06/10/2025
Goenkaji on Children's Courses
Q: You have started giving training
in Anapana in some schools. How
will this training benefit children?
A: Actually, the entire teaching has only
one purpose: One should live peacefully
and harmoniously in accordance with the law of nature—not harming oneself or others. Now this art of living is difficult to learn in old age, so the training should start at a young age. In schools, children should learn the art of living a healthy life. Their entire life is ahead of them.
You start by teaching them how to
control their minds. Along with this
awareness of respiration it is explained
that you have to live a moral life, so they
understand, “I must not kill, I must not
steal, etc. But how can I abstain from
that? I must have control over my mind.
And look, this helps.” The object that is
given is universal so a student from any
caste, any community, any religion can
work on this.
You also tell them that they can develop
in this awareness of respiration and then
they will live a good life. At further stages they can purify their minds to such an extent that they will live a perfect life, so there is a goal. In school for example, when they learn the alphabet, the goal is that they will become very learned people later on. Now they have started with this base of sīla and respiration.
Q: Do you think that by this training
children can become good citizens?
A: What is a good citizen? A good citizen is one who does not harm himself or herself and also does not harm other
members of society. The whole teaching
shows how to live a life of morality. If
children start learning this in childhood,
when they become adults, they will
naturally live healthy, good lives. This is
how they will become good citizens.
(Source: https://www.vridhamma.org/
Questions-on-Anapana-Meditation)
———
Dhamma Phala is pleased to offer the
first Anapana Meditation Course for
Children in the country! If you have any
children, nephews or nieces, or grandkids aged 8-12 who are interested in attending on November 15, 2025 in Quezon City, please apply online at:
https://www.dhamma.org/en/schedules/schphala.
Old students (OS) with or without kids are also welcome to apply to serve on the Children's Course using the same link.
For more information on Children's
Courses, please check out: www.children.dhamma.org.
Email
children-courses@phala.dhamma.org if
you’re interested to:
- Join the Children/Teen’s Course
Committee
- Purchase art materials such as crayons, colored pencils, art paper, etc.
- Donate toys for various games/
activities such as soccer, volleyball,
frisbee, etc.
- Help find a suitable venue for the
Teen’s course
- Or, if you simply have any questions :-)
