Whole Teachers: A Holistic Education Perspective on Krishnamurti‘s Educational Philosophy by Anbananthan Rathnam A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Anbananthan Rathnam 2013 Whole Teachers: A Holistic Education Perspective on Krishnamurti‘s Educational Philosophy Anbananthan Rathnam Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto 2013 Abstract The purpose of this qualitative research study, which utilizes a phenomenological inquiry method, is to inquire into the awareness of what it means to be a whole teacher from the perspective of the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, a philosopher/spiritual teacher. Four participants (teachers) were interviewed from the Oak Grove School, an alternative, holistic school founded by Krishnamurti in 1974. This inquiry probed into teachers‘ thinking, teachers‘ lives, teachers‘ inner lives, teachers‘ contemplative practices, teachers‘ calling/vocation and teachers‘ pedagogy. The findings of this inquiry reveal the awareness that exists among the participants with regards to their understanding of Krishnamurti‘s educational philosophy and the way in which this philosophy has shaped their lives and the lives of their students (both implicit- ly and explicitly) The findings from this research further show that Krishnamurti‘s philosophy has certainly had an impact on the participants‘ wholeness. Krishnamurti was never interested in imposing his philosophy on the teachers to think in a narrow groove. Rather, he challenged them to arrive at wholeness or a holistic approach towards living by their own volition, by putting aside all philosophy, including his own. This research points towards the possible ways in which wholeness can be developed using: Innate wisdom (teachers‘ inner life, teachers‘ calling); wisdom gained through experiencing life (teachers‘ life, teachers‘ thinking); wisdom gained through their teaching experience (teachers‘ pedagogy) and wisdom gained through practices that bring harmony to the mind, body and spirit (teachers‘ contemplative approaches). ii An experiential model titled, The Flower Model: An Experiential Metaphor – which integrates the three stages of awareness – was developed using Krishnamurti‘s approach towards wholeness. This model can be used to guide teachers with their respective psychological conditionings that reside or exist in their thinking, lives, inner lives, contemplative practices, vocation and pedagogy/curriculum design. iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Jack Miller for his support in patiently and diligently helping me all these years. His presence and knowledge were crucial for a topic such as this and the outcome of this research is a direct consequence of the freedom Dr. Miller granted me in exploring the topic independently and with full freedom. I would also like to thank Dr. Reva Joshee and Dr. Rina Cohen for giving deep and constructive feedback that truly added value to this research. Dr. Cohen helped to renew my enthusiasm with her feedback. Dr. Joshee's keen eye for detail encouraged me to think critically and make the necessary changes that will help this research reach a wider audience. My deep appreciation goes to Dr. Karen Meyer, who is knowledgeable in Krishnamurti‘s philosophy, for giving constructive and important feedback. I would also like to thank Dr. David Booth and Dr. Mark Evans for their effort in reading this thesis and giving valuable feedback. I would like to thank Meredy Benson Rice, the Head of the Oak Grove School for granting permission to conduct this research and the four teachers who volunteered from the Oak Grove School for this research. They were relentless in their pursuit and their commitment, dedication and love towards the teaching profession deserves high recognition. I would like to thank my wife, Kamini Anthonysamy who believed in my work and supported me unwaveringly while enduring many challenges and risks. My daughter, Aashwarrya who was born during this period of study, certainly helped me to stay grounded, young and constantly reminding me of the innocence that‘s often forgotten. My gratitude also goes towards my parents (and Kamini‘s mother) for enduring our absence over the years and all other family members who were constantly guiding and helping us. I deeply feel that the topic of wholeness chose me and not the other way around. Uncle Kuppu, who has always been a spiritual mentor in my life, was also the one who introduced and gave me the first Krishnamurti‘s book, Mind Without Measure. A book can change the course of one‘s life and Uncle Kuppu certainly changed the course of my life and his good deed will echo in eternity. This research journey, first and foremost was crucial for my own journey towards wholeness. I surrender to the Supreme for initiating this doctoral journey, guiding through my research and for continuing to guide me further with this research in the future. iv Table of Contents Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………… 1 Why am I conducting this research? ………………………………………………. 