For teacher reference
In the previous chapter, we saw –
Section 1: What is understanding?
Activity 1.1: Who is considered sensible?
Story 1.1: Socrates’ three questions
Section 2: Being sensible, systematic and participating in the larger order
Activity 2.1: Role of a sensible person in the larger order
Story 2.1: Three perspectives of three labourers
Section 3: What is prosperity?
Activity 3.1: Richness, Poverty and Prosperity
Section 4: The way the mind works / Happy mind(me)
Story 4.1: Serene water
Activity 4.1: The perils of anger
Story 4.2: Who’s speaking?
For teacher’s reference
Understanding is a continuously helpful aspect of life. Our living is meaningful when we live with understanding because a lack of understanding creates problems. Understanding is the balance that is required in relationships. Whether it is a family matter, societal or governmental, understanding is required everywhere.
In this section, we will discuss understanding.
Activity 1.1: Who is considered sensible?
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Students will understand who is known as a sensible person and what are his/her qualities.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher: Discuss the given questions with each student as much as possible and help them in expressing their thoughts. Try that each child seeks to find answers within. When they find answers within, the ensuing discussion would be well understood by them. The answers received from the students through this process may be briefly written on the board so that the entire class can reflect on the answers together.
Before the session gets over, ask the students the following –
We might have our reasons for considering someone sensible or not, but scientifically speaking, the following five points determine a person’s sensibility-
1. Trust on oneself
2. Healthy body
3. Healthy relationships
4. Prosperity in family
5. Participation in the larger order
Tell the students that these points would be taken up one by one and put before them through the means of various stories and activities. Encourage them to reflect on these points.
Day 1
Steps of the activity
Teachers are requested to discuss with all the students in class.
Our notions about being sensible -
Proposed questions for discussion
Encourage the students to discuss the following points at home –
Day 2
Start the class by mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points at home. We will now discuss the following –
Proposed questions for discussion
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Story 1.1: Socrates’ three questions
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To encourage students to speak meaningfully and sensibly.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of Discussion (For Teachers): In our daily life, what are the topics of discussion in our leisure conversations, and what is its use? Most people talk about the shortcomings of others. If a person becomes habitual of such conversations, his personality becomes negative. Those who are negative are always complaining, stay unhappy and others get distant from them gradually.
Our conversations impact our life hugely. When we discuss the good qualities of others, we progress, and when we discuss their shortcomings, we regress.
Through the questions in this story, we will aim to encourage the students to engage in positive and useful conversation.
Story
In ancient Greece, there lived the famed philosopher called Socrates. He was very learned and polite. Once, he was passing by a market when he met a person known to him. The person started telling him, “Do you know what your friend was saying about you yesterday?”
Socrates stopped that person in between and said, “Before you tell me what my friend was saying about me, please answer three short questions of mine.” The person, a bit surprised now, said, “Three short questions?”
Socrates said, “Yes. Three short questions.”
“The first is that whatever you are going to tell me, are you sure about its accuracy?”
The man replied, “No, I just heard it from someone.”
Socrates said, “No problem. This means that you are not sure what you’re going to say is accurate or not. Now, answer my second question. Whatever you are going to tell me, does it have significance?” The man immediately said, “No.”
Socrates said, “Alright. Now answer my last question. Whatever you are going to tell me, is it useful for me?” The man said, “No, there appears to be nothing of use for you in what the person said.” Then Socrates said, “A thing which is heard from others, does not hold significance and is not useful to me — what is the use of hearing it?”
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. In our daily life, do we decide to have conversations based on these three questions? Discuss.
2. Many of our conversations are not in accordance with the three questions of Socrates. Why do we still indulge in them?
3. Give an example of a recent conversation you were a part of, which was not in accordance with the three questions of Socrates.
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Day 2
Start the class by mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
1. If we always take care of these three elements in our conversation, what impact would this have? How would our friends/family members benefit from it?
2. When we discuss the qualities of others, we progress, and when we discuss their shortcomings, we regress. Agree/Disagree? Discuss.
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
For teacher’s reference
Being sensible means to live without a feeling of stress, understanding systems and orders larger than us (e.g, family, society, political system, legal system, etc) and fulfilling our roles in those. For example, a healthy body has lakhs of cells that are playing their own individual roles. Some unite in functioning as the liver, some other unite and function as the heart and some become the stomach. All these cells are playing their role in maintaining the body. Similarly, each sensible person plays a role in his/her family so that the family can play its role in the bigger order of the society/nation. A sensible person is full of trust and accepts that the order is bigger than the individual. His/her viewpoint is also centred round the larger order. This is his/her biggest happiness.
Activity 2.1: Role of a sensible person in the larger order
Time: At least two periods or until the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Understanding how a sensible person can play a role in the larger order.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher: Everyone wants orderliness and harmony in society. However, not having an understanding of what it means is a problem for participating in its orderliness. Everyone wants systems (that comprise a society) to function well. If we talk about the education system - only 10% of school students are able to come to the college level. And then there are lots of children in India who are not even able to come to the school level. Hence, there are just about 7% of students who are able to come to the college level. This indicates the need for people to understand the system, its needs and participate in fulfilling those.
A harmonious society will ensure education to all children. A harmonious society will provide work and business to all. A pollution-free environment would be available to all in a harmonious society. We all need these without exception. We all want to live in such a harmonious society. If one is participating in society today to enable a harmonious society, it is evidence of being a sensible person. A person not being able to participate in society to enable orderliness is a problem.
Day 1
Steps of the activity:
The teacher may conduct a discussion on the following points:
Discussion on the cleanliness order in school:
1. What are you able to understand by a person’s participation in the larger order? Discuss. (For example, cleanliness order, maintenance of public property etc.)
2. Why is a person unable to correctly participate in the larger order? Discuss. (Clue: Because of lack of understanding and attention to the order.)
3. What role can a sensible person play in the order? Discuss and list it out. (Clue : will not pollute public property and spaces etc.)
