What we may learn from monastic education in Myanmar

Dear K,

I took the opportunity of this week's leave to read through your paper, and I must say it has been an inspirational journey understanding the functions of monastic education esp within the broader socio-political context of Myanmar. It has reminded me how much we in Singapore have taken safety and protection for granted, but extrapolating from that, also how much we might have at times neglected the desire of a 'spiritual haven' for teens who are lost in their quest for a meaning to life and a philosophy of existence here in this little island. As Singapore's education system continues on its road of evolution towards holistic education, different pathways to success, 21st-century skills and other fashionable jargon of this era, your paper is a timely reminder how we have sidelined some age-old fundamentals of what education truly means.

The first point that struck me is crystallized in this following paragraph of yours: "While the spirit of enquiry is encouraged and the child is allowed to grow and develop at his or her own pace, the oral tradition (rote learning and repetition), the rule of discipline and obedience, and sometimes corporal punishment and manual labour as punishment have equal importance in nurturing mature and socially responsible citizens."

We seem to have forgotten, in modern days, that throughout the history of great civilizations, the great kings, scholars, poets and intellectuals were nurtured through learning processes that combined hard work and great effort with critical inquiry and reflection of their times. Today when we talk about creativity, critical thinking and student-centred learning there also seems to be a connotation of 'rebellious attitude' that makes these terms almost irreconcilable with the ideas of discipline and obedience. I've heard stories of parents in China who get worried when their toddlers obey rules too well. It sounds absurd but it is true that many systems today are unwittingly encouraging 'impudence' among their youths without truly achieving the desired effects of matured reasoning, critical thought and 'out-of-the-box' perceptions. We seem to always neglect the beauty of a 'middle way', a delicate balance of forces and elements from opposites.

The second point that resonated with me is the fact that "Children who attend monastic schools and live in monastic institutions learn fairly quickly that they are not only required to study well within the classroom but also to live well outside of it, and even to take back their learning to their families and neighbourhood. The children are required to practice certain spiritual and human values, live in community with others, develop relationships, and learn to serve and care for others as learning takes place through the curriculum as well as through each interaction and each experience lived". It used to be the case in Chinese societies that achieving good results brought glory to the family, and thus personal achievement was always related to the good of one's family and community. Today however I am really feeling a great surge of individualism among the youths. Success is increasingly defined as how much one can realize his/her own potential or talents, with values and interpersonal relationships relegated to the background and being less of a focus among the young. Yes, the system has nurtured a whole generation of seemingly caring youths who engage in community service, but do these budding adults give enough attention to the meaning of 'each interaction and each experience lived'? I doubt so. For them, interacting with the computer is probably a better substitute for an hour of coffee chat at Starbucks with a close friend.

So I guess we do compromise some things when systems evolve and societies develop. The monastic schools in your study might not be systemically well-organized but at least I feel a strong sense of mission and the true spirit of education oriented towards the individual and the community. I guess that is wherein lies the power of religious philosophy and thought. I might have mentioned before that since young I have been influenced by the traditions of Confucianism, the rites of Taoism and the thoughts of Buddhism. I count myself lucky that these have instilled in me a sense of personal direction. As I went deeper into Chinese history and culture in university, I also developed a more acute awareness of how these 3 schools of thoughts have intermingled to create the philosophical system that underpinned Chinese politics and its system of thought for thousands of years. Most pertinently, the injects of Buddhism from 2nd to 4th Centuries AD helped Confucianism to overcome its own socio-political shortcomings and elevated the philosophical thoughts of Taoism from passive cynicism to proactive introspection - all of which eventually created a strong intellectual tradition that lasted from the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) through early 20th Century. It is a pity that we cannot cover much of Buddhist teachings in explicit terms in our classrooms in case we are accused of evangelicalism, so the most that can be done is to 'package' these thoughts in the language of Confucianism - which is seen as less of a religion than a school of social thought. Even then, I do feel a strong need to deepen our children's moral, ethical and spiritual understanding of themselves and their communities. How exactly to do so, I'm not sure. But as you mentioned in your thesis, it eventually would boil down to person, processes, context and more importantly, opportunities.

Thanks again for this paper that has sparked thoughts and introspection on my part. And certainly, when the chance arrives, I would greatly hope to visit you in Myanmar and tour this land that has always been shrouded in a mist of mystery for me as a South East Asian.

Take care and keep in touch!

Best wishes,
Xiong