Ecological Project (eng) - Проекты - Образование - Философ

Ecological Project (eng)

Margarita Kojevnikova

1996

A PROJECT

Foundation of the development complex ecological/ethical education using scientific materials of the oriental philosophy and psychology

Modern education facing the demands laid to it by the future century and by the experience of the previous times of the scientific progress, leads to appearance of different kinds of programs, courses, projects and methods directed both to the intellectual development and child's adaptation to the life in the modern world and to progress both an inner and external world of a man including harmonious relations between a person and a society.

The aim of the project according to common trades in the modern education seems to be regular because pedagogical search for the necessary structure shows the latter must be completely ecological. "Ecological" means the direction to making the relations between a person and a society harmonious and complex that task must be solved by means of all educational courses and methods.

As to the opportunities of the Tibetan culture it's known throughout the whole world with its well-worked acknowledge about the organism of a human and with alive traditions. There are different ways of spreading the Tibetan traditions in the world. In religious field both old and adapted ones are used. The new way is likely to be regular because the Tibetan spiritual system can be described as a well-worked pedagogical system based on very district demands both to teachers and pupils. Therefore it would be a mistake to refuse using the opportunity of learning the Tibetan achievements. National or religious peculiarities of schools and pupils don't limit universal qualities of the Tibetan knowledge. Especially it is urgent for some regions, since in Russia there are three peoples whose cultures have been greatly influenced by traditions of the Tibetan knowledge these nations try to include them into the modern educational programmers. Certainly it could form conditions for teaching national subjects: national language, literature, history, etc. But financial problems don't let begin embodying these projects.

So the creation of the Fund has a special significance for the Tibetan culture itself. While talking about the Tibetan culture and traditions we certainly mean Tibet is perfectly religious and therefore Tibetan religious traditions can be used in the field of the modern education. But when talking about Buddhism one can see that this religion is based more on the intelligence than on the faith.

Processes going on in Kalmuc and Tuva show that the Fund is necessary for the corresponding Ministers in these republics. And besides the interests of educational structures of Kalmuc, Tuva and Buryat could be included by the indivisible Fund.

There are also centers of learning the Tibetan culture in Moscow and especially in St.-Petersburg that makes the project to be possible.

The Fund tasks are also urgent for the Tibetan culture facing the problem of getting more adapted to the modern time. Now Tibet is in a very difficult situation because the Chinese communist structure has forced Tibetan educational system out. Nowadays the Tibetan culture is kept mostly by the Tibetan emigrants living in India and leaded by the Dalai Lama. For the last three decades Tibetan and western scientists have been working over a modern program in so-called "Tibetan children villages" - official Indian establishments for Tibetan children.

But the results of their work are not satisfactory in aspect of the Tibetan culture's integration into the modern education. This problem is of a great importance. That's defined in the "Tibetan Bulletin" official periodical edition of the Dalai Lama's administration.

Expressing the chief principle of the Tibetan culture "Every religion brings its own contribution into the common affairs and each of them has its own way it comes to every specific group of people with their own understanding of life, our world needs all of them". Buddhism tries to overcome any dogmas. Perhaps that's why the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, defined Buddhism as a spiritual science.

Therefore a lot of questions in the field of mental capabilities of a man can be decided by means of Buddish theory.

Returning to the Tibetan knowledge we can differentiate scientific things from religious practice. And of course the first point must be described in scientific borders. There are the main ideas and principles forming the exceptional appearance of the Tibetan culture and also representing the universal value.

1. Observing and understanding the reality mainly psychologically

(i.e. innerly).

The unhappy situations can be explained through the common state of a human affected, unmanaged, egocentric and selfish. Accordingly, understanding the methods of getting rid of these reasons through the discipline and improving the mind.

2. Going on the description of the approach spreading the responsibility much further then one's own destiny towards the humanity is an idea resulting the law of the cause-effect relationship of the law of karma and build on this ideological basis a principle of the nonviolence corresponding with the idea of the total bond between the alive beings and the processes in nature.

A possibility of the harmonization of a person’s relationship with the society stands on the general principle of the Indo-Tibetan culture - the one of the ahimsa.

3. The understanding of the main cause of the unsatisfactory state of the ordinary mind as the wrong conception in its relations with the reality and accordingly the definition of the main method of getting rid of this cause is the real wisdom when one can see the causal nature of the things.

4. Acknowledgment any conceptions, describing the reality as relative, but however keeping them truthful, going up to the reliable sensual perception and logical basis, i.e. agreeing with the universally recognized experience.

5. In the system of morals - the idea of taking responsibility for other's happiness born by the specially cultivated feelings of love and compassion, standing on the understanding of the total interdependency.