4. A sensible person only can participate in the larger order. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Encourage the students to discuss the following points at home –
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points at home. We will now discuss the following –
Proposed questions for discussion
1. What would you do to keep your body in order (in harmony)?
2. How do you (or can you) participate in the family order? (Clue: Refraining from upsetting and worrying parents, refraining from fighting, speaking to parents with affection, sharing their lives, taking decisions based on the financial situation of the family, aiming to strengthen the family finances in future etc.)
3. How do you (or can you) participate in the societal order? (Clue: Increasing mutual respect, removing hatred, contributing towards people’s material and emotional needs by production or service, keeping cleanliness, following traffic rules etc.)
Note:
a. Discuss one’s participation in production or services in detail. Examples of production can be farming, making cloth, mobiles, fans, cars etc.
b. Services can be in the form of a teacher, doctor, nurse, engineer, electrician, driver, labourer, lawyer, manager, businessman, journalist, tailor, plumber, security guard, cleaner, government official, politician etc. (Also discuss if presently, everyone is a part of the order or of disorder.)
4. What role can you play to maintain the order of nature? (Clue: Not harming plants and trees, growing them, not wasting water, food items and electricity. Understanding need and not getting into the rat race of accumulation.)
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Note for the teacher
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To make it clear that we are not happy or unhappy by doing something, but our happiness or its absence depends on our feeling while doing that work.
Start the class by mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of discussion (For Teachers)
We are not happy or unhappy by doing something, it depends on our state of mind while doing it. In other words, an understanding of the purpose of the work and its role in the larger order gives us happiness.
Story
Three labourers were working at the site of an under-construction school. A passer-by asked one of them, “What are you doing?” The disgruntled labourer replies, “I am breaking stones.” In reality, he was breaking stones mentally too and so he was unhappy.
The passer-by went to the other labourer and repeated the question. The labourer was not unhappy, he was balanced, neither sad nor happy. He said, “I am earning my bread.” In reality, he was working to earn, so his face wore a neutral expression.
The passer-by went to the third labourer and asked him the same question. The labourer was joyous. He was singing while breaking those stones. He paused and said, “I’m building a temple of education. Children will come to study here.” His eyes were shining as he spoke.
These are the three ways to work in life. The first is to do it like a burden and remain unhappy. The second is to work like a machine to earn bread and the third is to derive happiness from the joy our work will bring to others.
Life’s joy is in perspective. It comes from within and not externally.
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. Who was the happiest among the three labourers? Why?
2. The first labourer had no interest in his work and even if he got paid without working, he would continue to be sad as he will find another reason for staying sad. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
3. If you get all comforts (such as TV, AC, food, bed etc.) sitting at home but are told you cannot ever leave the room, how would you feel? Would you be happy or unhappy? Why? Discuss.
4. If the third labourer was given a meaningless job (like take ten chairs from one room to another, then bring them back - keep repeating this from morning to evening), would he still be as happy ? Discuss.
5. Discuss useful work. For example, in this story, making a school is a meaningful work and the third labourer is considering his work as a part of this meaningful work and so is happy. Give examples of other useful work like cleaning, distributing mid-day meals, studying, cooking etc.
(Note: If required, mention that the work that enables upkeep of the order or strengthens the order, is being called meaningful.)
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
1. Have you observed either of your parents do the same work with different feelings at different times?
2. Have you been in a situation when at different times you’ve felt differently doing the same work? Share with an example.
3. Will you get happiness by working with happiness or will receive happiness by doing that work? (Give an example from your life about the work you do with happiness and the work where you feel you will get happiness by doing it.)
(Note: Being happy means understanding the value of the work you’re doing. When we are clear about why we are doing something and what role it plays in the larger order, we are happy.) 4. The work that you feel will give you happiness by doing, can it also be done with happiness? Explain with examples. (If the students find it difficult to find examples, the teacher may start like this – we plan to go out with friends and eat ice cream so we feel that we will feel happy on eating ice cream. But it is also possible that we are anyway happy with friends – whether or not we eat the ice cream. Another example can be when our friend bought a new pair of shoes and is happy because of that. We didn’t buy shoes for ourselves because we didn’t need them, but we are still happy.
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Dos and Don’ts
For teacher’s reference
Activity 3.1: Richness, Poverty and Prosperity
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To enable students to understand the meaning of prosperity = the absence of a feeling of lack or, a feeling of having enough and more.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for teacher: Absence of the feeling of lack is called prosperity, which means, if we have more physical facilities than we need and we also feel that way, then we can consider ourselves prosperous. We want to discover ourselves like this. With the change in our mindset, our life will change.
Steps of the activity
The teacher may draw the following charts on the board and fill them with the help of the students.
(Note: It would be enough to draw just one table in class. Here multiple tables are given for understanding.)
Ask the students about people who lack facilities and feel that lack and put a tick (✓) accordingly.
There are some people who do not lack facilities but feel the lack of facilities.
We all expect to not lack facilities and not feel their lack either.
What would be the name of these three conditions?
Proposed questions for discussion
1. Do you want to be rich or prosperous?
2. What do you understand by prosperity?
3. Whom do you find prosperous around you? Who and how?
4. Who was prosperous in the ‘Three labourers, three perspectives’ story?
5. Prosperity is only about facilities or is it also about mentality?
6. What should a prosperous person have? Only money or only understanding or both?
7. How much money can make a person feel prosperous?
8. What is the way to a person’s prosperity? (Probable answer: understanding of needs, getting the competence to meet them, using one’s competence positively and gathering resources to meet one’s needs and having a little more than that so as to fulfil social responsibilities.)
9. It is important to be sensible in order to be prosperous. What do you understand by this?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
For teacher’s reference
Story 4.1: Serene water
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To help students identify the importance of having patience and a peaceful mind.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of Discussion (For Teachers): No difficult situation lasts in nature. For example, we cannot be continuously angry for long. We want to consistently keep our mind peaceful. We can make appropriate decisions only in a peaceful state of mind.
In difficult or adverse circumstances, our mind gets distracted and the decision taken as part of that reaction is usually not right. Later, we often regret the decision. Therefore, if we process the situation with a quiet mind (without distraction) and then take a decision, we will not regret it.
