Mistakes to be avoided.

Mistakes to be avoided

(a) Don't ask children to believe blindly—Buddhism lays much stress on intelligence and wisdom. Therefore, teaching them to believe blindly in Buddhism is going against the true spirit of Buddhism. We know that children are in the age of belief, but even then, the Dharma teacher must know how to enlighten their belief and help them to look at things in a more intelligent way. 

(b) Don't cram Buddhism into the children—to cram is to heap lesson upon lesson upon the children, force them to learn by heart without giving them enough time to understand, so much so that the Dharma turns out to be an undigested food harmful to their tender minds. Buddhism differs from other religions and philosophies in that it respects individual investigation, lays, stress on freedom of thought and develops the power of intelligence and wisdom.

(c) Do not confine teaching only to speech, lay stress on the practical side—try to help children to prac-tise what we teach to them. With practice alone can children realise the true meaning of the Dharma. If we want to train children to become true Buddhists, we must help them practise in their daily life the cardinal virtues of Buddhism. 

Source : Buddhist Sunday School Lessons by The Venerable Sumangala