Guidelines for Teachers

Wrong Assumptions Teachers in Culture-Based Education May Have

Mission-Driven Mindset: Teachers may believe they have a personal mission to protect or save their culture.
Ego-Driven Actions: Educators might think their ideologies are supreme and aim to condition others to follow their version of Dharma.
Imposing Ideals on Students: Teachers may impose their own ideals of how “Dharmic” a child should be, pushing personal agendas.
Fear-Based Teaching: Educators might feel that it is their duty to instill a sense of saving Dharma in their students.
Focus on External Actions: Teachers may believe that Dharma is about external conformity to certain behaviors or societal norms.
Dependence on Lower Chakras: Social work and teaching might be motivated by desires for stability, recognition, or control, associated with lower chakras.
Over-Complication of Spiritual Path: Teachers may complicate the spiritual path with too many techniques and practices.
Cultural Superiority: There might be a belief that one’s own culture is the greatest and needs to be protected at all costs.

Education should cultivate students who are inwardly resolved.

An inwardly resolved student is not attached to the ideal of a perfectly dharmic world and does not feel saddened by its current state. Instead, they embrace the inherent uncertainty of life and recognize that everyone is on their unique journey of self-discovery, even amidst the apparent chaos of the world. This perspective fosters acceptance, compassion, and non-judgment, steering away from actions driven by personal emotional dissatisfaction, frustration, or sadness about the world’s condition. Recognizing that life follows its own rhythm and that our efforts to mold it to fit our ideals of a dharmic world are “mere illusions of control” created by Maya, leads to a deeper understanding of reality. This understanding frees one from the judgments one holds towards the world and thereby one’s actions are no more. driven from a sense of mission but are just expressions of spontaneous living.

Live like a clear crystal, allowing everything to flow through you effortlessly rather than forcing them to happen. Remain completely untouched by any work you do, as if you haven’t done anything at all. When you recognise the truth, you realise life simply unfolded, and you were merely a vessel for it to happen.

Why does people want to build models, experiment and hope to scale the number of schools?

A true school is where the motivation of the teachers is not about scaling the impact but about giving their presence to the child, expressing the bond of love, trust and respect.

Love cannot be scaled, it cannot be implemented, it can only be expressed. People with a mission doesn’t know what this true love is.

As long as one doesn’t discover this inner love, one cannot truly rest nor can one make others understand the truth of true freedom that wise men have spoken from time to time.

Guidelines for Teachers in Culture-Based Education

1. Teaching from Compassion

Act with Compassion: When actions are motivated by compassion rather than fear or a sense of mission, they uplift those who are receptive.
Ego vs. Compassion: Actions driven by ego or a mission mindset hinder true Dharma, whereas acting from compassion aligns with the universe’s play.
Appreciation of the Moment: Compassionate actions recognize the beauty in each moment, seeing them as part of Ishvara’s play.
Joyful Exchange: In compassion, actions are joyful exchanges, free from sadness or anxiety about outcomes.

2. Let Teaching be Karma Yoga

Detachment from Results:
- Focus on the quality and integrity of your actions rather than obsessing over the results. Understand that outcomes are not entirely within your control.
- Trust that each effort contributes positively in the larger scheme, as orchestrated by Ishvara.
Dedication to Ishvara:
- View every action, including your teaching responsibilities, as an offering to Ishvara. This infuses your work with a sense of sacredness and purpose.
- Accept successes and challenges alike as part of Ishvara’s divine play, maintaining equanimity in all situations.
Compassionate Engagement:
- Engage with students compassionately, honoring their individual journeys without imposing personal ideologies or expectations.
- Teach by example, demonstrating love, patience, and understanding in all interactions.

3. Understanding Dharma

True Nature of Dharma: Dharma is not about protecting personal beliefs but about discovering Ishvara’s play in all acts, both good and bad. Dharma is not a way to condition yourself, Dharma is a way to grow and uncondition yourself
Instrument of Ishvara: A person acting from compassion sees themselves as an instrument of Ishvara, not enforcing results or directions.
Internal Harmony: True harmony and positive impact come from internal alignment with Dharma, not from trying to save or impose it.

4. Educating with Attention to Individuality

Focus on the Child: Educators should give full attention to each child, aligning with their unique nature and inclinations.
Avoid Imposing Ideals: Imposing personal ideals on how a child should be “Dharmic” hinders their natural growth.
Nurturing Diversity: Accept the world’s diversity and understand that personal worries are insignificant compared to the world’s intelligence.

