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Dharma Talk August 1996
The Dharma talk for children at Upper Hamlet allows the children to rest and lie down if the story is too long, demonstrating respect for the Dharma. Siddhartha raised the question about the reasoning that a flying bird belongs to no one, but when it is shot down, it belongs to the shooter. He felt that something was wrong, and anger arose in him, but the seed of ahimsa (nonviolence) prevailed, helping him not to strike Devadatta, to breathe calmly and to find a clear reasoning: only those who love each other have the right to be together; enemies cannot live together.
To nourish the seed of nonviolence and to transform anger, children in Plum Village practice the following methods:
- mindful breathing
- walking meditation
- sitting meditation
- smiling
-
hugging a tree
These exercises help the children find peace in each breath and transform negative energy into energy of compassion. Parents and teachers have the responsibility to teach their children to ask, “Mom, when you are angry, what do you do so you do not suffer?” in order to awaken the awareness of transforming anger with mindfulness.
The Five Precepts are not harsh commandments, but are The Five Mindfulness Trainings—“trainings” to transform ourselves day by day, from 1% and gradually increasing. Keeping the precepts is voluntary, not out of fear of punishment, and is a peace treaty with all beings. When a practitioner places the energy of compassion in their heart, they are on the same frequency as the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas, protecting their own body and mind and those of others.