Lay your foundation first to be Happy later

Teaching is one of the most difficult task as well as, there are no happiness than sharing the acquired knowledge or the things that we have learnt and experienced ever before, with others. Buddha says it is one of the greatest (Dana) offering. Material offering brings temporary happiness. While, sharing knowledge brings ultimate happiness. Inner and outer. Both, I should say.

During these days and ages, I was teaching Buddhism and qualities of Buddha’s teachings for the better life to the little growing-up-kids in southern parts of Nepal and it brings me so much happiness. Even though, it is so much glee to teach them, there are few difficulties, I face while teaching them Buddhism and it’s qualities for better life to these kids. They are;

1.   Non-Buddhist followers

2.   Kids without education

3.   With different cultures, traditions and languages and

4.   Lack of moral teachings and motivations from adults.

As I experienced and thought, it is one of the biggest loses for the Nepal. Whenever, we see to the world, a society and country which has succeeded in making great progress is one which has made a good preparation by laying a strong and excellent foundation for its members since childhood; that is, from the very minute they were born to the age of six. During this period, certain sorts of human cells develop. The child can be brought up with a clear understanding of and be ready to receive, some very important inputs such as righteousness, morality etc.

A child in this period could be compared to the jack-fruit. When we grow it. Take care it properly. Water it every day. Protect from outer harms. Six months later, there could get fruits. A beautiful. Tasty jack-fruit. Buddha says ‘as you saw seeds such the grains are.”

If we won’t take care of it properly. Let it grow its own and own. Cut all the branches every time. Every day. Its growing cells will be died. Vanished automatically. Finished. Gradually, it will be died.

Thus as the kids. Six years old is the ages to experience both good and bad. Once a kid experiences good, the qualities of life will be good, which would be the firm foundation of the growing society and country. If he or she experience bad thoughts, deeds or actions and teachings from parents or adults, he will be faced to the negativities in life or the qualities of life will be bad. Hard. Unprogressive. Both his own life and the society where, he lives.

Children are seeds for future generations. It is very important to bring them up with good moral qualities, good cultures and traditions and give them quality education. Education that not just help to develop materialistically but morally and spiritually too.

What I experienced here is lack of those qualities in these kids. Lack of quality educations. Lack of moral and spiritual teachings and motivations from the adults (parents) and teachers. They hardly recognize, what is really means saying hello and thanks? Why do we have to respect to the adults (Parents)? Why do we have to warship the Buddha? What is the benefits of chanting, offering flowers, incense and lighting candles to the Buddha (it might be Buddha or Hindu Gods)?

Gratitude? Hardly could be seen in these kids. Once a monk gives them chocolate and biscuits to eat, next few minutes later, they accuse him back saying bold-headed man, elephant (if a monk is fat), pygmy (if he is short monk) and some other slang words.

Who is responsible for this? These kids or the educations, moral motivations and spiritual teachings, they are receiving from their parents, adults and schools?

It is a big question to answer and gigantic problems to solve.