Dharma Rain - Dharma School Manual

Dharma School Manual (back to table of contents)

Kid-friendly Ceremonies

Other Ceremonies Focused on Children and Youth

There are a few other ceremonies and events that center around children and youth at Dharma Rain. First, we perform the traditional Naming Ceremony for infants when the parents request it. This is a brief ceremony done in front of the whole sangha during the course of a normal Sunday program, and introduces the new child into the sangha. If the child has “god parents” (or “buddha parents”), they are included in the ceremony. The sangha is asked to support the growth of the child, particularly his/her moral and spiritual development.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have developed a brief Dharma School Graduation ceremony, which also occurs during the course of a normal Sunday, in front of the whole sangha. Young adults who have just graduated from high school, and thus are leaving our dharma school program, bow to an altar with items on it representing their past: home, school, parents, friends. They are then led around the dharma hall bent in a low bow until they reach their own seat in the adult meditation hall. As the graduate passes them, each person presents bows in return.

Finally, one of our seasonal events is an egg hunt near or on the Christian holiday of Easter. This introduces a sense of cultural normalcy into dharma school and is enjoyed by all.

 

top

Copyright