How the Buddha taught me.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.
Today, almost all Buddhists know that Prince Siddhartha, later Buddha, left his home to find a way to liberate into the very day of La La - the son [ His only one - born. Many people find it difficult to understand, even indignant, before an action that seems "irresponsible" like that. However, few people know that after attaining the Righteous Enlightenment, the Buddha became the main teacher of his son for most of his teenage boy's life, since Rahula was seven years old, and He was a very responsible father: La La La achieved full enlightenment when he was only 20 years old. So, ask yourself, how is Buddha a father? How is his teaching method? How does an enlightened person impart his spiritual values to his children?
The sutras do not mention much about the father-son relationship between Buddha and Rahula, but there are some interesting signs of how the Buddha led his son on the road somewhere. mature. Although before these scriptures there were stories about how La La La had become a disciple of the Buddha, most of these details were in three dharma exercises if we put them together. , it is a continuous process of the path to enlightenment: when Rahula was seven years old, the Buddha taught me about morality; At the age of 10 years old La La La, the Buddha taught me to meditate; and at the age of 20, he taught the wisdom of liberation. The process of maturation of Rahula, therefore, goes hand in hand with the Buddha's enlightenment process.
When my son was seven years old, I began to reflect on how to lead it and its younger brother on the spiritual path. At the very least, I want them to learn and practice Buddhism enough so that later on they can return to those potentials if they like or need them. I also think that if my children can rely on Dharma, then later, wherever they are, they can return to that home. Especially, because for me, the greatest fortune I have gained through practicing Dharma is peace, relaxation and compassion, I wonder how I can transmit spiritual fortune That is for the next generation. Knowing that La La La began to be taught by Buddha at the age of seven, I searched the Pali texts to learn the methods that the Buddha used to teach His children.
I found a way to leave a "spiritual fortune" through the beautiful stories of the scriptures about how La La La was studying with her father. Six years after the Buddha left the family, and a year after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha returned to the capital. La La La, then seven years old, according to her mother's instructions, ran to her father to claim inheritance. If old Prince Siddhartha did not leave the citadel, then La La La was now given the throne. But as a person who has let go of everything, lived ascetic life, what can the Buddha give to his child? In response to Rahula, the Buddha turned to tell him the Sariputta, a trusted disciple of the Buddha: "Take it." [So], instead of being king, Rahula inherited his father's path - the path to liberation.
Perhaps it was a long time for my son to shave his head and put on his robes, but I still wanted my child to be exposed to the basics of the Buddha-dharma, which deeply transformed my life. When I read the scriptures on how the Buddha taught La La La, I was surprised to realize that these things were not only new but also very suitable for teaching children in this United States, in this modern day. In fact, these teachings have become my guide in teaching children.
Morality
The first story tells how La La La was taught by the Buddha about integrity. At the age of eight, La La La once told a lie. The Discourse on La La La (The Central Bible, 61) tells that after the meditation is finished, the Buddha came to find him. La Hau La took a chair and invited him to sit, then brought a brass of water for his father to wash his feet, according to the customs of the time. After washing his feet, the Buddha asked:
"Hey, La Hau La, do you see any water left in this brass?"
"Yes, I did see" - La La La said.
"A cultivator's life is only worth a little bit of this country, if that person deliberately lies."
I imagine La La La blushed.
After that, the Buddha poured out all the water in the brass and said, "The life of a practitioner is worth throwing away like this if the person deliberately lies."
Finished, the Buddha turned the brass face down and said, "The life of a practitioner will turn upside down like this if the person deliberately lies."
And, to further emphasize, the Buddha turned the brass back on and said: "The life of a practitioner also becomes empty like this brass if that person deliberately lies."
He then taught him: "For a person who deliberately lies, there is no evil sin that he cannot do. So, La La La, please practice never to lie, even if it's a joke. ”
The story above reminds me that the words of yelling at children are actually only powerful without internal force. The Buddha was very calm, choosing the right time to teach his children without punishing or getting angry with him.
After a short, rigorous, clear lecture on that lie, I imagined Rahula listened to his father better. After that, the Buddha instructed me how to consider all my actions.
"What is the mirror used for?" - He asked.
"Bach Duc The Ton, the mirror used to illuminate" - La La La replied. The Buddha taught:
“While preparing to do something with body, speech, and mind, I must reflect: does this act harm me or others. If, after consideration, you find that the action will be harmful, then don't do it. If you see that the action is beneficial for you and for others, then do it. ”
I suddenly realized that instead of teaching my children to recognize the absolute difference between right and wrong, the Buddha taught me to meditate on benefits and harms. This requires both self-awareness and compassion. Laying the foundation of morality based on "good" or "harmful" helps to liberate our moral life from abstract concepts and concepts that have nothing to do with the consequences of what we do. "Good" and "harmful" also help people identify their goals. What we do will become either paradoxical, or predestined on the way we go.
The Buddha's method of teaching makes me more and more confident that we need to sow in the hearts of children the seeds of compassion, the seeds of consciousness that each of its actions will affect others like. The power of contemplation and compassion will not be possible if the child only obeys the words of the adults: "Be aware, and be compassionate!" through the mirror of another person, especially the child's parents.
The Buddha also taught Rahula to consider after doing something, does it harm anything. If so, you must go to a person with wisdom and penance to avoid repeating mistakes in the future. I have learned how to guide children to develop integrity by recognizing their mistakes. And that kind of integrity depends very much on how parents judge their child's mistakes. The behavior of parents greatly influences the moral development of children: if parents show their children that he can trust him, he wants to help his child grow more than he punish me, children will become more honest with their parents.
