Buddhist Education in Ancient India

In the history of education in Ancient India Buddhist system of education occupies a significant position in respect of method, training, aim and object. In the Pre-Buddhist Vedic-Brahmanical System Pupils were taught in the house of Teacher and after the completion of study most of them returned to household-life and the rest devoted themselves in search of ultimate truth the Absolute One (Brahman), but the Buddhist Monasteries run by the order of Monks (Sangha) established by the great Master Buddha himself, were centres of learning wherein senior and learned Monk taught Pupils without distinction of caste or creed. In the present book entitled Buddhist Education in Ancient India, Dr. Rachita Chaudhuri has discussed elaborately and critically various aspects of Buddhist education such as forman of Bhikkha-Bhikkhuni Sangha, its democratic rules of administration, daily life and education, method, training, and spiritual attainments of monks and nuns, crimes and punishment, origin and development of residential monasteries, some which later on turned to be well reputed universities like Nalanda, Vikramasila etc. and also secular education in ancient India. Thus, Dr. Chaudhuri has opened before us a new horizon of knowledge which can guide even an ordinary man to perfection.