The Impact of Dhamma on Children's Mindfulness : หน้า 127/164

Suzanne Jeffrey fish would come to the road and Luang Pu would feed the fish and give them a blessing. That created good boon for the fish, the family, and Luang Por. When he grew up, then, the Dhamma had already been taught to him indirectly. The grandparents and the parents would apologize for incorrect thinking. But these days, the blessings are not the same. There is just TV, not Dhamma. But we have to take the responsibility for that. We support children wearing make-up, for example, or we support them going into the army. This is the wrong way to support them. Children grow up too fast, too soon. They go out just for the sake of entertainment, and from doing this, they have a wandering mind. They lose their good judgment when they follow the celebrities. They must learn to keep their mindfulness. The Eightfold Noble Path can be taught in Kindergarten. We can teach them etiquette, manners, and effort until mindfulness is achieved for them on that level. "A good person, then, practices the Eightfold path, and reaches out and around to everyone. The person becomes this way, because you (the teachers) teach them responsibility without prejudice or bias. And this is the only way to change society: Change yourself. You are responsible for your own actions. And you, as teachers, are given responsibility for your students. This is the job you take on as a teacher. We can only change society if [Diagram and text in circles] Religious or Spiritual Leaders (Above) Parents or Guardians (Front) Teachers (Right Side) Spouses, Partners, and Children (Back) SELF Friends and Colleagues, (Left Side) Employees (Below) Illustration #11 126