Asian International University is inspired by the lives and ideologies of one of the towering figures in the long and illustrious spiritual history of India and regarded as one of the main moulders of the modern world.
While undertaking the tremendous task of freeing humanity from the shackles they built for themselves through ignorance manifesting in various forms, Swamiji insightfully pointed out the ultimate and broad goal of education as the manifestation of perfection inherent in Man. Further, he outlined the ways in which the system of education had to be revamped and revivified in order to better suit this purpose and personally set in motion the task of translating these ideas into the field of action. As an institution deriving inspiration from Swami Vivekananda, AIU strives to bring into fruition the wholesome system of education as envisioned by Swamiji and thereby enrich the educational landscape of India and the world at large.
Swami Vivekananda on Education
The following quotes give a picture of Swamiji’s vision of education in his own words:
“Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested, all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas. If you have accumulated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library.… If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world and encyclopedias are the Rishis.”
“We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.”
“What is education? Is it book-learning? No. Is it diverse knowledge? Not even that. The training by which the current and expression of will are brought under control and become fruitful is called education.”
“To me the very essence of education is concentration of mind, not the collecting of facts.”
“My idea of education is personal contact with the teacher — guru-griha-vasa. Without the personal life of a teacher there would be no education. … One should live from his very boyhood with one whose character is like a blazing fire and should have before him a living example of the highest teaching…. In our country, the imparting of education has always been through men of renunciation.… India had all good prospects so long as tyagis (men of renunciation) used to impart knowledge.”
“My idea of education is personal contact with the teacher — guru-griha-vasa. Without the personal life of a teacher there would be no education. … One should live from his very boyhood with one whose character is like a blazing fire and should have before him a living example of the highest teaching…. In our country, the imparting of education has always been through men of renunciation.… India had all good prospects so long as tyagis (men of renunciation) used to impart knowledge.”
“The old institution of ‘living with the guru’ and similar systems of imparting education are needed. What we want is Western science coupled with Vedanta, Brahmacharya as the guidance motto, and also Shraddha and faith in one’s own self.”
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