“If you call Nakananda a university, the image in your head might not align with reality.
Compared to the teaching methods of modern universities, learning back then focused
more on the process of accessing one’s own knowing, or what is called wisdom, rather
than coming to study knowledge from others or teachers. Therefore, the learning
environment there was unlike anything you’ve experienced,”

“How did they learn?” I asked.

“Each day, people were divided into groups, rotating according to their aptitude and
interests. A topic or question was posed by a mentor, and then all the students
discussed it. The objective wasn’t to win arguments, but to practice bringing forth
wisdom from within, starting from the state of knowing that oneself is Buddha, oneself
is the origin of knowledge, to access the highest truth. The topics of discussion were
diverse, including worldly subjects like governance, agriculture, medicine, warfare,
astrology, astronomy, geography, science, liberal arts, botany, and, of course,
spirituality, psychology, and metaphysics. After small groups reached conclusions, they
would present them in a large assembly. If even one person had a reasonable objection,
the matter would be dropped immediately. But if a matter was unanimously accepted,
it would be recorded as an academic document. This is why there was a large library
building, to collect a vast amount of knowledge, because new conclusions were
reached every day.”

“I think this learning method is excellent,”

“Yes… This institution attracted people who desired enlightenment according to the
Buddhist path to enroll constantly, because the graduates of this institution clearly
demonstrated wisdom and the ability to genuinely use the wisdom of their souls. It became a renowned institution, recognized for its standards, surpassing even
Takkasila, the leading institution at that time.”

“How did they evaluate whether someone had graduated, since there seem to be no
fixed criteria?” I asked.

“Correct. Although this system had no fixed criteria, it had accurate and precise
evaluation principles. This system was called group or consensus evaluation, not
evaluation by a few teachers or by exams.

The first principle of the evaluation criteria was to observe the person’s expression:
whether they participated in expressing opinions and how much those opinions
aligned with the truth.

The second principle was a consensus vote on whether that person already possessed
the wisdom of the soul. Although these criteria didn’t explicitly define standards, it was
an effective evaluation because it was like seeing light appear in darkness. Therefore, it
was very clear, because anyone could be that light, especially in terms of wisdom,
which cannot be faked or pretended. Therefore, those nominated as having attained
wisdom were mostly unanimously approved, because they had genuinely
demonstrated that quality to everyone.” Lord Phoche explained.

“In this way, friends might collude to nominate each other,” I suggested.

“Yes… But would they dare to nominate that friend if they knew in their heart that the
friend hadn’t accessed wisdom? When they had never shown any wisdom for anyone
to see, they would feel ashamed and absolutely wouldn’t dare to do so. This evaluation
method didn’t use criteria like seniority, experience, or age. The sole criterion was who
had demonstrated wisdom. Therefore, a 7-year-old child who had been studying for
only 7 days could be voted as having wisdom if they could shine it for everyone to see.”

“Hmm… That’s great. Why did this educational system disappear?” I asked.

“Everything is subject to the law of arising, abiding, and ceasing. To maintain existence
for a long time, one must preserve its essence. That essence must be simple, diverse,
and balanced.” Lord Phoche said.

“What does that mean? Can you elaborate?” I said.

“I admit that the word ‘eternal’ doesn’t exist, because even the universe we inhabit is
not eternal and is subject to this cyclical law. However, its duration of existence might
be very long, so long that it seems like nothing changes. Its long-lasting existence
depends on an essence that is simple, diverse, and balanced. When it deviates from
these factors, the rate of decay becomes immediately apparent.”

“Your body is the same. If you know the secrets of what your body is composed of, how
it works, and what the factors of its existence are, if you use the essence of simplicity, diversity, and balance in its care, you can maintain your body’s existence for as long as
you desire.”

“The case of Nakananda University is similar. Everything began with the acceptance of
a simple, diverse, and balanced essence. Simplicity meant the absence of rules, but
everyone knew their role. Everyone was honest with each other, accepted each other’s
differences, and had love and goodwill towards each other, without judgment or
division. Everyone respected each other. But only 300 years after the passing of the
founders, the Venerable Nanda and the Venerable Sariputta, the essence of the
institution changed. Many things lost their simplicity, due to the increasing number of
students and the increasing expectations of those who came to study. Rules,
regulations, and practices began to be implemented for order and uniformity. Many
things lost their diversity, because there was a desire for measurable results using
methods suitable for large groups. Therefore, the principle of standardized
measurement and quality emerged. Finally, the balance that was the heart of the
learning process—that everyone is important, students are important to teachers, and
teachers are important to students; the essence that all souls come from the same
place, that we all have the same origin, that everyone is equal—began to fade. At this
point, the teaching process began to lack respect for equality. There was a division,
such as this is the best headmaster, this is a less skilled teacher, this is a very bright
student, this is a less bright student. Worse, it created the feeling that students were
inferior to teachers, that students had to rely on teachers. Learning became about
memorizing knowledge from teachers instead of understanding one’s own knowledge.”

“Does that mean that size, fame, and popularity are factors that cause decay?” I asked.

“Not always. Even the systems of stars in the vast universe can exist. And the reason
they exist is simplicity, diversity, and balance. So, size is not the factor. The important
thing is the change in its essence. Changing from simplicity or freedom to complexity
or limitations, changing from diversity to uniformity, or what you often use as an
excuse for orderliness, and finally, changing from balance or equality to imbalance,
inequality, or hierarchical division.”

“Do you think we can bring these principles back into use?” I asked, because I thought
they would be beneficial to the education system in the future.

“Absolutely. The one who can make it happen must know the process well, that is, only
someone who has attained wisdom. Because they will understand ordinariness or
simplicity, understand nature or diversity, and understand Dharma or balance that
arises from equality. And this is one of your missions. You must recreate Nakananda
University.” He replied.

“I only said that because I think it’s good. Is this also my mission? How can I do it all at
once?” I asked.

“If you are the starting point, it will succeed. Nakananda will definitely be reborn.
Please be at ease.” Lord Phoche replied.

“To be honest, I don’t see any possibility of it happening. But if you tell me to be at ease,
I will be at ease. If being at ease means letting it happen without doing anything yet,” I
said.

“Being at ease doesn’t mean not doing anything, but it means doing it with confidence,
according to appropriateness, according to resources, according to favorable
opportunities, and most importantly, please do it with genuine love and goodwill. Don’t
expect it to be a great institution, famous or popular. Just start with this simplicity,
diversity, and balance. Because the first establishment of Nakananda didn’t expect it to
be great either.” He replied.

“Even though I don’t see how this will happen, I will be at ease that God will provide
the things for it to happen eventually, right?” I asked.