What does "aphorism instruction" mean? And what have been its effects?
Upon entering a second-grade classroom at the Po Ai Primary School, one's eyes are struck by the writing on the right-hand part of the blackboard: this week's core moral values, along with an aphorism--"Don't light a candle when the sun is out; you must light it only in a dark place." In the morning, when the students finish cleaning up the classroom, they follow the usual routine and copy the aphorism down in their journals.
Morning assembly and exercises are over, and each class begins the period set aside in the schedule for "life and ethics." Teacher Wu Hsiu-ying leads the class in reading aloud the core moral value and aphorism on the blackboard. Then she relates a small story related to the aphorism. "There was a man named Hsiao Cheng, who lived south of the river. Because he was very poor, he had no money to take a ferry across the river. . . ." The teacher draws lively pictures on the board as she tells the tale.
Children call out: "If the sun is already out, it is not thrifty to light a candle. And if we use our candles when the sun is out, if we have a power failure, we won't have any candles when we really need them." Encouraged and praised by Wu, the students are so enthusiastic that they can't help but say what comes into their heads. "It's like when I get in a fight with my sister. If I hold myself back, that's lighting a candle in a dark place. If I don't hold myself back, that's lighting a candle when the sun is out."
Forgive and forget
It's between class periods, and Class 16, Fifth Grade, of the Tunhua Primary School in Taipei, is--as it ordinarily is at this time--noisy and chaotic. Yung-huai is not watching where he is going as he enters the room, and runs into Pei-jung. The water that Pei-jung is holding spills all over her. The two kids face off, one unapologetic, the other unforgiving.
When class begins, teacher Li Mei-chin gets all the facts straight about the incident, then takes the opportunity to teach the children from it. "We have two students in our class who are very angry. What useful things can we say to Pei-jung?" Someone says, "Even when you are in the right it is best to forgive and forget." Another calls out, "A big person has great tolerance, a small person has great anger." And one child declares, "To forgive others is to be good to yourself."
The teacher continues, "We can also say something useful to Yung-huai." Students call out over one another, "It is morally beautiful to go easy on another, it is morally deficient to go easy on oneself." "Look into your heart; the heart without shame is the one most at ease." As they are being "reminded" by their classmates, the two principals in the matter hang their heads in silence. That day Pei-jung writes in her journal, "I feel that I shouldn't lose my temper, but should drink 'the soup of tolerance.'" Yung-huai also reconsiders things, and says he should not be afraid to admit when he is wrong.
Say the right thing
You may be startled to hear such "hoary wisdom" from mere children of ten or so years of age. Whose words are these coming from the mouths of babes?
These are not the proverbs of ancient sages and saintly forebears; they are aphorisms of a very special origin.
These aphorisms are all derived from the teaching of the Buddhist Master Cheng Yen. Her followers have recorded these teachings and published them in a two-volume set entitled Jingsiyu (literally "quiet thought words" or "meditations"). Based on the principle "speaking of worldly things with a transcendent mind," Master Cheng Yen's meditations are not a concentrated version of abstruse Buddhist doctrines, but rather are vignettes from life. They cover every sort of topic, from romance to relations between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, from thoughts on what kind of clothes to wear to "what to do if your child behaves poorly and does not study hard."
After publication in 1989, the volumes became the "bible" of members of Cheng Yen's Tzu-Chi Foundation (tzu-chi means "compassion and aid"). Moreover, because of the simple and clear language used in the books, following the formation of the Tzu-Chi Teachers Association in 1992, many teachers went a step further, boiled down the lessons in the books to instructive slogans, and used extracts or simplified versions of the texts for classroom materials. This is what is meant here by "aphorism instruction."
Master Cheng Yen's aphorisms are not fundamentally different from the instruction of other Buddhist masters like Hsing Yun or Sheng Yen. The admonitions and words of wisdom in Cheng Yen's recorded teachings are all meant to bring out people's basic goodness and appeal to conscience. And there are many similarities with Christianity and traditional Confucian ethics. The difference is that there are a huge number of believers in the Tzu-Chi Foundation, so the impact is much more far-reaching.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of Tzu-Chi. Among the many celebratory activities is "An Exhibition of the Fruits of Jingsiyu Education." The exhibition includes the children's journals, essays about things they have learned, bookmarks, and so on.
