Dear Parents, Harih Om!
The following was discussed in our Balavihar class on Mar 26, 2023:
1. We commenced our class with our opening prayers.
2. We did a recap of what we had covered and discussed in our previous Balavihar sessions:
(a) The ten values in life that one must follow and practice all the time – dhriti (fortitude); kshama (forgiveness); dama (control over organs of action/control over mind); asteya (non -stealing); sauca (purity); indriya nigraha (mastery over organs of perception); dhi (discrimination); vidya (knowledge); satya (truthfulness); and akrodha (absence of anger).
(b) Swadharma, Paradharma, and Paramdharma
3. We then talked about the importance of vaca (speech): No matter how upset or angry we are, one should speak sweetly, and not hurt anyone with our words. The quality of speech determines how ugly or beautiful the person behind it is. A person who speaks sweetly, with sincerity reflects the purity of his/her soul.
4. Facts of life: There are six stages in life: Jaayate (we are born), Asti (we live in the world), Vardhate (we grow), Viparnimate (body changes), Apaksheeyate (body decays) and Nashyati (we die). There are no rehearsals, no turning back in life. Life is a one-way street. Each moment in life is the real performance. So, it is important that we live each moment of this life fully, consciously, and righteously. Most of us are living life day to day, aimlessly without any goal. Just like the puzzle pieces in a box cannot be arranged without the picture in front of us, similarly we cannot achieve moksha unless we fix a goal, prepare, and follow the roadmap to go through the maze of life. For instance, if we are planning to drive to Dallas on a family vacation, we need to set up the GPS in our phone or car to the correct destination and address. If instead, we forget our phone/navigation system at home and we think we know the route and are enjoying the journey, a stage will come when we realize that the destination is nowhere in sight! Although, we may have put forth the effort/work to reach the destination, we realize that in time we do not have complete knowledge of the right path to reach our destination. If we break the various phases of our life into smaller segments, we can ask ourselves the following questions in order to figure out the goal of life and also create a roadmap to reach that goal: Do we know what we want in life, why do we want it? do we have a clear picture of where we want to be one year, five years from now? Are we going in that direction? So, before we map out our destination, we must turn to our scriptures and learn that there are three cardinal principles upon which Hindu dharma is based. They are Brahmacharya, Ahimsa and Satyam.
5. We then discussed the three cornerstones upon which the foundation of Hinduism is built – Satyam, Ahimsa, and Brahmacharya.
(i) Satyam: All of us have three instruments: Body, Mind and Intellect. Out of these three only the Intellect is capable of discerning what is right and what is wrong. If we do not have a strong mind, then we compromise on these values and lead a dual life and one of dishonesty. Once we identify an ideal, we must live up to that ideal despite all challenges that may come our way. When we observe the life of highly successful people one of the important traits that seems to be common in them is integrity. A person of integrity is strong, resilient, and ready to face all challenges life throws at him/her. Integrity is a desirable asset for any person in any field. Our values determine our thoughts which in turn determine our actions. A person of integrity will have power over his habits and happenings. To reinforce this concept, we asked the children several questions/situations they would encounter in everyday life. The responses were discussed and debated.
(ii) Brahmacharya is for the body: If we consider an athlete training for the Olympics, that person must go through a strict regimen prescribed by his/her coach: healthy diet, adequate sleep, etc. It is understood by the athlete that any excesses lead to a weak body and hence a weak mind. And these excesses will prevent the athlete from having the absolute focus and concentration required for the level of excellence demanded in an Olympic sport. Brahmacharya is achieved by controlling our sense organs. When we live in such a way that we are continually seeking gratification of sense organs, these demands will eventually consume us! This however does not mean that we should not enjoy what the world has to offer. We should enjoy what the world has to offer, but with restraint!
(iii) Ahimsa is not to cause injury or hurt someone even in our mind. Our scriptures teach us not to even think of hurting anyone on a mental level because we believe in the eternal value of life. This means that we should not curse anybody, never wish/ harm on anyone or have ill feelings towards anybody. Golden rule is – do unto others, as you want done unto you.
5. Yaksha Prasnas:
(a) What is ego? – Ignorance is ego. Ego is result of ignorance of Self (our own Divinity).
(b) What is pretence (dambha)? – To show off oneself as a greater being, like a donkey pretending to be a lion with lion's skin – as soon as it opens its mouth – the secret will be out!
(c) What is divine (daivam)? – Result of danam is daivam. If we give wholeheartedly, it will come back to benefit us only! Of course, when we give we should not have arrogance that we are 'giving' – but need to do it as a blessing of God.
(d) What is cruelty (paisunyam)? – To point a finger (blaming) others for our problems is cruelty.
We reminded the children of our grade's performance on April 23rd and asked that they practice and memorize their dialogues at home.
Thank you!
Inchara, Rekha, and Mekhala (Grade 8 Sunday AM Balavihar teachers)
