As Good Hindus

Parents Are the First Gurus in

Religion and Character Building

Many Hindu families visiting our Hawaii monastery, particularly those with young

children, ask if I have any advice for them. I usually respond with one or two general

suggestions. I always stress the importance of presenting Hinduism to their children in a

practical way so that it influences each child’s life for the better. Hindu practices should, for

example, help children get better grades in school and get along well with others. Of course,

there is not enough time in a short session to present all the many guidelines that a parent

would find useful. Therefore, I decided to write up a full complement of suggestions to be

handed to Hindu families in the future who want to know ways to present Hinduism to their

kids. You hold the results in your hands: the parent’s guidebook of minimum teachings to

convey to children. It is based on the teachings of my satguru, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami,

founder of Hinduism Today, distilled from insights he gained from over 40 years of closely

working with hundreds of families in a score of nations. This booklet presents a gridwork of

character-building designed to augment any tradition or denomination. The key is this: start

teaching early and don’t stop until your children leave the home. Even if you did nothing

more than what is outlined in these 16 pages, that would be enough to send them on their

way as good Hindus, well-equipped to live as happy, effective citizens of the modern world.

(by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami)

teach and practice

hinduism in your home

Take responsibility for being the primary

teachers of Hinduism to your children.

It is wonderful that many temples have in place educational programs

for the youth that are both effective and popular. However,

it is important for parents to have the attitude that these programs

supplement but do not replace the need for them to teach Hinduism

to their children in the home. Parents are indeed the first

guru. They teach in many different ways, such as by example, explanation,

and giving advice and direction. The child’s deepest

impressions come from what the parents do and say. Therefore,

if the parents follow a systematic approach to teaching the child

Hinduism as he or she grows up, Sanatana Dharma will be fully

integrated into his or her life, making it less likely to be sidelined

or abandoned in adult years.

Without your help, there is no guarantee that

your children will follow their faith as adults.

Look around at the younger generation of Hindus and you will find

many who have no interest whatsoever in practicing the Hindu

religion. One hundred years ago, before movies, television and

computers, in the cities and villages of India and Hindu communities

in other countries, the Hindu temple was the most interesting

place in town. Besides the festivals, there were dramas, dances and

musical concerts. The temple was a social and educational center

as well. In our modern world we do have movies, television and

computers, and many Hindu children would much rather spend

their free time enjoying them with their friends rather than being

at the temple. Why is this? There are many reasons. Families are

not so close and trusting. And it used to be far easier to get children

to come to the temple, since it was the center of village life.

Times are different, and today’s children often consider the temple

boring compared to the all-pervasive and

ever more compelling secular forms of entertainment

that are available. So, parents

are challenged more than ever to answer

kids’ puzzling queries—as grandparents did

not have to do—by giving sensible, pragmatic

explanations to temple worship and

Hinduism’s rich array of cultural and mystical

practices. Kids today want answers

that make sense to them. They are not at

all content with “That’s the way we have

always done it.” When parents are unable

to meet this challenge, Hinduism does not

become a meaningful and useful part of

their children’s lives. Many youth today do

not view the practice of their faith as important

to making their life happier, more

religious and more successful. This is the

challenge every Hindu parent faces. But

all is not lost. New generations are eager

to hear the lofty truths, and those truths

can be explained in ways that engage and

inspire young seekers, counterbalancing

the powerfully magnetic influences of the

modern world.

Establish a shrine in the home.

Hinduism is in no way more dynamically

strengthened in the lives of children and

the family than by establishing a shrine

in the home. The home shrine works best

when it is an entire room. That way it can

be strictly reserved for worship and meditation,

unsullied by worldly talk or other

activities. This is the ideal. However, when

that is not possible, it should at least be a

quiet corner of a room, and more than a

simple shelf or closet.

Naturally, as important as having a shrine is worshiping

there daily. In the shrine room offer fruit,

flowers or food. Visit your shrine when leaving

the home, and upon returning. Worship in heartfelt

devotion, clearing the inner channels to God

and the Gods, so their grace flows toward you and

loved ones. Make the shrine a refuge for all family

members, where they can find peace and solace,

where they can connect with the Gods and offer

their praise, prayers and practical needs. Train your

children to worship in the shrine before any important

event in life, such as a major exam at school, or

when faced with a personal challenge or problem.

Following this simple, traditional practice in a sacred

space within the home will do much to make

Hinduism relevant to them on a day-to-day basis.

Worship together in the home

shrine each morning.

A popular saying in English is “The family that

prays together stays together.” In Hinduism, ideally

this refers to all members of the family participating

in the morning worship in the home shrine

before breakfast. The children can be trained to

always bring an offering of a flower or at least a

leaf. The exact routine followed depends on the

family’s religious background and lineage. Typical

practices include a simple arati or a longer puja,

singing devotional songs, repeating a mantra, reading

scripture and then meditating or performing

simple sadhanas and yogas. As the children get

older, they can take on greater responsibilities during

the morning worship. A number of Hindus have

told us that what kept them a staunch, practicing

Hindu, despite exposure in their youth to other

religious traditions, at school and elsewhere, was

the fact that the entire family practiced Hinduism

together in the home.

Worship together as a family at a

local temple once a week.

Attending a puja at the temple every week allows us to experience

the blessings of God and the Gods on a regular basis. This helps

keep us pure as well as strong in our religious commitments. The religious

vibration of the home shrine is also strengthened by going to

the temple regularly. Specifically, some of the religious atmosphere

of the temple can be brought home with you if you simply light

an oil lamp in your shrine room when you return from the temple.

This sacred act brings devas who were at the temple right into the

home shrine room, where from the inner world they can bless all

family members and strengthen the religious force field of the home.

teach about the soul

and our purpose on earth

Teach that life’s purpose is spiritual advancement.

The Hindu view of life is that we are a divine being, a soul, who

experiences many lives on Earth, and that the purpose of our being

here is spiritual unfoldment. Over a period of many lives we

gradually become a more spiritual being and are thus able to experience

spiritual consciousness more deeply. This eventually leads

to a profound experience of God consciousness which brings to a

conclusion our pattern of reincarnation on Earth. This is called

moksha, liberation. A great lady saint of North India, Anandamayi

Ma, stated the goal of God Realization quite beautifully: “Man is a

human being only so much as he aspires to Self Realization. This is

what human birth is meant for. To realize the One is the supreme

duty of every human being.”

 


(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Hinduism Today  dot com  for the collection)



(The Blog  is reverently for all the seekers of truth, lovers of wisdom and   to sharethe Hindu Dharma with others on the spiritual path and also this is purely  a non-commercial)