Despite the cold weather the students of the Children’s Dharma Class have been warming their hearts through learning the teaching of The Buddha and experiencing the unsurpassed joy and cultivation of merits that comes through this.
On the 19th of June, both the junior and intermediate class came together in a shared space to create mosaic artwork. To complete this, they were required to rip paper and glue it down, over the outline of a lotus flower. This task was meaningful as the lotus flower represents the purity of body, speech, and mind. Students have been taught this in previous lessons and this was a fun, hands-on way to revise this piece of knowledge.
All in all, sitting down to rip and glue down the paper proved to be a very mindful task for the students that allowed them to harness their meditative concentration for an extended period. All the students enjoyed themselves and found unique ways to personalize their individual pieces of work.
After completing their artwork and having some morning tea, the junior and intermediate class split into separate classrooms. The junior class went on an exciting treasure hunt around the room looking for hidden post-it notes! Each note had a different behavior/action written on it. Upon locating a post-it note students were required to sort it on the whiteboard as either a “kind” or “unkind” action. Students also came up with some actions of their own to add to the list. This task solidified their understanding of the 3 goodnesses and 4 givings and how they relate to our daily actions. Enacting kindness is important. The Buddha taught his son Rahula to always consider if one’s actions are skilful or unskilful. Students are developing the understanding that kind actions are skillful in nature and that we should act with kind intentions as to build good affinities with others.
The intermediate class spent the second half of their lesson time learning various Buddhist teachings/concepts. They revised previous lesson’s work on The Triple Gem and the definitions of The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Following this they learnt about the inclusive nature of The Dharma and how it can be learnt by anyone regardless of race, age, or class. They also discussed the importance of sharing The Dharma with others, especially one’s family. They related this back to how Buddha taught his family The Dharma upon returning home to them. The intermediate class also drew a picture of The Buddha as our teacher.
Drop by drop the water glass is filled, and each week the students of The Children’s Dharma class add a drop to their glass.