Teaching Advice From the Some of the Great Ones:
Mystics, Saints, and Storytellers
Notes from a presentation at the Critical Questions in Education Conference, February 2023, San Diego, CA.
Within most spiritual traditions, there is – either implied or explicit – a commitment to pedagogical outreach of some form or another. Specifically, for this presentation, I will be referring to certain schools of Buddhism and Christianity which have, over the years, proposed guidelines and/or strategies for conveying their central tenets to the world at large. Often, this has consisted of written works providing instructional advice or particular practices to assist followers in mastering key concepts and precepts. In other cases, the writings represent (or imply) particular theories of learning, motivation, and memory. As a rather avid consumer of writings from both of these broad traditions, I have come to realize a number of ways that these psychological and developmental principles can, in many cases, be reinterpreted for application in diverse learning environments, including K-12 and college classrooms.
Saint Augustine
Let’s start with a familiar (I assume) name: Saint Augustine. Augustine’s On Christian Teaching (2008, originally published ca. 426-427) is directed primarily at church-related education, but his treatise includes suggestions for reaching diverse learners and for applying what he calls the “law of love” in all pedagogical activity. Further, Augustine was a proponent of education for its own sake as opposed to education for strictly utilitarian (or pragmatic) ends. He wrote:
There are some things which are to be enjoyed, some which are to be used, and some whose function is both to enjoy and use. Those which are to be enjoyed make us happy; those which are to be used assist us and give us a boost, so to speak, as we press on towards our happiness, so that we may reach and hold fast to the things which make us happy. … To enjoy something is to hold fast to it in love for its own sake. To use something is to apply whatever it may be to the purpose of obtaining what you love – if indeed, it is something that ought to be loved. (Augustine, 2008, Bk 1, 7-9)
In Confessions (2007, originally published 397-398), an earlier work, Augustine had stated his belief that love is paramount in matters of intellect and debate:
In this discord of true opinions let truth itself bring concord, and may our god have mercy on us all, that we may use the law rightly to the end of the commandment which is true love.” (Augustine, 2007, p. 228).
* What would this look like in a classroom? *
In my 3rd grade clasroom, I would reflect upon those items in the curriculum (specifically in the PA Academic Standards) that are useful, those that are primarily for enjoyment (and hope I can actually find some in that category!), and those items that are both useful and enjoyable. Question for self: Are there way more of the third category; if not, why not?
In my college classroom, I would ask students, “What do you love for its own sake? How could you channel that love in a useful way in your classroom practice? What do you think your own students ought to love and what useful pursuits could you design to help them obtain it?
Speaking further on the primacy of love in a pedagogical context, Augustine wrote:
There are these three things which all knowledge and prophecy serve: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). But faith will be replaced by the sight of visible reality, and hope by the real happiness which we shall attain, whereas love will actually increase when these things pass away. If, through faith, we love what we cannot yet see, how much greater will our love be when we have begun to see! And if, through hope, we love something that we have not yet attained, how much greater will our love be when we have attained it! (Augustine, 2008, Bk 1, 90-92)
* Would you ask students to identify and share what it is they love but cannot see (faith) and/or love but have not yet attained (hope)? How might this manifest in a classroom? *
Finally, here is Augustine’s take on diversity and respect for differences:
Could God have built into the divine eloquence a more generous or bountiful gift than the possibility of understanding the same words in several ways, all of them deriving confirmation from other no less divinely inspired passages? (Augustine, 2008, Bk 3, 85)
* As a classroom teacher, how do you process this question? *
I am going to take the above quote as a point of transition to Buddhism, considering some wisdom from the Buddhist Heart Sutra … in particular, the concept of shunyata or impermanence.