Story
A hermit and his student were going somewhere. After walking for long, they felt thirsty and sat under a tree to take a break.
The student went to fetch water from a small river close by. There, he noticed some animals who’d just crossed the river, leaving the water dirty. As they had run across, the water had got muddy and the rotten twigs and leaves had come to the surface. Because of the dirt, the student returned without water and told his teacher that the water of that river was not clean for consumption, he’d have to go uphill to fetch it. His teacher told him, “It would take longer to go uphill and fetch water. Go to the same spot again and fetch water.”
The student went but returned empty-handed once again. The water was still dirty. But, his teacher sent him again to the same spot. When the student went there a third time, he was astonished. The water of the river was absolutely clean and sparkling. The mud had settled and the water had become gentle. The student returned with water this time.
He asked his teacher, “How did you know that this time the water would surely be clean?” The teacher told him, “There is no difficult situation that lasts in nature. This also happens with our mind. When any incident or thought bothers it, the upheaval lasts for a while like it did in the river. But if we are peaceful and patient, we can find a solution and it all settles down.”
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. When your mind is disturbed because of anger or sadness, the decision you take at that time is usually right or wrong? Why?
2. What is the difference in the decisions made with a peaceful mind and when the mind is distracted? Give an example each for both situations.
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
1. What did you lose when you took an impulsive decision? Share with an example from your life.
2. Share another incident from your life about how an impulsive decision you took was not acceptable to you yourself? After thinking about the incident with a peaceful mind, what decision do you think would have been right?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Activity 4.1: The Perils of Anger
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To encourage students to recognise anger as an incompetence and to be aware of their beliefs.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher
Our decisions are always based on our beliefs and we don’t even realise the things we do not understand properly but believe to be true. For example, we usually say it is natural to get angry. Through this activity, we will try to gauge if anger is natural or unnatural?
What should be the basis of deciding if a thing is natural or unnatural? Largely, what is natural is what is constant and acceptable to all and happens organically without effort. Anger is neither acceptable to the one getting angry nor is acceptable to the one who is the object of anger. It may appear that it happens on its own, but if observed deeply, usually anger is not something that happens organically but something which is shown in front of a weaker person. We often express anger when we are unable to accept or handle a situation or lack the competence to work on something under pressure. Hence, anger is not a person’s nature. It is a display of one’s incompetence. So, in such a situation, some people get angry while the competent ones handle the situation with their sensibility without getting angry.
A person’s nature is to be happy. Everyone wants happiness and it is possible to be continuously happy but due to lack of sensibility and competence, people have not been able to find their basic nature of being happy always.
Day 1
Steps of the activity
1. Have you ever thought deeply about something and changed your belief later? Share with an example from your life.
2. What is the role of our beliefs in our lives? (Answer: Our thoughts, behaviour and efforts are based on our beliefs.)
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The teacher may ask the students to gather in their respective groups based on the previous activity. Each group should turn-by-turn answer the following questions. Get various students from each group to answer these questions in one or two words.
Group 1
1. Can our nature be something we don’t like?
2. Is anger acceptable to the person with whom we are getting angry?
3. Do we feel angry when we are unable to do some work or do we feel angry when doing something right?
4. Is it possible to constantly be in a state of anger?
5. Do we feel angry when we are unable to handle a situation or do we feel angry when we have the trust within to handle it?
Group 2
1. When we are angry, are we normal or abnormal?
2. Does anger make us healthy or unhealthy?
3. Do we get angry with a weaker person or with a person stronger than us?
4. Is anger towards a weaker person an expression of our weakness or our strength?
5. If we get something done by getting angry, will we gain respect?
Group 3
1. Are the people who get work done by expressing anger considered good or the people who get work done by helping others understand considered good?
2. Are we able to accomplish a task with anger, or with sensibility and competence?
3. Would one’s competence increase with anger or, with understanding?
4. Can the work done with anger be done with explanation?
5. Is it right to get work done by spoiling relationships?
Note: After more clarity that comes as an outcome of the questions, give students another chance to change their groups and help them observe that by discussing a topic in detail if beliefs that are not right change.
Proposed questions for discussion
1. What would you want when you make a mistake – would you want to be scolded and insulted or would you want to be explained to patiently? Why would you want this?
2. When we ourselves do not want to be the victim of anyone’s anger then why do we get angry with others?
3. Does everyone get equally angry in a similar situation?
4. Is anger natural or a display of our incompetence? How?
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Ask the students to undertake a survey. Each student should ask at least 10 people to answer the following questions and note down their answers. Remember that a person should not be included in the survey twice.
1. Is anger natural or unnatural?
2. Do you believe that it is right to get angry sometimes when others make mistakes? Yes/no?
3. Do you also believe this for yourself that you should be scolded at and insulted when you make a mistake? Yes/no?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 3
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
1. Do the laws of nature change or are they the same always? For example, the law of gravity.
2. Are the laws of nature universal and apply to everyone or vary from person to person?
3. Even then, why do people not have the same belief in one law? (Answer: By not recognising the law the way it is.)
4. What would you do to avoid getting angry?
5. Are getting scared, scaring someone or getting angry, signs of weakness and lack of competence or not?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Note for Teacher: Anger is a display of one’s incompetence. (Put up this statement in the class so that the students who get angry may look at it time and again.)
Story 4.2: Who is speaking?
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To make the students realise the difference between knowing and believing.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of Discussion (For Teachers)
Often we believe things we have heard and consider the information received from various mediums to be understanding or knowledge. We believe a lot of things to be true without actually knowing them. But we do not trust them completely as they could either be right or wrong.
Once we evaluate and process information we have come to believe and tested it out in our living, that lived experience gives us the confidence to adopt it as a part of our life. When information that is right and complete, it becomes a part of our behaviour and living, then it is called ‘understanding’. Similarly, recognising the facts the way they are on the basis of proof (which comes from lived experience) is called ‘knowing’.
Through this story, the students would be encouraged to not just ‘believe’ things they hear but try to ‘know’ them/understand them through evaluation.
