The BlogTalk: 13th Question: What is the difference between Gurukul & present-day school? A Guru and a teacher?

The Master’s Guidance Continues

Acharya Mahendranath
(The Master)

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, the entire country is in a lockdown. All students have been missing the joy of coming to the training centres, practicing in a group, interacting with the teachers, and of course meeting the Master. Everyone has also missed having our monthly “Master’s Talk Session”. But Master says that physical lockdown need not mean lockdown of our lives. We can still do the same things, but do them differently. Which is why the Master has given a schedule for daily practice of Martial Arts, Yoga and Reiki Energy Healing, and all students have responded really well. 

Our activities over Instagram and Facebook have kept us connected with each other’s energy. So why stop here? Why not have Master’s Talk Session as well, but in a different manner? So we asked students to send us questions and the Master has given His guidance through this blog. So we hope that you all read it, understand it, internalize it, apply it and make your life even better. Please share your comments at the end of each question and of course, more questions are welcome on moxshlife@gmail.com.

Follow us on instagram

Dharmendra Awasthi

Q. 1. What is the difference between Gurukool & present-day school?
2. What is the difference between Guru & Teacher?
— Dharmendra Awasthi , Student of Keimoudo®— Moxsh® Martial Arts

Master’s guidance: "Gurukul and modern-day schools are both places of education. The Gurukul system is based on our ancient Indian culture and manner of education, whereas modern schools are based on the western idea of education. There are many differences between the two, but before we go into it, it is important to understand the meaning of the word “education”.

Education is not just about learning. We think that because we learnt languages, mathematics, geography, etc., and we have a degree, we are educated. But education is more than that. Apart from learning different subjects, an educated person has the wisdom to be in harmony with all living things. Education means developing a student at a physical, psychological, and spiritual level.

I say this because we are in all these three. We have a body and the body needs to be fit. If it is not, then it will affect our mind. Similarly, if we are mentally disturbed, it will affect our body. Apart from body and mind, we also have a spirit. It needs to be nurtured for spiritual growth. When I say this, don’t think of things that one normally associates with the word “spiritual” like following organized religion, “God”, “sin and good deed (paap aur punya)”, “past life and next life”, “past life sins”, etc. When I say spiritual growth, I am talking about actual spiritual growth.

Let me explain: To develop our body, we need to eat right and exercise. Our mind gets developed as we learn things. How does spiritual growth happen? For that you need to practice dhyaana under the guidance of a spiritual guru.

And so, development of body, mind and spirit is what I call complete or holistic growth. Only then are we truly educated. We become responsible and develop understanding, and can play a positive role in this world.

Gurukuls were academies for holistic education. Students were taught a variety of subjects. For example, for physical development they were given guidance on right diet for body and mind and were also taught yoga asanas; they learnt mathematics and scientific subjects like astronomy, geography, chemistry, biology, medicines, and motor skills for developing the mind. Gurukuls also taught subjects like Rajneeti, which is the knowledge of governing. Gurukuls also provided training in farming, carpentry, sculpting, music, dance, etc. They chanted mantras for concentration, focus, clarity, and controlling the mind.

Students were also taught martial arts but not just to learn fighting or defense. The purpose of ancient Indian Martial arts was also to balance emotions (this quality is not there in the martial arts systems that are popular today, which focus only on competition, combat, and sports.) When emotions were balanced, students developed confidence; confidence to withstand attacks as well as to strike if necessary. Confidence in turn developed courage; courage not to fight, but to strive for peace.

And finally, for spiritual development students were taught dhyaana.

After 12 years of undergoing a complete education, students would inevitably understand what their skills or interests were and they would choose their profession accordingly.

Now compare this with what happens today. At the age of 17 most of the students decide—or rather it is decided by the parents—that they should become doctors or engineers. Why? Because they got good marks in science!

