{"id":119223,"date":"2021-10-14T17:34:45","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T00:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119223"},"modified":"2023-05-23T15:51:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T22:51:06","slug":"youtube-channel-panshu-launched-by-the-walpola-rahula-institute-a-fertile-environment-for-critical-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/10\/14\/youtube-channel-panshu-launched-by-the-walpola-rahula-institute-a-fertile-environment-for-critical-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTube channel \u201cPanshu\u201d launched by the Walpola Rahula Institute; A fertile environment for critical thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>By Raj Gonsalkorale<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<p><em>The lesson for all is the need for nurturing critical thinking and to\nquestion information and its veracity. In explaining the thinking behind naming\nthe new YouTube channel as <strong>Panshu, <\/strong>Ven Galkande Dhammananda said that\nthe philosophy of the WRI has always had a positive outlook and it has focused\non what could be done to have better outcomes, even over time, rather than just\nbeing disappointed with existing outcomes. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social media today has linked millions of people with facts, fiction, and outright fake news. It has influenced the change of governments, the election of Presidents, Royalty being found out and disgraced, scandals of every description doing the rounds faster than lightning, and instant messaging becoming integral to the life of millions. Most do not ascertain the veracity of the information that is circulating, which can easily be done in most cases by doing a quick internet search, but simply and irresponsibly, have become fodder for social media giants in the market who have reaped millions of dollars as a consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is debatable whether instant information dissemination has made the world a better place for human beings and whether their quality of life has improved. The following statistics present a considerably bleak world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The world poverty rates (The World Bank says that in 2020, <strong>About 9.2%<\/strong>&nbsp;of the world, or 689 million people, lived in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 a day),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The number of refugees (according to the UNHCR&#8217;s latest report for 2020, &#8220;some <strong>79.5 million<\/strong> people had been forced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, and human rights violations.&#8221; That number includes&nbsp;<strong>29.6 million refugees<\/strong>, <strong>4.2 million asylum seekers, as well as 45.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs). <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to safe drinking water (WHO, in its 2019 report estimated&nbsp;that <strong>2.2 billion people<\/strong>&nbsp;need access to safely managed drinking water, including 884 million currently without basic drinking water services) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Number without basic food requirements (Action Against Hunger states that a<strong>bout 690 million people<\/strong>&nbsp;globally are undernourished)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to basic health services (according to the <em>World<\/em>&nbsp;Bank and WHO, at least half of the&nbsp;<em>world&#8217;s<\/em>&nbsp;population cannot obtain essential&nbsp;<em>health services<\/em>, according to a new report published in 2017)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State of the world\u2019s environment<\/strong> (The UN says that If current trends continue and the world fails to enact solutions that improve current patterns of production and consumption, if we fail to use natural resources sustainably, then the state of the world\u2019s environment will continue to decline. It is essential that we understand the pace of environmental change that is upon us and that we start to work with nature instead of against it to tackle the array of environmental threats that face us) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2016\/05\/rate-of-environmental-damage-increasing-across-planet-but-still-time-to-reverse-worstimpacts\/#:~:text=Across%20the%20world%2C%20climate%20change,Sustainable%20Development%2C%20the%20reports%20state\">https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2016\/05\/rate-of-environmental-damage-increasing-across-planet-but-still-time-to-reverse-worstimpacts\/#:~:text=Across%20the%20world%2C%20climate%20change,Sustainable%20Development%2C%20the%20reports%20state<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That is the reality of the world that is interconnected before one can blink an eye lid!