Jains- Systems of Education- A Historical Perspective Part II

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• Slowly and gradually the jain religion and jain culture got installed and spread in India and its all parts. In India, the system of education by way of its nature was from home and the aashrams or monasteries not only of Hindus but also of Jains and others.
• Kings organized conferences and debates or shastarth or vaad-vivaad among scholars and thus the audience got the insights of the same values of the same religion or Hinduism versus other religions. There are several examples of this kind in the ancient Indian history.
• The ancient systems of Jains focused on Jains scriptures, art and at that time prevailing Vedas and their studies.
• In the very ancient Jains monasteries, perhaps the women did not stay in the monasteries and their education was from the home and visiting for studying in the nearby Jain monastery.
• In the Jain monasteries though the Jain scriptures were taught to students; still the subjects like medicines, foreign relations, etc. were also taught.
• Jain monasteries had highly organized organizational structure for the management of the Jain monasteries, a sort of universities of those times; with well known and described responsibilities and authorities who were part of the Jain monasteries. Jains munis had their grades as per their scholarly experience and knowlege contents richness.
• In the Jains monastries, there were no rules and regulations based on the caste system.
• Jains monastries followed the methods of teaching- listening, rehearsal, repetition, question and answers and disucssions etc.
• Study of Jains scriptures were of highest supreme importance to the monasteries and the students there in.
• Jains monks in the monasteries were assigned to copy the books of various subjects in the local language used in the monasteries.

to be continued.

drbmsharma.