Li Mei-chin, a teacher at the Tunhua Primary School who is very involved with Jingsiyu instruction, points out that a total of 104 teachers, from the pre-school level to senior high schools, and from Taipei to Miaoli County, are participating in the exhibition. Of these, most are primary school faculty. And the number of teachers using the aphorisms is not limited to these; it's just that many felt that their own efforts are not yet "ripe," so they did not participate in the display.
A spring breeze
Three years ago, Wu Hsiu-ying participated in the "Buddhism Study Camp for Teachers." This opportunity not only brought her into the world of Tzu-Chi, she also learned that some teachers were getting good results using Cheng Yen's aphorisms as instructional materials. After returning to school, Wu took this idea a step further, combining Jingsiyu with the "core moral values" taught in the school's life and ethics curriculum. Every two weeks students are taught a new core value, such as dedication to study, good manners, patriotism, tolerance, and so on. Each day Wu gives the students some aphorism related to the main theme for the two weeks, and uses lively stories to allow the children to grasp the underlying idea. Over a year, Wu learned by doing, and, experimenting as she has taught, finally produced a Jingsiyu textbook to fit the life and ethics curriculum. The text is called Spring Breeze (an allusion to a good teacher).
"I have no copyright. Everyone is welcome to use these materials," states Wu. Over the past two years, Wu alone has sent out more than 70,000 copies of Spring Breeze.
In March of 1994, a group of more than ten principals of Chinese schools in California were on a trip to see the facilities at the Po Ai Primary School. When they unwittingly went into Wu's classroom and saw the aphorisms on the blackboard and the children's journals and collections of newspaper clippings, it was like finding buried treasure. Not only did they get Wu to spend two hours explaining the material, they invited her to go to the US to introduce this method of instruction to Chinese school teachers there.
Religion in the schools?
Jingsiyu's reputation spread fast. Even before Wu could make her trip, in May of 1994 more than ten principals of Chinese schools in northern California made a special trip to Taipei to observe "aphorism instruction." Because the US Constitution forbids religion being taught in schools, religious and moral education must be done on the weekends. At the time, the principals worried that using Cheng Yen's ideas would create a controversy.
Wu Hsiu-ying says that, after seeing the teaching materials, the US principals were very relieved, because they only express simple wisdom about daily life, without religious connotation. Currently Jingsiyu instruction is widespread in California's Chinese-language schools.
In Taiwan, most schools allow teachers to freely use these materials if they so desire, taking an attitude of "not encouraging, but not prohibiting." With some teachers actively "demonstrating" and promoting it, growing numbers of teachers are putting aphorism instruction into use.
Little kings and little princesses
Looking further, the entry of Jingsiyu instruction into the schools is related to the family, school, and social environment of today.
Luo Chun-mei, a teacher in the Wuchang Primary School, points to the fact that people are increasingly wealthy, while the number of children per family has been steadily falling. As a result, children are becoming little "kings" and "princesses" who only know how to love themselves, but don't understand how to love others. Thus it is necessary to teach children how to love and feel gratitude.
Schools have included courses on correct behavior for a long time. Yet, whether these be "life and ethics" or "civics and morality," they have had little apparent impact, and have become a focus of criticism.
Chang Chih-hsin is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at National Taiwan Normal University. He says that moral education in schools is overly abstract, and remote from daily life. For example, children are taught that they should be "right-thinking Chinese." What does this mean? Everyone has memorized aphorisms like "cultivate the self, then manage the family, then rule the nation, and pacify all under Heaven." But this is too abstract. However profound these words may be, what significance do they have? Chang argues that moral education must be made relevant to daily life.
"A lie is like fresh flowers. . ."
"Clean the house, clean the house, clean your heart; if you do not clean your heart, it is meaningless to clean your house." Watching first-grade students reciting as they sweep up the classroom gives one feelings of both pleasure and concern. The pleasure comes from the fact that the aphorisms are like seeds being planted in their little hearts and minds. The concern is over whether or not these ideas can really take root and grow strong in the children to become a set of moral standards for real-world behavior.
Parents have the most to say about the transformation of children learning with Jingsiyu. Chu Huei-chi says that after a year-and-a-half of "baptism," her child has changed greatly. "He used to be heedless, now he is able to settle down and isn't so impulsive," she relates with pleasure. Now in fifth grade, her son is most different in no longer asking his parents for money whenever he feels like it; now he knows how to be satisfied and to treasure what good fortune he has.