5. The Role of Chakras in Social Work

Lower Chakras: Social work driven by lower chakras (Muladhara, Svadhisthana, Manipura) may be motivated by personal fears, desires, or need for control, often leading to burnout and conflict.
Higher Chakras: Social work inspired by higher chakras (Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna, Sahasrara) is characterized by unconditional love, empathy, authentic communication, wisdom, and selflessness.

6. Spiritual Simplicity and Surrender

Simplicity in Practice: Spiritual simplicity avoids complicating the path with excessive techniques. The truth is simple and non-dual.
Effort vs. Surrender: Effort often reinforces the ego, while surrender and letting go lead to a natural, effortless unfolding of understanding and spiritual growth.

7. Compassionate Action vs. Ideological Action

Compassion over Ideology: Actions from compassion arise naturally and are driven by the universe, whereas ideological actions often stem from inner pain and unresolved issues.
Spontaneity and Peace: True action flows from a place of wholeness and peace, not from mental concepts or ideologies.

8. Recognizing Universal Truths

Truth Across Cultures: Truth is independent of country, religion, or background. True teachers exist in every culture, guiding people on the path.
Free from Biases: A true gnani is free from biases and can guide according to the individual’s cultural background. Share love and compassion, recognizing contributions from all cultures.

9. Ishvara’s Play

Trust in Ishvara: Recognize that all actions are part of Ishvara’s play. Teachers, disciples, and resources are all arranged by Ishvara.
Acceptance: Accept whatever comes as Ishvara’s prasadha, including life’s challenges and the time of death.
Service to Ishvara: Every act is an act of service to Ishvara, whether caring for parents, students, or fulfilling positive desires.

10. Internal Division and External Harmony

Internal Unity: External disharmony stems from internal divisions. By removing internal divisions, actions become spontaneous, compassionate, and arise from the heart.
Elevating Actions: True alignment with higher nature elevates actions to be in line with Dharma, fostering a more compassionate society.

11. Being vs. Doing

Embracing Beingness: Recognize the importance of being over doing. Being in Sahajate implies actions flowing effortlessly from a state of naturalness rather than being driven by external pressures or expectations.
Cultivating Presence: Cultivate presence and awareness in every moment, allowing actions to arise organically from a place of inner stillness and authenticity.
Balancing Effort and Surrender: Surrender to the natural flow of life. Surrendering to Ishvara’s play allows for a deeper alignment with true purpose and harmony.

A Regular CheckList

Daily Actions: Start each day reminding yourself that your teaching is a sacred duty. Approach each task, whether preparing lessons or interacting with students, with mindfulness and dedication to a higher cause.
Perspective Shift: Whenever you find yourself getting caught in the stress of outcomes (exam results, student performance), gently shift your focus back to the process itself and the joy of teaching.
Reflective Practice: Regularly reflect on your motivations. Are your actions driven by ego, fear, or a genuine desire to serve? Use these reflections to realign with the principles of Karma Yoga.
Acceptance: Cultivate acceptance of whatever comes your way—challenges or triumphs—as part of Ishvara’s play. This reduces stress and builds resilience.

Conclusion

Promote Compassionate Teaching: Emphasize the importance of acting from a place of compassion rather than ego or fear.
Redefine Dharma: Clarify the true nature of Dharma as a discovery of Ishvara’s play rather than a mission to protect personal beliefs. Dharma is not a way to condition yourself, Dharma is a way to grow and uncondition yourself
Encourage Individual Attention: focus on the unique nature and inclinations of each child, avoiding the imposition of personal ideals.
the Role of Higher Chakras: Differentiate between actions driven by lower chakras (motivated by fear, control, and recognition) and those inspired by higher chakras (motivated by love, compassion, and wisdom).
Simplicity in Spiritual Practice: Encourage simplicity and surrender in spiritual practice, as opposed to effort and complexity.
Promote Internal Unity: Resolve internal divisions to foster external harmony and spontaneous, compassionate actions.
Acknowledge Universal Truths: Recognize the existence of true wisdom across all cultures and discourage cultural biases.
Trust in Ishvara: Reinforce the idea that all actions and outcomes are part of Ishvara’s play, encouraging acceptance and service.

By following these guidelines, educators can foster a more compassionate, holistic, and effective approach to culture-based education, ultimately aligning their actions with the true essence of Dharma and Ishvara’s play.

Pedagogy Sanskrit