Plato’s theory of education and its contemporary relevance: A Critical Analysis

Introduction

The primary concern of this article is to highlight the notion of philosophy of education in Plato’s

The Republic, this article seeks to compare and contrast Plato’s theory of education with the

contemporary system of education. However, it will be a philosophical analysis; and the idea is

to bring out the points of similarities and dissimilarities of the two systems and likewise

showcasing the problems of the same. Also the effort will be to give a remedy of the problems

that we’ll come across in the contemporary system through Plato’s philosophy of education, if at

all possible. In this process there are a few questions that become imperative, they are:

Buddhism and Vedanta: Common Aspects

Ø  Buddhism and Vedanta are viewed as different stages in the development of the same central thought.

Ø  It starts with the Upanisads, and finds its indirect support in Buddha. And it is elaborated in Mahayana Buddhism. Its open revival in Gaudapada, which reaches its zenith in Sankara and culminates in the Post-Sankara.

A Note on Nirvana

Buddhism has its origin in man's realisation of a deeper truth in life which commands universality and conditions his whole existence. This deeper truth of life is called suffering. The entire existence of man is constituted, pervaded and conditioned by suffering. This is the existential situation of man. The realisation of this situation creates in man the elimination of suffering called Nirvana. It is the supreme goal of man's life of the highest value. Nirvana is defined as the case of absolute freedom from all sufferings. Nirvana is defined as the case of absolute freedom from all sufferings.

Pre-Shankara Vedanta (Gaudapada)

• The Mandukya-Karika or the Gaudapada-Karika also known as the Agama-shastra is the first available system treatise on Advaita Vedanta.
• Upanisads, Brahma Sutra and the Gita are called Prasthana-traya.
• Upanissads are regarded as Srutii by Vedantins.
• Badrayan summarizedthe teachings of Upanisads in his Brahma-sutra and developed into the school of Advaita-Vedanta bby Gaudapada.
• Gaudapada is the first systematic expounder of Advaita-Vedanta.
• Gaudapada's philosophyis essentially based on Upanisads, mainly on Mandukya, Brhadaranyaka and Chhandogya.
• Doctrine of No-Origination- ajativada. It means the world being only an appearance. Reality is no-origination and the absolute is non-dual. Gaudapada agrees with Sunyavada.
• Gaudapada agrees with the Vijanavada that the world is ultimately unreal.
• Real is pure consciousness which is pure self.
• Gaudapada identifies Unborn and non-dual with the atman or the Brahman or amatra or Turiya or Advaita which can be directly realised by Pure consciousness or Asparshayoga or Vaisharadya or amnibhava.
• Absolute manifest itself in three forms-
  (1) jagrat as vishva
  (2) Svapna as Taijasa
  (3) Susupti as Prajna
• Gaudapada represents what is best in Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu. 

Ramanuja Vedānta (Visistadvaita)

Ø  Ramanuja’s philosophy is a harmonious combination of absolutism with personal theism. This is attempt is similar to the attempts made in Gītā, Mahābhārata. This attempt took three different lines:

1.      Vais̩navism: the personal divinity was identified as Vishnu. According to this theism there are four main sects-

Five skanshas (Buddhist Philosophy)

• ·      Buddhism propounds a theory of 'no-self', which means there is no permanent self like the metaphysical or the ontological self and this theory is called 'anatman' or 'anatmavada'. It is in opposition to the theory of 'atmavada'. According to Buddhists there is no permanent self because it is a combination of five elements which is in constant change and called the Skandhas. they are as follows:

Early Buddhism

Ø  Siddhartha or Gautama Buddha was the founder of Buddhism.

Ø  Buddhism is divided into many philosophical schools and has a vast literature.

Ø  ‘Philosophy purifies none, peace alone does’.

Ø  First Buddhist council was held at Raja-grha to establish the canon of the Vinaya, the discipline or the order. It was divided into Sthavirvāda and Mahāsānghika.