Resources for Introducing Buddhism to Children

There are so many creative and inspiring books and other educational materials for teaching Buddhism to children. It’s impossible to list all of them. Here’s just a starting point:

Buddhist Studies for Primary and Secondary Students – this is an extensive collection of online materials for children including jataka stories, art projects, songs, meditations, and the history of Buddhism. It also has great advice about parenting.

FPMT’s online store has a wide selection of terrific stories, Tibetan folk tales, and other educational materials for children, parents, as well as teachers. It includes some of the resources that are available from the Maitreya Universal Education project.

Ready Set Happy is a collection of songs, poems, plays, games, and science experiments for children, families and teachers, based on the 16 Guidelines for life. It has been designed for 7- to 11-year-olds but is also being used with younger and older children.

Buddha in Your Backpackby Frank Metcalf is more than an intro to Buddhism for teens. It helps young adults see how Buddhism can help make sense of the world around them.

Parallax Press has a wide variety of books for children and parents including many by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. A Pebble for Your Pocket is one of my all time favorites.

Prince Siddhartha: The Story of Buddha by Jonathan Landaw is a classic. With beautiful illustrations, this is a perfect introduction to the story of Buddha’s life.

Please feel free to suggest your favorite resources.

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How to Rescue Earthworms

Hot, dry summer weather is hazardous for our friends the earthworms. Crossing the sidewalk is like crossing the desert for us. The ground is so hard, the worms seem to pop out and roll onto the pavement. Tenzin (age 12) and I found a worm that was half dead – half its body was already shriveled up and hard, it barely responded to touch. To our amazement, the worm cast away the dead section and revived after a few hours of gentle soaking.

This is Tenzin’s account of how to rescue worms:

1. Bring the worm to a safe place.
2. Examine it carefully to see what’s wrong.
3. If it looks too dry, take it home.
4. Build a habitat using a container filled with damp  soil and leaves.
5. Place the worm in a damp paper towel inside the habitat in a quiet place.
6. Let the worm rest, this may take a few minutes or a few hours depending on whether it needs to discard a dead section of its body. Keep it captive for the shortest amount of time possible.
7. Say many prayers for the worm, surround it with holy objects, play recordings of the Medicine Buddha prayer.
8. When it has fully healed, find a shaded area in the woods. Water the ground if it’s too hard. Make sure there aren’t any ants nearby. Ants might attack the worm. If possible, water the area regularly if the dry weather continues.

Here’s the link to a detailed, caring article on rescuing worms in a variety of weather conditions.

By setting your motivation correctly and dedicating all the merit from your efforts, you create immeasurable good karma and please countless Buddhas. Rejoice!

This is an easy way to engage kids in practicing the Dharma. It shows them how to respect living creatures and to be mindful of others’ sufferings. Instead of lecturing kids about love and compassion, save a worm with them. If it survives, they’ll be heroes, but even if the worm dies, you’ve set an example by trying to save it. The kids will get in the habit of being on the look-out for those in need.

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Gaden Jangtse Tour in Pittsburgh, PA thru 6/7/2012

Hop in the car! The Gaden Jangtse monks who touched the hearts of many in the Washington D.C. area in April during their visit with the Guhyasamaja Center, are now in Pittsburgh, PA.

This weekend May 19 and 20 they will be at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh interacting with kids through hands-on exhibits celebrating the art and culture of Tibet.

Sunday afternoon and evening they will be at the Mesa Creative Arts Center doing a house blessing and the Chod Ritual — a powerful tantric practice that is very effective in eliminating self-grasping.

Tenzin and I are going, hope to see you there!

The monks will be in Pittsburgh through June 7. For more information, please visit the host’s website.  Download the event poster.

To invite the Gaden Jangtse monks to your area, visit their website, email: monks@tsawamonksusa.com, or call
(651) 955-7972 or (626) 823-0451 for information, bookings and travel schedule.

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His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche: Kurukulle Empowerment May 5 2012 in MD

Venerable Garchen Rinpoche will be back in our area this spring hosted by his Center, Drikung Mahayana Center. He is, of course, an amazing teacher and just to be in his presence is incredible. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to be with him.