The Heart Sutra (Mahayana Buddhism)
The Heart Sutra (a Buddhist scripture), especially as interpreted by Mu Soeng (2010), provides some good suggestions for how we might think about cognitive activity, learning, and memory. Let’s begin with implications of the Buddhist idea (also consistently confirmed in the world of quantum physics) of impermanence or shunyata (a term sometimes deceptively translated as emptiness, with unfortunate nihilist undertones). [Read 1st two paragraphs on p. 7.] The word shunyata is composed of shunya (empty) and ta (belonging to). The root word of shunya itself is the verb svi (to swell up). In other contexts, shunya can also refer to an uninhabited place. Thus, right at the outset, the root verb sets up a difficulty in understanding what has swelled up and what is empty. In Buddhist tradition, shunyata serves to distinguish between appearance and reality. One helpful analogy is a bubble, which is empty but definitely real; or – from mathematics – there is the concept of zero. Zero denotes emptiness but zero – despite its “appearance” – definitely – functions as something real and important (e.g., in the number 10,000).
When one is un-enlightened (or, as an educational psychologist might say, burdened with misperceptions, misunderstandings, misconceptions, slip-ups in cognitive processing), one assumes that what is apprehended by the senses contains something perceivable or graspable (e.g., objectively true). The bubble is mistaken for the essence within, is seen as the “essence” of the thing observed. It is important to note that in this view of things, appearances are not necessarily invalidated, but teachers and students (to insert the pedagogical application here) should be aware of the need to investigate “meaning” or “essence” more closely and not place unwarranted stock in initial sensory perceptions and the meaning-making that follows.
* How could your classroom reflect respect or acknowledgement of shunyata? What are examples from your experience of “misperceived bubbles” or misconceptions students may develop based upon conclusions from sensory experience. *
I interpret this quite naturally as an educational psychologist and can view it, for example, from a Piagetian perspective (misconceptions based on faulty – perhaps immature – knowledge construction. As a third-grade teacher, I would encourage children to examine (and challenge) the conclusions they draw from perceptual / sensory experience. It’s important for even the youngest children to reflect on their own cognitive processing and to examine how particular conclusions are drawn (and why these may differ from another individual who has had the same perceptual experience.)
Another related concept from Mahayana Buddhism is the chain of dependent origination, manifested in what is often referred to as the Wheel of Becoming or the Wheel of Karma, a process described – by Buddhists sounding very much like educational psychologists – as a multi-stage schema. (And as with many developmental schemes in educational psychology, there is on-going debate about the validity of the stage model and specifically regarding the fixedness vs. fluidity of stages, for example.)
First, I refer you to the information processing model as depicted by Eggen and Kauchak (2016).
Figure 1
The information processing model of human memory
From Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2016). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (10th ed.), p. 269. Pearson.
Now, here’s the Buddhist Wheel of Karma:
Figure 2
Wheel of karma
Based on Soeng, M. (2010). The heart of the universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra. Wisdom Publications.
Now, let’s combine them:
Figure 3
The information processing model of human memory and the wheel of karma
* How and where does the Wheel of Karma operate in your pedagogical space? What are some alternatives to my interpretation from an educational psychology perspective? *
Christian Scripture
Searching through both the Old and New Testaments of The Holy Bible, one could find a wealth of advice, inspiration, affirmation, and admonition related to teaching. James’ warning to teachers represents one of the more well-known examples, one that might be used to discourage would-be teachers altogether: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1).
For our purposes here, I’ll be highlighting just a couple of New Testament passages and using them to stimulate our thinking about imagination as an instructional paradigm and as a path to deep knowledge.
I’ll start with a story from the life of Jesus (probably familiar). As you listen, focus on these questions: What do you imagine as you listen to this passage? What does this passage actually say about imagination?
As they went on their way, he [Jesus] entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed – indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
* What is in your imagination as you reflect on this story? What does this story reveal about imagination itself? How might these ideas inform your teaching or, more generally, your life as a teacher? In our development of meaningful curricula, what would it mean to “choose the better part” over distracting busy-work? *
Here’s another one (the rather nebulous introduction to the Gospel of John):
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. (John 1:1-5)
* What is this saying to you? What elements do you naturally draw out for reflection and interpretation? Let’s substitute “Imagination” for “Word” and read that again. What other word could you substitute for “Word” in that passage? And what does the passage – with that word inserted – reflect about your own perspective on teaching and learning? *
Each of our interpretations of statements like this is likely to reveal something of what we believe at a deep, heart-based, level. So I ask myself, where is my heart and what pedagogical instincts or dispositions issue forth from there and into my classroom practice? Some may say that our most basic commitments should not be allowed to spill over into our instruction. But I would counter by saying that these commitments cannot help but infuse everything we do in the classroom, so it’s better to embrace it that try to deny it. Further, I believe that our teaching will be better if students sense the depth of our beliefs. To switch religious traditions for a moment, there’s this Sufi saying: “If the words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears.”
