Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on Nurturing the Teacher-Student Bond Through Knowledge
As per Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Guru-disciple relationship is essentially the same as between the student and the teacher, since in both cases the student or pupil is seeking knowledge.
Whether it be knowledge of Physics, mathematics, history, geography, Vedanta or Yoga, ‘loving regard’ for the teacher always draws more knowledge from the teacher.
Knowledge – the Basis of the Student-Teacher Bond
The cup of knowledge of the teacher always overflows, and the more the ‘slope’, meaning the more the receptivity of a student, the more readily and the more quantity he or she will receive it.
Maharishi has also mentioned elsewhere in other lectures, that in India, the teacher-student dynamics in the Vedic tradition involved surrendering oneself completely to the Master, who was also the teacher as understood in modern terms.
The teacher is always ready to share all his or her knowledge, to the ideal student.
The Ideal Student
Who is an ideal student? Instead of resisting the flow of knowledge coming from the teacher, the ideal student waits to hear completely what is being said. They then analyse if more clarification is required, following it up with questions to determine the completeness of the instruction.
They have the humility to accept their limitations, yet they have enough intelligence to understand if they have fully received the knowledge imparted to them, and also to clear any doubts regarding it, in a manner that does not inflate their own ego or put the teacher down.
Freedom between Teacher and Student
The teacher-student relationship is one of freedom, says Maharishi. About the ideal student we have mentioned above, but there are also characteristics of the ideal teacher; then only can this freedom be given mutually.
The teacher gives free hold to the student to ask any sort of question, and it is the duty of the teacher to answer it, if the teacher has the requisite knowledge that pertains to the question, regardless of the teacher’s own sensibilities.
There is a mutual contract between the student and the teacher. The role of the Guru or teacher is to teach and the student’s role is to learn. This contract gives the student absolute freedom to ask questions of any kind. When all questions have been asked, the student stands at par with the teacher.
In fact, the teacher wants the student to go one step beyond. They want the student to know more than them, such is the largeness of their heart and a true exposition of their wisdom, which fills them with its ultimate fruit – humility. This is one of the central tenets of Vedic wisdom.
‘Vidya Dadaati Vinayam’, proclaims the Hitopadesha. This is most aptly applied to the learned teacher who shares all they know, without fear of being superseded.
The Student’s Responsibility
This freedom is however valid if utilized only in the most useful way. The teacher is like a pond or an ocean, says Maharishi. The water is always ready to flow over, but it will only flow to another if the proper channel is present.
It is the student who has to ensure their receptivity, who has to create that channel between them and the teacher. Then only can they make use of the ocean of knowledge that the teacher possesses.
The attitude of the student can act as a dyke or a dam between them and the teacher, or as a canal through which they are forever receiving the flow of knowledge.
Transfer of Knowledge Enriches Both Teacher and Student
Knowledge forms the basis of the relationship between student and teacher, and it is a relationship of the highest level, since it fulfils the teacher immensely to contribute to a student’s fullest development and the student gains the fruit of knowledge gathered laboriously over a lifetime, without any effort.
Maharishi said that knowledge flows from the heart of the teacher to the heart of the student. There is not just mere transference of information or facts, but a transference of a current of absolute joy, the joy of sharing life building knowledge! Spiritual mentorship is a largely selfless act, with secondary regard to personal gains.
The teacher-student connection is ultimately one of love, gratitude, receptivity, happiness and growth towards fulfilment, as per Maharishi. It is a very intimate relationship and the bond is often permanent.
Transcendental Meditation and the Role of the Teacher
Transcendental Meditation (TM) finds its roots in the Vedic literature and has been passed down an unbroken lineage of seers and Gurus adept in Vedic knowledge, spanning thousands of years.
Such Yogic techniques formed the basis for the development of consciousness of pupils who used to enroll in the Ashrams of old, as they continue to be even in schools and universities in the modern age.
Meditation is an ideal tool to bring out the best in the student, as more than 50 years of research in 800 educational institutions across the world has proven.
TM has helped students and teachers relieve stress and burnout, achieve excellence in their respective spheres of academics, teaching and administration and improved their overall quality of life by leaps and bounds.
The role of knowledge in spiritual growth had been sidelined for many centuries, which caused untold damage to the holistic development of humanity. The development of consciousness is central to spiritual growth, which forms the core of a well-rounded personality. This is easily achievable through regular meditation practice.
The re-integration of TM into school and university curricula has brought back focus on the unfoldment of the full potential of the mind of the student, which should be the primary objective of our education system.
This is the most emphatic of all the educational insights from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself, that he has shared with the world.
The teachers of our generation have to lead from the front in this regard. Since the student learns the whole basis of life from the teacher, what is worth learning, the significance, the application, the moral underpinnings and the use in real life situations, the onus lies on the teachers to make such techniques available to their students.
If the teacher validates it, the students will be more eager to imbibe it into their lives. This Teacher’s Day therefore, let us consider collectively, how we can aid in the fullest growth of the students, the nation’s greatest asset, since they are to lead it into a new dawn of progress and evolution.
