A Philosophy of Education

Spherical Thought: The Sacred Mandala of Covenant
Ms. Abbene's Philosophy of Education


Spherical Thought: The Sacred Mandala of Covenant

As part of Buddhist meditations, it is traditional for Tibetan Buddhist monks to spend hours, and even days, creating a mandala from infinitesimal grains of colored sand. A circular symbol of the universe, the mandala is comprised of intricate, intertwining geometric shapes; it is this design that represents the core of Buddhism—an interconnectedness between all things, earthly and spiritual. In order to reach true peace, one must reach out to those different than oneself and achieve understanding; through this understanding, empathy emerges thereby fusing different entities together in the same journey of life. Reflective and intentional, these monks breathe peace into each moment as they place the pieces of sand into the mandala. When it is finished, they wipe away the art to signify that moments are fleeting; what was will not necessarily be again, and with that, they begin again. Life is not stagnate; we must continually strive to create peace within ourselves to further weave a harmonious relationship with the rest of the world.

Education, like the mandala, is a craft that requires active passion and purposeful artistry. At its core is the purpose of connection; we educate to understand. Central to Catholic education is the notion of universality, meaning that all people are invited into the circle to share experiences and support each other. The most prominent image of Jesus’ approach to ministry was him at the Last Supper, his arms open, extending the invitation to all to join his disciples, a mod podge crew of misfits, in the dialogue of purpose. He fostered communication between people who otherwise would have been separated by social status. Education is a relational entity. It is not an insular realm. Only through a dialectical process, through discourse and debate, can knowledge truly evolve. Jesus recognized this when he purported that “all must ‘repent,’ which is interpreted to mean: all must have a change of heart. Old values and rigid mind-sets must be rooted out so that in their place will grow the pursuit of righteousness, a heart of mercy and peace, a single-mindedness of purpose and thirst for justice” (McDermott, 1997, p.263). People will not change and evolve unless they first question. Engaging with people different from themselves provides the opportunity for such questioning, which then becomes the springboard for change.

When Jesus spoke, he taught with his whole being that was non-judgmental. He embodied what it is to “be.” “Jesus promises a shekinah—the Jewish word for presence. Jesus promised to be present whenever two or three were gathered in his name” (McDermott, 1997, p.265). Notice, he did not say, “two or three of the same experience, class and culture” gather in his name, but rather, his emphasis was on the practice of community, in a micro and macro sense. People are called to unity with each other and the way to reach understanding of experiences other than our own is to build bridges. If we have the courage to travel outside of the box in which we live, we will be forced to push our boundaries outward and explore facets of ourselves which we may not have been aware even existed. From this self-conceptualization, we will link to others in a collective journey towards spiritual consciousness rooted in unity. Even Jesus congregated with people not of his own society; he traveled and dialogued with prostitutes, powerful political men, the impoverished, people of other religions. He demonstrated the epitome of universal; all were welcome at the table to partake in the discourse of human and spiritual purpose. He initiated the cultural exchange of knowledge. He created the method for integrated and holistic curriculum. “The endeavor to interweave reason and faith, which has become the heart of individual subjects, makes for unity, articulation and coordination, bringing forth within what is learnt in school a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture and of history” (Congregation for Catholic Education, 2000, p.174). Ultimately, the goal of education, and therefore Catholic education is to nurture a self-conceptualization, which will enable people to link to others in a collective journey towards spiritual consciousness rooted in unity.

It is often that my students ask me questions along the lines of, “Ms. Abbene, when are we going to use the book?” To which I respond, “I’ll make a deal with you. If you can learn to think outside of the book, then I will teach outside of the book.” What I remember most about school is feeling different; teachers and peers alike consistently commented that I was one of those “think outside of the box” people, as if it were a handicap. I viewed it is leverage. In my classroom, my students are called to be “spherical thinkers,” that is, thinkers who consider as many possibilities as is possible. I asked my students one day, “How many sides to a sphere?” One particularly rambunctious, but bright student answered, “As many as you want there to be.” Exactly. The box is a limited space and can only hold so much. In contrast, Spherical Thought, like God, is infinite, if we have the courage to continually challenge and question ourselves to expand the horizon of our lens. As Anais Nin once said, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” I believe it is this courage that educators are called into vocation to ignite in our students. It is the courage to question that will create in them a drive towards Christian Leadership, and as leaders, they will teach as Jesus did, by building community through the invitation to share experiences at the same table.