\u00a0 As of January 2021 it has been reported that there were\u00a0<strong>4.66 billion<\/strong>\u00a0active internet users worldwide &#8211; 59.5 percent of the global population. Of this total, 92.6 percent (4.32 billion) accessed the internet via mobile devices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> The power of the internet has given enormous mind changing powers to social media giants, but as mentioned at the outset here, it is highly debateable whether this power has been harnessed to improve the quality of life for people and whether instant messaging has, in effect, brought people closer to one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/supplygem.com\/internet-usage-statistics\/\">99 Key Internet Statistics \u2022 2023 Data (supplygem.com)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\ndiscussion on this topic could very well be both esoteric and fruitless;\nunderstood and appreciated by a few, and of not much consequence to many. It is\nthis statement that has relevance to the effort of Venerable Galkande\nDhammananda and the Walpola Rahula Institute, in introducing a fundamental\ntenant of what Buddha had taught more than 2500 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the\ninaugural program of the rebranded WRI YouTube channel Panshu\u201d, Ven Dhammananda\nmakes an enthralling presentation based on the <strong>Chulla Haththi Padopama Sutta <\/strong>which hopefully will leave\nviewers contemplating how well an ancient truism has been contextualised to a\nmodern setting for its relevance today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is said that of many Suttas diversely found in the\nBuddhist text, Arahat Mahinda chose Chulla Haththi Padopama Sutta as the first\ndiscourse seed to feed Buddhist philosophy into King Devanampiyatissa (<a href=\"http:\/\/dailynews.lk\/2021\/06\/24\/features\/252307\/intellectual-discourse-led-new-social-foundation\">http:\/\/dailynews.lk\/2021\/06\/24\/features\/252307\/intellectual-discourse-led-new-social-foundation<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is\nhighly relevant that today, in the age of a world so instantly linked to one\nanother, to relive what the Buddha himself extolled, and later Ven Mahinda\npresented to the people of Sri Lanka during his visit more than 2000 years ago,\nand now, what Ven Dhammananda presents to the contemporary world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nfollowing is adopted from Venerable Dhammananda\u2019s presentation on this\ninaugural <strong><em>Panshu<\/em><\/strong> program and begins with the question whether Buddhism\nprovides a guide to evaluate a situation before arriving at better decisions after\ncritical inquiry. The answer is: yes, it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Quote <em>Before\nwe introduce the Buddhist model of decision making, let us familiarise ourselves\nwith two general decision-making models that exist in society \u2013 the Pilotika\nmodel and the Janussoniya model. One day, Pilotika and Janussoniya met on the\nstreets. Hearing from Pilotika that he is returning from an audience with\nBuddha, Janussoniya inquires whether Buddha is a noble person. Pilotika replies\nin the affirmative. Janussoniya then questions how Pilotika decided that Buddha\nis noble. Pilotika&#8217;s answer is quite important. He says: I decided that Buddha\nis noble because I saw expert debaters coming to debate with Buddha, having prepared\nextensively. However, upon a brief conversation, they gave up their prepared\ndebating points, agreed with Buddha, and even became followers of Buddha.\nHaving seen this, I decided that Buddha is noble. Having heard Pilotika&#8217;s\nanswer, Janussoniya gets down from the chariot, asks where Budda stayed and\nsalutes in the direction of Buddha, praising his nobleness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Many of us make decisions following these two models. Pilotika&#8217;s\ndecision of Buddha&#8217;s nobleness was not a result of consideration of Buddha&#8217;s\ndiscourse. It was simply a decision inspired by those Pilotika deemed to be\nimportant members of society.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>When an actor or actress you like promotes a particular soap to become\nbeautiful, or a sportsperson promotes a specific type of milk to make you\nstronger, some people believe that to be the utmost truth. This kind of\nthinking follows the Pilotika model. &nbsp;Janussoniya\nmodel involves much less evaluation than even the Pilotika model. People\nfollowing the Janussoniya model make decisions purely based on someone&#8217;s word.\nThey would listen to the news telecast at night or someone&#8217;s recital of\nnewspaper headlines in the morning and accepts that with no critical\nevaluation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Going back to the original story, after this incidence, Janussoniya\nmeets Buddha and describes his conversation with Pilotika. This is when Buddha\nrejects both Pilotika and Janussoniya models and describes the proper way of\narriving at a conclusion or making critically evaluated decisions \u2013 in the form\nof a story:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A person entering a jungle observes a large footprint of an elephant.