Help Your Children Succeed

Dear Parents,

The greatest gift you can give to your children is the gift of Dhamma. As we prepare our children for life in an ever-more connected global world, it is important that we connect them with their greatest inheritance as Sri Lankans: the liberating teachings of Gautama Buddha.

How parents can help their children succeed

  • Always review with children what was discussed in class and any handouts they might have been given. This is especially important to make sure that they didn’t misunderstand anything that was taught.
  • Train your children to do evening vandana in Pali, Sinhala, and English (book provided at no charge). This is a really go habit for them to be in and it’s a good way to practice your Buddhist faith as a family.
  • Help your children to apply the teachings they learn in their daily life. You are the ones who are with them all the time. This means that you have the most opportunities to point out how the Supreme Buddha’s teachings relate to their lives.
  • Meditate with them at least 5 minutes a day

Tools to Succeed

We ask that you purchase the following to support your children

Features of Mahamevnawa Dhamma School

  • All teaching is done by Venerable Buddhist monks
  • Children learn to chant traditional parittas in both Pali and English so they understand the meaning as they recite
  • There is time for children to make friends with each other
  • Lively discussions of topics that impact your children’s lives
  • Authentic Buddhist scriptures are taught in a way children can understand

Syllabus

  • Gratitude to parents
  • Important English Dhamma vocabulary such as contentment, renunciation, rebirth, detachment, gratitude, etc
  • Meaning of vandana, pirit, and puja chanting
  • Sīla, Buddhist Ethics and precepts
  • Meditation, including breathing, metta Bhavana, and Buddhanussati among others
  • Life of the Buddha
  • Specific understanding of how suffering arises in life and solutions to overcome
  • Real meaning of Buddhist holidays
  • Lives of the great disciples
  • Advanced topics such as pancupadanakhanda, ayatana, paticcassamupada, dhatu, etc. in age appropriate fashion
  • Books of Sutta Pitaka and organization
  • History of Buddhism in Sri Lanka

Index

9 Buddha Qualities, abandon suffering, aggregates~khanda, alcohol, anger, animal world, anuttaropurisadammasarati quality, araham quality, Aṅgulimāla Arahant, bad association, bhagava quality, buddhanussati meditation, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist etiquette, chanting, Chattamanavaka Gatha, compassion, confidence~saddhā, courage, craving, Culla Kammavibhanga Sutta, death, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, dharma classes near me, Enlightenment, evil deeds, first noble truth, Four Noble Truths, friendship, ghost world, giving~dāna, good actions, gratitude, greed, guided meditation, heaven, ignorance, impermanence~anicca, jataka, jealousy, karma, Katina, Katina Clothing, kids dhamma school, killing, life of Buddha, Life of Buddha with English Subtitles, Load Buddha, lokavidu quality, losing loved ones, loving-kindness~mettā, lying, Maha Satipatthana Sutta, Mangala Sutta, marks of a great man, meditation, merit~puññā, Mihintale, mindfulness~sati, Mora Paritta, Mundane Right View, nibbāna, Noble Eightfold Path, noble truth of suffering, non-attachment, Offering Katina Robes, online dhamma school, ordination, origin of suffering, parents, paritta, patience, pilgrimage, practice, precepts, psychic powers, pujas, Pāli, rains retreat, Rainy season, rare human birth, Ratana Sutta, respect, right speech, right view, sacred places, Sakka God, sammasambuddho quality, samsara, Sangha, Second Noble Truth, sexual misconduct, similes, Sri Lanka, Story of Buddha, stress, Suprime Buddha, Sāriputta Arahant, Taking advice, Third Noble Truth, Triple Gems, uposatha, Vas Season, Venerable Maha Moggalana, Vesak, vijjacaranasampanno quality, virtue~sīla, wisdom, Work, worldly conditions, wrong view