शिक्षक से आचार्य : परिवर्तन

शिक्षक से आचार्य : परिवर्तन

आज से बारह (१२) साल पहले शिक्षक का पेशा मेरी परिघ् के बाहर था. हलकि उसे सन्मान की नज़र से देखते थे, पर कभी उसे पेशा नही बनाना चाहते थे. हद तो तब हुवी जब हमने शिक्षक प्रशिक्षण के ३ वर्षीय अभ्यासमे जुट गये, ९ साल पहले. वहा भी जब पूछा गया 'अभ्यास मे जुड़ने का कारण बताओ?' और मेरे उत्तर मे उन्होने पाया की मे शिक्षक नही बनना चाहता. तो भैया थोड़े हमसे नाराज़ भी हुवे थे. उस समय अगर कोई मुझे शिक्षक बोल दे तो मुझे चीड़ आती थी. वह शब्द मुझे बेहूदा, घटिया लगता था. मेरे ही समुदाय (मनुष्य) के कुछ लोगो ने उसे शायद ऐसा रूप दे दिया हे. शिक्षक - जो शिक्षा करता हे. वो जो पगार ले कर मस्त हे, घ्यान और ज्ञान  उपार्जन से त्रस्त हे. ऐसी कुछ छबि थी. और मुझे ऐसा चिला-चालू तो बनना नही. करना भी अलग हे, पढ़ना अओर पढ़ाना भी अलग से था. मिराम्बिका के शिक्षक प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्र्म मे जुड़ने का इरादा कुछ वही था, अपने को बदलना, थोड़ा अनुशासन जीवन् मे ले आना और योग के मार्ग पर चलना.
यह चीड़ २०१० से २०१८ तक रही. अभी कोई शिक्षक कह के बुलाता हे तो बस हलके से मुस्कुरा देता हू. क्यूंकी मिराम्बिका माई ने बहुत कुछ बदल दिया हे.
एक बदलाव का ऐसा किस्सा आज 'शिक्षक दिवस' पर टीचर प्लस मगेज़ीन मे छप्पा - यह लिंक से आप भी पढ़े.

अब यह मेरी मिराम्बिका माई ने बताया की बनना हो तो आचार्य बनो.
आचार्य शब्द का प्रचलित अर्थ तो सब जानते हे, जो अपने आचरण से द्रष्टांत दे. शिखना उसी से होज़ाये.
दूसरा अर्थ नियमो को तोड़ के आज मेरे सामने आया. जो सब कुछ श्रेष्ठता के, सत्य के चरण मे अर्पित कर दे वो आचार्य. क्यूंकी श्री माँ ने कहा 'उसे एक योगी और नायक बनना पड़ेगा, जो अच्छा शिक्षक हे|'  और योगी तो सब कुछ अर्पित कर देता हे श्री के चरणमे.

यह परिवर्तन सरल नही हे, बहुत कठिन हे. मज़े की बात यह हे की बच्चो के लिए प्यार. और  बच्चे ही हमको बदलाव के लिए याद दिलाते रहते हे. यह परिवर्तन कभी पूर्ण होगा की नही? यह बता पाना आसान नही हे. शायद जिंदगी भर यह क्र्म चलता रहे. मेरी माँ ने सब देख रखा हे. और इसीलिए एक सुंदर सी जगह पर, कुछ बच्चो के संग, यह परिवर्तन को जारी रख पा रहा हु.

  

Anchor

Last friday i asked a boy of 10 years old. 'Hows your boat going on?' 
He replied, 'what did you say?'
I repeated the questions with explanation, 'whether your boat of life is sailing smoothly, hows current, up-downs, joy, boring....' [I must have said more words, but I can't recall them now.]
He replied 'I have put an anchor, right now!'
'Ohh!' I exclaimed, asking question to continue conversation 'but boat is mean to sail.'
He responded, 'Yes, right now vacation is going on. It's bit boring but good'. 
Then he said something which blew me away.
He added, 'size of an anchor is big. If I have bigger than this i can't move or even can get topple down.' [He had said something very similar to this. again, can't recollect exact words, which he spoke.]

I was stunned. In Awe! I thanked him.
Anchor.

