When we send our children to school obviously we hope that they will be taught the truth. Well, at least some of the time. It seems that painful truths may have to wait, such as the non-existence of Santa Claus. A teacher who recently made the grave error of informing children in her class that Father Christmas was not real found herself out of a job. Parents were furious. “My son came home in tears,” said one anguished mother. “I didn’t know what to say.”
Мы хотим, чтобы наши дети были счастливы, и с этой целью отправляем их в школу. Без знаний мы будем страдать, не имея возможности нормально жить. Невежество - корень страданий, поскольку оно приводит нас к глупым действиям или даже бездействию, а значит, и к болезненным последствиям. Но что же такое лучшее знание? Что это за понимание, которое навсегда избавит вас от всех страданий?
Believing in Santa is obviously an illusion, and we have all had to face that terrible fact at some point in our lives. But how many other illusions have we been sold? Have we been given the whole and highest truth? Are we actually becoming free from all our suffering?
Probably not. In fact much of what we learn at school is subject to constant change, especially in the field of science, where new discoveries are always being made and old theories rejected. Which makes all of it highly suspect. The Vedas declare that an important criterion of truth is that it never changes. Two plus two equals four – it always has and always will. This is the test of real knowledge. It is perfect and unchanging.
These days though we are fed theories, such as the “theory” of evolution, as if they were accepted facts. But there are so many different opinions about such so-called facts, ideas are always changing, and there is every chance that in a hundred years from now a whole different theory will have replaced the one we are now obliged to learn.
And all the while we are not taught about a very real fact that we all have to face. The poet Porteus said, “Teach him how to live. And oh! Still harder lesson. How to die.” This is the best knowledge, and the elephant in everyone’s room that we mostly try to ignore. One great Vedic teacher said that we are all “sojourners on the path of death.” Whatever great things we may achieve in life will soon be annulled by the fact of our death. We will not take any of it with us. And where then shall we go? We have no idea. We can guess, hope, or boldly state that we will go nowhere at all, that we will cease to be, but in reality we are in complete darkness.
The Vedas therefore enjoin that this is the first and most important lesson. “Now you have a human life you must inquire into the absolute.” Ask the big questions. Who am I? Why am I here? Where do I go when I die? At least we should dedicate some of our time to seriously investigating these areas of major importance. But what school does that?
Напротив, нас призывают много работать, чтобы улучшить свои материальные условия жизни. Найти лучшую работу. Зарабатывать больше денег. Жить в красивом доме со всеми атрибутами. Веды говорят о том, что это стремление основано на ошибочном предположении, а именно на том, что мы - это тело. Мы отождествляем себя с мешком крови и костей, в котором живем, принимая его за себя. Но ведическая мудрость говорит нам, что мы отличаемся от тела, что мы - вечные, неразрушимые части высшего целого, или Бога.
Если это правда, а доказательства говорят именно об этом, то все наше образование, лишенное духовного содержания, продает нам иллюзию, сравнимую с иллюзией Деда Мороза. Какие доказательства? Просто понаблюдайте за тем, как меняется тело, начиная с младенчества, детства и заканчивая зрелым возрастом. Полная трансформация, но становимся ли мы другими людьми? Конечно, нет. Мы помним свое детство и знаем, что сейчас, несмотря на все изменения, мы все та же личность. Мы - нечто отличное от тела. И эта неизменная личность - вечная душа. Когда тело окончательно меняется в момент смерти, душа продолжает жить. Почему?
This is surely an observable truth, but who is observing it? What lessons do we get in school about understanding our true self? As time goes on we go further away from such teachings, more and more toward material acquisitions, toward any kind of immoral behaviour as long as it satisfies our bodies, which is what we believe we are, and therefore what we think will make us happy. But how can we be happy if we have started with the wrong conception of self? As the ancient Greeks said, echoing the Vedic instruction, “Know thyself.” Only then can we be happy.
Therefore the Vedas say that from the very beginning of life we should be taught spiritual lessons. We do not have to suffer. We are meant instead for eternal life, for unending happiness with the Supreme Lord Krishna in his immortal abode, and the training for this must begin from childhood. Death may come at any time and we must be prepared. Our ostrich–like educational approach has to change. Face up to the elephant. Otherwise we can carry on with Father Christmas. But he may bring us some rather unexpected presents.
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