This is because modern schools “qualify” students, rather than educate them. The whole purpose is to qualify individuals so that they get a good job. A student of 4th standard becomes qualified for 5th standard; one in 10th standard gets qualified for 11th standard or college; and one who is pursuing higher levels at college gets qualified for a particular type of job. Students are becoming smart; they are becoming scholars. These days we hear of students scoring 98%, 99%, or even 100% marks in schools. But do you think they are developing or growing at a holistic level? Do they have the ability to deal with the ups and downs of life?

Because education is not really “education”, we hear of people giving up, getting depressed and stressed, and even hear news of people taking the extreme step. This mental imbalance, which begins in school life, continues well into the rest of the person’s life as well. If modern schools ‘educated’ students, would we be facing this situation?

This brings us to another differentiating factor between a gurukul and a modern school. In the gurukul, the guru and his/her disciples would teach students. And they did it as a service to society and humanity, and had no monetary or material expectations. Gurukuls were simple and were sustained by donations from the king or the people of the society.

Now compare this to schools today. In our country we mainly have two types of schools: Ones that are run by the government and ones run by private bodies. Both follow the western method of education.

In our country most of the parents are not keen on sending their children to government-run schools because of poor infrastructure, and this according to me is a very sad fact. But the joke is that these very same parents want their children to eventually get government jobs! They want their children to study in private schools so that they become IAS or IPS officers or get a good post in a government-run institution! But jokes apart, after getting those responsible positions in the government, they do not do anything to improve the conditions in government schools!

The same dire conditions exist in government-run hospitals as well, and we have seen this first-hand now during the pandemic. Even those who are really sick don't prefer going to government hospitals because of their poor condition.

I am not saying that none of the government-run schools are up to the mark. There are some schools where teachers are running the school very well despite the limited resources. I have heard of cases where a school has just one teacher and he/she is doing a fantastic job of teaching students. I have also heard in news that many youths have voluntarily set up schools and are running them very well and showing great results!

But such cases are few and far between. I am talking about the majority. And I feel that every school must have basic infrastructure like a good, sturdy and clean building, proper class rooms with benches, clean toilets, proper drinking water facilities, etc.

Also, according to me, education and healthcare must be provided by the government and it must be free for ALL citizens, irrespective of social or economic status. And the infrastructure must be good and standardized. Whichever part of the country you travel, whether rural or urban, the schools and hospitals must be easily identifiable because they look alike. And I believe it is very much possible to achieve this.

Our country has budgets for everything, including the defence, education, and healthcare. The government invests well in defence because it understands that it is the only way to protect the country. Similarly, the government needs to allocate better budgets for education and healthcare. Because if these three sectors—education, healthcare, and defence—are strong, everything else will automatically progress and flourish.

Now let’s look at schools run by private bodies. Most of these schools have become commercial institutions, that charge very high fees. They also have an aspirational value to them. Parents want to send their children to a particular school at any cost and are willing to pay exorbitant fees or donation for it.

Also, the dynamics of modern education system have become so complex that stress is a natural fallout. For example, students must score at least 90% in 10th standard. Even a 0.01% difference in percentage can mean missing the ‘cut off’ percentage and the child is “cut off” from his/her preferred college. To add to this, there are now separate entrance exams for almost every field—medical, engineering, CA, MBA, etc.—and which mean additional studies and more pressure. Even students in junior standards are not spared the stress. They have tuition, scholarship exams, Olympiads, and what-nots apart from regular school projects and homework!

It is no wonder then that students get competitive and highly stressed in schools. Some get depressed. And the schools have found a very fashionable solution to this problem: counselors!

Teachers now advice parents to take their child to a counselor! As ridiculous as it sounds, children—sometimes as young as 7 or 8-year-olds—are asked to visit counselors!

Parents of my students who are in 3rd or 4th standard have told me that their teacher advised them to take their child to a counselor. The worried parents asked me if there was something wrong with their child. I told them that their child was perfectly normal, and that it was the teacher who needed counselling. What is the role of the teacher if he/she has to send children to a third party?

