Education ~ A Kaur’s Perspective

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"Excellent thoughts. I had written an article along the same lines (but more focused on women) that was published in ‘Eternal Voice’ a quarterly from Baru Sahib. Here it is:" ~ Gurmeet Kaur's response to the above.

Oct 2008: “Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.” -Lord Brougham.

Education alone has the power to break centuries’ long subjugation whether it is the subjugation by a ruling authority, of society or of one’s own mind. It empowers us to see beyond stereotypes, gives meaning to why we do the things we do, and enriches our lives by exposing the mind to new dimensions. In addition, it creates new venues in a much needed field – that of plain survival. We all know that dynamics of survival are shifting; no longer can half the humanity (women) sit in dark corners to please the rest of the controlling half and not contribute to the economic, intellectual and spiritual development of the society.

Ironically, as progressive as Sikhism is; here in the 21st century we still come across the contention; ‘To educate or not to educate a Sikh woman’. Even the ones who have voted for education have managed to keep the spiritual education out of the way of mainstream or temporal education as I call it. Let us see if education is an option for a Sikh woman today and how spiritual education not only complements the temporal education but is in fact a must for a more fulfilling life. Also let us explore some ways to make the combination happen for our younger generation.

Education is not an option for a Sikh woman of the 21st century. It is the need of the time.

Some concerned Sikhs fear and argue that education sets a woman free and she may no longer live by the cultural and ritualistic by laws prescribed to her for generations. That she will be less docile, trade family responsibilities for a profession. That she may chose her own life partner outside of the caste, class, religion or racial boundaries prescribed for her or that she may quit being a Sikh altogether.

First of all, to deprive any female (or male for that matter) of her opportunity to be a free and self sufficient individual by taming her mind and spirit for a particular role or interest is deplorable. “The most deadly of all sins is the mutilation of a child's spirit.” Says a highly regarded developmental psychologist of the century, Erik Erikson

Sikh history as long as 500 years ago produced documented examples of educated women commissioned to be missionaries by Guru Sahib. Even If you look around today you will see that educated Sikh women have given back to the community many fold. There is a reason for that. When an educated Sikh woman takes any initiative to learn about Sikhism, she derives a whole new meaning to be a Sikh. Sikhi makes sense in a completely holistic dimension of knowledge, practicality and truth. Once she understands and believes in Gurbani, she is more empowered to educate her future generations of it; She has the tools and conviction to deal with life’s challenges herself and can pass on those skills to her children. She has the conviction to achieve the state Guru envisioned for the mankind. Someone has rightly said “Educate a man and you educate an individual -educate a woman and you educate the society.”

On the flip side; a Sikh woman brought up in ignorance and subjugation will someday lose the reasoning of being a Sikh to the pressures of the times, and is susceptible to be easily lead away from Sikhism at one time or the other because she does not truly understand it. She will have no capability to teach her children the meaning of Sikhi; nor the capability to empower them with tools to fend for their values in the world full of materialistic pressures.

Another common argument against educating women is the expense involved. Parents would rather save for their weddings and dowry rather than spend on their education. If they think education is expensive; they just have no idea what price they are going to pay for ignorance in both material and non-material ways. Times have changed. There are no guarantees that a lavish dowry and wedding will secure the future of your dear young child. Giving her the sustenance tools, confidence and values is the best guarantee for a secured life the parents can buy. “If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.” -Benjamin Franklin

Morally and practically considering there should not even be a question about availing our girls the opportunity to quality education. Even looking from the Sikhi perspective, the most important thing I would point out that is necessary for the sustenance of Sikhi as the faith of new age is -the education of the Mothers with not only temporal but spiritual knowledge as well.

Temporal and Spiritual Education complement each other

Sikh philosophy demands a perfect balance of temporal and spiritual education.

Says Nanak, without realizing the Self, the moss of doubts (ignorance) can not be eradicated (SGGS p 684).

Where Guru Sahib formalized the Gurmukhi script and insisted on the formal education of the common people, including women, they also declared that no education is complete without introspection and contemplation of the true essence of being.

He alone is educated, and he alone is a wise (Pundit), who contemplates the Word (Shabad).
He searches within himself, and finds the true essence; he finds the door of salvation. (SGGS p 650)

Application of temporal education in conjunction with spiritual introspection can alone reap positive rewards both personally and socially. An educated person devoid of any spiritual contemplation (veechaar) can chose to use his or her skills in destructive areas. We all have heard of the doctors engaged in organ steeling, female fetus abortions and false amputations just to make big money; industrialists engaged in fake drug manufacturing; nuclear engineers selling technologies to terrorist organizations; biotech engineers and agro corps modifying food genes for profits resulting in depletion of pure genes and health problems; influential lobbyist manipulating environmental laws to their benefits; the list goes on.

On the other hand, apply any field of knowledge to the touchstone of consciousness and you get nothing short of a miracle. Take nursing and apply the passion of Henry Dunant and you get the Red Cross. Take agriculture and add consciousness of keeping the nature unaltered and you get one of the only two non-genetically modified wheat species remaining in the world because of the Jewish agricultural practices. Take literature and add the nectar of Guru’s love and you get Bhai Vir Singh, who rules the heart of every Punjabi through his literary renditions.

If one does introspection on their purpose in life, chooses their educational field consciously, applies consciousness to each step of learning, and finally apply that knowledge or profession to serve the creation, then one would not only do a service to mankind he or she will derive utmost satisfaction in his or her personal life.

It is not uncommon to see Sikhs today who are professionally unhappy because they chose their fields without introspection and consciousness. At one time, every one wanted to be a Computer Scientists because that was the fad. We discarded our love for art, farming, music and literature to be IT professionals. A spiritual introspection at the time of choosing our field would have come in handy. If I were to re-live the choice of my field I would have studied sustainable farming. I wish I had a guidance counselor in school or a parent who would have linked my field of education to the purpose I felt I had in life, to the things that enlivened my spirit – the nature, the earth and the water – and that of producing healthy food that nourished the creation while promoting ecologically viable infrastructure for the communities around.

So what can we do to bring consciousness into temporal education for our young ones?

“A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.” George Santayana We can start with introducing Gurmat (which totally relates to the consciousness) to our children at an early age. Knowing their essence and their purpose will help them make right decisions in life pertaining to their education and beyond. Care has to be taken in how we introduce Gurmat to our children. Human beings truly learn only from the things they love. Cultivate love for the Guru in their heart. Teach by love and in love of the Gurbani. Teach by example.

'Play with your child’s creativity. Let her explore her purpose herself with your loving guidance. Your role is to connect her with her own consciousness'. Kahlil Gibran says

“If a teacher is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.”

Help cultivate their interests consciously. Respect their ideas and thoughts. Serving the creation does not mean everybody has to be a doctor or work for a relief organization. Consciousness can be practically incorporated into any field. Talk about the ways; explore them yourself.

In conclusion, Education for a Sikh woman is not only the dire need of our society; it is the moral obligation of our society to her. Temporal Education enables one to achieve their purpose in life and must be complemented with spiritual contemplation to realize our fullest potential.

For a truly educated person in the Sikh concept, thus, the inner and outer life is a continuum of pure consciousness. Their temporal education then becomes a source to serve the creation, to bind with it and to raise its consciousness as well.

As the educated Sikhs of today, let us give a new direction and meaning to our new generation by cultivating their consciousness and letting it guide them through their journey of education. In the process, let’s not forget ourselves… we all are seekers of the truth and eternal students. “I was still learning when I taught my last class” says Claude Fuess, after 40 years of teaching.