Story
A youth in his quest for knowledge went to stay in an ashram. After 15 days, the youth got bored and felt there was nothing new he could learn there. He felt that the old guru at the ashram repeats the same things every day as a pattern. He got bored listening to them again and again. He decided that the next morning, he would leave the ashram.
That night, he saw a new young monk who’d come to the ashram. After dinner, at a meeting with all the students of the ashram, the new monk spoke about very detailed and subtle elements of knowledge. The young man was impressed by the conversation and thought to himself, “How knowledgeable and informed this person is.” Even the guru was astonished. At that time, the new monk asked the guru, “How did you find my discourse?”
The guru smiled and said, “Beta, I was waiting to listen to you for long but you have not said anything till now.” The new monk got angry and said, “Probably, you cannot hear. I have been speaking constantly for the past two hours.”
The guru said, “The texts within you were speaking, your beliefs were speaking, but you didn’t speak at all. Some words were being repeated within you like an instrument. There was nothing you lived or knew. First, learn to analyse that information and believe yourself, feel and know from your experience. When it will become what you have known, I will say you are speaking.” On listening to this, the young man started thinking to which level are his beliefs known by him? Is he also considering things he has just heard as knowledge?
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. Has it ever happened that we repeat things we’ve read or heard without understanding them?
2. When in class, do we believe subject knowledge without knowing and testing?
3. What should be done to understand subjects instead of just believing them?
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
1. We sometimes see and hear that some people who may not be able to read or write have the capability to discover new things. Do you know such people? Where does this ability come from? Discuss.
2. Trust comes by recognising something and believing it, not without recognising and believing it. How? Share with an example.
3. Share with an example from your life what things you trust and what you believe but do not trust?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
-----------------------------
In the previous chapter, we saw –
- We all have uniqueness and commonness.
- Our uniqueness helps us in recognising each other.
- We all have commonness which are the basis of our mutual relationships.
- We all have physical and emotional needs that are met with sensibility.
Section 1: What is understanding?
Activity 1.1: Who is considered sensible?
Story 1.1: Socrates’ three questions
Section 2: Being sensible, systematic and participating in the larger order
Activity 2.1: Role of a sensible person in the larger order
Story 2.1: Three perspectives of three labourers
Section 3: What is prosperity?
Activity 3.1: Richness, Poverty and Prosperity
Section 4: The way the mind works / Happy mind(me)
Story 4.1: Serene water
Activity 4.1: The perils of anger
Story 4.2: Who’s speaking?
Section 1: What is understanding?
For teacher’s reference
Understanding is a continuously helpful aspect of life. Our living is meaningful when we live with understanding because a lack of understanding creates problems. Understanding is the balance that is required in relationships. Whether it is a family matter, societal or governmental, understanding is required everywhere.
In this section, we will discuss understanding.
Activity 1.1: Who is considered sensible?
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Students will understand who is known as a sensible person and what are his/her qualities.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher: Discuss the given questions with each student as much as possible and help them in expressing their thoughts. Try that each child seeks to find answers within. When they find answers within, the ensuing discussion would be well understood by them. The answers received from the students through this process may be briefly written on the board so that the entire class can reflect on the answers together.
Before the session gets over, ask the students the following –
We might have our reasons for considering someone sensible or not, but scientifically speaking, the following five points determine a person’s sensibility-
1. Trust on oneself
2. Healthy body
3. Healthy relationships
4. Prosperity in family
5. Participation in the larger order
Tell the students that these points would be taken up one by one and put before them through the means of various stories and activities. Encourage them to reflect on these points.
Day 1
Steps of the activity
Teachers are requested to discuss with all the students in class.
Our notions about being sensible -
- We all want to be sensible. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- We all want our family members, relatives, friends and acquaintances to recognise us as a sensible person. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- How do we feel when we gauge someone is questioning or doubting our understanding? Good or bad? Give reasons.
- We expect others to be sensible. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- We all want our family members, our relatives, friends and acquaintances to behave sensibly. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- If someone does not behave sensibly with us, how do we feel? Good or bad? Give reasons.
Proposed questions for discussion
- Whom do you consider a sensible person?
- Is sensibility an outcome of age? Agree/disagree? Discuss. (Possible direction of the discussion: Does it not happen that a person is very young and is still very sensible and someone else is much older and yet not sensible. In this way, decide the direction of the following questions.)
- Does education ensure sensibility? Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- Does living in a city ensure sensibility? Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- Does being a man ensure sensibility? Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- Does wearing good clothes ensure sensibility? Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- Does holding a significant post ensure sensibility? Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- Does having more money ensure sensibility? Agree/disagree? Discuss.
- What are the characteristics of a sensible person? (Try to let the students come to the following aspects on their own. In case they are not able to understand try to explain to them in the following manner –
- What is the contribution of a sensible person to his/her family?
- (Clue: A sensible person will be able to meet the needs of the family and will create an atmosphere of harmony because of which there would be no discord and the family will move towards progress. The person would also help other family members in becoming sensible.)
- What is the contribution of a sensible person in society? (He/she would be able to live without fights, violence, hatred, crime, exploitation and would inspire others too to live peacefully.)
- What is the contribution of a sensible person to nature? (He/she would refrain from polluting the environment, dirtying it, misusing facilities and wasting things.)
Encourage the students to discuss the following points at home –
- What do they understand by trust in oneself?
- What is their point of view on a healthy body?
- What do they understand by healthy relationships?
- What do they feel about prosperity in the family and particularly the word prosperity?
- What do they understand by participation in the larger order?
Day 2
Start the class by mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points at home. We will now discuss the following –
- Who all did you discuss with?
- How did they feel talking to you?
- What were the answers received?
Proposed questions for discussion
- Think and share what do you now understand by trust in yourself?
- How does sensibility help in keeping the body healthy?
- In harmonious relationships, does understanding play a bigger role or money? Discuss.
- Only when we are sensible will we be able to participate in the larger order. How? Discuss.
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Story 1.1: Socrates’ three questions
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To encourage students to speak meaningfully and sensibly.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of Discussion (For Teachers): In our daily life, what are the topics of discussion in our leisure conversations, and what is its use? Most people talk about the shortcomings of others. If a person becomes habitual of such conversations, his personality becomes negative. Those who are negative are always complaining, stay unhappy and others get distant from them gradually.