Moreover, some parents who have other smaller children have told me that their teacher said the child was 'hyper'. They have said this about 3 and 4-year-old children! I asked the parents what the teacher meant by 'hyper'. To which they said that teachers say that the child does not pay attention, does not sit still, and keeps seeing here and there. I couldn't help but laugh. Firstly, I am surprised at the education system, which enrolls 3-year-olds in so-called 'preschools'. And then I am surprised that teachers don't understand the psychology of small children. How come they don't know that children are full of energy and curiosity and it is not in their nature to sit in one place? The jumping and playfulness is necessary for their growth. If you try to confine them to one small place and make them sit still, it will impair their body and mind development.

If teachers cannot understand a child, why are they drawing the fat salary? Just to teach students A, B, C…?

Although the situation has worsened over the past one-two decades, western education has always focused on imparting subject knowledge. Which is why, moral science, ethics, etc. were taught in western religious institutions. And this splitting up of learning into two—schools and organized religion-based institutions—is probably what led to problems on both fronts.

Let me explain. So, while the schools imparted subject knowledge, their religion-based institutions invented “God”. They told people about an invisible God who sits high above in the sky and watches us at all times! Not only that, if you do anything sinful, God will punish you. How? For that they invented the hellfire! After death, sinners will be tossed into hellfire, in which they will burn for all eternity!

Whereas in Ancient India, there was no such organized religion. Our culture was so strong that thousands of years back we had understood the answers to fundamental questions like “Is there God?” “Who created the universe?” etc. We realized it didn’t matter. We understood that the existence exists. We focused on existence and what we can see and is visible and never looked up and prayed to an invisible God. We realized that we are all one, and are part of the same existence. We were not told about hellfire. We were told about Karma or action. It made us responsible. What Sir Isaac Newton said around three-and-a-half centuries ago, Bhagwaan Sri Krishna had said around 5000 years ago! Sir Newton said “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” And Bhagwaan Shri Krishna said, “Jaisa Karm, waisa fal,” or your actions are directly related to the results. And I say that you won't get results in next life. You will get them in this life and they are instantaneous!

For example, suppose a person starts smoking cigarettes. And after smoking the first few times, the person says, “What happened to me? Are my lungs damaged? Did I get cancer?” But that understanding is not correct. From the very first puff, the process of damage has begun. And as the person continues to smoke, over a period of time the damage will worsen to an extent that his/her lungs might get completely damaged, heart might get damaged, he/she may get cancer or suffer a stroke, etc.

At the same time, if you do something nice, the feeling of happiness within you is instantaneous. Even if you keep yourself happy, it effects every cell in your body, and results in healthy body and mind.

This knowledge was ours. But after around 400 years of subjugation by foreigners, we now value western philosophy more than our own treasures. Which is why Sir Newton’s saying is precious for us, but we never think of what Bhagwaan Sri Krishna said.

Our culture was so strong that it taught us to stand on our own feet and to live life. This wisdom was imparted during our education, which was holistic and made us wise. Which is why we had led the world in every aspect, and at one time, were the envy of the world. (For more details on this, read BlogTalk 11).

And therefore, in Ancient India we probably never had even a single case of such mental imbalance. Our system made us warriors. Warriors are not just those who wield a sword and fight. A warrior is one who tackles the ups and downs of life and emerges victorious. Modern schools don’t teach students how to comfortably navigate the journey of life and every situation that comes with it.

With that, I come to the last but the most important point of difference between gurukul and modern schools. The western education system is extrovert. Whereas the gurukul system of education was introvert, which means we focused more on “in search” or going within ourselves to find answers. And so, western educated people only developed things on the outside. They built high-rise buildings, dams, monuments like Eiffel Tower, etc. They invented telescopes through which they saw planets, stars and other celestial bodies. They invented rockets and went into space.

We also acquired the same knowledge thousands of years ago through “in search”. Without physically going anywhere, we understood everything through the practice of dhyaana. And when the source of the knowledge is from within, its external expression is not only wonderous and beautiful, but it also bears the mark of responsibility.