One of the Dictionary meaning, apart from naval use and T.V. or event Shows is,

 a person or thing that provides stability or confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation.

Now, assume your boat (life , with your loaded living philosophy, will power, psychological taste & attributes and all what consists your 'I') and size of anchor or anchors you keep (religion, perspectives, philosophy, masters/guru, dream).
There has to be a right proportion between size of boat and destination you want to reach with size of anchor you require in your life.
Many times, i see people who keeps high anchor are still at shore, they never able to lift that anchor and sail to other shore. They feel very secure, can tell you all in words what their anchor is all about and how strong it is. But in their own life nothing. In fact highest, noblest, ideal is been summed up as a small anchor.

Or some time they haven't got that strong faith or high anchor to safeguard in midst of storm. 

while in some cases, may be many we have very big physical ship but our anchor of life are so small. [ All thugs are there to rob them away, by selling lockets of anchor. 😉😜]

Thanks to him, i landed up onto another shore. Little one with great Insights. He talked about many other things. May be some other day and other time, I might share. Grateful to Divine, for sending sweet anchoring moments in life.

curtail wings and expect to fly

I was seating in school’s admission office, reading a book on education. A Parent came in to inquire about admission. I took them around, shown them school, gave them details and they took admission form. While leaving school Father said, “Sir, my daughter is very hyper. She can’t seat even for a minute. Do discipline her. I want to see her flying one day!”

I stood frozen with fake smile on face. I can’t kill expectation of parent, who wants to see their kids flying high in the sky and asks us (teacher) to curtail their developing wings. Why I can’t kill those desires?

Do I practice non-violence? Or I don’t have power? ….

I am here.. Still, mind keeps going back there…

--------------
Above incident took place somewhere in early 2018.
I still wonder! What has happen? Are we crushing or caring? Shall I teach Parent or Kids?
Who requires education?

So many questions...

હું ઉજાસ લઈ આવ્યો

હું ઉજાસ લઈ આવ્યો,
તારા આંગણે.
તું ઉદાસ થઈ બોલ્યો,
કે રાખ તારા આંગણે.
અમો મસ્ત છીએ,
અંધારા ઉલેચતા.
ત્રસ્ત ના કરશો, મહેરબાની!
રાખજો પાસે પોતાની વાણી.
પણ,
હું તો ઉજાસ લઈ ને આવ્યો,
સંગાથે ઉમંગ, ઉલ્લાસ ઇ લાવ્યો.
ઊંડી લાગે તારી તરસ
પરસ્ત થવા નહીં ...

( incomplete)..

Vaibhav
07/11/2018

Diwali 2018 : Alignment

“It’s very common that people who have had deep and significant spiritual awakenings will at some point have to meet their inner shadow at a very deep and fundamental level. Through dealing with this shadow material, we become more and more aligned—but not with ideas of right and wrong, good and bad. There is a different kind of alignment here, an alignment with that inner sense of spiritual reality, love and divine being.”

~ Adyashanti

from, Resurrecting Jesus; https://bit.ly/2ckn6iD

What came to me, inner learning.... a lesson in alignment

The moment, awakening begins. Sun rises into the sky. thus shadow is bound to come. Shadow is bound to grow. Darkness will be spared out but shadow grows and haunts. Only when you have deeply aligned with the sun. Sun the light of supreme wisdom. Alignment with reality. shadow disappears. movement, alignment goes with the light. shadow is back in action. and time will come when a deep dive in light and you are light. one wishes! even if it's an imagination. one aspire for it. a one deep dive for alignment.

A simple observation of shadow and light, teaches so many things. Withstanding the noon sun. always keeping that high powerful all above everything. One need to grow that capabilities.

Still in the darkness all this sounds magical and rightful, doable. Night a preparation ground, to deal with shadow caste by inner lamps. when real lamp arrives?

There is no point of return, you are in light.

Even if you return into darkness, ignorance.

Light will be with you.

I don't know from where this words come.

whether they are right or wrong.

I don't see on left and right.

sometime in search of alignment, one scatters out.

One scatters out to rearrange and place things at right places.

To take out and observe,

Accept and put it at right place. again don't judge by thy mind.

as they have past the scrutiny of trinity of intellect. high above the mind.

They too have rejected, low standard ignorant just to pass back again and transform into the light.