Meditation
The second story is about how the Buddha taught meditation to Rahula, in order to develop the foundation of inner content (Central Business, 62). At that time, La La La was 10 years old. The story begins when father and son are walking meditation. While walking, Rahula suddenly felt proud of her beauty, and the Buddha read that thought. He said to me: "Looking with the eyes of insight, this body is not me, not mine, not my self." Then the Buddha preached. continued: we must remove all thoughts, actions, consciousness as well as any ideas about me, mine, and my self. Hearing these teachings, Rahula felt ashamed, retreated to the monastery, and had no need to eat and drink that day. I think this is the basic teaching for children. I could not imagine myself at 10 years old to understand the Buddha's teachings like that. I remember, very clearly, that at that age, my mind was only completely concerned with my appearance. I have often heard that this is very important for their development process of "me" and the process of finding myself. Should I blame a 14-year-old brother for such fleeting ideas? Did Buddha intervene in the normal development process of children, rather than letting them explore themselves? Without an understanding of the "me", how can a teenager grow into an adult with a balanced mentality? The answer lies in what the Buddha taught his son in the following paragraph. That evening, after being rebuked by the Buddha, Rahula asked his father to teach me the method of breathing meditation. Firstly, The Buddha used the example to illustrate how to let go during meditation. He taught:
"You have to meditate like a land: the soil doesn't feel bothered by anything falling on it. So, if you practice meditation like the earth, you will not feel happy or unhappy about anything. Practice meditation like water, like fire, like the wind, and like space: all don't feel bothered by happy or unhappy feelings. Practicing like water, like fire, like the wind, like space, your mind will no longer be entangled. "
Then, before teaching La La La to meditate on breathing, the Buddha taught me about mindfulness as an antidote to elimination of evil, of compassion to overcome the cruelty, of the mind to tame dissatisfaction, and about mind discharge to prevent insecurity and hate.
After that, he began to teach me how to meditate on breathing through 16 stages. These periods are divided into 3 parts: a) mind and body; b) concentration to recognize body and mind and develop wisdom; and c) let go. Finally, the Buddha left a bold imprint on his teachings with Rahula by emphasizing that through his conscious practice of each breath, we will be able to recognize the last breath I am at the moment of near death in a completely calm manner.
When I read about how the Buddha taught my breath to recognize my body and mind, I realized that it was also a method to build a solid concept of "me". I think to myself, do young people in this day and age accept their "I" and have many ideas to distinguish themselves from others, because they do not feel comfortable with themselves? and with others? And I believe that that handicap and distinction will be no more if you feel happy with yourself and comfortable with others.
When teaching meditation to young people, I found that their meditation skills were frustrating at about 13-14 years old. There are many children who can meditate very deeply, although they cannot maintain this state for long. I know many young people use meditation to stabilize their mind and find peace of mind among the challenges of adolescence.
However, breathing meditation is not only beneficial for teenagers, but it is also a lifelong journey. The Buddha ended his sermon by showing La La La how the practice of contemplating breathing breathes to the last moment of his life.
Wisdom
In the third and final sermon, the Buddha instructed Rahula to answer a series of questions about liberating wisdom (Central, 147). Rahula offered his whole childhood to the path of enlightenment; in a sutra, he is considered an exemplary and expert monk. When Rahula was 20 years old, the Buddha knew that his son was near the shore of liberation. He did a very moving task: He walked with me into the forest. Sitting at the base of an old giant tree, he guided La La La to a very thorough discussion of non-self theory. For a person who has reached a high level of practice like Rahula, the thoughts deep in the subconscious of the self are the final obstacle to liberation. Sitting listening to the Buddha's teaching, La La La has attained the selfless nature of all things, and that is the last step to help La La reach full liberation. Buddha's non-selfless doctrine may be difficult to understand. It is very easy to recognize that it is an abstract philosophy, but it is in fact very practical teachings on how to find happiness by letting go of it all. For me, the Buddha's teaching of the selflessness in deep forests is essential. I feel like I have a different view when I'm in the middle of a natural landscape compared to when I'm in the middle of town. I realize that the feeling of peace and relaxation that nature brings makes it easier for me to escape the notion of self. Contemplating about letting go while reading a book about Buddhism when sitting in the house is very different when I sit under a tree. While reading this third sermon, I contemplate the importance of knowing myself (self-knowledge) in the natural landscape. In the old days, when La La La was seven years old, when he asked his inherited father, he could not imagine that 13 years later, he had inherited the most precious fortune a parent had can leave for your children. In Buddhism, enlightenment is the greatest happiness. I wish my children would find peace, relaxation, and peace on the path to liberation. And perhaps, on the path to becoming an adult, they will also be taught morality, meditation, and wisdom [like La La La]. He inherited the most precious fortune a parent can leave for his children. In Buddhism, enlightenment is the greatest happiness. I wish my children would find peace, relaxation, and peace on the path to liberation. And perhaps, on the path to becoming an adult, they will also be taught morality, meditation, and wisdom [like La La La]. He inherited the most precious fortune a parent can leave for his children. In Buddhism, enlightenment is the greatest happiness. I wish my children would find peace, relaxation, and peace on the path to liberation. And perhaps, on the path to becoming an adult, they will also be taught morality, meditation, and wisdom [like La La La].END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.4/3/2019.
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