Which is why even though we built monuments and great structures thousands of years back, and which even today are architectural and scientific wonders, we did it without destroying nature. We built great cities, without polluting water, or flattening mountains. We measured the distance between the earth, sun, moon, etc. without littering space with debris. We acquired knowledge and did great things on the outside, while staying within the boundaries of nature.

Because western education lacks this introvert development, every creation, invention, discovery, and development that they have done has come with a price. All their so-called progress in every sector—agriculture, industry, technology, mechanics, pharmaceutical, etc.—has destroyed the quality of air, soil, water, and space. To the extent that they have made this once-beautiful Planet Earth almost uninhabitable.

In fact, experts and scientists say that in the next 10 years or so the quality of air will deteriorate to such an extent that we will not be able to breathe it! If this happens, then we will have to always wear a helmet-like device on our face and breathe using an oxygen cylinder! Today we are wearing masks to prevent Corona Virus infection and that is causing so much inconvenience. Imagine what it will be like to live in an oxygen bubble! Such artificial manner of breathing will keep us alive; but only for some time! And when this happens, trees will die. Already many trees are diseased and sick because they can only absorb the natural carbon dioxide released by humans and animals. They cannot process vehicle and factory emissions like particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and greenhouse gases, which we have been releasing into the atmosphere for decades now. You can find sick trees in cities. Can you imagine what will happen if all trees start dying? We can contemplate and understand this now in this pandemic situation.

And knowing that they will be faced with this deadly situation, they are trying to see if human beings can occupy another celestial body like the Moon or Mars! Why? To repeat the same story there?

In ancient India because we first understood ourselves and had our own experience, we respected ourselves and everything around us. And so, we took care of everything, including this planet earth and all other planets. We have even been taught to respect the 9 planets (Nav Graha).

Every so-called advancement by the West has been driven by a desire to dominate; to get to the top first and win all challenges. We also won, but not by domination, but by winning the heart. Our education made us creative and responsible, and not arrogant and reckless.

I want to tell you a story that will illustrate how we nurtured wisdom and internal strength. It is said that one day, Emperor Alexander came upon a mystic sleeping on a river bank. He asked the Mystic, “Who are you and why are you lying down like this?”

“Forget about me. Who are you?” asked the Mystic.

“I am Alexander and I am on my way to conquering the whole world.”

Hearing this, the Mystic asked him what he would do after he conquered the whole world. Alexander said, “I will be at ease, and I will happily rest and relax for the rest of my life.”

The Mystic started laughing. So hard did he laugh that it is said that his laughter echoed through the mountains. Alexander was surprised and asked the Mystic why he was laughing. The Mystic told him, “How can I not laugh? You want to conquer the world so that you can rest and relax. What am I doing now? Come. There is place next to me. You can rest now.”

Alexander said, “No. I will go now and rest later.” The Mystic said, “If you leave now, you will never be able to rest. If you want to relax, why get exhausted in the first place? After all your struggles and investment, you will not experience the ease that I am feeling.” Alexander was deeply affected by this and he said, “Oh Mystic, I will pray to God that in my next life I get to be a mystic like you.” To which the Mystic laughed once again. “In this life you have an opportunity. Why are you missing it? Come lie down next to me.”

Our country has nurtured several hundred such wise men and mystics. And the source of the wisdom is the core of our education system, which is introvert.

Next you ask about the difference between a guru and a teacher. A teacher imparts knowledge and skill. Guru also imparts knowledge and skill and is capable of teaching all subjects. But then he/she also teaches us how and where to use the knowledge. Teachers focus on horizontal growth of students, which is growth in the material world. People learn to read, write and gain knowledge, so that they can get qualified and work in prestigious organizations, and have a great salary and a luxurious lifestyle.

Whereas a Guru focuses on vertical growth. To explain this, I want to bring to your attention two words: information and inquiry. In our life we get information; lots of it. Information is given to us from multiple sources and we use it to live our life. But in our life, there is also inquiry. Various questions pop up in our head at some time in life. These are directly related to us, but we don’t have answers to them.

