Buddhism and Education Phra Rajavaramuni (Prayudh Payutto) Translation and poetry by Grant A. Olson Bangkok, Thailand 198712530 First published -- March, 198712530, for free distribution. Published by : Equanimity House 917 Soi Sangkawattana 2 Lat Praow 23 Bangkok 10900 THAILAND. Printed by : Chulalongkorn Universiry Printing House Tel : 2153626, 2153612 Dedication This small volume is dedicated to our daughter, Teal Metta Olson, on her first birthday, March 8, 1987 (coincidentally also International Women's Day). Her father, Grant, has recently finished a translation of one of Phra Rajavaramuni's works entitled Looking to America to Solve Thailand's Problems (M6ng America ma gaE panha Thai), which expresses this monk's interests in applying Buddhist principles to the solution of social problems. The essay included here expresses yet another concern of Phra Rajavaramuni : problems of monastic and secular education in Thailand. It primarily deals with problems of education for men, but implicit in the essay is a concern for all children involved in education in Thailand. The separation of monastic and government education systems has meant that there has been less exposure to Buddhism in the government system for both young men and women. Phra Rajavaramuni feels this is a regrettable aspect of the evolution of education in Thailand. Monks are hardly involved in the secular education system: students must form "Buddhist clubs" at their schools and universities in order to meet and discuss Buddhist issues and invite monks on campus. This has made for a loss of valuable traditions and literature, and perhaps even accounts for a certain lack of direction among today's youth. We thank Phra Rajavaramuni for offering his kind assistance in checking the translation. Grant has offered what he calls "a couple of tentative poems on growth" for Teal Metta. It is our hope that Teal will find her own path to knowledge and wisdom, her own way to bloom in this often confusing world, and be able to point a finger of guidance for others. May she have a long, prosperous and peaceful life. Dedicated with love, Chalermsee Olson March, 1987 Bangkok, Thailand At One, With MettcZ With finger pointing out the moon, You express more than we can imagine; With one little digit, You already reveal more than we had hoped for-- To have made it this far is enough to say that we can still go further. But be kind and patient with us, If we grow impatient with you, Only our ignorance makes us weary; We know that we must trail, that we cannot always remain at one with Metta, We only ask not to be left too far behind. -- G.A.0 . Younger River Ping Cool stream of water not yet too deep, but swelling with promise, You run far and long, defy normal laws and flow north towards the pole, While your friends flow away to the girth of the earth ending up wasted there unable to dilute the ocean's tears. Your course is true enough but purpose still murky. Shifting eddies, your coy, playful eyes attract, but do not yet invite contemplation. On more sultry days, you reward those who are pulled under For a moment but they do not drown. With years of current flowing, You will carve a more definite path and end up feeding those on the other side of the mountain. As your waters reach out to a wet, fertile plain, Their memories of you will be special, warmer, clearer and more profound than their ancestors', who were never afraid to let their children play by your placid side, and now do not allow themselves to mourn too much when they lose one to you. -- G.A.O. Buddhism and Education When we speak about Buddhism and education, we are prone to referring to the past when temples were the center for education and monks were the trainers and teachers in charge of education. This type of reference is a way of showing the value of Buddhism in society, which once really existed. But at the same time, it is like accusing oneself of a kind of negligence because now these values and benefits no longer exist, which can be called a kind of degeneration. Moreover, turning away from the confusion and void of the present and finding amusement and pride in the richness of the past might be viewed as a symptom of people who have run out of hope, who are trying to escape the sorrow of the present by turning to and making references to the past and finding pleasure and fulfillment there. This is not an auspicious thing to do nor a sign of progress that we should be pleased with. This article is like some other articles in one respect, it turns back again to reclaim the past when temples were the center of education and learning in Thai society and when monks, since ancient times, had the important role of trainer and teacher of the populace. At any rate, in this article I will not revert to describing how the temple was the source of education and how the monks were the bestowers of education; I will only refer to these things to link them with the present. The important point is that I will make sufficient references to show that, even at the present time, Buddhism has not completely lost its importance in education; it still has a residual or latent role and sometimes these residual things have a great importance for Thai society. 8 There are two kinds of important Thai customs related to Buddhism and education which are fundamental to the current situation : 1) Customs in which the temple is the center of education and learning for the people and the monks are the teachers who carry out their duty of training others. This custom may be almost invisible to the urbanites and city-dwellers of the current day, but for villagers in the distant countryside it is still visible; even though it may not be the center it was in the past, it is still a path or a last refuge. 2) The custom of ordaining and studying (buat-rian), which can mean entering the monkhood along with studying, or when one ordains one must study, or ordaining for the purpose of studying; this might even mean being a monk for as long as one wishes to study, and after studying, those who want to stay in the Order can stay, and those who do not, can disrobe. This has become the custom of temporary ordination. One aspect of this custom still well known today, is the "three-month ordination" which continues to shrink to one month, half-a-month, even to seven days--that is one thing; and when one has remained in the monkhood for a time, one can leave the Order whenever one wishes--that is another thing. Actually, these two customs are one and the same thing; but here I have divided them into two because the effects of these two aspects--which have come down to us to the present day--are different, as we will see below. There are two important events and conditions which have resulted in the present state of Buddhist education :