\nHaving seen the sheer size of the impression, he decides that the print belongs\nto the &#8216;King Elephant&#8217; of the jungle. However, Buddha suggests that he should\nlook for further signs as other elephants can also have large footprints. Then\nthe person observes broken branches, high above in the canopy \u2013 suggesting the elephant&#8217;s\nheight and the reach of its trunk. However, still, this is not enough proof for\na conclusion. There could be other elephants as tall. Then he observes mud\nstreaks on branches higher up, again suggesting strong evidence of a tall\nelephant. Yet, there could be other tall elephants. Search further. Next, he\nobserves damages on tree trunks made by elephant tusks. These damages suggest\nthe height, size of the tusks and the strength of the elephant. Although this\nis even more substantial proof, yet it&#8217;s not sufficient proof to draw a final\nconclusion. Lastly, he sees with his own eyes the &#8216;King Elephant&#8217; grazing the\nfields. Having seen with his own eyes, having confirmed what he has seen, only\nthen can he conclude \u2013 teaches Buddha.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>This model demonstrates to us that you shouldn&#8217;t come to a conclusion\njust by mere sight or mere word. You should collect further proof; you should\nexamine further. Finally, only after coming to a concrete understanding after\ncritical evaluation should you arrive at a final conclusion.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Practically, we may not be able to achieve a concrete understanding of\neverything in the world. We may need to stop at the footprint stage, broken\nbranches stage, mud streak stage or the tusk damage stage. If we are in one of\nthese stages, then our statements cannot be conclusive. Then it is essential to\nbe aware that our understanding is incomplete\u201d <\/em>Unquote <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Venerable\nDhammananda concludes thus <em>You may now see that, in the \u2018Buddha\u2019 model of\ndecision making, there is zero room for blind faith; that critical evaluation\nis held in high regard. Now, let us reflect. Do you belong to the Pilotika\nmodel, Janussoniya model or the Buddha model<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nlesson for all is the need for nurturing critical thinking and to question\ninformation and its veracity. In explaining the thinking behind naming the new\nYouTube channel as <strong><em>Panshu, <\/em><\/strong>Ven Dhammanandasaid that the\nphilosophy of the WRI has always had a positive outlook and it has focused on\nwhat could be done to have better outcomes, even over time, rather than just being\ndisappointed with existing outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said\nthat on the one hand, Panshu may be considered as being basically all the elements\nof soil that graces the Earth\u2019s surface and the final repository of everything\nthat is material irrespective of who one is and their wealth. Ignorance of this\nfact, and being blinded by perceptions, unable to come to terms with reality\nand look at life more objectively, critically and with unconditional love to\nothers, have left many disappointed and dissatisfied with what they currently have\naround them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the\nother hand, one could look at Panshu or soil, as being a fertile environment to\ngrow new thinking, new ideas, and an avenue for renewal of ethical and moral\nvalues, so that outcomes, even if it takes time for fruition, will yield a more\nloving, compassionate, ethical and moral world. Ven Dhammananda said the WRI,\nthrough <strong><em>Panshu, <\/em><\/strong>will be providing opportunities for experiencing,\nquestioning, and discussing and engaging in critical thinking through a variety\nof programs that are being designed as a pathway for a better future. We reap what\nwe sow, so, it is important to sow correct thinking so that we can reap a\nbetter future without just complaining about the present\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first program on<strong><em> Panshu<\/em><\/strong> may be accessed via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x9zc7JpA3cs\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x9zc7JpA3cs<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u0db6\u0dd4\u0daf\u0dd4 \u0daf\u0dc4\u0db8\u0dda \u0dad\u0dd3\u0dbb\u0dab \u0d9c\u0dd0\u0db1\u0dd3\u0db8\u0dda \u0d9a\u0dca\u200d\u0dbb\u0db8\u0dc0\u0dda\u0daf\u0dba - (\u0db6\u0dd4\u0daf\u0dd4 \u0daf\u0dc4\u0db8 \u0dc3\u0dbb\u0dbd \u0dc0 #1)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x9zc7JpA3cs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Raj Gonsalkorale The lesson for all is the need for nurturing critical thinking and to question information and its veracity. In explaining the thinking behind naming the new YouTube channel as Panshu, Ven Galkande Dhammananda said that the philosophy of the WRI has always had a positive outlook and it has focused on what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-raj-gonsalkorale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}