Begin with a Clean Slate

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For today's prompt, I remembered the Zen story of the overflowing cup. Many of you might be familiar with it. For those who are not, let me narrate it in my own words....

Once upon a time, a learned man went to a well-known Zen master to gain knowledge. The Zen master welcomed him. The man was very knowledgeable and wanted to seek enlightenment from the wise teacher. The man spoke many things to the master about what he knew. The master heard him quietly. Then, he offered him tea. The master started pouring the tea. The man watched with much astonishment that the master was continuing to overfill the cup, and when the tea started spilling from the cup, he urged the master to stop. He could make no sense of what the teacher was doing. He asked him in exasperation, to which the teacher replied," Just like this cup, you are overflowing too - with your own thoughts and opinions. If you need Zen, you need to empty up first."

This story tells us by way of a very simple example the mistakes we commit when we seek knowledge and wisdom. We often perceive ourselves as wise. We look at things subjectively but presume that we are fair and objective. Our quest is limited because we do not open our minds completely. Our prejudices, preconceived notions of what is or ought to be often limit us. 

Confucius has rightly said that "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." In order to know more, you need to first accept that your knowledge is not absolute. In order to know what you don't know, you have to begin with a clean slate. Previously held thoughts and ideas can create hurdles in the path to enlightenment much like the way it happens in the above story. To be able to explore, you need to expand your horizon. You need to retrace your steps with every new bit of wisdom you gain. To experience the vastness of the ocean, you need to abandon your pond. To embrace the immensity of the sky, you need to open your doors and windows and venture out. Like a child, you need to crawl, then wobble, then walk, then climb, then fall, then learn, then climb again. 

De-clutter the mind first. Only then can a fresh space be created. 

Linking to Blog-a-rhythm's Day 2 of #BarAthon Challenge

पाठ पढ़ो और याद करो - Learning to be learned

Once upon a time, there was a teacher who decided to go to the market to buy some goods. He had four disciples who eagerly followed each and every word of their master. They tagged along with the teacher to the market. The teacher instructed that they would not stop on the way at all or else they would be late. The students said, 'Ji Ha...'.

They started sitting on a bullock cart. The teacher fell asleep. After some time, a group of naughty monkeys interrupted their passage. The cart swerved and the teacher's 'pagdi' fell from his head. One student thought that they should stop to get it but others refused since the master had instructed them not to stop, come what may. Hence, they kept going on. After a little while, the master felt the hot sun on his head and got up. In a rage, he asked, 'Where is my pagdi?' The students told them what had happened. 

'You fools. Turn around and get me my pagdi. And from now on, if anything falls from the cart, pick it up.'

'Ji Ha', said the disciples.

The master fell asleep again. After some time, the disciples, to their utter horror, discovered that the bullock had pooped. The students looked at each other and realized that their teacher had asked them to pick up anything that fell from the cart. So, they stopped, picked up the droppings and started again.

The master got up after sometime and smelled the dung. He was angry and asked what happened. 

'You said that we were supposed to pick up anything that fell from the cart'.

The teacher shook his head in rage.

'You fools. Throw it away and wash yourself.'

Then he wrote a list. 'Pick up these things only if they fall - Jar of rice, basket of fruits, pitcher of water'.

'Ji Ha', the disciples nodded.

The master fell asleep again. 

It so happened that there was a big pit ahead and the cart toppled throwing everything and everyone on the ground. The teacher fell into the pit. The goods were scattered everywhere. The students got up and checked the list. They picked up the basket but left the fruits, the empty pitcher and the jar of rice, leaving the rice on the ground. That was what the paper said.

The teacher cried for help. The students were confused. 'He said we are supoosed to pick up only that which is in the list and nothing else,' one said..

'Yes, he is testing us. We must score well.' Others agreed.

A woman was watching all this from a distance. She took the list and threw it to the teacher who then wrote his name on the paper and returned it to his dedicated students.

The students then helped the master out of the pitch.

'We will go back home now, you fools'. The teacher thundered.

'Ji Ha'. The disciples agreed and turned back.

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The story in a very humorous manner tells us what happens when students are expected to follow certain styles of instruction without asking questions. Getting good scores is the end each one aspires for. Real learning is lost along the way. It is not necessary to have good scores and be an excellent knowledgeable person in life. Rote learning is shallow learning. It can get good scores but can in no way ascertain a good understanding too.

I wrote a poem on this, which I am sure all kids will love.


पाठ पढ़ो और याद करो 
अच्छे नंबर से परीक्षा पास करो 
जब मैं बोलूं तो उठ जाओ 
जब संकेत करूँ तो तुम बैठो 

प्रश्न पूछना मना यहाँ 
टीचर को गुस्सा आता है 
पर मम्मी कहती बिना प्रश्न 
सबक निरर्थक हो जाता है 

काश कभी ऐसा होता 
किताब के पन्नों से बाहर 
सम्राट अकबर ही आ जाते 
कुछ किस्से बीरबल के हमें सुना 
बुद्धि का पाठ सिखा जाते 

उत्तर तो हम सब रट लेंगे 
पर तर्क न जब तक आएगा 
जीवन में शिक्षा का उपयोग 
साकार नहीं हो पाएगा 

अंकों से नहीं खेलना हमें 
चलो बाहर हम चलते हैं 
एक हाथ में रहे किताब 
और एक हाथ में रहे कलम 
कुछ कक्षा में किया पठन 
कुछ स्वयं निरीक्षण करेंगे हम 

Image here

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Written for IndiSpire Edition#109 #Education System