The same approaches of the Tibetan tradition using the modern eastern terminology briefly counted are:

1. The psychological approach to the reality.

2. Deeply ecological principle of nonviolence.

3. Orientation on the dialectical way in the development of the human mind.

4. Getting rid of the dogmatism, the acknowledgement that the conceptions are multifarious.

6. Altruism as the basis of the system of the morals, the affirmation of its development with the special methods of psycho training.

So, as we can see "the Tibetan education" is a complexly ecological as well.

II.

The peculiarities of the nowadays educational model let to fill the latter with different studying subjects depending on the possibilities of the specific schools and not controversy with national cultures and spiritual traditions: ideological base of the whole educational process as asking a child the principal ideological questions for motivating him to the forming his ideology and including secondary coerces for realizing this chief idea.

Ecological characher: Saving children's contact with the nature, realization the conformity to natural laws retracing interactions of the pfenomena ; strict following the idea of unviolence, determing ideological, organizational, pedagogical and methodological principles of the

educational programmes.

Psychological character of the education - the chief attention is paid to the inner world of a human being habit of analysis and mind-training psyche conducting to the moral, getting other conceptions, cultures and ideological system.

In order to develop openness of mind it's important to bring into comprehensive historical courses.

This can be understood as directions for forming new courses, which will present the additional programs and will compose "a base of data of the Fund" which will be the source of materials for teachers and schools.

At present the author of the project determines the following list of courses.

For the younger educational level:

"Development and creativity" (special course aimed for stimulating children to develop their own views by means of creative activities).

"The Nature",

"The World of men" (basic social science and ethics).

"Health".

For the secondary school:

"Ethnology of the Peoples of the World" (a course allowing to understand the difference between various cultures, religions, etc.),

"Skill of thought, logic, disputes" (including solving of creative tasks).

"Practical Psychology",

"Religions of the World".

For the elder school:

"Philosophical questions"

"Society",

"Modeling Future" (in different aspects – social; personal; technological, using scientific fantastic novels; in aspect of solving the problems, etc.).

One of the most important directions of the Fund activities is supposed to be a creation of special methods to help teachers to realize the creative potential while mastering the program, and to help to create pedagogical principles based on the idea of nonviolence and other counted above principles.

III.

The Foundation was created on August 7, 1996 by the public organization "The Society of the Friends of Tibet" in St.-Petersburg.

As to the future activity and development of the Foundation, they are connected with the regions interested in its activity as well as with those international and Russian Foundations and organizations, which are related with problems of education, ecology, Tibetan culture, scientific investigation and using Buddhist traditions. No doubt, the Foundation will contact with Foundations of ecological education and other organizations, with the educational department of the Tibetan government-in exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with Foundations of Buddhist education, etc.

Different participants of the project may present the following structure: Guardians (individual sponsors of the Foundation); the Guardian Council; participating organizations; the Founder's Council.

The academical base: Tibetan educational Centers and scholars, academical pedagogical institutions of St.Petersburg, Moscow and the republics. The Foundation can collaborate with them.

The Curators' Council is such where a Tibetan scholars and Russian specialists in pedagogic and ecology would be included.

The system of education: relations with the republics' (Buryat, Kalmuc, Tuva) Ministries (seminars and courses for teachers, probation and using educational programs, etc.); relations with teachers and schools of the republics and St.-Petersburg, Moscow making experiment and also with Tibetan schools and other foreign schools.

The Plan For The Foundation activities in 1997

1. The activity for broadening of the Foundation: relations with guardians, Funds and organizations in St.Petersburg, Moscow, Kalmyc, Buryat, Tuva, India, abroad for enlisting them to taking part in the establishing and activity of the Fund.

2. The creation of bank of data of the Foundation about the educational programs and initiatives connected with the Fund.

3. The forming of the creative group and the scientific base of the Fund, the work over the educational model. The working group of St.Petersburg will include the author of the project M. Kojevnikova, manager E. Suvorov, buddologist Paribok, (Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Science), Dr. Albedil (Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Science), professors from the University of Pedagogical art, (department of ecological education.

4. The creation of some new courses ( or reviewing and editing the courses which exist today) according to the model of ecological education (depending on the financial possibilities of the Fund for this year): the most important courses which are planned to remake "Nature" 1-3 form, "Health" 1-3 form, "Development and Creative activities" 2-5 form, "Skill of thought", 7-8 forms.

5. Making experiment on some courses ( depending on the financial possibilities of the Foundation): the most important course to be probated is "Development and Creative activities" 2-5 form; "The world of men" (2-3); "Religions of the world"; (6-8 forms).

6. seminars for teachers.

Also in terms of the Foundation some research investigations can be hold.

Of course, the first theme of the investigation is connected with possibilities of using in the modern pedagogic the experience of Tibetan spiritual Buddhist tradition.

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