Guru Yoga Teachings
May 3 and 4 (Thursday and Friday) 7-9 PM
Location: JCC of Greater Washington, 6125 Montrose Road, Rockville, Maryland 20852

Kurukulle Empowerment and Teachings
May 5 (Saturday) 10-noon and 2-5
Location: JCC of Greater Washington, 6125 Montrose Road, Rockville, Maryland 20852

Children’s Program
May 6 (Sunday) 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Location: 5807 Linder Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817
The popular children’s program will include a brief teaching by H.E. Garchen Rinpoche.

Conclusion of Teachings and Jigten Sumgon Guru Yoga practice and Tsok
May 6 (Sunday) 10-noon and 2-5
Location: JCC of Greater Washington, 6125 Montrose Road, Rockville, Maryland 20852

For more information, please visit the Drikung Mahayana Center website.

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Introduction to Kalachakra for Young Readers

Here’s an interesting title:  Learning from the Dalai Lama : secrets of the wheel of time by Pandell, Karen.  Published in 1995, the target audience is kids grades 5 and up. It introduces Buddhism and in particular, the Kalachakra. Includes a description of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s conferral of the initiation in New York City in 1991. 40 pages, many photos. It is available at the Fairfax County Public library, so you can search the catalog for the book’s description.

What a perfect way to prepare for the Kalachakra in July in D.C. by sharing it with youngsters who might not  attend this time but who might be inspired to do so in the future!

Please share your thoughts about the book.

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Punch Buggy No Punch Backs

If you’ve been around elementary school kids recently, you may have heard them say, “Punch Buggy, No Punch Backs” whenever they see a Volkswagen Beetle. Then they punch each other gently on the arm and call out the color. I wonder if this is something that Volkswagen surreptitiously started somehow. So what does this have to do with mindfulness, you might wonder.

For me, it’s like a mindfulness check — so no matter what’s going on in the car – if we’re talking, having an argument, reading, playing a game, etc. — Tenzin and I have to stop if we see a Beetle and yell “Punch Buggy, No Punch Backs!”  It’s particularly helpful if we’re in the middle of a disagreement because it breaks the tension.

Fortunately, the Beetle is a popular car in Northern Virginia!

You can also try this with stop lights, tail lights, whatever catches your attention. The point is just to have something that you use  to check your mind. If you do it with someone else, it’s more fun, and it’s a way of staying in tune.

If you have a mindfulness trick to share, please comment below.

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FPMT Essential Education

Here’s a fantastic FPMT program that parents and educators (buddhist and non-buddhist) should definitely learn more about:

16 Guidelines for Life — this introduces the project:

“Based on an original text from King Songtsen Gampo in 7th century Tibet, the 16 Guidelines offer a practical introduction to secular ethics, starting with Humility and ending with Courage. They are divided into four wisdom themes: How we think (the power of the mind); How we act (that every action brings a result); How we relate to others (that we are all interdependent) and How we find meaning (impermanence).”

For more information, visit the project’s main website.. Essential education projects are underway around the world in homes, schools, hospices, drug rehabilitation centres, prisons and workplaces.

The Guhyasamaja Center is considering offering an Essential Education class for teens. There is a great need for this type of class in our part of the world! If anyone is interested in volunteering in helping us design and implement the program, please contact Ven Tendrol.

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Lama Zopa Rinpoche: On Parenting

When you encounter difficulties—when your child does not listen to you, when you cannot control him, when you have a job and many things to do, and you become disappointed and parenting becomes very difficult for you—then it is good to rejoice thinking: “My life is beneficial for at least one sentient being; my limbs are beneficial for the happiness of this one sentient being.” If you can rejoice like this, there will be no difficulties in your mind or in your heart. With this positive wish to help your child, the thought of being annoyed at or exhausted by your child will not arise.

Source: Planned Parenting: How to Make Having Children Meaningful, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lavaur, France May 2009 (Archive # 1783, Last Updated Jul 29, 2009) Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archives

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