Dear Parents,

Welcome to the Online Dhamma School, where your children can embark on a digital journey of spiritual learning. In this guide, we’ll explore how you can actively support your child’s Dhamma education in the online class.

Guiding Your Child

1. Regular Check-ins: Stay involved by regularly discussing what your child learned in the virtual class. Encourage them to share their insights and any materials provided during the session.
2. Everyday Vandana: Foster a sense of continuity by helping your child practice evening Vandana using the resources provided in the class. This practice not only reinforces their learning but also creates a positive routine in everyday life.
3. Real-World Application: Capitalize on your time together to relate the Buddha’s teachings to real-life situations. As a constant presence in their lives, you have unique opportunities to illustrate how these profound lessons apply to their experiences.
4. Frequent Meditation Sessions: Set aside at least 5 minutes each day for a family meditation session. Utilize the online resources to guide your children through meditation, promoting mindfulness and emphasizing the importance of inner peace.

Supportive Tools

• Daily Chanting Book (Required): Ensure your child has access to the necessary chanting materials for a seamless learning experience.
• Folder for Handouts (Required): Help your child organize class materials for easy reference.

Key Features of Online Dhamma School

• Expert Guidance: Venerable Buddhist monks of Gothamachethiya Theravada Buddhist Association, Inc. lead the online classes.
• Interactive Learning: Engaging activities and discussions are tailored to your child’s learning experience.
• Virtual Community: Opportunities for children to connect with classmates, fostering a sense of camaraderie.

Syllabus Highlights

1. Learning Good Qualities Like Respecting Parents
2. Essential English Dhamma Vocabulary
3. Understanding Virtual Vandana, Pirit, and Puja Chanting
4. Sīla (Buddhist Ethics and Precepts)
5. Meditation (Breathing, Metta Bhavana, Buddhanussati)
6. Interactive Sessions on the Life of the Buddha
7. Exploring the Buddhist Philosophy
8. Celebrating Buddhist Holy Holidays
9. Exploring the Great Lives of Arahants.
10. Advanced Dhamma Topics (The Five Aggregates, The Six Faculties, Causality, etc.)
11. Access to Suttas and Organized Dhamma Resources
12. Exploration of the History of World Buddhism.

By actively participating in your child’s online Dhamma education, you contribute to their spiritual growth and ensure a meaningful and connected learning experience.

With Metta,

Rev. Ріӏіyаndаӏа Маһіndаvіјаyа Thero

When one possesses good virtue, known as sīla, they abstain from harmful actions and exclusively engage in virtuous deeds. The Supreme Buddha emphasized that sīla serves as the cornerstone for all wholesome qualities. Developing virtuous sīla lays the groundwork for the cultivation of other positive attributes such as samādhi (concentration) and paññā (wisdom).

For lay individuals, the Buddha prescribed the Five Precepts to be upheld daily throughout their lives. Recognizing the value of renunciation even for lay followers, he further encouraged the observance of the Eight Precepts.

The Significance of Sīla in Buddhist Practice

Three components of the Noble Eightfold Path fall under the umbrella of sīla: Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood.

In the Puññakiriyavatthu Sutta, the Buddha elucidated that sīla constitutes one of the three foundations for accumulating merit, alongside dāna (giving) and bhāvana (meditation).

According to the Abhisanda Sutta, the Buddha expounded on the significance of virtue as one of the streams of merit:

“Moreover, a noble disciple possesses virtue that is esteemed by the wise, unbroken, impeccable, untarnished, devoid of craving, liberated from erroneous views, commended by discerning individuals, and conducive to concentration. This represents the fourth stream of merit, a stream of wholesomeness that generates happiness.”

(Abhisanda Sutta, SN 55.31)

Sīla in the Dhammapada

The Buddha also employed similes to convey teachings on virtue in the Dhammapada:

• Similar to how the scent of flowers, sandalwood, jasmine, and rosebay does not go against the wind, the fragrance of a grateful person travels against the wind. The virtues of such an individual spread in all directions.
• Among all fragrances—sandalwood, rosebay, water lily, and jasmine—the fragrance of virtue is the sweetest.
• Though the scent of rosebay or sandalwood may be subtle, the fragrance of the virtuous is supreme, wafting even to heaven.
• The liberated ones are virtuous and diligently practice the Dhamma. Through the realization of the Noble Truths, they are freed from suffering, and Māra never discovers the path by which they attain liberation.

(Dhammapada, Puppha Vagga)

Verses of Arahant Sīlava

Arahant Sīlava, a distinguished disciple of the Supreme Buddha, expounded on the significance of virtue with the following verses:

• Diligently practice virtue on the path of the Buddha. In this world, well-practiced virtue brings all-encompassing success.
• A wise individual should embrace virtue, aspiring for three types of happiness: the praise of others, the acquisition of wealth, and the rejoicing in heavenly realms after death.
• Through a restrained life, a virtuous person gains many friends, while the unvirtuous one is estranged from companions due to evil deeds.
• The unvirtuous garner only a tarnished reputation and blame, whereas the virtuous consistently earn a good name, fame, and praise.
• Virtue stands as the foundation and bedrock for wholesome qualities. It is akin to a mother for all virtuous attributes, holding the foremost position among all commendable qualities. Thus, one should ensure the purity of their virtue.
• The mind, like the vast ocean, finds its shore in virtue. Virtue, the meritorious pier for all Buddhas, brings joy and restraint. Therefore, one should strive for the purity of their virtue.
• Virtue possesses unparalleled power, serving as the supreme weapon, the finest ornament, and a marvelous armor.
• Virtue acts as an incredibly potent bridge and an unsurpassed fragrance, spreading in all directions as the most delightful scent.
• Virtue emerges as the preeminent sustenance for the journey and the primary source of wealth for life’s expedition. It serves as the finest vehicle for traversing all directions.
• An unvirtuous person faces blame in this world and, after death, endures suffering in hell. Such a fool encounters misery everywhere due to the absence of virtue and a restless mind.
• A well-behaved individual attains fame in this world and, after death, experiences happiness in heavenly realms. The wise and energetic person finds joy everywhere through virtuous conduct and a perfectly tranquil mind.
• While virtue holds great importance on the path of Dhamma, wisdom is deemed the greatest. Through virtue and wisdom, one can achieve victory among humans and gods.