Our conversations impact our life hugely. When we discuss the good qualities of others, we progress, and when we discuss their shortcomings, we regress.
Through the questions in this story, we will aim to encourage the students to engage in positive and useful conversation.
Story
In ancient Greece, there lived the famed philosopher called Socrates. He was very learned and polite. Once, he was passing by a market when he met a person known to him. The person started telling him, “Do you know what your friend was saying about you yesterday?”
Socrates stopped that person in between and said, “Before you tell me what my friend was saying about me, please answer three short questions of mine.” The person, a bit surprised now, said, “Three short questions?”
Socrates said, “Yes. Three short questions.”
“The first is that whatever you are going to tell me, are you sure about its accuracy?”
The man replied, “No, I just heard it from someone.”
Socrates said, “No problem. This means that you are not sure what you’re going to say is accurate or not. Now, answer my second question. Whatever you are going to tell me, does it have significance?” The man immediately said, “No.”
Socrates said, “Alright. Now answer my last question. Whatever you are going to tell me, is it useful for me?” The man said, “No, there appears to be nothing of use for you in what the person said.” Then Socrates said, “A thing which is heard from others, does not hold significance and is not useful to me — what is the use of hearing it?”
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. In our daily life, do we decide to have conversations based on these three questions? Discuss.
2. Many of our conversations are not in accordance with the three questions of Socrates. Why do we still indulge in them?
3. Give an example of a recent conversation you were a part of, which was not in accordance with the three questions of Socrates.
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
- Students should discuss the story at home and understand the thoughts and views of their family members.
- Students should discuss the habits they want to give up with their friends.
Day 2
Start the class by mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
- Have some students repeat the story.
- Some other students can share their storytelling experiences at home in small groups. Some of them can share it with the entire class.
- The first day’s discussion questions can be used again for the remaining students.
1. If we always take care of these three elements in our conversation, what impact would this have? How would our friends/family members benefit from it?
2. When we discuss the qualities of others, we progress, and when we discuss their shortcomings, we regress. Agree/Disagree? Discuss.
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Section 2: Being sensible, systematic and participating in the larger order
For teacher’s reference
Being sensible means to live without a feeling of stress, understanding systems and orders larger than us (e.g, family, society, political system, legal system, etc) and fulfilling our roles in those. For example, a healthy body has lakhs of cells that are playing their own individual roles. Some unite in functioning as the liver, some other unite and function as the heart and some become the stomach. All these cells are playing their role in maintaining the body. Similarly, each sensible person plays a role in his/her family so that the family can play its role in the bigger order of the society/nation. A sensible person is full of trust and accepts that the order is bigger than the individual. His/her viewpoint is also centred round the larger order. This is his/her biggest happiness.
Activity 2.1: Role of a sensible person in the larger order
Time: At least two periods or until the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: Understanding how a sensible person can play a role in the larger order.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher: Everyone wants orderliness and harmony in society. However, not having an understanding of what it means is a problem for participating in its orderliness. Everyone wants systems (that comprise a society) to function well. If we talk about the education system - only 10% of school students are able to come to the college level. And then there are lots of children in India who are not even able to come to the school level. Hence, there are just about 7% of students who are able to come to the college level. This indicates the need for people to understand the system, its needs and participate in fulfilling those.
A harmonious society will ensure education to all children. A harmonious society will provide work and business to all. A pollution-free environment would be available to all in a harmonious society. We all need these without exception. We all want to live in such a harmonious society. If one is participating in society today to enable a harmonious society, it is evidence of being a sensible person. A person not being able to participate in society to enable orderliness is a problem.
Day 1
Steps of the activity:
The teacher may conduct a discussion on the following points:
Discussion on the cleanliness order in school:
- What is meant by the cleanliness order in school? (Possible answers: corridor, classroom or playground to be free of garbage, toilets to be clean, etc.)
- Who all are responsible for the cleanliness order in school?
- Who all are responsible for the cleanliness disorder in school? (not using the flush in toilets, littering, defacing walls, etc.)
- Water disorder?
- We often hear that the order of things has been disturbed? That things need to be put back in order? What is the meaning of the word ‘order’? Discuss.
- Who are the people responsible to maintain order in your house? Make a list.
- Make a list of people responsible for maintaining order in your neighbourhood.
- Do these people who maintain order have any special ability? Discuss.
1. What are you able to understand by a person’s participation in the larger order? Discuss. (For example, cleanliness order, maintenance of public property etc.)
2. Why is a person unable to correctly participate in the larger order? Discuss. (Clue: Because of lack of understanding and attention to the order.)
3. What role can a sensible person play in the order? Discuss and list it out. (Clue : will not pollute public property and spaces etc.)
4. A sensible person only can participate in the larger order. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Encourage the students to discuss the following points at home –
- What did they understand by order or harmony?
- Is a healthy body also an order or harmony?
- What is the meaning of an order or harmony in the family?
- What is the meaning of an order or harmony in nature?
- What do they understand by playing a role in the order?
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The students would have discussed the aforesaid points at home. We will now discuss the following –
- Who all did you discuss with?
- How did they find your questions?
- What were the answers you received?
Proposed questions for discussion
1. What would you do to keep your body in order (in harmony)?
2. How do you (or can you) participate in the family order? (Clue: Refraining from upsetting and worrying parents, refraining from fighting, speaking to parents with affection, sharing their lives, taking decisions based on the financial situation of the family, aiming to strengthen the family finances in future etc.)
3. How do you (or can you) participate in the societal order? (Clue: Increasing mutual respect, removing hatred, contributing towards people’s material and emotional needs by production or service, keeping cleanliness, following traffic rules etc.)
Note:
a. Discuss one’s participation in production or services in detail. Examples of production can be farming, making cloth, mobiles, fans, cars etc.
b. Services can be in the form of a teacher, doctor, nurse, engineer, electrician, driver, labourer, lawyer, manager, businessman, journalist, tailor, plumber, security guard, cleaner, government official, politician etc. (Also discuss if presently, everyone is a part of the order or of disorder.)
