प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

232 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
may have been done by them in ancient India as
well. In its early history, however, there is no
evidence to show that Buddhism was interesting
itself in education of laymen. With the rise of the
Mahāyāna school in the early centuries of the
Christian era a great change took place, and Buddhist
monasteries began to undertake systematically the
education of laymen as well. The accounts of the
Chinese travellers, however, leave the impression
that Buddhist monasteries were mainly concerned
with higher education. It is however not improbable
that the Chinese travellers may not have referred
to their work in the sphere of primary education,
because they were not interested in it. We must
further remember that primary education was a more
integral part of higher education than is the case
now, and so could not have been altogether neglected
by the teachers engaged in higher education. Secular
students, who used to serve their monk teachers as
pages giving them water, food, etc., appear from
I-tsing's account to have been students of primary
rather than secondary education.¹ We may therefore
conclude that in smaller monasteries where higher
education was not imparted, monks may have
engaged themselves in primary education. There
is however no definite evidence on the point.
Conclusion :—It will thus be seen that Buddhism
may well be proud of its contribution to the cause of
education in ancient India. Its colleges threw their
doors open to all, irrespective of any considerations
of caste or country. The rise of organised public
educational institutions may be justly attributed to
its influence. It raised the international status of

1. Takakusu, pp. 105-6.