Ancient BUDDHIST UNIVERSITIES in Indian Sub-Continent

By J. B. Barua

The Book presents a brief account of the great higher learning Buddhist Institutions of Ancient India.

Some of those flourished several centuries before the higher learning institutions of the then western world. The reader may have comprehensive ideas of the education imparted in those institutions during the long period of about 2,000 years beginning with the 5th century BC and ending with the 12th century AD.

The Universities of ancient India do not connote all the features possessed by the modern Universities of the East and the West of present day. But those Universities of ancient India had also impressive teaching and research program. Many of the teachers of those universities were scholars of very high eminence and repute. In addition, there existed very ideal teacher-student relationship, which has no parallel in the long history of educational thought and practice.

This book will enable the reader to compare the present institutions with those of ancient India and realize that the centers of high learning in ancient India were unique in their organization and scholarship during those distant times when elsewhere in the world very few had thought of organized education at the university level.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781633381889

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Copyright © 2016 J. B. Barua

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

First originally published by Fulton Books 2016

ISBN 978-1-63338-187-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63338-188-9 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Introduction

Ancient Education System in India

Ancient Buddhist Universities

Takshashilā University

Nālandā University

Revival of Nālandā as new Nalanda International University

Vallabhi University

Odantapuri University

Vikramaśīlā University

Somapurā Mahāvihāra (University)

Jagaddala Mahavihara (University)

Puphagiri/Puspagiri Mahāvihāra (University)

Nagarjunakonda (University)

Appendix I

Appendix II

About the Author

IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER

Introduction

In this book efforts have been made to provide the reader a brief account of the famous Buddhist Universities in ancient India. Of course, the term ‘University’ was not in use to designate those old educational institutions in India at that time. In this book the term is being used for those institutions to simply mean them as centers where higher education was imparted to intending students.

It may be mentioned here that some higher learning institutions flourished in the ancient western cities like Alexandria, Athens and Constantinople. Those existed during 200 B.C. and had mostly come to an end in the early Christian era.

After that Mid-Eastern Muslims founded some educational institutions in Bagdad, Basra and Cairo. Most of these centers of learning also came to an end in the early 12th century.

The Christian Europe started establishing modern Universities from the 12th. century. The oldest among them are University of Bologna in Italy (established on 1088 CE) and University of Paris in France (established on 1150 CE).

The Universities of ancient India do not connote all the different features possessed by the modern Universities of the East and West of today. The Universities of ancient India have a prouder history than that of their counterpart in the western world. At least one of them, viz. Takshashila flourished several centuries before higher learning institutions of Alexandria, Athens and Constantinople. The Universities of ancient India had also more impressive teaching and research program. The teachers of these universities were scholars of very high eminence and repute. In addition a very cordial relationship existed between the teachers and their students. Such ideal teacher-student relationship has no parallel in the long history of educational thought and practice.

I hope, through this book, the reader may have some ideas of education imparted in these institutions during the long period of about 2,000 years beginning with the 5th century BC. and ending with the 12th century AD. This book will enable him to compare present institutions with those of ancient India and realize that the centers of high learning in ancient India were unique in their organization and scholarship during those distant times when elsewhere in the world very few had thought of organized education at the university level.

Lastly, I acknowledge my gratitude to Dr. Serajul Islam Chowdhury, Professor Emeritus, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh for kindly editing and reviewing the manuscript with necessary corrections, additions and alterations.

Dhaka, Bangladesh J. B. Barua

[e-mail] July 2015

Ancient Education System in India

Ancient India had a rich tradition of learning and education right from the very ancient time that is from Vedic-Era. These were handed over generations to generations mainly through oral practice. Regarding institutional form of education, the first was the gŭrŭ-sishya system. According to Vedic texts, the training of the Brahmin sishya (pupil) took place at the home of a Brahmin Gŭrŭ (teacher). In some texts the gŭrŭ is depicted as the poor ascetic and it is the duty of the pupil to beg for his teacher.

The school was normally housed in the home of the Guru. It functioned as a domestic school, an āsrama or a hermitage where the mental faculties of the pupils were developed by the teacher’s constant attention and personal instruction. Education, treated as a matter of individual concern, did not admit of the method of mass production applicable in industry. The making of man was regarded as an artistic and not a mechanical process.

The primary subject of education was the mind itself. According to the ancient Indian theory of education, the training of the mind and the process of thinking, are essential for the acquisition of knowledge. The chase counts more than the game. So the pupil had mainly to educate himself and achieve his own mental growth. Education was reduced to the three simple processes of Sravana, Mānana and Niddhyaasana. Sravana was listening to the truths as they fell from the lips of the teacher. Knowledge was technically called sruti or what was heard by the ear and not what was seen in writing.

The second process of knowledge called Mānana implies that the