On the first day of Diwali, starting from today I wish for alignment.

Let this Diwali be Diwali of alignment with inner light. let Ram dwelling inside comes out and adorn the thorn.

Let this Diwali, be another step of alignment of various forces. Let all come back into its rightful circles of infinity. Close channels of love and harmony be opened to get align.

Align thy mind-heart-body around the Ram.

Ram not the one, who had taken birth in palace.

Ram who is still awaiting his birth in and through you.

Krishna whose flute music once enchanted the vrindavan,

same is waiting to come out in and through you.

Buddha's compassionate eyes which looked at the world.

Waiting for your third eye to open and look out, from within.

Alignment, Mahavira's courage be with you.

may we all align towards harmonious life, around universal life.

Alignment is a way towards Enlightenment.

Practice of the week: Meditative Origami

The week which passed by, I started a new practice.I committed to make one origami model in a day. So far I was able to make six origami model. Beginning was simple and swift. I missed one day, so next day i make it up. Today, it went little deeper and longer. Purpose behind starting this practice got fulfilled to some extent.

I started the practice of making origami model with three intentions. 

• First one is Learning & Sharing, to learn something every day.
• Second intention is to share this learning later on to others. 
• Last and most important to meditate in this new form.

Whole week, I tried to practice it and was somewhere going good. so many different things comes in.

Today, thought came why not search on youtube to make something related to yoga pose. I came across meditating buddha. Just like any other work, finding right video came up as a challenge. Many had not shown steps, few were too fast and few details, camera angle were missing. 

Finally, I came across something which was slow and provided good starting point.

(video link here.)

Challenges didn't stop here. Rest of the week, I practiced with just simple 5 to 7 minutes max video. Origami model were made within 10-15 minutes. You feel elated, once you do it. Yesterday's chair was simple. It didn't turn up well towards end. so after finishing satisfaction was very less. Almost in between I used to take it up and make some crease again, do some fold again and try to make it look perfect. After some attempt I succeeded in it. How wonderful! such small observation of movement teaches. Reflection upon this movement gave newer insight. Some of our habitual natural urge.

Today's challenge was double. 

Before landing up to the video from where I learnt and made. I had two unsuccessful attempt. 

When I began with Claudio, after 5 minute or so, I found its same model as in first attempt. The way they arrived to base structure was different and slow pace of video really helped. 

Here! mind got a chance to wonder. And in this wonder it started wandering at places. To be precise it went out thrice by the time, video reached to 11 minute. At this point, pace of hand and camera angle changed. I couldn't make out what exactly were done. What I have to do? Frustration was building up and control mechanism had started. I tried and left it. I saw video few times back, but couldn't make out. Then i left it on side. Next moment, took it again and just followed something out of head. Wow! it was happening as it should happen. Got some encouragement. One side done. Other side, again had trouble. Challenge is good, it helps to improvise. improvisation took place. Sole focus was on the hand, actually fingers were moving much faster.

Again, I tried to see video and see what next? I found some clue but couldn't find what those hands did exactly? By now mind was little calmer. So, instead of frustration it went to focus and did something.

Finally, not so perfect as shown in video. I was able to make,my first Origami Buddha. Zen Meditation.

I could not have made that perfect, as claudio is making it from last 25years and meditating with it.

It made the day amazing.

origami buddha

front view - origami buddha, zen meditation, learning practice with youtube video.

Now looking forward to next week.

Looking into past- I thank my maa, for asking me to remove unnecessary things last Sunday. What I came across was multiple photocopies and true copies of HSC marksheets and Leaving Certificate. Initially, I gave it for recycling. Soon idea strikes and I kept those paper with me. Practice began.

can you play, a safe game?

Mega game, called life
have you seen it? 
have you lived it? 
have you played it?
Ohh, wait... wait...

let me first find out
who I am? in this
Mega game called life.
I am a player or creator or spectator?
I am an umpire or groundsman or commentator?
Where i see myself?
all, I assume,
shall we resume?

Wait..

No!

