Bodhi Vijjalaya - alternative education

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Bodhi Vijjalaya: Alternative Education for Right-Career Building

and Right LivingiSuwida Sangsehanat

i College of Bodhi Vijjalaya, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Paper presented at

Lay Buddhist Forum 2010-Buddhism for a New generation-

September 30-October 04, 2010Seoul, South Korea.

Suggested citation:

Suwida, Sangsehanat, (2010). Bodhi Vijjalaya:

Alternative Education for Right-Career Building andRight Living in Lay Buddhist Forum 2010: Buddhism

for a New Generation, September 30 - October 04,

2010. (Buddhist Chongji Order, South Korea, 2010),

pages 58-70 (for English version) (or pages 71-79 for

Korean version).


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Bodhi Vijjalaya: Alternative Education for Right-Career Buildingand Right Living

Suwida Sangsehanat, Dr.College of Bodhi Vijjalaya, Srinakharinwirot University

ABSTRACT

This paper highlights the philosophy and practice of the alternativeeducation system offered at the College of Bodhi Vijjalaya of Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand. The College, with its own philosophyand alternative education system and approach, was initiated andestablished in response to the findings on the dismal performance of thestandard conventional education system in its efficacy in advancinghumanity and developing human potential in the right way. There is thefinding that the standard conventional education system and approachonly produces labour to support the capitalist system but has not

developed the potential and qualities or values of human beings such ashuman virtues for the advancement of humanity. Generations aftergenerations choose to build and earn their livelihood (careers,occupations, businesses, etc) and act in an insensitive and mindless waythat leads to the destruction of nature, environment, and humanrelationships with nature and with oneself. This gives rise to crises inhumanity (breakdown in the social fabric and ethical practices,corruptions, vices etc) and the environment that we witness nowadays.So, what career is right and how is it conducted correctly that couldharmonize the interaction of human beings with their environment? In thisconnection, we elaborate further the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy,the philosophy that the King of Thailand introduced and promoted to the

Thai people to practice. This philosophy is grounded on two main factors,right knowledge and right morality. This philosophy guides the Thai peopleto build right livelihood, to develop and practice right living based on rightknowledge and morality. The paper also discusses what we should do asBuddhists to direct or help the new generations to develop and build rightlivelihood and right living. The paper finishes with a discussion on theestablishment of Bodhi Vijjalaya aimed at achieving this goal of developingnew generations to achieve right livelihood and right living through itsphilosophy, education system, approach and practice. Bodhi Vijjalaya thusserves to provide an alternative education to the conventional mainstreameducation system. In advancing right livelihood and right living, the

College educates the new generations in various areas and aspectsrelated to holistic human development and advancement: to be connectedto nature; to be concerned about development in the rural area, toactively participate in social and communal development; and to care forthe environment. The alternative education presents new paradigms andintroduces a fresh mindset to the old. The alternative education aims todevelop graduates who are innovative, self-confident and capable of building a livelihood based not on urban migration, not on aggressiveexploitation of natural resources, not on selfish competition, but onmorality, sharing and caring. Morality is the foundation of the Collegesphilosophy and mission. The alternative education system of the College isstill at an experimental or embryonic stage of development with its ownalternative curriculum that emphasises also the moral aspect and itsdevelopment in its delivery and presentation of every subject.


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1) Education Situation in Thailand

International Labour Organization (ILO) reported that globaleconomic crisis had brought about the highest unemployment rate at 81

million in 2009. Ninety percent of the new work force is from developingcountries, including Thailand. Twenty-eight percent of this group or 152million new labourers who are employed would not earn enough to get outof poverty. 1 One reason could be the rising cost of living. The youngergeneration of Thais has been badly affected by this economic crisis. Therecent economic crisis that occurred in Thailand had its root in 1961 whenthe first National Economic Development Plan was introduced andimplemented. Capitalist style of economic development speeded along sorapidly ahead that it almost decimated the more moderate and human-friendly traditional mode of development and life style.

There is the finding that the standard conventional educationsystem and approach in Thailand only produces labour to sustain the

capitalist system but has not developed the potential and qualities orvalues of human beings such as human virtues for the advancement of humanity. Generations after generations choose to build and earn theirlivelihood (careers, occupations, businesses, etc) and act in an insensitiveand mindless way that leads to the destruction of nature, environment,and human relationships with nature and with oneself. This gives rise tothe crises in humanity (breakdown in the social fabric and ethicalpractices, corruptions, vices etc) and the environment that we witnessnowadays. One crisis after another, poverty, migration, environmentaldegradation, economics and political problems followed. The crisescontinue to prevail like a worsening vicious circle. Economic situationworsens to such an extent that even the younger highly educatedgraduates cannot find employment or make enough to rise above povertylevel of existence.

