Raising Smart and Virtuous Children : หน้า 54/207

utilize the four requisites, how they work, and how they conduct their daily activities. Parents can instill wholesomeness, intelligence, and compassion towards others by teaching their children respect, discipline, and endurance, with regards to their use of the four requisites, their assignments, and their daily activities. The child will, in turn, develop good habits (the three characteristics). Raising a child to be smart Parents who want their children to be smart can cultivate wisdom by teaching them respect. Respect is a sign of one's appreciation towards the true virtue or benefit of a person or object. Wisdom is can be divided into worldly wisdom and Dhamma wisdom. Worldly wisdom is wisdom or knowledge acquired through education. It is required to make a living. However, without morality to curb one's knowledge, children may misuse it. For example, a pharmacist may produce and traffic heroin instead of conducting research for a new medication. Worldly wisdom must work together with Dhamma Wisdom. The Warm Hearted Family 106 Raising Children to Be Smart and Virtuous Dhamma wisdom is wisdom in deciding what is right or wrong, good or bad, merit or demerit, and appropriate or inappropriate. Children gain this knowledge from Buddhist teachings. In practice, parents must teach them to respect and listen to the elders' words of wisdom and life experiences, and learn about the ever-changing world and people. Dhamma wisdom comes from seven sources. When one respects these sources, one will gain wisdom: 1. Respect for the Lord Buddha. 2. Respect for the Dhamma. 3. Respect for the Sangha (monastic community). 4. Respect for Education. 5. Respect for Meditation. 6. Respect for Non-Recklessness. 7. Respect for Greetings. The more parents teach their children to see the virtues of these seven sources, the more Dhamma wisdom their children will gain. Children are very fortunate if they are born to parents who have studied Dhamma from the seven sources of wisdom and are prepared to pass down this wisdom to their children before they get married. Parents will have a sage as a child. Children will have parents who are capable of teaching them Dhamma wisdom. Future generations will be wholesome and bring prosperity to the family.