Pause! can this be applied to
Mega game called life.
Just go on, or gone!
Really, not sure! 
are there only to options
go on or gone?
It seems so, but... but..

lets probe from somewhere else,
On what ground this game being played?
Is it a space or something else?
game so inclusive, can't see
on so many different grounds,
is it just one game with one innings or many
is it just one game or many games within a games
is it just one game at many grounds, 
where shall i found?
i said,
lets probe from somewhere else,
you always hit a wall
why you always search a fault?
every time you fall.
To make a wells,
you need to dig up well.

Fine, fine, shall we continue to play?
Where to begin but...
I don't see any start or end of it?
Ohh, Isn't you have end in your mind?
What are you saying? 
shall we not play with words and mind!
Ok. 
observe, isn't you always want to win.
a clear end in your mind.
which you always want to find.
whether you make sin, 
or shine.
it's hard to take rest
but one feel to be relax.
flex your arm
not always to follow
what you love
but just to do.

Just go on,
following the laws and rule,
following the foot steps
all the others do
you coward!
'cause your arm can be
flexed by others too.
so you flex your arm
play the game
try to win the race
kill the one
just become rest of one.
never rest
in fear of arrest
or is it other way round
arrested in rules of game
never you rest.
you change the rule,
do you even know the rule?
you change the rule, 
comfort and go on win.
relax, what's lacking in you?
fake and make believe
all goes on, in
Mega game called life.

is I am writing and
you are reading
to find what this game is all about?
to find some solutions of trivial problem of
Mega game called life.

I feel, let's get back to work,
just observe with openness 
ask, aspire to receive.
But you want 
you want everything predictable
you want to play safe
that's the reason you always get caught
Goal! never made, and wicket always fall.

Do you really like predictable games?
If answer is in big No.
how you enjoy and look always 
for and from predictable answers
predictable sources
dictator of its own kind.
if you can't find
go to those story teller
predictions! Predictions!
Pre and post
what you do all the time
post-mortem.

Let game go on
anyways, gone!

--------------------------------

How this piece came up?
So, around noon time came across a status on FB.
Where one of the thought which I used to share and tell a lot were written and explain in more rightful words. 'Everyone is a philosopher.'
Search began to find the article, around that. first i had a felling that i had wrote around it and posted here on blog. after few failures and reconfirming, I haven't. I looked up into old desktop. I found the file, but only with title and few link.
that's where I found another file and something more interesting came up. presenting only last line of it.

...But you see, we don't want to invite life, we want to play a safe game; and those who play a safe game die very safely. 

This words of J. Krishnamurti  resonated so well, at the current state of being. specially, when you are unemployed or self occupied in work. trying to find out how to live a life. 

So, words and images floated around. As usual, i tried to break the words to find the meaning. 

Like many other time, letters were separated. playing crossword. G - A - M - E... little rearrangement and it becomes M-E-G-A.

Thus,

Mega game called life.

and rest kept on flowing, some in making.

As i wrote down this prose, i again kept on asking google for its meaning. of different words.

and found a phrase... so here it goes.

Mega game called life,

hiding a gem called life.

so how this game of hide & seek going?

isn't this a safe game, 

we want to play.

we want to hide all that's ours and 

still keep on seeking, what's all out there.

what you seek, keeps on hiding from you. 

and you on hunt, 

hiding few things more and 

seeking few things less.

In the movement of moments

let change be new rule.

discover all hidden and show them out

what you seek, any way you going to get.

-vaibhav
26-10-2018

---

27-10-2018
again found a beautiful song, depicting the words in more musical and lyrical form.
game called life

Faith on Zero, Faith ON

---- unedited version---
(when)
There appears nothing,
It seems empty,
you can not do it.
simply you feel,
like a zero.
or
sometime those zeroes
reflecting in others.
No warmth, No love.
No understanding, courage.
No goodness.
All seems zero
In you, In others
all around
Nothing else but nothing.

But it appears like that.
go beneath, go behind, go beyond
to that appearances.
In thae space.
In that peace,
You will meet nothingness.
which holds all
when two zero combines (joins),
a new power is born.
An Infinite.
That's were you need to
have a patience and a faith
Faith on zero.

Faith on zero
knowing that it is there.
what eyes can not see
ears can not hear
DO not believe
have a faith in you
when you see zero,
in you and around
try to look, find & be
with other half of duality
connect the two
feel the oneness
Faith on Zero.