4. What role can you play to maintain the order of nature? (Clue: Not harming plants and trees, growing them, not wasting water, food items and electricity. Understanding need and not getting into the rat race of accumulation.)
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Note for the teacher
- Human body is in order (or harmony) when it is healthy. To keep it healthy, it is important to take care of its nutrition and exercise, and this is one’s participation in its order.
- A family is in order (or harmony) when there are values (trust, respect, gratitude, etc.) in relationships. One can participate in it by expanding one’s understanding.
- A society is in order (or harmony) when it is free of exploitation, crime and battles. One can participate in it by expanding one’s understanding.
- Nature is in order (or harmony) by balance. One can participate in it by expanding one’s understanding.
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To make it clear that we are not happy or unhappy by doing something, but our happiness or its absence depends on our feeling while doing that work.
Start the class by mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of discussion (For Teachers)
We are not happy or unhappy by doing something, it depends on our state of mind while doing it. In other words, an understanding of the purpose of the work and its role in the larger order gives us happiness.
Story
Three labourers were working at the site of an under-construction school. A passer-by asked one of them, “What are you doing?” The disgruntled labourer replies, “I am breaking stones.” In reality, he was breaking stones mentally too and so he was unhappy.
The passer-by went to the other labourer and repeated the question. The labourer was not unhappy, he was balanced, neither sad nor happy. He said, “I am earning my bread.” In reality, he was working to earn, so his face wore a neutral expression.
The passer-by went to the third labourer and asked him the same question. The labourer was joyous. He was singing while breaking those stones. He paused and said, “I’m building a temple of education. Children will come to study here.” His eyes were shining as he spoke.
These are the three ways to work in life. The first is to do it like a burden and remain unhappy. The second is to work like a machine to earn bread and the third is to derive happiness from the joy our work will bring to others.
Life’s joy is in perspective. It comes from within and not externally.
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. Who was the happiest among the three labourers? Why?
2. The first labourer had no interest in his work and even if he got paid without working, he would continue to be sad as he will find another reason for staying sad. Agree/disagree? Discuss.
3. If you get all comforts (such as TV, AC, food, bed etc.) sitting at home but are told you cannot ever leave the room, how would you feel? Would you be happy or unhappy? Why? Discuss.
4. If the third labourer was given a meaningless job (like take ten chairs from one room to another, then bring them back - keep repeating this from morning to evening), would he still be as happy ? Discuss.
5. Discuss useful work. For example, in this story, making a school is a meaningful work and the third labourer is considering his work as a part of this meaningful work and so is happy. Give examples of other useful work like cleaning, distributing mid-day meals, studying, cooking etc.
(Note: If required, mention that the work that enables upkeep of the order or strengthens the order, is being called meaningful.)
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
- Have some students repeat the story.
- The first day’s discussion questions can be used again for rethinking.
- Some other students can share their storytelling experiences at home in small groups. Some of them can share with the entire class.
1. Have you observed either of your parents do the same work with different feelings at different times?
2. Have you been in a situation when at different times you’ve felt differently doing the same work? Share with an example.
3. Will you get happiness by working with happiness or will receive happiness by doing that work? (Give an example from your life about the work you do with happiness and the work where you feel you will get happiness by doing it.)
(Note: Being happy means understanding the value of the work you’re doing. When we are clear about why we are doing something and what role it plays in the larger order, we are happy.) 4. The work that you feel will give you happiness by doing, can it also be done with happiness? Explain with examples. (If the students find it difficult to find examples, the teacher may start like this – we plan to go out with friends and eat ice cream so we feel that we will feel happy on eating ice cream. But it is also possible that we are anyway happy with friends – whether or not we eat the ice cream. Another example can be when our friend bought a new pair of shoes and is happy because of that. We didn’t buy shoes for ourselves because we didn’t need them, but we are still happy.
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Dos and Don’ts
- Give everyone an opportunity to express themselves and listen to them patiently.
- Make sure that all the students participate in the discussion.
- Encourage and support the students who are hesitant to participate in the discussion.
Section 3: What is prosperity?
For teacher’s reference
- Our mental state is important to evaluate how prosperous we feel or not.
- A person living a stress-free life is better off than the one who may be rich but always stressed.
- Stress, tension, pressure, frustration, anger, irritability, intolerance and impatience are feelings that despite monetary gain give mental impoverishment.
- Prosperity is a state of mind. It can be seen as the ‘absence of the feeling of lack’ or, the feeling of having enough (for the family) and more (to be able to participate with and in society). It ensures we recognise the things we need (and by how much) and work towards them and spend our remaining time in developing our understanding and in turn our happiness quotient.
Activity 3.1: Richness, Poverty and Prosperity
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To enable students to understand the meaning of prosperity = the absence of a feeling of lack or, a feeling of having enough and more.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for teacher: Absence of the feeling of lack is called prosperity, which means, if we have more physical facilities than we need and we also feel that way, then we can consider ourselves prosperous. We want to discover ourselves like this. With the change in our mindset, our life will change.
Steps of the activity
The teacher may draw the following charts on the board and fill them with the help of the students.
(Note: It would be enough to draw just one table in class. Here multiple tables are given for understanding.)
Lack of
things/facilities
|
Feeling the
lack of things/facilities
|
Name of the
state of mind
|
Ask the students about people who lack facilities and feel that lack and put a tick (✓) accordingly.
Lack of
things/facilities
|
Feeling the
lack of things/facilities
|
Name of the
state of mind
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
There are some people who do not lack facilities but feel the lack of facilities.
Lack of
things/facilities
|
Feeling the
lack of things/facilities
|
Name of the
state of mind
|
X
|
✓
|
|
We all expect to not lack facilities and not feel their lack either.
Lack of
things/facilities
|
Feeling the
lack of things/facilities
|
Name of the
state of mind
|
✕
|
✕
|
|
What would be the name of these three conditions?
