What is 'Learning' from the Tamil Saivite point of view?

What is 'Learning' from the Tamil Saivite point of view?

First of all , we have to be clear as to the meaning of 'LEARNING' especially in the modern context where this notion has been distorted by the behavior psychologists like Pavlov and Skinner and also numerous cognitive psychologists. I would also add to this list the Depth psychologist like Freud and Jung who while exposing the unconscious intruding into the conscious at various levels , were not clear as to the PEDAGOGIC dimensions of the workings of the unconscious.

By learning I mean the destruction of IGNORANCE where this ignorance is itself is seen as ABCONSCIOUSNESS ( absence of consciousness) arising from a certain BLINDNESS, the inability to SEE. When we go further into this then we have to recognize the presence of ANavam and along with it the Mayai and Kanmam as those elements already there and which introduce the blindness, the inability to SEE by hiding, covering up, distorting , distracting or calling the attention away from the essence, circumscribing and so forth.

Learning takes place when we pierce through this inherent delimitedness of seeing and by gaining the aruL, we manage to SEE more and also more of truths.

In this context the alpha-learning or paacanjnanam is the learning pertaining to the physical -- the destruction of ignorance through whatever illuminations we can gain about the physical. This is also the matters that pertain to PoRiliyak Kaadci, the sensorial perceptions including the information we gain through the instruments which are extensions of the senses. Thus it would incorporate the whole of positive sciences. This kind of learning is there with all of us though it is only the Europeans who have elevated it to the primary methodology of understanding and hence the development of technologies that really works.

When this PoRiliyak Kaadci or sensorial perception gives way to the Hermeneutic or Nuuliyap Paarvai, then we have the birth of beta-learning or self-learning, learning about the self, the atmanjaanam. The self can be identified and seen as a reality only within the Hermeneutic seeing for the self discloses itself only though TEXTS and as the Deep Structure of such texts. The ' I ' that I am can be identified only as the D.S of my behavior but as taken as a TEXT and NOT simply as collection of responses tied to various kinds of stimuli or even cognitive processes of image formation, distortion retention recollection and so forth. I act and in my actions or praxis emerges what I am -- cunning scheming, avaricious, greedy, gentle, aggressive, intelligent , stupid, racial, arrogant, impatient and what not. The self has to be intuited as the Agent ( the Nimitta Kaaranam) of the actions which are intentional. We have to capture the INTENTIONALITY of the human beings to understand the essence of the self. Beta-learning or Pacunjaanam is of this type.

Now as the Pacunjaanam develops , the UNCONSCIOUS presence or various kinds of archetypes within us configuring our INTENTIONALITIES themselves is intuited and with this also the understanding that there is BEING who presents Himself in so many archetypal forms -- Muruka, Siva, VishNu, Sakti and what not and with this begins the Gamma-learning or the Pathinjaanam.

Life becomes genuinely metaphysical where the intentionalities are directed at understanding more and more of BEING.

This is the meaning of 'LEARNING' from the Tamil Saivite point of view, in my understanding.

ULLAGANAR

( 21-6-2002, AT )

( editing and re-paragraphing by his student )

( photo taken from https://pixabay.com/ , with thanks )