Just like a
Day contains day & night,
0 has 0 & its 1 number too.
So, if you meet zero.
be assured that,
you will meet one too.
Faith on zero.

 Vaibhav,
Van Niwas, Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Delhi Branch, himalayan center, Nainital
26/09/2018
----------

14-10-2018
Many times in our life,  we find nothing. Nothing valuable, good in ourselves. Not able to trust on others. One can't see any good things in others. All around what we see is greed, selfishness, cunning, hatred, violence and so on... every positive things looks in them and around as ZERO. sometime may be in negative. let's keep negative to all those sins... zero.
Mind can not trust.
That's were faith needs to be turned ON.
Need to bring that faith on zero.
a believe in oneself. At the very beginning and at the end, you are that. That Infinite. That Zero. A Hero. Even in middle, we are That, sometime visible sometime not, sometime manifested and not.. all

On 26/09/2018 - It was a concrete message. Message came early morning meditation, near shrine of Sri Aurobindo. many more event unfolded and very similar messages came on the way.
Today, when this pieces are getting written lot more things comes up. sharing few parts from the note of my diary on same date.

....આજે પોતાના પર આત્મવિશ્વાસ રાખવા, શ્રદ્ધા રાખવા. સર્વમાં તુજને  જોવા અને તેમા વિશ્વાસ / શ્રદ્ધા રાખવાનો સંદેશ તે આપ્યો......
જ્યાં જ્યાં શૂન્ય દેખાય, ત્યાં ત્યાં કાર્ય થાય.
આજ તો શૂન્યતાં મા સર્જન છે.....
મનના મૂળિયા તારામાં અને કર્મના ફળ સર્વના, ઍવો વિશાળ વટવૃક્ષ બને ઍવા બિજના અંકુરણ, તેને સાચાવ...

21-day challenge for teachers

Happy Teacher's day!
(To people in India.*)

Happy teachers day to all the people who came into life and played their role. Without which certain learning would not have been possible. Few played a very big role. From my parents, near relatives, neighbours, friends, school and class teacher, few institutes and many more.

Before 2008, exactly 10 years back. I denied being a teacher and working as a teacher.
From 2008, u started seriously thinking about teaching.still many times (almost all, I kept on saying I don't want to become a teacher. I am not a teacher.)
Today in 2018,
I humbly accept and feel grateful of The Divine on being a teacher.

Why I never liked calling myself as a teacher. As I always thought and firmly believe that teaching is noble profession. It's a true service. Teaching for me is not  an occupation, a career. Teaching is more of learning. And more than learning it is about living the life. Living the life in its true form. As a learner seeking the truth, moving towards light. I can go on writing and describing all this thoughts and feelings. There is already enough on social media and on internet about this topic. Specially today, they are in circulation a lot.

Here I want to present something little different. Many of us might be doing something alike or similar.
Today, I want to share them as a challenge to the teacher.

This 21 day challenge is for the teacher.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OrzlNiVrCp2WLhcqvxBAOTCOgEkpjZr8G5UMkEY_ktk/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=112414330940144438553

I have put 24 challenges.

You can select any one and do them for 21 day.
Or select one for a day and go on for 21 days.

You can share your feedback, experience of challenge and your stories, to me on

jiyomaitry@gmail.Com
Or
9560839287
Or just put a comment on google document.

This 21 set of challenge is a work in progress. So pls share valuable insight what works more, any such challenge which we can include here.

I am grateful to following organization and people. Either I learned few practiced presented here their or got an opportunity to do them on campus. People who inspired and supported.
mirambika - on becoming director of my life. Bringing me more near to my true self, near to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. I love you. Special thanks and wishes to tara di, kamala di, srila di, sulochana di, baren bhai, rashmita di, minati di, nithya shanti (my connection is through mbk only), ramesh bhaiya, matthijs bhaiya and neeltje di and all other didi bhaiya of past, present and future. Children and their parents who were always there for new learning and opportunity.
Few other people from Sri Aurobindo Society, vetal ben, kaivalya bhai, shiva da, vijay bhai, shantanu da and sampadanad bhai and more....