(Verses of Arahant Sīlava)

In our journey through life’s challenges, the Buddha’s teachings offer a timeless guide, urging practitioners to uphold and purify our virtue. The verses of Arahant Sīlava resonate with the enduring truth that virtuous conduct is not only a moral imperative but a source of genuine happiness and liberation. May the practice of Sīla illuminate the path for all beings, fostering a world enriched with compassion, understanding, and profound inner peace.

Discovering a low-stress job proves challenging, if not impossible, for many individuals. A more pragmatic approach involves addressing workplace stress with the wise strategies imparted by the Buddha.

Workplace Challenges:

1. Physical Discomfort
2. Conflicts
3. Disorganization
4. Multi-Tasking
5. Mental Stress and Overwhelm
6. Noise
7. Dealing with Difficult Co-Workers
   • Co-workers taking credit for your efforts
   • Making significant mistakes
   • Feeling overwhelmed with tasks
   • Discrepancy between job expectations and reality
   • Receiving a negative performance review

Solutions

1. Letting Go of Harmful Attachments:
   • Discard attachment to material possessions.
   • Perform duties altruistically rather than seeking praise.
   • Abandon the desire for external validation.
2. Understanding the Merit of Helping Others:
   • Recognize the positive karmic consequences of assisting others.
   • Shift focus from self-centered concerns to altruistic actions.
3. Awareness of Hindrances:
   • Recognize and address the five hindrances:
     • Sensual desire
     • Ill will
     • Sloth and drowsiness
     • Restlessness and anxiety
     • Doubts

The Nivarana Sutta (AN 9.64): This discourse guides practitioners in identifying and overcoming the hindrances that distract the mind. It emphasizes cultivating a confident and focused mindset.

“Monks, there are these five hindrances. Which five? Sensual desire as a hindrance, ill will as a hindrance, sloth & drowsiness as a hindrance, restlessness & anxiety as a hindrance, and doubts as a hindrance. These are the five hindrances.”

Awareness and Mindfulness

• Many individuals remain unaware that their happiness is diminished by the five hindrances.
• Lack of recognition leads to the unwitting development of hindrances, resulting in misplaced blame on external factors for experienced suffering.

Practice Asubha Meditation

• Addressing lustful thoughts by engaging in Asubha meditation.
• Cultivate mindfulness to discern distractions and maintain mental focus.

By incorporating these insights and practices into daily life, individuals can navigate workplace challenges with resilience and mindfulness, fostering a harmonious and stress-free professional environment.

The teachings of the Buddha emphasize the significance of ethics as the cornerstone for cultivating positive qualities in the mind. This article explores the Buddha’s guidance on ethical conduct through the Five Precepts, emphasizing their role in eliminating worry, fostering meditation, and contributing to the well-being of oneself and others.

The Five Basic Ethical Rules

The Buddha advocated five fundamental training rules for lay disciples, collectively known as the Five Precepts. These precepts, described as “five great gifts,” serve as a foundation for a mindful and ethical life:

• Abstaining from killing living beings.
• Abstaining from stealing.
• Abstaining from sexual misconduct.
• Abstaining from telling lies.
• Abstaining from using intoxicating drinks and drugs.

Buddhists are encouraged to recite these precepts daily, and they are often offered at the beginning of various activities or when visiting a monastery. The commitment to these precepts brings clarity of mind and aligns with the Buddha’s teachings on ethical living.

Breaking and Renewing Precepts

Breaking a precept is considered a part of the human experience. The Buddha emphasized the power of intention, asserting that even the determination to follow the precepts in the future contributes to mental development. Acknowledging a breach and recommitting to the precepts strengthens one’s resolve and commitment to ethical living.

Doubts about precepts can be clarified by seeking guidance from knowledgeable friends, ensuring confidence in adhering to ethical guidelines. The challenges of maintaining precepts are outweighed by the benefits, such as a tranquil mind during meditation and a sense of gratitude for avoiding negative consequences.

Addressing common questions about the precepts, it should be clarified that accidental actions do not break precepts, and breaking a precept should be met with reflection and a renewed commitment. Regretting past transgressions is deemed unproductive, with the focus shifting to present adherence to the precepts.

Eight Precepts and Additional Observances

In addition to the Five Precepts, the Buddha recommended lay disciples to observe the Eight Precepts on Uposata days, which typically occur four times a lunar month. These additional guidelines further amplify the commitment to ethical conduct and mindfulness, offering practitioners an opportunity for heightened spiritual practice and self-discipline.

Observing the Eight Precepts on Uposata days provides lay practitioners with a structured framework for intensifying their commitment to ethical living, mindfulness, and spiritual progress. It serves as a voluntary expression of devotion, a temporary renunciation of worldly indulgences, and an opportunity for self-purification.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Buddha’s teachings on ethics, encapsulated in the Five Precepts, offer a profound guide for cultivating a mindful and compassionate life. The adherence to these ethical principles brings immeasurable peace and comfort to oneself and others, reinforcing the Buddha’s characterization of them as “great gifts.” The Buddhist teaching encourages continuous reflection, commitment, and the pursuit of a mindful and ethical path for personal and collective well-being.