When God first breathed into humanity the ruach, or spirit, it was an action of covenant. God provided life, and in return, we are expected to use this breath of life to bring peace and healing to a broken world. Breath, like education, is a sacred relationship. It is not possible to give breath, without another taking it in. Trees exhale as we inhale; we exhale what they need to inhale. This cyclical relationship both nurtures and connects. Similarly, I cannot teach what my students do not hear or acknowledge. The sphere of possibility will not expand what is not imagined. Those, whose voice is not included at the table, will not be honored. That is why it is imperative that the model of Spherical Thought is adopted when approaching Education from an administrative standpoint. Included in the dialogue of Education must be the administrators, politicians, parents, community members, teachers, and students. Since the effects of education are ubiquitous, it is necessary to see it as an all encompassing relationship between several facets, all of whom are responsible for nurturing this relationship. Alone, a teacher is ineffective. Jesus may have a carried a cross, but he did it with support; when he left, he passed on the responsibility of carrying it to all involved in the community. Currently, the practice is to pass the responsibility off to someone else, blaming other groups for the sore state of education in America.

Education is a covenant where mutual accountability and involvement must occur from all involved. “Jesus, the good Shepherd, was not satisfied that human beings would merely survive on this planet. He wanted every person to be truly alive and to have the fullness of life. As creator, he splashed a rainbow across the twilight sky to add joy and hope to the hearts of all people. As redeemer he spoke of Good news and urged people to focus all their energies on a change of hearts, on reconciliation and the life of the ‘Spirit (McDermott, 1997, p.2). Jesus said, “Go, make disciples of all the nations. . .and teach them to observe all the commandments I gave you. And know that I am with you always, even to the end of time” (Matt. 28:19 – 20). This invitation, this command, and promise are the wellsprings of Catholic schools. God had decreed to call each person to life and prepare each person for the fullness of life” (McDermott, 1997, p.2). We are all called to fullness of our individual life and purpose, but as disciples, we are responsible to congregate and create community together. Since Education is a touchstone of community, it is crucial to live out our covenant by partaking in the forum together. By doing so, we strengthen the world, infuse trust into society and generate functional communities:
A functional community is ‘social capital’: that relationship between people that produces trust. A group within which there is extensive trustworthiness and extensive trust is able to accomplish much more than a comparable group without that trustworthiness and trust. The people in a religious school are its social capital and they design norms and sanctions to strengthen the community; in turn the community strengthens the individuals with new relationships (McDermott, 1997, p.19).

Where there is trust, fear is eliminated and love is illuminated. Trust is constructed through relationships, and who better to establish trustworthy relationships than conscientious, socially just, Christian leaders? Who better to nurture such leaders than adults in positions of power, all of whom will benefit from an investment into education?

Each of us is but one uniquely colored grain of sand which God deliberately and lovingly put into place in a universal mandala that unfolds ad infinitum during our lifetime.

Each grain is a piece of a heart greater than its own.

Each moment is an opportunity.

Each momen is a call to enliven this interconnected experience through education.

Catholic Education beckons us to sit together in dialogue, to question and challenge each other to expand our thoughts outwards, thereby extending the parameters of the sphere in which we live. Through spherical thoughts, we will further connect and unearth mutual understanding, which will facilitate the metamorphosis of peace, fulfill the sacred covenant of relationship and strengthen the world.

References
McDermott, E.J. (1997). Distinctive qualities of the Catholic school. National Catholic Educational
Association 3, iii-82.
The Catholic school on the threshold of the third millennium. (2000). Congregation for Catholic
Education. 170-178.