It is definite that some children will take the aphorisms to heart, and also put them into practice. One parent told Wu Hsiu-ying this funny story: Her child came home one day, and forgot to do what the teacher had instructed--to ask his parents how they are doing. His Mom said not to worry, she would tell the teacher that the boy had done this. Little did she expect her son to reply, "Teacher says, 'a lie is like a fresh flower; it looks beautiful, but will not last long, and it will soon be undone.'" The boy insisted on putting his shoes back on, going out the door, and coming in all over again.
A big house, a big heart
Liu Chiu-hsiang has a child at the Po Ai Primary School, and she has been working as a volunteer there for a year. She says that not only does aphorism instruction produce a change in outlook in the children over time, even the adults can grow along with them. Once when she and her husband were having an argument, their second-grade daughter suddenly intervened. First she said to her mother, "Mom, you haven't put on your face cream [you are not smiling]!" Then she said to her father, "Daddy, you must drink some four treasures soup [gratitude, satisfaction, tolerance, understanding]." Liu says, "We were very moved by what she said. Ever since that time, everyone in the family has reminded one another to communicate with aphorisms." Not only are husband and wife too embarrassed to lose their temper with each other, they also never spank their child.
Sometimes a child will bring out an aphorism at just the right moment, startling everyone and making the parents look great. Liu Chiu-hsiang says that at one social gathering a friend asked when everyone would be invited to the Liu's home. Because they have a very small apartment, Liu's husband looked ill-at-ease and said, "Our house is only about 60 square meters; I'm afraid people will be jammed in and everyone will have to stand." At this his eight-year-old daughter interjected: "A big house is not as important as a big heart." The timing was just right to relieve Dad of his embarrassment, and left everyone amazed at the girl's wisdom.
Over the past two or three years, through the efforts of the Tzu-Chi Teachers Association, virtually all teachers have to some extent heard about Jingsiyu instruction. But they haven't necessarily shown interest in understanding it more deeply or in applying it in the classroom.
Tseng Kuei-fen, a teacher at the Hsinhu Primary School in Hsinchu, says the aphorisms may be instructive, but the existing curriculum already keeps her so busy that she has little time to get into them. Some teachers are also concerned that Christian families might object, so they stay away just to avoid possible controversy. Then there are teachers who "really regret" having tried it. Pan Chun-hung says that he is under tremendous pressure to come up with stories every day to go with the day's aphorism. For a while he even considered giving up, but, as the aphorism says, "We must overcome difficulties, not be overcome by difficulties." In order to set a good example for the kids, he could not be "overcome by difficulties," so he has continued.
From judges to cheerleaders
Jingsiyu instruction really does require commitment. Luo Chun-mei says that the prerequisite to using the aphorisms is that the teacher be personally interested and be committed to the task.
Luo, whose husband is also a teacher, suggests that the first thing changed by Jingsiyu instruction is the teacher's mindset. "In the past both of us were very unhappy, and complained that it was getting harder and harder to teach kids. We thought that we must have owed somebody in a previous lifetime, so that in this life we were having to work so hard for other people's children," she relates. Now she treats teaching as a form of self-cultivation, and is content every day.
"Every morning when the sun comes up, I am happy to go to school to see my kids." Wu Hsiu-ying feels that her own mindset as a teacher has changed dramatically while using the aphorisms over the last three years. "In the past I just looked for the children's faults, and acted like a judge, fighting nastiness with nastiness. Now I try to find their good points, and take the role of cheerleader, encouraging the children."
And Li Mei-chin chimes in, "Now I look at the children from a positive point of view." In the past when taking on a new class she would first announce, "If you want to be the first one whose name I remember, then just be disobedient." Now she says, "I will first get to know the most well-behaved students, and remember your names first."
From these comments you can see that these are more than just clever sayings. Their appeal has spread to these teachers who use love, encouragement, and respect to teach their students.
Li Tien-chien, the executive secretary and also the ethics teacher at the Forest Experimental School, argues that there is no absolute relationship between the success of moral education and the materials used. The key is in "how the subject is taught." He says that, in terms of the process of growth in children, the emotional environment is most important. "In humanitarian thought, people inherently strive for goodness and the higher ground. This inner drive is brought out by positive teachers and encouraging words." Thus it is not without reason that many parents leave no stone unturned to get their kids into a class which has Jingsiyu instruction.
