with it.
o Manaviya Shiksha Sanskar Yojna
o Swasthya-Sanyam Yojna
o Utpadan Karya Yojna
o Vinimaya-Kosh Yojna
o Nyaya-Suraksha Yojna
The Need for a Manviya Samvidhan !
CH-12: SUMMING UP – THE CRUX OF ‘JEEVAN VIDYA’
· Abiding Human Happiness is possible only by acquiring the Right Understanding and actualizing it in life.
· ‘Jagriti’, therefore, becomes the universal human purpose.
· Identifying the inherent ‘Vyavastha’ and ‘Sah Astitv’ in existence is the key to right understanding.
· ‘Jeevan’ is the prime sentient entity (‘Chaitanya’) in human beings; Body is an indispensable material instrument( ‘Jarh’ ) of ‘Jeevan’.
Discrimination between ‘Sukh’ and ‘Suvidha’ is vital.
· Mutual Fulfillment (‘Ubhay Tripti’) to be the basis of all human behaviour.
· Mutual Enrichment (‘Ubhay Samriddhi’) to be the basis of all work with material Nature.
Spontaneous (Natural) acceptance (‘Sahaj Svikriti’) is a crucial mechanism to identify what is right apart from logical reasoning. Finally, actual experimentation in life is necessary to validate our premisis
· The Steps for ‘Jagriti’ are
o ‘Samajhdari’
o ‘Imandari’
o ‘Jimmedari’
o ‘Bhagidari’
· The tangible outcomes of ‘Jagriti’ are
o ‘Samadhan’ (at individual level)
o ‘Samriddhi’ (at the level of family)
o ‘Abhay’ (trust and harmony in family and society)
‘Sah Astitv’ (at all levels of existence)
All our intentions and actions, all our behavior and work,
All our policies and programs, Must cater to the above cherished
goal of humanity.
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