Lack of
things/facilities
|
Feeling the
lack of things/facilities
|
Name of the
state of mind
|
✓
|
✓
|
Poverty
|
✕
|
✓
|
Richness
|
✕
|
✕
|
Prosperity
|
Proposed questions for discussion
1. Do you want to be rich or prosperous?
2. What do you understand by prosperity?
3. Whom do you find prosperous around you? Who and how?
4. Who was prosperous in the ‘Three labourers, three perspectives’ story?
5. Prosperity is only about facilities or is it also about mentality?
6. What should a prosperous person have? Only money or only understanding or both?
7. How much money can make a person feel prosperous?
8. What is the way to a person’s prosperity? (Probable answer: understanding of needs, getting the competence to meet them, using one’s competence positively and gathering resources to meet one’s needs and having a little more than that so as to fulfil social responsibilities.)
9. It is important to be sensible in order to be prosperous. What do you understand by this?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Section 4: The Way the Mind Works / Happy Mind (Self)
For teacher’s reference
- A person’s specialty is not because of their hands, feet, face or other physical features or by the things they possess, it is because of their mind which has the capability to understand.
- It is important for us to know how our mind works. It is not only interesting but essential for our development.
- It has become important to know about the mind because its lack of understanding can create a lot of problems. For example, if we are travelling to some place, we research about it in advance. Similarly, to go ahead in this journey of life, it would be right to understand the mind and its functioning.
Story 4.1: Serene water
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To help students identify the importance of having patience and a peaceful mind.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of Discussion (For Teachers): No difficult situation lasts in nature. For example, we cannot be continuously angry for long. We want to consistently keep our mind peaceful. We can make appropriate decisions only in a peaceful state of mind.
In difficult or adverse circumstances, our mind gets distracted and the decision taken as part of that reaction is usually not right. Later, we often regret the decision. Therefore, if we process the situation with a quiet mind (without distraction) and then take a decision, we will not regret it.
Story
A hermit and his student were going somewhere. After walking for long, they felt thirsty and sat under a tree to take a break.
The student went to fetch water from a small river close by. There, he noticed some animals who’d just crossed the river, leaving the water dirty. As they had run across, the water had got muddy and the rotten twigs and leaves had come to the surface. Because of the dirt, the student returned without water and told his teacher that the water of that river was not clean for consumption, he’d have to go uphill to fetch it. His teacher told him, “It would take longer to go uphill and fetch water. Go to the same spot again and fetch water.”
The student went but returned empty-handed once again. The water was still dirty. But, his teacher sent him again to the same spot. When the student went there a third time, he was astonished. The water of the river was absolutely clean and sparkling. The mud had settled and the water had become gentle. The student returned with water this time.
He asked his teacher, “How did you know that this time the water would surely be clean?” The teacher told him, “There is no difficult situation that lasts in nature. This also happens with our mind. When any incident or thought bothers it, the upheaval lasts for a while like it did in the river. But if we are peaceful and patient, we can find a solution and it all settles down.”
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. When your mind is disturbed because of anger or sadness, the decision you take at that time is usually right or wrong? Why?
2. What is the difference in the decisions made with a peaceful mind and when the mind is distracted? Give an example each for both situations.
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
- Students should discuss the story at home and understand the thoughts and views of their family members.
- Students should be aware of their thoughts and decisions when the mind is disturbed so that they can share their experiences with honesty.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
- Have some students recall the story. You may adopt various ways for helping the students recall, such as getting one of them to narrate the story, role-play, pairing the students and letting them tell each other etc.
- Have them share the feedback received from their homes in small groups. Some students can share their thoughts with the entire class.
- The first day’s discussion questions can be used again for the remaining students.
1. What did you lose when you took an impulsive decision? Share with an example from your life.
2. Share another incident from your life about how an impulsive decision you took was not acceptable to you yourself? After thinking about the incident with a peaceful mind, what decision do you think would have been right?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Activity 4.1: The Perils of Anger
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To encourage students to recognise anger as an incompetence and to be aware of their beliefs.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Note for the teacher
Our decisions are always based on our beliefs and we don’t even realise the things we do not understand properly but believe to be true. For example, we usually say it is natural to get angry. Through this activity, we will try to gauge if anger is natural or unnatural?
What should be the basis of deciding if a thing is natural or unnatural? Largely, what is natural is what is constant and acceptable to all and happens organically without effort. Anger is neither acceptable to the one getting angry nor is acceptable to the one who is the object of anger. It may appear that it happens on its own, but if observed deeply, usually anger is not something that happens organically but something which is shown in front of a weaker person. We often express anger when we are unable to accept or handle a situation or lack the competence to work on something under pressure. Hence, anger is not a person’s nature. It is a display of one’s incompetence. So, in such a situation, some people get angry while the competent ones handle the situation with their sensibility without getting angry.
A person’s nature is to be happy. Everyone wants happiness and it is possible to be continuously happy but due to lack of sensibility and competence, people have not been able to find their basic nature of being happy always.
Day 1
Steps of the activity
- Divide the class into the following three groups and the students can join a group based on their belief.
- Group 1: Agree Group – This group will consist of students who believe that anger is natural.
- Group 2: Disagree Group – This group will consist of students who believe that anger is unnatural.
- Group 3: Unsure Group – This group will consist of students who are not able to decide whether anger is natural or unnatural.
- Students may gather in their groups and discuss their points of view according to the group they have joined for 5-7 minutes. One student should write the arguments emerging from the discussion in a notebook. If a group has more number of students, then sub-groups may be formed and discussion carried out.
- After the said time limit is over, each group may present their arguments for 2-3 minutes each.
- The teacher draws three columns on the board and writes the main arguments from each group in their respective columns.
- After all the presentations are over, if a student wants to change their group based on the arguments that come forth, they may be given a chance to do so.
1. Have you ever thought deeply about something and changed your belief later? Share with an example from your life.
2. What is the role of our beliefs in our lives? (Answer: Our thoughts, behaviour and efforts are based on our beliefs.)
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
The teacher may ask the students to gather in their respective groups based on the previous activity. Each group should turn-by-turn answer the following questions. Get various students from each group to answer these questions in one or two words.
