Dharma Rain - Dharma School Manual

Dharma School Manual

History and Development

Sharing Buddhist Teachings with Children

Is It “True?”
Some Buddhist teachings are completely non-controversial, like the instructions about cultivating compassion or the emphasis on mindfulness. Others have more imagery and stories associated with them, and some of these have the potential to carry messages and concepts that may be inappropriate or less than relevant for our current cultural setting and time. We have tried to balance the process of “translation” — adapting material to our own culture so the core messages can come through — with an effort to conserve material that has been important to Buddhists throughout the ages.

Our main goal in presenting explicit dharma teachings to children and youth is to make available to them the rich wisdom and mythology of the Buddhist tradition. By “mythology” we mean the teachings, stories and imagery that have been collectively created, used and passed down by Buddhists for thousands of years. This concept of mythology is explained well by Joseph Campbell, and in no way implies a judgment that the material in question is not “true” (because some Buddhists believe it is). Apart from whether they are literally true or not, collectively held myths contain very deep truths that often cannot be conveyed by plain explanation. If we were to limit ourselves to using Buddhist teachings devoid of mythology, we would be depriving the children we work with of very valuable tools, concepts and experiences. We leave the question of whether a given teaching is literally true open enough that parents can decide how best to answer this question for their own child.

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Presenting Complex and Ambiguous Material
Occasionally some of this traditional Buddhist material may appear more complex, ambiguous and (in a couple instances) even bloodier or more violent than people are used to seeing presented to young children. We believe that such material, when offered in a healthy atmosphere by adults who provide a context and answer questions, is very important for the development of children. After all, our children exist in a world in which, despite our best efforts, they are often exposed to complex, ambiguous, bloody and violent concepts, imagery and even experiences. It only strengthens a religion when it acknowledges the difficult aspects of life and yet offers a worldview that contains an explanation for the state of the world, instructions to the individual about how to respond, and reason for hope and positivity.

For example, the story of the Buddha says that he left his wife and child to go pursue spiritual practice. We portray this delicately as a very difficult and painful choice the Buddha made before he was enlightened, and that later he returned to his family and shared what he had learned with them. We avoid making this departure sound heroic or something to be emulated, which could be troubling to children.

Another example is the imagery of the Buddhist hell realm. We explain that some people might believe hell literally exists, but we believe it is mostly metaphorical and we are concerned with people right here on earth who are living in “hell realms” because of their circumstances or states of mind. We do not judge or blame the denizens of “hell” but instead encourage the kids to notice how each of us spends time in little “hell realms” in our own lives, such as when we get angry. We emphasize the Buddhist message that anyone’s stay in a hellish realm is temporary and, in a sense, optional. The “way out” (in the case of hell it is forgiveness and acceptance of oneself and others) is available to everyone.

Fudo Myo-o, a bhdhisattva-like deity who stands amidst the flames of hell to help the beings there. His rope binds delusions and his sword cuts through them. Fudo is very popular with the grade school boys.

There is also something in children that becomes much more engaged in realistic stories that portray gritty or exciting conflict and resolution without too much sanitization. Kids perk up and pay attention to stories about the denizens of hell being boiled and stuck on spikes, or hungry ghosts who can’t drink because water turns to fire in their mouths (though not all of our images are so dramatic). There seems to be something in a child’s make-up that allows them to differentiate between real and make-believe; so far no kid in our dharma school program has had nightmares about ending up in hell and being boiled in a giant pot. Kids also tend to be more capable of processing serious material than we might expect. One example of this was when a pre-schooler recently attended our ceremony about the Buddha’s death. In this Nehan ceremony, we describe how the Buddha’s students and friends and all the animals gathered around to say goodbye, and how peaceful and accepting the Buddha was. A week or two later the subject of death came up in another context, and this pre-schooler told her mother confidently that, “It’s OK. You can be peaceful when you die.”

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