Book Title – Buddha and Education (Core Buddhist Concepts and Scholarly Articles)Author – Akar Moe ThuPublishing House – Saryeik MyaingPublication Date – March 2026 (1st Edition)Price – K14,000This book is written by Professor Dr Akar Moe Thu of the Oriental Studies, exploring the Buddha’s linguistic skills, how he introduced new paradigms of consciousness, the system of ancient psychotherapy, education and social philosophy and perspectives. Despite the title “The Buddha and Education”, the book does not separate the religion and education domains, and it serves as a bridge, reinterpreting the Buddha’s teachings from the perspective of modern education.The articles in this book are dedicated to friends, relatives, and university alumni who are engaged in discussions with the author about the Buddha, as well as to fellow students from the university. They often raise questions and seek to comprehend what factors create a distance between Buddhism and contemporary society. After reviewing these inquiries, they are evolving issues rooted in the differences between present-day society and the society of the Buddha’s time. He notes that questioners often sought the Buddha’s views on self-acceptance, intellectual value, constructive learning, homosexuality, stress and depression, psychotherapy, humanitarianism, and the right to education, which are key familiar and emerging topics in today’s societies, as highlighted in the preface.The author states that although these terms are contemporary, the underlying problems in human society have persisted since the Buddha’s time over 2,600 years ago.They are fundamental challenges that humanity has faced throughout its history. Despite the difference in vocabulary between the old era and the new era, their root causes remain the same. These problems have emerged in society for over 2,600 years, and similar issues continue to arise throughout human history. Thus, the essential point is that although the terminology differs between the society of the Buddha’s day and modern society, the fundamental sources of the problems share a commonality.In this book, readers will explore how such problems were addressed and overcome during the Buddha’s era, how the Buddha mediated societal conflicts, and what the Buddha’s stances on society were. Readers will also delve into the Buddha’s linguistic skills and how he introduced new paradigms of consciousness, ancient psychotherapy, educational philosophies, and perspectives on human society.When we run through “The Buddha and Logic”, there is a discourse where the Buddha demonstrates what constitutes a logical fallacy. I have studied how the Buddha typically constructed logical arguments or irrelevant points. When reviewing the societies in which the Buddha lived, logic was a significant intellectual discipline in India. Those who understand things in a logical way are called Nyaya-vadi in Pali. In modern terms, they would be called philosophers. When studying the Indian tradition of logic, one finds that the Nyaya emphasized four means for acquiring valid knowledge. According to the Nyaya-vadin, the ultimate source of knowledge could only be established through holding that perception.”In the article titled “The Buddha and the Analysis of the Kalama Sutta”, when moral integrity deteriorates, the stable balance of a society is disrupted, leading to the collapse of the entire human community. This prompted me to contemplate why the Buddha’s Vibhajjavada (the Doctrine of Analysis), which emphasizes self-reflection, has become persistently associated in Myanmar’s society with the Kalama Sutta.gnlm
Sun, 26-Apr-2026
