{"id":31460,"date":"2025-03-21T11:06:26","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T11:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iskconeducation.org\/?post_type=article&p=31460"},"modified":"2025-03-22T16:14:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T16:14:57","slug":"higher-education-in-relation-to-other-aspects-of-iskcon-education","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/iskconeducation.org\/es\/article\/higher-education-in-relation-to-other-aspects-of-iskcon-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher Education in Relation to Other Aspects of ISKCON Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Radhika Ramana Das<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Higher Education<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Postsecondary education is essential for our children, whether it be vocational school, professional qualifications, or university degrees. Most children will go on to become g\u1e5bhasthas, and thus finding a secure career is essential to their material and spiritual stability. In today\u2019s economic environment, most jobs require some higher education for employment or promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, a university education develops awareness of modern standards of knowledge as well as social issues that are currently under debate. Being able to articulate our K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness in relationship to modern standards of knowledge is crucial to the personal and public life of a devotee. A devotee should be able to relate spiritual knowledge to material knowledge and apply spiritual knowledge to contemporary social issues. This will make the devotee\u2019s faith stable in the face of many alternatives, and allow him or her to convince others of spiritual life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all devotee children, a higher education develops strong quantitative and communication skills\u2014 writing, public speaking, formal presentation, reading comprehension, and debate. These are essential skills for the life of a devotee. Overall, a university education continues to be one of the best investments a person can make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higher Education Initiatives Within and \u201cNear\u201d ISKCON<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

As yet, there are few accredited degrees available within ISKCON. Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium offers an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies and an MBA in Business. Similarly, Bhaktivedanta College in Hungary offers degrees in Religious Studies, plus Yoga, Ayurveda, and a number of other related subjects. Bhaktivedanta Institute in Mumbai offers an M.S. in Consciousness Studies in affiliation with Indian universities. The North American Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies (NIOS) as yet does not offer degrees, but it is closely affiliated with several universities in Peru, where it hosts conferences, collaborates with faculty, and mentors students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside ISKCON, we have the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, which has been successful in training a large cohort of devotee-scholars in Vaisnava theology, history, and philosophy. After receiving their Masters and PhDs, several have gone on to take up full time academic positions at universities around the world. A promising new PhD in Dharmic Studies has begun at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where the first cohort is making its way through the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing ISKCON\u2019s Children for Higher Education<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The vast majority of devotee children attend external universities, and thus it is essential for ISKCON\u2019s educational system to consider carefully how best to prepare our children for the secular university. Here are some pointers from my experience of teaching in several universities for over a decade:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. During children\u2019s primary education, it is essential to focus on cultivating strong skills in reading, writing, and math. Other subjects are a bonus, but if children are adept in reading, writing, and math, they can catch up on the rest in college. If, however, students are weak in these basic skills, then professors spend all their time teaching students to read and write, rather than the more advanced skills of their field, like history, physics, or engineering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The most important life habits for higher education are the ability to work independently, manage time well, and listen attentively. Indeed, the practice of sitting in Bh\u0101gavatam class, although seemingly \u201cold-fashioned,\u201d teaches the valuable skill of attentive listening. Despite all the emphasis on visual, interactive, and engaged learning, there is no substitute for the fundamental role of listening.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. As children approach college age, we can help them select a university that will be conducive for both their material and spiritual well-being. While there are many guides available for selecting a reputed, well-connected college, the single-most important factor for spiritual well-being is the association of other devotees. It is imperative for children at attend a university where strong devotee association is available, either through on-campus programs, a local temple, or bhakti-v\u1e5bk\u1e63a.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Finally, it useful to connect our college students with devotee faculty mentors in their chosen career or field of study. Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava faculty are experienced at negotiating the spiritual challenges that are specific to their academic field (more on that below) and they are usually happy to mentor devotee students. Indeed, we need to build a database of Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava scholars around North America who are willing to serve as mentors in their field.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Challenges for a Devotee in College<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

    The importance of good mentorship becomes all the more apparent when we consider the many challenges that a child must face upon entering the university. Here are a couple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. The university is the first opportunity for many young adults to express their independence and shape their identity. The normal social restrictions on sense gratification are much reduced, and the temptations to experiment are strong. The most important counterbalance to campus hedonism is Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava association (as discussed above), from which all other elements of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness emerge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. The intellectual challenges are more subtle and therefore more powerful. These include the ideas of postmodernism, historical criticism, social criticism, and scientism, which can shake a person\u2019s faith to the core. These theories are pervasive in the university, even when they are not being explicitly taught in the classroom, and each one of them deserves a separate essay to explain fully. Suffice it to say that the strongest support for faith is deep study of \u015b\u0101stra in a child\u2019s pre-college years.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      \u015a\u0101stric Study in the Context of Higher Education<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

      Regular study of \u015b\u0101stra in the early years is essential if we want our children to remain strong devotees later in life, particularly through the college years. The \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam is especially important for our children to develop strong faith, critical thinking skills, and the intelligence to see the flaws in materialistic worldviews. My mother, Aruddh\u0101 Dev\u012b D\u0101s\u012b, has written extensively about the benefits of studying \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s books with children, particularly \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam, and formulated an effective method for doing so. This can be found in her book, Homeschooling K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a\u2019s Children (BBT) as well as \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam: A Comprehensive Guide for Young Readers (Torchlight). Here, I offer just a few pointers in relation to higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Often, children\u2019s \u015b\u0101stric education is reduced to \u201cvalues\u201d education\u2014stories like Dhruva or Prahl\u0101da are selected from the Bh\u0101gavatam and then distilled for moral values, such as determination, tolerance, freedom from anger, etc. While this is an important element of \u015b\u0101stric education, focusing only on values shortchanges \u015b\u0101stra and does a disservice to our children. \u015a\u0101stra can teach our children so much more than just values. They can learn how to think critically, how to argue against atheistic and materialistic worldviews, how to negotiate between shades of good and bad (since things are rarely black and white in \u015b\u0101stra), how to deal with apparent contradictions, and most importantly, how to build a deep, rational, and emotional relationship with K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. \u015a\u0101stra is not always predictable in its outcomes, but it is non-different from K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, and so direct engagement with \u015b\u0101stra will do wonders for our children, and prepare them for the skeptical world of academia.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n