Principles and Goals of Integral Education

VIII

SAICE: Aims and Purpose Behind

Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education established by the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and popularly known under its acronym, SAICE, has now a reputation all over the world as an educational institution of excellent teaching tradition, being animated at the same time with very high and noble man-making ideals. This is not just a college or university of the ordinary genre, may be of an excellent quality. It has been founded by the Mother with a particular end in view and that characterises its functioning, also the motives and aspirations of its students and teachers. But what is this special goal that SAICE has set before itself through all these long years since its founding about sixty years back?

The Mother established in December 1943, in the town of Pondicherry and under the auspices of the world-renowned Sri Aurobindo Ashram a primary school for some children of a few devotees and disciples. In 1953 she extended its scope and converted it into a University Centre with much more profound and far-reaching goals before it. This Centre, originally named as "Sri Aurobindo International University Centre" was later given the designation of "Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education". In popular parlance the educationists and others know it as "SAICE".

To go back in history, we may recall that after the passing of Maharishi Sri Aurobindo, the great prophet of the Life

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Divine, on December 5, 1950, the Mother revealed:

"One of the most recent forms under which Sri Aurobindo conceived of the development of his work was to establish at Pondicherry an International University Centre open to students from all over the world.

It is considered that the most fitting memorial to his name would be to found this University now so as to give concrete expression to the fact that his work continues with unabated vigour." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 111)

After that a convention of distinguished educationists from India and abroad was held in Pondicherry in April 1951 and the Mother herself opened this Memorial Convention with these significant words:

"Sri Aurobindo is present in our midst, and with all the power of his creative genius he presides over the formation of the University Centre which for years he considered as one of the best means of preparing the future humanity to receive the supramental light that will transform the elite of today into a new race manifesting upon earth the new light and force and life.

In his name I open today this convention meeting here with the purpose of realising one of his most cherished ideals." (Ibid., p. 112)

Such were the prophetic words of the Mother, the lifelong divine collaborator of Sri Aurobindo in his unique mission of transfiguring humanity. Now, Sri Aurobindo is no longer

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in his physical body: the Mother too has left her physical frame in 1973. More than thirty years have passed since then. The teachers and students of the early days have, in course of time, left the Centre of Education; new teachers and students have taken their place. In future others will come and replace them in their turn. And this is the inexorable law of life. But one thing should remain steady and constant through all the changes of outward circumstances: we are, of course, referring to the aims and purpose set by the Mother behind the establishment of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. Otherwise, it will be a great tragedy for all concerned. It is therefore the sacred duty of all the teachers, students and organisers of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education to keep vividly alive in their memory and consciousness these aims and ideals and make a persistent and sincere effort to realise them in practice even if it be in a small measure. For, as Krishna has emphatically stated in the Gita, svalpam apyasya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. "Even a little of the practice of this principle will save us from great peril."

As an effective means of fulfilling this task, we append below some passages from the Mother which will act as a ready reminder to the teachers and students of SAICE so that, in the medley of their various distracting activities of daily life, they may not forget what the Mother expects from them as students and teachers of this great Centre of Education which has been founded to fulfil one of Sri Aurobindo's cherished dreams. Surely we owe him at least this much of gratitude.

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(1)Question: "What is the real purpose, the aim of our Education Centre? Is it to teach Sri Aurobindo's works? And these only? And all or some of these? Or is it to prepare the students to read Sri Aurobindo's works and Mother's? Is it to prepare them for the Ashram life or also for other 'outside' occupation? There are so many opinions floating around... on what basis can we work without any real sure knowledge? I pray, Mother, give us your guidance."

The Mother's Answer:

"It is not a question of preparing to read these works or other works. It is a question of pulling all those who are capable to do so, out of the general human routine of thought, feeling and action; it is to give all opportunities to those who are here to cast off from them the slavery to the human way of thinking and doing; it is to teach all those who want to listen that there is another and truer way of living, that Sri Aurobindo has taught us how to live and become a true being—and that the aim of the education here is to prepare the children and make them fit for that life.

For all the rest, the human ways of thinking and living, the world is vast and there is place out there for everybody.

