Children Dharma Class – Sharing Joy and Wisdom amid the Pandemic
Due to Covid-19 Alert Level 4 movement restrictions, FGS NZ YAD organised an online children dharma class on 22nd of August. This class was aimed to pass on some basic Buddhism teachings and the values of 3 Goodness & 4 Givings to the children. Although the switch of learning mode was abrupt, 16 kids aged between 5 and 11 attended the class joyfully. The students felt happy to be able to engage and interact with fellow friends during the class.
The class was led by Manisha, Jane, Thomas and Carol, while Edwin was helping out with technical support. The class started with the chanting of Xi Fa Pu Ti Xin（悉发菩提心）, which is a regular activity done in every children dharma class since the beginning of this year to implant Bodhi seeds and faith in these young children. The class was then carried on by Thomas by listening to Bodhi Light Tales 23: The Fruit Portrait by Venerable Miao Guang. The podcast emphasised on the importance of putting own self into others’ shoes, which would help in subsiding anger. This lesson is undoubtedly important to young children as this can train them to empathise others. By utilising online interactive tools such as Kahoot!, the children felt excited and engaged, which helped them to understand Buddhism values in a fun way. “John seems really happy with the class.” Wendy, a parent, explained.
Next, using the breakout rooms function on Zoom, Jane, Carol and Manisha shared some interesting Youtube Videos regarding leaderships, climate change and volunteering to the children. The session was then wrapped up by asking the participants some prompting questions, which stimulated their sharing with other children.
Children dharma class is an important platform for both children and teachers, as it not only instils positive values in children, but also helping youths to grow by shouldering more responsibilities and leading by example. “This was my first time joining the children dharma class, it was very interesting to interact with the kids. I think that it is a good chance for me to develop my speaking skills,” Carol shared. On the other side, Manisha felt pleased to be able to see the enthusiasm and the curiosity of the children in participating in the online classes. “Being able to switch to online mode in just a matter of days is a test to our teachers’ resilience, but volunteering in the temple has definitely taught us the skills to react to these changes quickly. We are grateful to the temple for providing such a good learning opportunity to us,” Thomas added.