So, has our education system been rightly structured and directedto develop human potential and skills in making right living? What careeris right and how is the livelihood conducted correctly that could bringharmony in the interaction between human beings and their environmentand yet still could rise above the insensitive dictates of a capitalisteconomic system that so dominates our world today?

2) Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, Right Life and RightLiving.

The Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy has been developed andadvocated for the past three decades by His Majesty, King BhumibolAdulyadej based on HM's decades of accumulated experience in ruraldevelopment. After the economic crisis in 1997, His Majesty reiterated andexpanded on the philosophy in numerous public speeches he gave in 1997and 1998. The philosophy stresses the Buddhist principle of the "middle

1Matichon online, August 12, 2010, 10.45.18 a.m.

< http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607 > accessed on13/08/10
http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607


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path" as a guiding principle for people at all levels in pursuing theirlivelihood. The emphasis of the philosophy is on the term, sufficiency.

According to His Majesty, sufficiency means moderation,reasonableness, and immunity or sufficient protection from adverseinternal and external changes or crises. To achieve this, an application of

knowledge with due consideration and prudence is essential. In particular,great care is needed in the utilization of theories and methodologies forplanning and implementation in every step. At the same time, it isessential to strengthen the moral fibre of the nation, so that everyone,particularly public officials, academics, businessmen at all levels, adheresfirst and foremost to the principles of honesty and integrity. In addition, away of life based on patience, perseverance, diligence, wisdom andprudence is indispensable to create balance and be able to copeappropriately with critical challenges arising from extensive and rapidsocioeconomic, environmental, and cultural changes in the world.

The Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy includes three elements:moderation, reasonableness, and imunity; and requires two conditions for

the philosophy to work: knowledge and virtues. This philosophy isgrounded on two main factors, right knowledge and right morality. 2

3) What should we do as Buddhists to Develop a NewGeneration?

According to the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, the capitalistway is certainly not the way to continue. The conventional educationsystem also has not produced graduates with the outlooks and valuesdescribed in the Sufficiency Economy. Many activities were organised to

promote the values of Sufficiency Economy among the youths. Howeverthese lack coordination and sustained continuation so that the youthswere fired up for a while during the participation in these activities andthen the spirit cooled when the activities or events were completed.Consumerist and capitalist life style continues as usual.

How can we develop a new society in which the new generation canimbibe the rights values, learn and develop right attitudes, carve out theirown niche and enjoy right livelihood and right living as taught in Buddhistteachings and the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy?

Right education is a solution. There are many primary andsecondary schools now that adopt Buddhist teachings and teachings of thePhilosophy of Sufficiency Economy in their curricula and programs. Thereare only two tertiary education institutions so far that focus on educationbased on Buddhist teachings and the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy.

One is Ubon Ratchathani University in north-eastern Thailand. TheUniversity offers a program on sufficiency economy and applications of Buddhist teachings. The Asoke Community collaborates with theUniversity in this program. As part of the program, a self-sustainingsufficiency community is established in the campus that supports the self-sufficiency curriculum designed for the program. The program is quitesuccessful so far. About half of the students in the program are youthsfrom the Asoke community. Students join the program because of theirconfidence that they can learn and succeed in establishing right living

2 accessed on 13/08/10.


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from and within the Asoke community. The self-sustaining sufficiencycommunity, started in the campus about four years ago is now achievingsome degree of success in economic and community self-reliance asindicated by the surpluses of products that they have produced and aredistributing to the academic community in the campus.

The second tertiary institution involved in bringing aboutdevelopment of the youths through education and inculcation of valuesbased on Buddhist teachings and the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy isthe College of Bodhi Vijjalaya of Srinakharinwirot University. The Universityestablished a campus in Srakaew province to help bring better access of the rural population to tertiary education, to provide a more suitablealternative education programs for developing the rural youths andtraining them in making wise and alternate choices in livelihood and living.

This program, started in 2001, is a collaboration among the University, theOffice of the Governor and Border Security, local government, non-government and media organisations, and the private sector. Thisprogram was initiated with the primary aim to help solve the economic

and environmental problems faced the community and its youths in theprovince.