* Now think like a teacher. What comes to mind, regarding your identity as a teacher, your classroom practice, your curriculum, or even specific students you have known? *
Now … time for some heresy. In The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Leloup, 2002), the author relates stories of interactions with Jesus that challenge traditional Christian views but also present some unique perspectives on the nature of human knowledge and the workings of the mind in comprehending both visible and invisible phenomena. Again, such insights are relevant to classroom practice at all levels of educational engagement. (In The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, there is a scene of undisguised misogyny, that could provide the basis for an interesting classroom discussion of gender issues.)
We will focus on just one example of what Mary Magdalene conveyed to her fellow apostles. The question asked of Jesus was, “What is the sin of the world?” The answer was as follows:
There is no sin. It is you who makes sin exist, when you act according to the habits of your corrupted nature; this is where sin lies. This is why the good has come into your midst. It acts together with the elements of your nature, so as to reunite it with its roots. (Leloup, 2002, p. 25)
Interpretation: Sin manifests as a lack of imagination and an over-reliance upon conditioning and habit.
Shunryu Suzuki on Cognition
“If you are trying to attain enlightenment, you are creating and being driven by karma, and you are wasting your time on your black cushion” (Suzuki, 1999, p. 99). In Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (Suzuki, 1999), there are numerous references to the role of cognitive processing in either the attainment of understanding (enlightenment) or the ongoing reinforcement of illusion (see esp. pp. 99-132).
Preconceived Ideas
“When you study Buddhism you should have a general house cleaning of your mind” (Suzuki, 1999, p. 110).
* Think: Where are some areas where you have felt a need to help students “clean house” before true learning can take place? *
Listen to this with “teacher ears.” What does it say to you?
Each one of us must make our own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way. This is the mystery. When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything. The best way is to understand yourself, and then you will understand everything. So when you try hard to make your own way, you will help others, and you will be helped by others. Before you make your own way, you cannot help anyone, and no one can help you. To be independent in this true sense, we have to forget everything which we have in our mind, and discover something quite new and different moment after moment. (Suzuki, 1999, p. 111).
* How do we help students develop the confidence to embrace this understanding? *
Experience, Not Philosophy
A good summary to all of this: “There is something blasphemous in talking about how Buddhism is perfect as a philosophy or teaching, without really knowing what it is” (Suzuki, 1999, p. 123). Much of the focus of American education is on intellectualizing experience at the expense of experience itself. Students lose connection with their own souls when the school curriculum is all about things “out there” to be mastered and used, memorized and applied, rather than simply experienced … with imagination, with awe, with simple faith. All of the examples I have cited from Buddhist and Christian traditions have these elements in common, which seem – to me – like critical elements in an education for this century:
o a respect for imagination and individuality;
o a recognition of alternative answers to life’s most important questions;
o an acknowledgment that life is change;
o a valuing of ever-evolving processes over fixed objective facts;
o a valuing of sacredness, unburdened with reductive rationalism.
References
Augustine (2007). Confessions. Translated by A. C. Outler. Originally published 397-398. Barnes and Noble Classics.
Augustine (2008). On Christian teaching. Translated by R. P. H. Green. Originally published 426-427. Oxford University Press.
Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2016). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (10th ed.). Pearson.
Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). Zondervan.
Leloup, J. (2002). The gospel of Mary Magdalene. Translated by J. Rowe. Inner Traditions.
Soeng, M. (2010). The heart of the universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra. Wisdom Publications.
Suzuki, S. (1999). Zen mind, beginner’s mind. Weatherhill.