Download (PDF, 533KB) - School of Educators

curiosity and wonder about the world outside him and has gathered enormous knowledgeabout that world.The teacher in this class is asking the children to delve into the world inside them, intotheir minds and hearts and to observe what helps them learn and what does not. She isasking them to watch and learn about the blocks to freedom, their fears and anxieties,Their interest and attention and so on.Would you agree that this study of ourselves is as important as the other about theoutside world?Would you like to have some dialogues about these things in your own class or athome?Think upon these things.34. Ravi’s Quest for the Meaning of ReligionRavi was a sensitive boy of fourteen. From the time he was eight or nine he had thatdeep feeling for something unnameable, for something beyond all description and thisfeeling had persisted. When watching the sun rise, when walking alone, when listening togreat music, when tending a plant, there would be a strong urge welling up in him to findout for himself who God was, where he lived, if anyone had seen him, and so on. Henoticed how the rose fades away by the evening, how plants wither away, how all life,whether animal or man. comes to an end. He liked to be alone by himself when notstudying in class. His mother was a devout Hindu and would regularly offer prayers at thetemple near by. Ravi would accompany her sometimes of an evening and he liked theatmosphere surrounding the worship of a beautiful image. The lights, the incense, thesheer beauty of an arti austerely performed, those moved him inwardly- Could God be inthat image, he wondered? And yet, if God is all powerful why should he reside only instone images? Is God a person at all like man? These questions nagged him often.His sister had married a Christian in a church. That day Ravi was deeply moved by thewonderful decorum and order there, the hymns that were sung and the simple ceremonythat followed. The architectural beauty of the cathedral, the huge domes, lights, candleshad made him feel different. Did God reside here alone, he wondered? Why do they callhim the Saviour? That evening he read parts of the Bible before going to sleep.There was a mosque near by and often from the terrace at noon he saw-large numbersof men kneel and bend in prayer and the profound depth and volume of their prayerstruck a chord in his heart. Did Islam have the answer to his question, he wondered. Hisbest friend was a Muslim boy, Kasim, and he found out from his father that the word‘Islam’ meant ‘peace’. The Muslims believe that all men are brothers and should live inpeace and friendship.At school he had read in his history class the extraordinary story of Prince Siddharthaand of how he gave up the comforts and wealth of a king’s life, gave up even his wife andchild and went forth alone into the forest to seek that truth that liberates all mankind, andhe came to be known as Gautama the Buddha who gave his dhamma to the world. Thedhamma taught people the cause of human suffering and how to end the suffering. Ravihad a small image of the Buddha on his study table and was particularly impressed by the