Instilling a Love of Meditation in Our Children : หน้า 146/207

Yet there are a number of parents who believe that children should be left free to think and that training them to meditate when they are two or three years old is too restrictive. In this regard, there is an explanation by a senior monk on what effect meditation has on young children: "First of all, let me ask you this; is there anybody in this world who does not want to be a good person? No, there is none. Even a robber wants to be good, but unfortunately, he thinks that robbing is a good thing. A person has to comprehend the difference between what is good and what is bad. Without this notion, society will be in chaos. "All parents want their children to grow up to be good people, but leaving them to their own devices, hoping that they will naturally grow up to be good, is not the right way. Parents will have to set good examples while teaching them, for instance, using polite speech, showing humility, and training them to bow at the feet of their parents and grandparents. "Initially the children may not understand the reasons they have to be respectful, but at least they are being shown good manners. And when they are old enough to understand, we should explain to them why they should be respectful to parents, grandparents, and teachers. If we do not teach them to bow at their parents' feet while they are young, they will most likely not do it when they are older. They may know that it is a good thing to do, but they will be too embarrassed to do it. Some adults who have never been taught to bow at their parents' feet will feel very uncomfortable to do it, and even the parents are too embarrassed to be bowed to, just because they are not used to it. "Bowing is a sign of respect, which means that we are aware of the goodness of the persons we bow to. And it has to be deep respect, so much so that we just cannot stay idle without showing our respect for those persons. Recognizing the goodness of those persons, the next thing to do is to observe and imitate them. "If we have never been trained to bow since we are young, we will grow up with large egos. Some snobbish people can't even recognize virtue in others. "These days we can see that lots of people possess this negative attitude, always searching for defects in other people, the students at the teachers, and vice versa, the supervisors at the subordinates, and colleagues amongst each other. The sense of community and harmony deteriorates. The only way to reverse this trend is to teach respect and to see virtues in others. "Therefore, if we want our children to grow up to be good citizens, the process should start very early. As soon as they learn to talk, they should be taught to say only nice words. Bring them to the temple, and let them learn to meditate by The Warm Hearted Family 290 Instilling a Love of Meditation in Our Children The Warm Hearted Family 291 Instilling a Love of Meditation in Our Children