It is not a number that we want — it is a selection; it is not brilliant students that we want, it is living souls." (Ibid.,pp. 117-18)

(2)"It should be known and we should not hesitate to

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say openly that the purpose of our school is to discover and encourage those in whom the need for progress has become conscious enough to orient their life." (Ibid., p. 118)

(3)"For us, however, this particular endeavour is one among many; it is only one movement in our Sadhana. We are engaged in many other things. To bring one particular item of work to something like perfection requires time and means and resources which are not at our disposal. But we do not seek perfection in one thing, our aim is an integral achievement." (Ibid., pp. 118-19)

(4)"There are people who write wanting to join our University and they ask what kind of diploma or degree we prepare for, the career we open out. To them I say: go elsewhere, please, if you want that; there are many other places, very much better than ours, even in India, in that respect. We do not have their equipment or magnificence. You will get there the kind of success you look for. We do not compete with them. We move in a different sphere, on a different level." (Ibid., p. 119)

(5)"But this does not mean that I ask you to feel superior to others. The true consciousness is incapable of feeling superior. It is only the small consciousness that seeks to show its superiority.... Rise above all that. Do not be interested in anything other than your relation with the Divine, what you wish to do for Him. That is the only thing interesting." (Ibid.)

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(6)"To develop the spirit of service is part of the training here and it completes the other studies." (Ibid., p. 120)

(7)'The aim of education is not to prepare a man to succeed in life and society, but to increase his perfectibility to its utmost." (Ibid.)

(8)"Do not aim at success. Our aim is perfection. Remember you are on the threshold of a new world, participating in its birth and instrumental in its creation. There is nothing more important than the transformation. There is no interest more worthwhile." (Ibid.)

(9)Not a religious education but a spiritual education. The Mother elucidates: "You must not confuse a religious teaching with a spiritual one.

Religious teaching belongs to the past and halts progress.

Spiritual teaching is the teaching of the future — it illumines the consciousness and prepares it for the future realisation.

Spiritual teaching is above religions and strives towards a global Truth.

It teaches us to enter into direct relations with the Divine." (Ibid.)

(10)Question: "Why are we here in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram ? "

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The Mother's Answer:

"There is an ascending evolution in nature which goes from the stone to the plant, from the plant to the animal, from the animal to man. Because man is, for the moment, the last rung at the summit of the ascending evolution, he considers himself as the final stage in this ascension and believes there can be nothing on earth superior to him. In that he is mistaken. In his physical nature he is yet almost wholly an animal, a thinking and speaking animal, but still an animal in his material habits and instincts. Undoubtedly, nature cannot be satisfied with such an imperfect result; she endeavours to bring out a being who will be to man what man is to the animal, a being who will remain a man in his external form, and yet whose consciousness will rise far above the mental and its slavery to ignorance.

Sri Aurobindo came upon earth to teach this truth to men. He told them that man is only a transitional being living in a mental consciousness, but with the possibility of acquiring a new consciousness, the Truth-consciousness, and capable of living a life perfectly harmonious, good and beautiful, happy and fully conscious. During the whole of his life upon earth, Sri Aurobindo gave all his time to establish in himself this consciousness he called supramental, and to help those gathered around him to realise it.

You have the immense privilege of having come quite young to the Ashram, that is to say, still plastic and capable of being moulded according to this new ideal and thus become the representatives of the new race.

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Here, in the Ashram, you are in the most favourable conditions with regard to the environment, the influence, the teaching and the example, to awaken in you this supramental consciousness and to grow according to its law.

Now, all depends on your will and your sincerity. If you have the will no more to belong to ordinary humanity, no more to be merely evolved animals; if your will is to become men of the new race realising Sri Aurobindo's supramental ideal, living a new and higher life upon a new earth, you will find here all the necessary help to achieve your purpose; you will profit fully by your stay in the Ashram and eventually become living examples for the world." (Ibid., pp. 116-17)

(11)"From the worldly standpoint, from the point of view of result achieved certainly things can be done better. But I am speaking of the effort put in, effort in the deepest sense of the word.... With that effort in your work the Divine is satisfied; the eye of the Consciousness that has viewed it is indeed pleased. Not that from the human standpoint one cannot do better." (Ibid., p. 118)

(12)"An outside view may find many things to criticise and criticise much, but from the inner view what has been done has been done well. In an outside view, you come with all kinds of mental, intellectual formations and find there is nothing uncommon in what is done here. But thereby you miss what is behind: the Sadhana. A deeper consciousness would see the march towards a

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realisation that surpasses all. The outside view does not see the spiritual life; it judges by its own smallness." (Ibid., p. 119)

(13)"We are not here to do (only a little better) what the others do.

We are here to do what the others cannot do because they do not have the idea that it can be done.

We are here to open the way of the Future to children who belong to the Future.

Anything else is not worth the trouble and not worthy of Sri Aurobindo's help." (Ibid., p. 113)

(14)"We are here to do better than elsewhere and to prepare ourselves for a supramental future. This should never be forgotten. I appeal to the sincere goodwill of all so that our ideal may be realised." (Ibid., p. 114)

Here ends our section on the aims and purpose of the Education Centre the Mother established in Pondicherry in the name of Sri Aurobindo and which is still functioning there and will continue to function till its destined goal is achieved.

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