1 Research Questions ………………………………………………………………... 5 Holistic Education and Wholeness ………………………………………………… 6 Holistic / Alternative Schools ……………………………………………………… 7 Summerhill School and Free Schools …………………………………………… 11 Friends (Quaker) Schools ……………………………………………………….. 13 The Robert Muller School ………………………………………………………. 13 The Montessori Schools ………………………………………………………… 14 Waldorf Schools ………………………………………………………………… 15 Neohumanist Schools …………………………………………………………. 16 Krishnamurti Schools …………………………………………………………… 17 The Oak Grove School …………………………………………………………….. 18 Who was Krishnamurti? …………………………………………………………… 23 Academic Research on Krishnamurti‘s Philosophy ……………………………..... 27 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………….. 31 Spirituality and Wholeness in Education …………………………………………. 31 Spirituality ……………………………………………………………………… 32 Wholeness …………………………………………………………………………. 36 Parker Palmer‘s Hidden Wholeness …………………………………………..… 37 Deepak Chopra‘s Shadow Effect ……………………………………………..… 40 Krishnamurti‘s Awareness ……………………………………………………… 49 Foundation of Awareness ……………………………………………………….. 51 What is awareness? ………………………………………………………….. 51 The Conditioned Mind ……………………………………………………… 52 The Negative Approach in Solving a Psychological Conditioning …………. 54 Nature of Thinking ………………………………………………………….. 57 Nature of Attention and Concentration ……………………………………… 57 Choiceless Awareness ………………………………………………………. …. 59 The Observer is the Observed …………………………………………………... 60 Krishnamurti‘s Educational Aim …………………………………………………… 63 The Right Kind of Education ……………………………………………………. 64 Techniques and Its Limitation ………………………………………………. 64 Discovery of One‘s Vocation ……………………………………………….. 66 Limitation of Ideology and System ………………………………………… 67 Helping Students to be Free from their Conditioning and to Flower in Freedom …………………………………………………………………. 68 Limitation of Compulsion, Reward and Punishment ………………………. 69 Limitation of Discipline, Conformity and Obedience ………………………. 70 Cultivation of Right Relationship and the Eradication of Fear ……………… 70 The Need for Religious Education ………………………………………….. 71 Understanding the Notion of Discontent ……………………………………. 72 v Transformation ……………………………………………………………… 73 Thought, Knowledge and Intelligence …………………………………………... 73 Religious Mind and the Scientific Mind ………………………………………… 76 Meditation and Education ………………………………………………………. 77 An Application of Krishnamurti‘s Awareness Using the Concept of the Three Stages of Awareness …………………………………………………………… 79 Three Stages of Awareness …………………………………………………….. 83 Three Stages of Awareness in a Nutshell …………………………….……… 83 The Flower Model: An Experiential Metaphor ……………………………… 84 Getting Calm ………………………………………………………………… 84 First Stage of Awareness ……………………………………………. ……… 85 Second Stage of Awareness …………………………………………. ……… 86 Third Stage of Awareness …………………………………………………… 88 Aspect of Teachers that Contribute Towards Wholeness ………………………….. 91 Teachers‘ Thinking ……………………………………………………………… 91 Teachers‘ Lives ………………………………………………………………….. 92 Teachers‘ Inner Lives ……………………………………………………………. 94 Teachers‘ Vocation/Calling ……………………………………………………… 99 Teachers‘ Contemplative Practices/Approaches ………………………………… 101 Teachers‘ Pedagogy and Curriculum Design …………………………………… 104 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY OF THE INQUIRY ………………………………… 107 Qualitative Research ……………………………………………………………….. 107 Phenomenology …………………………………………………………………….. 108 Epoche …………………………………………………………………………... 109 Phenomenological Reduction …………………………………………………… 110 Imaginative Variation …………………………………………………………… 111 Research and Interview Questions …………………………………………………. 111 Data Collection Methods …………………………………………………………… 112 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………….. 113 Data Analysis Strategy Using Colaizzi‘s Reduction Method …………………… 114 Ethical Consideration ………………………………………………………………. 118 CHAPTER 4: THEMES, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION …………………………... 120 Overview of Chapter 4 …………………………………………………………….. 120 Participants ………………………………………………………………………... 120 Overview of Research Sub-Questions and the Respective Categories ……………. 122 Data Analysis: Findings and Discussions ………………………………………… 125 Teachers‘ Thinking .............................................................................................. 125 Teachers‘ Lives …………………………………………………………………. 137 Teachers‘ Inner Lives .………………………………………………………….