Group 1
1. Can our nature be something we don’t like?
2. Is anger acceptable to the person with whom we are getting angry?
3. Do we feel angry when we are unable to do some work or do we feel angry when doing something right?
4. Is it possible to constantly be in a state of anger?
5. Do we feel angry when we are unable to handle a situation or do we feel angry when we have the trust within to handle it?
Group 2
1. When we are angry, are we normal or abnormal?
2. Does anger make us healthy or unhealthy?
3. Do we get angry with a weaker person or with a person stronger than us?
4. Is anger towards a weaker person an expression of our weakness or our strength?
5. If we get something done by getting angry, will we gain respect?
Group 3
1. Are the people who get work done by expressing anger considered good or the people who get work done by helping others understand considered good?
2. Are we able to accomplish a task with anger, or with sensibility and competence?
3. Would one’s competence increase with anger or, with understanding?
4. Can the work done with anger be done with explanation?
5. Is it right to get work done by spoiling relationships?
Note: After more clarity that comes as an outcome of the questions, give students another chance to change their groups and help them observe that by discussing a topic in detail if beliefs that are not right change.
Proposed questions for discussion
1. What would you want when you make a mistake – would you want to be scolded and insulted or would you want to be explained to patiently? Why would you want this?
2. When we ourselves do not want to be the victim of anyone’s anger then why do we get angry with others?
3. Does everyone get equally angry in a similar situation?
4. Is anger natural or a display of our incompetence? How?
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
Ask the students to undertake a survey. Each student should ask at least 10 people to answer the following questions and note down their answers. Remember that a person should not be included in the survey twice.
1. Is anger natural or unnatural?
2. Do you believe that it is right to get angry sometimes when others make mistakes? Yes/no?
3. Do you also believe this for yourself that you should be scolded at and insulted when you make a mistake? Yes/no?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Day 3
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
- For the purpose of discussing the activity done at home, divide the students into groups of 10 each.
- Each group should compile the answers of 100 people (10 surveys x10 students) included in their survey and present in class.
- Teachers should compile all the group surveys with the help of group leaders and share the statistics with the class.
1. Do the laws of nature change or are they the same always? For example, the law of gravity.
2. Are the laws of nature universal and apply to everyone or vary from person to person?
3. Even then, why do people not have the same belief in one law? (Answer: By not recognising the law the way it is.)
4. What would you do to avoid getting angry?
5. Are getting scared, scaring someone or getting angry, signs of weakness and lack of competence or not?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
Note for Teacher: Anger is a display of one’s incompetence. (Put up this statement in the class so that the students who get angry may look at it time and again.)
Story 4.2: Who is speaking?
Time: At least two periods or till the teacher is satisfied.
Learning objective: To make the students realise the difference between knowing and believing.
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
Direction of Discussion (For Teachers)
Often we believe things we have heard and consider the information received from various mediums to be understanding or knowledge. We believe a lot of things to be true without actually knowing them. But we do not trust them completely as they could either be right or wrong.
Once we evaluate and process information we have come to believe and tested it out in our living, that lived experience gives us the confidence to adopt it as a part of our life. When information that is right and complete, it becomes a part of our behaviour and living, then it is called ‘understanding’. Similarly, recognising the facts the way they are on the basis of proof (which comes from lived experience) is called ‘knowing’.
Through this story, the students would be encouraged to not just ‘believe’ things they hear but try to ‘know’ them/understand them through evaluation.
Story
A youth in his quest for knowledge went to stay in an ashram. After 15 days, the youth got bored and felt there was nothing new he could learn there. He felt that the old guru at the ashram repeats the same things every day as a pattern. He got bored listening to them again and again. He decided that the next morning, he would leave the ashram.
That night, he saw a new young monk who’d come to the ashram. After dinner, at a meeting with all the students of the ashram, the new monk spoke about very detailed and subtle elements of knowledge. The young man was impressed by the conversation and thought to himself, “How knowledgeable and informed this person is.” Even the guru was astonished. At that time, the new monk asked the guru, “How did you find my discourse?”
The guru smiled and said, “Beta, I was waiting to listen to you for long but you have not said anything till now.” The new monk got angry and said, “Probably, you cannot hear. I have been speaking constantly for the past two hours.”
The guru said, “The texts within you were speaking, your beliefs were speaking, but you didn’t speak at all. Some words were being repeated within you like an instrument. There was nothing you lived or knew. First, learn to analyse that information and believe yourself, feel and know from your experience. When it will become what you have known, I will say you are speaking.” On listening to this, the young man started thinking to which level are his beliefs known by him? Is he also considering things he has just heard as knowledge?
Day 1
Proposed questions for discussion
1. Has it ever happened that we repeat things we’ve read or heard without understanding them?
2. When in class, do we believe subject knowledge without knowing and testing?
3. What should be done to understand subjects instead of just believing them?
At home – Observe, Enquire, Understand (for students)
- Students should discuss the story at home and understand the thoughts and views of their family members.
- Students should be asked to be aware of their thoughts and feelings so that their experiences can be shared honestly.
Day 2
Start the class with mindfulness – ask the students to focus on their breath for 2-3 minutes.
- Get some students to repeat the story.
- Some other students can share their storytelling experiences at home in small groups. Some of them can share it with the entire class.
- The first day’s discussion questions can be used again for the remaining students.
1. We sometimes see and hear that some people who may not be able to read or write have the capability to discover new things. Do you know such people? Where does this ability come from? Discuss.
2. Trust comes by recognising something and believing it, not without recognising and believing it. How? Share with an example.
3. Share with an example from your life what things you trust and what you believe but do not trust?
Ask the students to sit quietly for 1-2 minutes and reflect on the essence drawn from the day’s discussion.
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- Chapter 1: Understanding Happiness
- Chapter 2: Need
- Chapter 3: Needs of the Self
- Chapter 4: Trust and Confidence
- Chapter 5: Identifying Commonness
- Chapter 6: Sensible person = happy person
- Chapter 7: Happy Family
- Chapter 8: A Happy Society
- Chapter 9: Nature and Space
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