For example:
What is the purpose of life?
Why is there sadness and suffering?
What is death? One moment the person is here and next moment they say he/she is no more or that he/she is dead. How come? The whole person is there including the heart, lungs, kidney, but something is missing, and so the person is dead.
Why are we given birth, if we are to eventually lose everything to death?

We realize that one day the same thing will happen to us. After everything we have gained—success, fame, riches, family, etc.—our end will be the same. We will probably die in some expensive hospital getting expensive treatment; but die we will! So, what is the point?

Answers to all these questions lie in the third dimension, which is the spiritual dimension. And we can understand the spiritual dimension and these answers with the guidance of a guru. The very word Guru is self-explanatory. In Sanskrit, guru is one who guides us from darkness to light.

A guru is Adhyatmik (spiritual). Adhyatmik comes from the word adhyatma. Adhyatma comes from two sanskrit words: adhyan and atma. Adhyan means study and atma means soul (spirit). The person who studies his own soul is called adhyatmik (spiritual). Spiritual studies are for those who seek answers about the third dimension of our being. A guru guides his disciples about birth, death, and life through experience.

Teachers teach us various subjects and teach us good behavior and manners, code of conduct, etc. They help us succeed in the professional world. A teacher’s training brings out the ‘I’ within us. ‘I’ am qualified. ‘I’ work for this famous company. ‘I’ won this award, etc. But a guru’s disciples talk about ‘we’. They show concern for everything.

A teacher’s students look at everything as it relates to them, and so they are only focused on themselves. But a guru’s disciples see themselves in everyone and everything. And so, they are responsible toward everything on this planet. When we think of everyone, then our vision spreads wide.

Teachers tell us about hard work; but guru tells us about “heart work”. Teachers' teachings are for mental development, but a guru helps us reach our soul through our heart.

Before I complete the answer to your question, I need to address some misconceptions that most people have about a guru. Mostly when people think of a spiritual guru, they think of someone sitting under a tree and meditating. While the picture is correct, its portrayal is misleading, in that people feel that they are always meditating. That is like assuming that a scientist is always looking under a microscope and has no normal life! Similarly, meditating was something that a Spiritual Guru did, but it was not the only thing they did. They were very much connected with material world. The word 'material' comes from the word 'matter', and 'spiritual' comes from the word 'spirit', which is the invisible and eternal energy. Material world includes all that we can see when our eyes are open and spiritual is that which we experience with our eyes closed. Both are parts of the same whole.

And so, a guru would guide us on how to maintain a balance between material and spiritual. This is because in order for us to live a happy life, both are important. We are born on the surface of this planet, so obviously we were not meant to live in a cave! There must be a balance between active and passive, and outward and inward. If there is imbalance on any one side—for example, one becomes fully materialistic, or if one completely retreats into a cave—then there is problem. The material-spiritual balance is the initial basic requirement for living a good life, which according to me is "Moxshlife". And only through a guru’s guidance can we learn to maintain the balance. And having this balance is what I call being spiritual.

I’ll give you an example to explain life and a guru’s role in life. Think about a person who goes to a showroom to collect the dream car that he has booked. It is his favorite car; one that he has dreamt of owning, and now finally his wish is fulfilled and he is very excited. He sits in the car and a representative from the showroom sits with him and this person understands from him all the functions of the car. He also understands how to maintain the car. He does this because he plans to thoroughly enjoy riding the car. If he has common sense, he will ask about troubleshooting, so that he can tackle any problem, including how to fix a flat tire and use a stepney tire. Because if he does not learn this then one day, he might end up wasting precious time until a mechanic arrives. But no matter what, he does not ask who created this car, how many people worked on the car in the factory, from which factory it came, etc. because this is already done.

A guru’s role is exactly like that of the showroom representative. A guru will tell you to forget about things like 'who made us', 'who made this universe', etc. We are here and we own this body and mind, so we must take care of them well, maintain them, learn to handle any difficulties, and ultimately learn how to drive ourselves through the journey of life, so that we can thoroughly enjoy the experience!"

— Acharya Mahendranath

Follow us on instagram
Follow us on facebook