The Rumor: Getting Carried Away by Fear and Gossip

This lesson can be shared with very young children OR upper elementary/middle school students.  

I used the book The Rumor: A Jataka Tale from India by Jan Thornhill.  It's still in publication.  We checked it out of our local library.

There's lots of repetition and brightly colored illustrations which will instantly engage the very young child.  But don't let Jan Thornhill's beautiful and simple retelling of the story deceive you.  Here we have another Jataka Tale with an important lesson that can easily be overlooked as a story exclusively for little children.  

The heroin (or should we say hare-oin) of the story is a worrywort.  She allows her anxiety to take her away from reality without ever looking back.  Her fears quickly spread to other creatures until a stampede of thousands is running without anyone stopping to question her words.

In the end, it's a young and wise lion who settles things down by simply investigating what he hears.  

We took turns reading the story aloud before discussing the following questions:

What are some modern day examples of how we sometimes act like the hare?  

• We talked about rumors at school... making assumptions about people out of fear or ignorance... 
• The abuse of Muslims in Sri Lanka and Myanmar from Buddhists who have become so afraid of another religion overpowering theirs, that they voluntarily lay the teachings of the Buddha down to engage in acts of hate and violence... 
• We talked about Black Friday shoppers, so concerned about getting a bargain that they neglect manners and special time with their families....
• One kid was reminded of the people in New York freaking out when they tuned in late to the War of the World broadcast...

Why is it so dangerous to let our minds be consumed by fear?

• The kids mentioned that it can cause us to make assumptions that aren't true.  
• It can make us forget what's important.  
• It can make it hard for us to see reality.  
• It can endanger ourselves and others.

How can we turn off the anxious thoughts in our mind?

• We talked about meditation, especially focusing on our breath.  This brings us into the present moment rather than what might happen in the future.  Meditation helps us discipline our minds.
• I also reminded the kids about the Eight Fold Path that Buddha shared with us.  By staying on this path, we are less likely to let our imaginations and emotions carry us away.

In many Jataka Tales, the Buddha is one of the characters.  Who is the Buddha in this story?

How does he speak to them?  

How does this story mirror the Buddha's teachings for us?

• Of course, the Lion is the Buddha in this story.
• He calms the creatures, investigates, and brings them to reality.
• He corrects them kindly.  He is not harsh with the creatures.  His concern is their well-being and he speaks to them with compassion and understanding.
• The Buddha's teachings help us to see things as they really are.

It made me happy to hear one of my students mention that she is very fearful at night and planned to start trying to meditate before she goes to sleep from now on.

With younger children the message can be simplified to one thought:  Don't let your fears carry you away.  This story also lends itself well to a little play.  My youngest students love acting out stories.  Simple paper headbands with different animal ears are all that's needed.  Like all stories from the Buddha, as the children grow older this story will take on deeper meanings. 

May all beings be free from suffering by the power of the Triple Gem!

A Montessori Approach to Dharma Class

Our Sunday Dharma Class breaks for the summer.  I've been spending this free time on Sunday afternoons to prepare for our Fall classes.

One of the things I'm most excited about is creating a more Montessori based primary class.
"The Montessori Method of education emphasizes the importance of the child's learning environment.  "Montessori philosophy is ...a method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual - as members of a family, the world community and the Cosmos."
- International Montessori

In my experience with Montessori education, the children are taught mindfulness in their daily, practical life.  From the way they roll out a mat for their work to the way they methodically polish a brass candle snuffer, the children are encouraged to work carefully and mindfully, fully involved in the task they are performing.  Children are also observed individually and able to learn at their own pace.  I plan to bring more of this philosophy to my youngest students' Dharma class this year.   This is only an hour long class.  I'm not trying to incorporate all the sections of Montessori education here.  But I will be thinking more like a Montessori teacher when I consider the children's lessons and environment.  I want the place where they come to learn about the Buddha's life and teachings to be beautiful, inviting, and purposeful.    I'll be introducing some practical life lessons that can be used to practice mindfulness.  I'll be introducing more lessons for the children to choose from during their hour-long class.  I want the children to be able to learn and grow at a more individual pace.

I must share here that my inspiration for this Montessori Dharma Class came from the work of a dear friend named Catherine Maresca.  As the director of The Center for Children and Theology, Catherine has helped Christian Sunday School teachers across the country apply the Montessori Method to their catechist programs.  While working at a school that she co-founded, I was touched by the way the children's unique approach to spiritual matters was respected in their lessons.  Catechists presented lessons to the children about their faith in a way that acknowledged the child's intellectual, physical, and spiritual development.  I want to approach my Dharma students with the same respect.

I'll do my best to share some of the practical ways I'm preparing for the Fall lessons.

What are you doing to prepare?

"May all be free from suffering by the power of the Triple Gem"

Yasa & The First 60 Monks

This lesson was shared with children ages 5-8.
You can find a simple retelling of the story here.

Yasa was the son of a rich merchant.  Like Siddhartha, Yasa had plenty of material possessions.  Also like Siddhartha, Yasa was not satisfied by his life of luxury.  He felt he was missing something more important.  When he heard the Buddha explain the Four Noble Truths, Yasa felt as if he were awakened from a dream.  He decided to stay with the Buddha and follow his teachings.  54 of Yasa's friends decided to follow the Buddha as well.

Now the Buddha's followers numbered 60.  The Buddha sent his followers out to share his teachings.  His followers returned with even more people who wished to follow the Buddha.

Reflection
This is a good lesson for emphasizing that material goods and an easy life won't ultimately bring you peace and eternal happiness.  Ask the children to tell you about things they have and enjoy.  You'll get fun answers about toy cars, video games, ice-cream, etc.  It is important that the children understand that it is not wrong to like and enjoy these things.  Then ask how these things might disappoint them someday.  Maybe the toy will break.  The game system won't play newer games.  Too many sweets can give you a tummy ache.  Reflecting back to the lesson on Samsura, we can remind the children that all things eventually die or go to ruin.  So while it is nice to enjoy them, we have to try to not be so attached to these things that we become angry and sad when they are gone.

Keep it simple.
My fellow Sunday School teacher read this story from a book in The Buddhist Series: Life of Buddha.  You can find more information about these books in the Resource Section or by clicking here.

Use what you have.
The children colored pictures of Yasa pictures of the Buddha commissioning his followers to spread his teachings.  You can find simple coloring pages for these stories on pages 43 and 44 of buddha.nets book here.

This lesson was kept short and simple.  We followed it with the story of Yasa's Father.

May all be free from suffering by the power of the Triple Gem!