Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the way philosophy was taught and propagated in India. Often exclusive rather than inclusive, there are many continuities and discontinuities in philosophical propagation in the subcontinent. One could claim that the formal system within traditional education in the subcontinent has always been connected to the so-called other worldly pursuits and philosophical thinking, and also connected to learning about the supernatural and performing rites and rituals. While flagging certain periods and movements in education in this chapter, certain ideas particularly with respect to fundamental conceptualizations of the teacher, the student, the process of learning, and places of learning that are all connected to sacred and philosophical teaching are highlighted. Forms of dissent through dialogue, through devotional movements, or through literature are not only events in the history of philosophy but they manifest as pedagogic and social changes in the nature of both the content and methods of teaching. Buddhism as a religion firmly based on philosophical thinking, formalized a schooling system a long time ago. A separate section in the chapter has been devoted to the description of philosophical teaching within Buddhism.
Note on Sources
The sources for this chapter on premodern traditional education have been drawn from original texts and secondary references. The effort has been to source as many diverse books and references possible on this subject. The attempt has been to summarize and point to the various available material on these ideas and any omissions are accidental, or due to keeping the essay within reasonable word limit. I hope this chapter will serve as a guide map for those interested in studying this area of education.
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Baindur, M. (2020). Philosophical Education in Traditional and Buddhist Schools of Thought in South Asia. In: Sarangapani, P.M., Pappu, R. (eds) Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia. Global Education Systems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_8-1
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