Value Education through Consciousness Development

Value Education through Consciousness Development Many schools and colleges are now having regular Jeevan-Vidya workshops - or "shivirs" as they are commonly referred. This article is to bring attention to the fact that Jeevan-Vidya is not just about Value-Education. It is about "Value-Education through Consciousness-Development". In this article we will try to understand this distinction. Human-being expresses "consciousness" is clear enough. We express our 'aliveness' or 'consciousness' through our recognizing senses, our physical movement, our thought-patterns, our visualizations, our ideations, beliefs, prejudices, and so on... Jeevan-Vidya presents the distinction of two "planes" of human-being's expressing its consciousness - namely, Animal-Consciousness and Human-Consciousness. The distinction in these two planes are essentially in the pattern of thinking (and therefore doing) of a human-being. It declares the humankind today is in living in "Animal-Consciousness" - which means that our primary daily-concerns of living are same as those of animals i.e. Food, Sleep, Fear, and Sex. All our acts in the purview of animal-consciousness are for seeking gratification from senses directly or indirectly, for ourselves or for those we consider as ours, immediately or in some 'other-world'. Having said that, Jeevan Vidya also brings attention to the fact that such animal-like living is "unacceptable" to every human-being. We may be living a life full of contradictions and disharmony - but it's because we don't see any alternative. There is a sense of pain or sorrow in every human-being due to being in this state. The acuteness of this pain drives one to seek resolution, or seek alternative. Jeevan-Vidya brings attention to the fact that "the other human-being is just like me". True-commitment in relationships (with other humans, and rest of the nature) is upon recognition of coexistence of self and others. This recognition requires achievingperfect-clarity about Self and Coexistence. Achievement of this perfect-clarity in self entails a shift in one's consciousness - from animal-consciousness to human-consciousness. It's anirreversible shift in one's thought-patterns in tune with harmony of coexistence. It's a qualitative-improvement in self - as Ability for realizing Humanness. It is also important to note that Jeevan-Vidya Shivirs are about conveying "Information" of the proposal of Madhyasth-Darshan. Madhyasth-Darshan is presented as Alternative to all established lines of thinking. It doesn't derive from other lines of thinking. Nor do other lines of thinking lead up to where Jeevan Vidya's study leads up to. Jeevan Vidya Shivir gives an overview of this proposal - which in itself it is inadequate for bringing about the shift in consciousness that this proposal is essentially about. There is a next step ahead - after getting familiarized with the proposal. That step is called - "Adhyayan" or Study. One chooses to pursue Study of this proposal based on one's Curiosity and Need for living in Human-Consciousness. The Nine Values (Trust, Respect, Commitment, Care, Guidance, Gratitude, Reverence, Glory, Love) that Jeevan-Vidya talks about are realizable in the purview of Human-Consciousness. These values are not realizable in the purview of Animal-Consciousness. It is essential to recognize this - since these words ("Trust", "Respect", etc) don't have any meaning in the purview of Animal-Consciousness. Still we have certain "associations" of these words in animal-consciousness. So the talk of Value-Education doesn't make any sense without the mention of Consciousness-Development. Jeevan Vidya is about "Value-Education through Consciousness Development". What is the difficulty in mentioning the phrase of "Consciousness-Development"? When we talk about Consciousness-Development, we get confronted with a question-mark on our own level of consciousness. That's a difficulty - since the consciousness-development's evidence happens only upon achieving perfect-clarity about self and existence. This puts the presenter of Jeevan-Vidya in a trying situation - since in most cases, he/she is still working on developing this clarity. Jeevan-Vidya proposal is with a larger vision. It is important for us to have appreciation of this vision before we take our own steps for implementing it. Jeevan-Vidya's purpose is to bring-about a shift in entire humankind's consciousness from Animal-Consciousness to Human-Consciousness. It proposses that this "shift" can be brought-about through Humanization of Education. Humanization of Education entails making both education-content and education-method humane. It implies a change or an overhaul in education-system. Jeevan-Vidya proclaims that modern education-system - based on the theses of Freud, Darwin, and Adam Smith - is building a maniacal-mindset for pusuit of sex, consumption, and profit. It proposes alternate theses for education-system for Sociology, Economics, and Psychology - which are based on theexperiential-understanding of coexistence and human-being. Experiential-understanding is conclusive - which is superior to having a theoritcal-reasoning based understanding, orfeeling-opinion based understanding. For Method of Education - it proposes that the teachers need to be living-evidences of what they teach. It entails, the teacher's becoming Self-Reliant - as against being salaried employees. It's only when we comprehend the larger-vision can we appreciate our present-position with respect to it. And that gives us humility and a definite way forward. Jeevan-Vidya need not be seen as "adjunct" to curriculums that we presently practice in our schools and colleges - though its inclusion as an adjunct-subject in the curriculams may be a practical starting-point. Present-day education-curriculums are made with a different purpose - i.e. for serving the interests of Market and State. Jeevan Vidya programme's purpose is not to be a "relief mechanism". It's important that we retain the "Reference" of Jeevan-Vidya intact - and we don't do "mix and match" with other references to make it more palatable for our audiences. The "reference" means - the basis or source of this whole presentation, which is anusandhan(The Research) performed by Baba Shree Nagraj Sharma. "Reference" also means - theultimate-vision of this proposal. In the absence of "upfront reference" - this proposal cannot be communicated as alternative. The proposal of Jeevan-Vidya is "Alternative" to prior references of thinking in humankind's history - and it needs to be taken to Education-System that way. Dilution of stand here amounts to defeating the purpose. We have a choice here between being slow versus being wrong. Our first step would be taken from the places where we are. However far-reaching the vision of Jeevan Vidya may be - our first step will always be taken from the places where we are standing presently. At least four generations have come in contact with this proposal since its advent in 1975. Each generation aided in bringing this thought forward, making it easier to comprehend, and taking it to the larger world. One feels an immense sense of gratitudetowards those older generations for their contribution. It was as recent as year 2000, when the need for the "next step" - i.e. adhyayan - started getting recognized. When people started feeling that just Jeevan-Vidya Shivirs alone are not going to be enough. By that time, most of the presentation of Madhyasth-Darshan had become available in literature-form. In 2006, Dr Abdul Kalam talked about Jeevan-Vidya in his presidential-address on Independence-day. This attracted attention of many a people towards Jeevan-Vidya. Meanwhile, Abhyudaya Sansthan at Achhoti, Raipur made a significant advance - by getting acceptance from State Education for incorporation of Jeevan-Vidya in its curriculum. This is a very significant development towards realizing the vision of Madhyasth-Darshan - and we are all very hopeful for success of this experiment. One doesn't need a "center" for understanding and living Jeevan-Vidya. Family is the first ground of understanding and realizing this wisdom - in the form of living withresolution and prosperity. Jeevan-Vidya is distinct from typical "activist movements" in this way. Those who are conducting jeevan-vidya shivirs, or are studying this proposal, or are taking this proposal to others are are not doing it in expectation of some monetary return, nor are they doing it as an act of "social-service", nor are they doing it out of some "devotion" or some "other-worldly reward". What is the driving-force for this Jeevan-Vidya movement then? I have not been able to put my finger on that precisely so far. My take on this is - Jeevan-Vidya's message appeals to the very core of our being, our very existence. That's what moves us into action - for wanting to understand it better, for wanting to share it with others, for wanting to do "something" about it, for wanting to get to the bottom of it, for wanting to make this understanding truly our own. Jeevan-Vidya movement is pegged on self-scrutiny - and that keeps this movement aligned to its Reference-framework - i.e. its source and its vision.