Gayatri Parivar - without whom I would not have came to know about Sri Aurobindo. And also providing me my first chance to work with the children at borivali, mumbai. Nivedita ben, amar bhai, truptiben, poonam ben, darshit bhai, manish bhai, sheetal ben, manisha ben and others for supporting and allowing to be part of sunday school. And also vajpayee ji for trusting and giving responsibility to conduct workshop in uttarakhand.

The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, mumbai.
For consolidating my learning and giving back the faith. Anjele mam, krunal sir, hansaji, varsha mam , vandana mam and many more... It's a place where few ideas and belief got reconfirm and also got new fresh to test and move on the path.
Few ideas of challenge are from there and few I had been practicing in my own sense but here it got refined and reconfirms.

The Polymath school and EL education
My last ground where I did few experiments and lived with children. EL from where I found new ways and making simple thoughts and idea work. Few challenges are take from EL core practices. Some of them were followed at the polymath school.

Service Space, Nipun bhai and wonderful people associated with moved by love.

Mihir pathak - for taking initiative, pushing  and supporting me for beautiful learning curve.

At the end today, happy teachers day to all. Special thanks, love to all wonderful divine , soul who came as a student, children to this life.

Eti Shubham.

*UN celebrates teachers day on 5th October.

Why style matters in education? Or does it really matter?

{ps: prerequisite before reading it, this topic consider person has fair bit of idea about different learning style (auditory, visual, kinesthetic and others) and teaching style (model, facilitator, lecture,etc.). If not use any of the below reference resource and read them. Thanks. You are free to read otherwise too.}

There are two main definition of the english word - style. (In hindi : शैली)

1. The way that something is done, built, etc.
2. The shape, fashion or design of something.

Now when we put this word along with Learning and Teaching. We can derive few meaning out of it. Each tells whether it is static or dynamic, fixed constant or changeable variable. I am not going right now in details to take each combination and analyse them

In general, few believes are prevalent in education domain, specially in today's time. They are,
1. When we use word learning style we generally, mostly use second definition of style, with fixed notion.
And
2. While using teaching style we generally, mostly use first definition of style and in changeable notion.

Above statement comes from general observation, few reading and research finding. (See the video given in link. Again not going into details)

But why I am suddenly talking about this? That to in short description.

I found this Learning quite amusing. Seeds of it is quite old. While current root lies in one month yoga course.

On first day of our course, during  orientation we were told there's going to be many teachers. Some time two to three teacher for same areas. Each with their unique style.
That's hard fact for any institute, school, university. Every individual going to be unique. Teachers, professors are not a machine robots which can produce same thing.

As a student, I tried to adopt and adjust all learning style appropriate for that particular teacher to best (and some time low too) of my capabilities.
It was interesting mix of things.

But in those few days what I show as a student and conversation with fellow student. As well past observation of teacher and student. I develop little more understanding about life and education. It posed few questions too.

I found we have somewhere got caught in our own believes about our style and capability. Our mindset has restricted us. Also as a system, on one hand we are telling teachers to change style of teaching, differentiated learning and so on.. but same thing we don't tell to student who can actually get more benefit by doing so. (In terms of development). We label student (it's happening at many places) or start comparing student with student, teacher with another teacher. To a certain extent that parent and even other teacher don't hesitate to tell to their children, your teacher doesnt know 'how to teach?' ' your teacher is third class teacher .' and many such phrases and sentences.

At same time, providing a child with learning style most dominant or preference base, really helps that child. In life, at work scenario at many other learning and development level can we keep on creating, catering to those style. And if you don't find such occasion and teacher which suits your learning style, then what will you do?

What are we doing?

Again a big question, here I would like to take a pause..
I would like to take a pause for two reason.
1.
Bring down a level down and present questions, understanding in smaller chunk... While maintaining that interconnectedness.
2. I have already presented something which many have tried, challenged and proved by research, a kind of myth we have generated on learning style.

Also, you might to read again or watch the video.
As above write up is kind of summary and next steps..

Reference resources:
https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/557687/

https://blog.cognifit.com/teaching-styles/amp/

Multiple intelligence by Howard Gardner

https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/5-types-of-classroom-teaching-styles/
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/rhubarb/fingerprints-learning-styles.html

https://youtu.be/855Now8h5Rs
(Must watch...)

Images front tes.com and internet sources.