Go to the temple to learn charity

(Baonghean) -Every Saturday evening, students from Nam Thanh, Nam Nghia, Van Dien communes... regularly go to Vien Quang pagoda (Nam Thanh commune, Nam Dan district) to attend classes organized by the pagoda. Here, they learn some content about Buddhism, Zen, martial arts...

From around 7pm, on all the roads leading to Vien Quang Pagoda, we could hear the voices of children calling out names and greeting each other. All the children were happy and excited. Those who lived near the pagoda walked together, those who lived further away rode bicycles.

Many children were led by their grandparents, parents or older siblings. They were laughing and talking loudly on the street, but when they entered the temple gate, they were very gentle and walked in an orderly manner. The small path leading to the meditation hall seemed longer because of the small figures leading bicycles one after another up the hill. As soon as the bicycles reached the large open space, the children were already waiting for the “leaders” (older brothers and sisters, volunteers of the class), who wrote their tickets and arranged their bicycles in neat rows. Before entering the meditation hall, each pair of sandals was arranged in a straight, neat row. The younger children were given priority to sit first by the older brothers and sisters.

Children in meditation class at Vien Quang Pagoda (Nam Dan).

Today, Vo Van Dai (a second grader at Nam Thanh Primary School) rode his bike to class by himself. When a stranger asked, Dai politely replied: “I heard from my friends that studying here is very enjoyable, so I asked my parents to go. Studying here is also very fun, uncle. There are many things I haven’t learned at school. Here, there are many friends and the teachers tell very meaningful stories.” Dai said that on the evenings when he doesn’t go to the temple to study, he often goes to the village cultural house to play with his friends or stays home to watch TV and then goes to bed.

Ms. Dinh Thi Tam (Nam Thanh commune) also took her 4th grade son, Le Van Cuong, to school today. She said: “Before, I often went to the pagoda to meditate and pray. Since the pagoda opened the class, I found the lessons very useful for the children's age, so I asked for my son to join the class and saw many changes and progress in him. My son now knows how to help his parents with housework more, and does not talk nonsense to adults like before. In general, he is much more obedient.” Not only Ms. Tam, in front of the meditation hall of Vien Quang pagoda, there were quite a few parents of students bringing their children to school. Their faces were radiant as they watched their children playing happily with friends before class.

At exactly 7:30, when the big bell had just stopped ringing, the children immediately adjusted their clothes and lined up in a straight line. As usual, they bowed to Buddha in front of the meditation hall and then performed a 20-minute meditation. Looking at the children sitting quietly in the silent meditation hall, many adults were surprised. The normally active and mischievous children were becoming obedient under the dedicated guidance of the monks and "brothers". Every breath, every look was guided very carefully. For the children who had just entered the class, it was difficult to guide them to sit in the correct posture, but after a few minutes of "introducing" the children were able to absorb...

The class was really fun when it came to singing and listening to monk Thich Khai Dao teach moral lessons. Nearly 200 students sat cross-legged, engrossed in listening to stories about wise men who respected their teachers, examples of filial piety to their parents, overcoming difficulties to study well... Each lesson was interwoven with unexpected situations of the "teacher" and the very innocent and intelligent answers of the "students" made the atmosphere more and more exciting.

Every now and then, bursts of laughter would erupt after the monk’s witty and cheerful remarks. In the skills lesson, the monk guided the children through simple memory training methods, and the children were also given the opportunity to express their opinions and share with their friends their own study methods to get good grades. All the children were enthusiastic and absorbed, forgetting about time.

We understand that Vien Quang Pagoda is currently conducting summer classes for children according to a fixed schedule for each session: studying Buddhist teachings, meditation, practicing qigong, and lessons on skills and ethics.

Meditation helps students calm down so they can better focus on the next lesson. Simple qigong exercises help students get good physical support. Skills and ethics lessons will be taught in between or separately depending on each lesson.

In each lesson, the temple guides the children to learn naturally, have a comfortable mentality, and develop their creativity. Monk Thich Khai Dao said that guiding the children to study in a solemn Buddhist place will help the children to be exposed to Buddhist teachings, so that they can feel the serenity in the midst of a bustling life, and help them have a pure soul towards goodness.

Trong Hung