Srakaew Province lies in the eastern edge of the central region of Thailand, bordering Cambodia. It is about 300 Km. from Bangkok. Atpresent this province is heavily dependent on the environmentallyunsustainable monocrop form of agriculture on the cultivation of a handfulof crops such as tapioca, sugar cane, rice, and eucalyptus trees. Monocropagriculture has been practiced here for more than three decades. Thispractice has adversely degraded the environment and is now proving tobe unsustainable, ecologically and economically. Almost all parents in thefarming community encourage their children to choose alternative meansof earning livelihood as farming no longer provides sufficient incomes. Theyounger generation too yearns to seek employment in the city after theirgraduation and prefers urban city life. Urban migration results in the drainof brain and labour out of the province and thus adversely affects thedevelopment of the province. This problem is compounded by the fact thatthe quality and standard of education in provincial or rural regions arepoorer by comparison to those in the cities. The youths in the provincetherefore have lower rates of success in gaining entries into tertiaryeducation, particularly the state universities. Because of their lowereducation level, the youths are either mostly unemployed or they get lowpaying jobs in the cities if employed.

Therefore the alternative education program planned and offered

by College of Bodhi Vijjalaya is particularly significant and important inrehabilitating the province, its community and youths. The Collegeprovides the youths in the province better access to tertiary education. Itoffers an education program catered to the needs of the community indeveloping human potential (particularly of the youths), and in changingthe mindset from the old to the new to adopt the values and practice of developing and attaining self-reliance through the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy and Buddhist teachings. In short, the program aimsto develop human potential through providing the means for the people toacquire right knowledge, right living and livelihood, thus effecting socialtransformation for the better in meeting the needs of the community andcountry.


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4) Alternative education of College of Bodhi Vijjalaya

The introduction of alternative education at the Srakaew Campus of the College of Bodhi Vijjalaya of Srinakharinwirot University is a relativelynew phenomenon in philosophy and practice in the development of Thaitertiary education. Firstly, the College campus is established deep in theheart of rural area, away from the city. It was set up with land resourcesand funding from various sectors. Secondly, the undergraduate program,B.A. in Socio-geographic Management, was designed specifically to meetthe needs of the community. The curriculum for the programme wasdeveloped through mutual consultations and agreements among the localpeople and the five collaborators mentioned above. Socio-geographic

based development, as used by His Majesty, is a term that refers toholistic development based on consideration and integration of thecultural, social and geographical aspects of each area. In 2009, theCollege received its first batch of students. Enrolled in this four-yearprogramme are 46 students from Srakaew Province, all of them aresupported throughout the duration of the programme with funds fromvarious sources such as the Princess Sirinthorn Fund. These scholarshipsare given to the students without conditions, only with the understandingthat they return to develop their communities upon their successfulgraduation. The second intake of students for the program in 2010consists of 23 students, 20 of whom are from Srakaew Province and theother 3 from other provinces.

The philosophy of the College is Growth in Wisdom; Cultivation inhumanity, harmony with nature, morality, and peace.

The mission is to create wisdom; integrate knowledge withmorality; to participate and network in learning; to promote goodrelationship with neighbouring country; to raise awareness on harmonywith nature; to support multi-cultural development; to inculcate values of morality and humanity as basis of community development; and tomaintain a sustainable and balanced development.

The major subjects of this programme come under five categoriesas follows.

a) Life and Nature category

b) Natural Agriculture category

Goodeducat

ion

Modern

society

Goodlife

Good jobs

Image of Bangkok and big

cities

Environmental

Crisis

Newcaree

rs

Mono-Crop

Hardlife infarms

Econo-

miccrisis

SrakaewSituation

Inequality inEducation

M i g r a t i o n , i n a d e q u a t e

e d u c a t i o n , l a c k t r a i n i n g a n d s k i l l s

L o w s a l a r y j o b s , i n d u s t r i a l l a b o u r s ,

u n e m p l o y m e n t

F a

c t o

f

l i f e


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c) Community Knowledge Management categoryd) Community Entrepreneurs category

e) Independent Study category

5) How does the College of Bodhi Vijjalaya implementeducation on development of right career/livelihood based onmorality?

The College, with its own philosophy and alternative educationsystem and approach, was initiated and established in response to thefindings on the dismal performance of the standard conventionaleducation system in its efficacy in advancing humanity and developinghuman potential in the right way.

