Since the Late Modern Times, our education has focused on knowledge education for science and technology and industrial development, contrary to the main purpose of raising the completed character. This, on the one hand, contributed to economic growth, but on the other hand, education caused more personal and social problems rather than resolving social conflicts. As we move into the 21st century, the rapid development of advanced science and technology brings hope and anxiety for the future. The knowledge-based education that has been conducted so far before the age when machines and humans coexist proves that there is a limit to guarantee growth and happiness.
In order for the steps toward the future to progress to hope and happiness, not to anxiety, it is necessary to have respect and consideration for people and nature before knowledge education. This is also a fundamental task to solve many problems in our society. In the era of unpredictably rapid change, there is an urgent need for the practice of future-oriented character education that awakens the wisdom of coexistence to enjoy and nurture values, dignity, and happiness as neighbors.
This Society suggests that in order to practice this future-oriented humanistic education, education of the mind that ‘knowing’ can be embodied in the actual ‘living’ should be carried out. The education of mind is not a simple correction of behavior that has been raised as a limitation of the existing character education, but to build an internal foundation that one can reflect, moderate and grow by changing the mind that causes thought and action. This may be the basis for developing self-directed learning, problem solving, and creativity which are considered core competencies of the future.
In addition, the education of mind is to help to restore the mind of original nature that respects and considers humanity and nature while preserving the dignity of human beings. Only when this kind of mind education, which can be called true humanistic education, is possible, can a society of happy coexistence open a hopeful future that is not just an ideal but a reality. After a long period of research and verification, the Society has confirmed that Mind Clearing Meditation can be an excellent alternative as a methodology for such education.
Mind Clearing Meditation, which is a meditation method that integrates reflection and emptying, allows us to reflect on our own life and objectively reflect on it, thus naturally giving thanks and reflective thinking to our internal motivation to change ourselves. In addition, the negative minds accumulated in life are not simply ‘settled’ but fundamentally ‘discarded’ so that they can recover their true mind from their own mind world.
This change of mind brings inner calm and wisdom, and by changing habits and behaviors, the balance of the body is resotred and, consequently, changes in real life. An easy meditation method based on logical and scientific theories can have an excellent effect on the growth of consciousness that has a big mind out of narrow self-centered mind.
Based on this Mind Clearing Meditation, the Society has developed and applied meditation programs optimized for each student’s developmental level, and has continuously improved the quality of the programs through the process of effect verification and feedback. The program developed for middle school students in 2018 was certified as the Ministry of Education’s character education program. This can be said as a result of the accumulated know-how of humanistic education.