INTEGRATION OF AYURVEDA INTO EUROPEAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
by Dr. George P. Eassey
The importance of Ayurvedic education and
awareness in European conditions. Initial stages of generating awareness in lay
public. Advanced stages in the process of increasing awareness - challeneges
and steps to be done. Collaboration with the academic sector to initiate the
process of integration of Ayurveda into the mainstream college level education,
leading to a full fledged curriculum in Ayurvedic Medicine. Synergic approach
of Ayurvedic medicine providers, local government/education bodies and Indian
government to achieve the integration of Ayurveda into European education
system.
In any society, in any field, before anything can be „Integrated“, it
has to be „Accepted“ and „Applied“. Global acceptance of Ayurveda is still felt
at many levels as a burning need by the whole international Ayurvedic
community. The theme of acceptance has been therefore a major reason for
conferences like this.
„Acceptance“ is preceded by „Awareness“. Awareness meaning ´Education´,
there is no „Acceptance“ without „Education“.
There are 2 types of education related to Ayurveda:
Education about Ayurveda leads to „Awareness“, which opens the
door for „Acceptance“. On the other hand, education in Ayurveda leads to
„Application“. Good application increases „Acceptance“. So, we need both types
of education. What is the sequence and what are the venues for each?
For the past twenty years, I have practised and taught in three
continents: USA, Europe and India. I have been witnessing and participating in
the process of generating awareness in mid -70ies through all its stages,
culminating with a good degree of „acceptance“ in the US. I have singlehandedly
pioneered Ayurveda in the Czech and Slovak Republics since 1997. We have not
reached the stage of „acceptance“ there yet. I have been part of a very
encouraging process of the high stage of acceptance of Ayurveda in the UK.
There , the government has consistently udertaken steps to officially recognize
and regulate Ayurveda within its regulatory framework for herbal therapies. It
is an outcome of a long-term awareness created in the lay public as well as at
the highest level of the government, mostly due to historical ties with India.
And lastly, for the past 3-5 years, I have been closely associated with the
initiatives and policies that India has adopted to facilitate acceptance of
Ayurveda.
The first type of education, about Ayurveda, translates into a
question HOW WE, PIONEERING AYURVEDIC PRACTITIONERS and EDUCATORS CREATE
AWARENESS in the local public?
Out of my personal experience, I feel it is useful to briefly outline
things that have worked.
1. Good, ethical practice is self promoting always and lays the
foundation for the rest. Every practitioner should have the courage to promote
Ayurvedic awareness, not the self, own practice or own products. A good
practitioner should know broader views of his or her mission. This requires a
sincere effort and an open mind to understand two things:
that Ayurveda is not ´yet another method of disease treatment´, and that
people in Europe (and elsewhere) are not longing for ´yet another system of
pre-packaged pill distribution´. Ayurveda is a universal message of recognition
of an individual as a soul, meassage of acceptance and love for life, returning
people to their selves. No practitioner should ever feel shy or inadequate to
explore and assimilate this fundamental aspect into his or her practice. To
pass this on means actually create the best awareness – awareness in people´s
hearts.
2. Every physician should také his share in Education. There is a
clear message in the classics saying that ……….“a good Ayurvedic physician
should go to faraway places and teach others; this itself will sustain him as
it is the highest dharma“.
3. Education of the public first happens through lectures, courses,
articles. It also happens through making simple practices and simple
products known. A good example is ´Ayurvedic head massage´. This simple
technique has been spreading rapidly in UK, as it brings a quick benefit to
people and is not difficult to learn. Another popular example is the simple
preparation of Triphala with its mildly laxative and tonifying effects. Any
kind of education is all right at the beginning.
Once a certain basic level of awareness is achieved, comes the initial
stage of the second type of education - in Ayurveda.
4. Proceed with one-two years courses,. ´Basics of Ayurveda´or
´Ayurvedic Massage´ should be taught. Even though it may be structured
according to your capacity and needs, it is useful to keep in vogue the local
requirements for vocational training.
At this point start educating the public in quality and standard.
E.g. what is labelled ´Ashwagandha coffee´may have very little to do with
Ashwagandha herb, Brahmi tablets from a multinational pharmaceutical company
with a long shelf life will not be the real choice, and not every Indian
looking person offering a strange massage practices Ayurveda, etc.
5. The real challenge comes: to offer a full Ayurvedic program with
an approved college. This already requires a good level of acceptance and
collaboration from the academic and governmental sectors.
As this stage is crucial for further advancement, I want to elaborate
more on what has to be done:
(a)
From the
side of the practitioners
·
To have
sufficient background/experience/capacity to develop a teaching curriculum in accordance with both
the traditional Indian AND modern international standards, while taking into
consideration working guidelines by EHPA (UK) or NAMA (USA) or any other
functional model
·
Make the
program conform to the framework of the local educational systém and
requirements set for vocational and professional training
·
To
ensure quality of the teaching standard
·
To
actively seek support from the local government and legal protection; this may
require even a sort of lobbying
·
To form
a locally acceptable body to announce your mission, goals and social
responsibilities and benefits for the society from the Ayurvedic field
·
To offer
their share of expertise and work in governemental regulatory bodies; if such a
body does not exist, initiate it
·
To
represent interests of the Ayurvedic community; invite contacts with all
involeved and collaborating sectors and parties; negotiate and bridge to avoid
clashes of interest; do not allow partial interests to dissipate your efforts;
do not allow any monopoly of a single person or a group
·
To
actively seek integration into EU bodies and other international organizations
(b)
From the
side of the academic/government sector
·
To také
a genuine interest in helping to develop the Ayurvedic field; this is unlikely
to happen unless an intelligent and well positioned public figure takes a
personal interest (usually based on his or her own first hand experience with
Ayurveda, viz Switzerland, or ex-president Nixon´s case with the Chinese
medicine)
·
To
facilitate the ground work of the practitioners – work around the existing
legal framework, provide space, assist in approval/accreditation process
·
To
establish a working relationship with an appropriate helpful Indian/international
institutions and request their support
(c)
From the
side of the Indian government
·
To make
their supportive policies and measures publically known
·
To make
the relevant information sources available and easily accessible
·
To
insist that Indian Embassies´appointed staff is reasonably knowledgeable about
Ayurveda and related issues and take personal pride and interest in promoting
Indian heritage
·
To equip
the Embassies with proper communication links to the Central and local
governmental bodies responsible for Ayurveda and important Ayurvedic
institutions
·
To
encourage the Embasies to actively seek and employ possibilities to promote
through organizing meeting forums, conferences etc.