Instructors are selected based on their awareness andunderstanding of the spirit of community works and moral values.Students are selected according to a set of criteria that includeconsiderations not only in academic performance but also other importantaspects such as their communal spirit , their understanding of the conceptof the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, and their understanding of theenvironment and nature. Entrance examinations consist of written test,practical test and aptitude test. Their academic performance is evaluatedbased on written examinations. They are examined on their understandingof nature, its resources and their correct use, agricultural knowledge suchas planting rice and various skills in practical test. They are alsointerviewed during which their character, aptitudes and moral values areassessed.

After they are accepted by the College, they are instructed andtrained in all major subjects, the contents of which are heavily orientedtowards right knowledge and moral values, the two pillars of thePhilosophy of Sufficiency Economy. Close instructor-student relationship isimportant and is emphasised and promoted. Instructors act as secondparents to the students, help them develop right conduct and rightattitudes besides imparting to them right knowledge. Throughout theircollege years, teachers are like their guardians, there to advise and returnthem to the right path when the students go astray. This is a return to thetraditional Thai cultural values and roles of instructors (teachers) and

students. Teachers are not mere paid employees, and students are notmere clients. Classes are not only in the campus, but also in the village,surrounding forests, paddy fields and sufficiency economy centres.

Students are trained through actively participating, shouldering andsharing responsibility in student activities, college activities, anduniversity activities. They are trained to develop analytical and problem-solving skills through exercises in analysing situations and socialproblems, and finding solutions. They develop practical skills through

joining and serving in community projects and activities such as buildingclay house; creek forest management; training in ceramic and potterycentres; community library management; alternative energy developmentcentres; GIS data base of Srakaew; community media centres; moraltraining centres; the Kings rice mill; self-reliance learning centres; eco-agriculture; and later in community entrepreneur training centre which will


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be formally opened in October 2011. They are trained in Buddhistteachings to reduce their sense desire and temptations, develop patiencewith hardships, and persevere in any endeavour undertaken. They are alsotrained to be leaders in moral and sufficiency life style.

The programme in Ubon Ratchathani University is well supported by

the Asoke communities. The programme in the College of Bodhi Vijjalayais well supported by a wide network of government and non-governmentagencies and organisations, and the local communities. The programmesin both universities are similar in that they aim for similar goals inproducing students who are trained in right knowledge and morality,armed with vocational skills, and who are entrepreneurial andindependent thinkers with great self-confidence in carving out a niche of their own in establishing right livelihood through right career. Theseprogrammes offered by the two universities are experiments in alternativeeducation.

6) Concluding Remarks

The establishment of the College of Bodhi Vijjalaya is aimed atachieving the goal of developing new generations to develop rightlivelihood and right living through offering them specific programmes of studies and training founded on Buddhist teachings and the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. Bodhi Vijjalaya offers an alternative education to theconventional mainstream education programmes. In advancing the valuesof right livelihood and right living, the College educates the newgenerations in various areas and aspects related to holistic humandevelopment and advancement: to be connected to nature and to care

about the environment; to be concerned about rural area; and to activelyparticipate as a member in social and community development. Thealternative education presents new paradigms and introduces a freshmindset in approaches and goals in tertiary education. This alternativeeducation aims to develop graduates who will be innovative, self-confidentwith the capability and competence to build a livelihood based not onurban migration, not on aggressive exploitation of natural resources, noton competitive selfishness, but on morality, sharing and caring. Morality isthe foundation of the philosophy and mission of the College. Thealternative education system of the College is still at an experimental orembryonic stage of development with its own alternative curriculum thatemphasises also the moral aspect in its development, delivery andpresentation of every subject.

Reference

(Thai language)Phra Mahachanok and the College of Bodhi Vijjalaya . In Innovative and

Change column, accessed on13/08/10

Matichon online, August 12, 2010, 10.45.18 a.m.< http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607 > accessed on 13/08/10

(English Language)
http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1281584607


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accessed on 13/08/10.

Bodhi Vijjalayas new students atthe front gate of Srinakharinwirot

Universiy

Chanting Hall in Ongkharak Campusof Srinakharinwirot University

Bodhi Dhamma Discussion Activity Bodhi Dhamma Discussion Activity

Environmental Protection Centres Recycle BankPromotion

Handicraft Camp on Teachers Clay House Learning Centre in


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Day Srakaew campus

Composting to Produce RichOrganic Soil

Learning to build floating garden

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Bodhi Vijjalaya - alternative education