Homework for the parents, too
Nevertheless, for these aphorisms to really take root and have a fundamental impact depends on the complex relationships between teacher and parents, teacher and student, and parents and child. Besides requiring a teacher who will make a strong commitment, it is also necessary to rely on a cooperative effort by parents, because school time is at most only one-half of a child's waking hours. But by no means can all parents understand the teacher's intentions.
Take for example "parent-child homework." Li Mei-chin requires each student to write a weekly essay on what they have gained from some Jingsiyu lesson. On the back of the essay is the "parent-child communication channel" column, which requires that the parents have a written "conversation" to interact with and encourage their child. When this was first begun, one parent, himself a middle school teacher, felt that this was "the teacher giving homework to the parents," and he found it very troublesome. But after a period of time, this parent was finally moved by what the teacher was trying to do; not only did he assiduously do his "assignment" each week, he even set aside a "good words time period" for the whole family.
However, some parents have never been willing to cooperate. Wu Hsiu-ying says that of the 33 students in her class, the parents of two of them have never once done the assignment. One is a low-income family in which both parents are deaf and mute, and one is a single-parent household in which the mother works on a construction site. The pressures of life give the parents no breathing space, and they have little energy to look after their children's education. "Even when the parents don't do their bit, I still do the teacher's part," she says.
Naturally, without the involvement of the parents, the impact is significantly weakened. "For example, every day the teacher tells the student that 'you should have something good to say,' but if at home the parents spout nothing but four-letter words, then the child will be unable to change the habit of saying bad things."
No connection with good grades
According to Li Mei-chin's own assessment, after one semester of aphorism instruction, about two-thirds of the students can begin to internalize what they are taught and put it into practice. There is little apparent effect on the other one-third.
Li Mei-chin suggests that there is no absolute correlation between the impact of Jingsiyu instruction on a child and the child's scholastic aptitude or grades. She acknowledges that the better students are usually more adept at expressing their ideas when they write what they have learned, but there is no clear difference in actual behavior. Wu Hsiu-ying adds that the students with the best grades are not necessarily those with the most self-discipline. Many students whose grades are ordinary, and even some whose schoolwork is poor, can fully accept what they are taught and strive to put it into practice.
Yet, one cannot help but ask: Just how deep is the moral impact on the children? Primary school students are "sheets of blank paper"--innocent and malleable--and they easily accept and parrot whatever the teacher says. But when they become teenagers, and begin to look at things with a more skeptical or rebellious attitude, will they still believe in these pure and simple aphorisms? After entering the complex and tricky real world, will their good intentions be set back, or even destroyed?
Wong Chih-cheng, a guidance counselor at the Chiangtsui Middle School, suggests that, although middle school students may be in their rebellious stage, Jingsiyu instruction still has a positive effect on some students. He states that several years ago the school instituted "meditation" for the students to relax and be calm, which was very helpful in terms of school order. Now the school also hands out cards with aphorisms printed on them to the kids. Unfortunately, unlike primary school teachers, middle school teachers do not spend all day with the same children, so there are less opportunities to undertake aphorism instruction.
Spiritual treasure box
Child psychologist You Chien-kuei says that from a cognitive point of view, even if children are not able to immediately grasp the deeper implications of the aphorisms, every child has a "spiritual treasure box" of his or her own. Each experience in growing up is stored in the brain, and, over the years, these ebb and flow. In the future there will very possibly be chances to draw on these experiences. From this perspective, You affirms the value of Jingsiyu instruction: "Perhaps one day when the child faces great pressure, these aphorisms buried in his mind will be brought out and put to use."
For the majority of children, aphorism instruction is in and of itself a happy experience. If the aphorisms and experiences they acquire can be stored in their spiritual treasure box, and continually emerge, then the teachers' fondest hopes will be realized.
The influence of the Tzu-Chi Foundation is Widespread; Jingsiyu instruction based on the aphorisms of Tzu-Chi's founder has entered schools and many teachers use it to supplement the regular curriculum.
First feel, then act. Parents moved by the teacher's dedication come to school every day to volunteer, helping to clean up and look after the kids.
Moral education requires the cooperation of the family. Every afternoon, fifth grader Cheng Peng goes home and recites to his parents the aphorism he learned that day.
Will Jingsiyu instruction continue to guide and encourage young people even when they reach their rebellious stage?
Unless teachers and parents demonstrate moral values in their own deeds, the children will think the admonitions on the blackboard are just empty slogans.
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