How to Teach Your Children About Buddhism

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Padma_S]Padma S

Teaching children about religion and spirituality can be a difficult task for many reasons. There are plenty of Christian children's books on the market, but finding anything else is very difficult. Also, many subjects are often difficult or confusing for children to understand. I admit it, I am no teacher and I faced this issue when I wanted to share my Zen Buddhist beliefs with my children in a manner that opened their minds rather than closed them. In the end, I was able to find some fantastic resources that not only helped my children understand things like birth and death, but also taught them great lessons on compassion, empathy, and spirituality.

The beginning of my problem originated when my children started asking me tough questions about life, death, and suffering. I had answers prepared, but honestly when I went to use them they just didn't sound right. There were so many lessons and ideas that I'd been taught and wanted to share with my children, but I just couldn't seem to find the right way to do it. Then I realized that maybe I could find some Buddhist children's books that might slowly introduce these thoughts to them without getting overcomplicated.

The first route I tried was the local bookstore, which didn't pan out. I went home and started using Google to find Buddhist children's books, but really didn't find anything specifically tailored for children. Eventually, I used Amazon and after some hard searching found exactly what I needed.

There are some fantastic books, if you search hard enough, that teach kids about Buddhist topics such as meditation, compassion, love, respect, and even death/rebirth. I had no idea that there were such simple ways to share these invaluable lessons with children. I wasn't raised as a Buddhist, so everything I learned about it was as an adult. I had no idea how to approach a child. These books turned out to be a lifesaver.

I realized at that point that there are probably thousands of parents out there facing a similar problem and I wondered if there would be any way to compile a list online for parents to find and use. Sure enough, it is possible and if it weren't for me facing this problem I never would have found the solution. I hope you find what you are looking for as well.

For a free Buddhist Book for children, visit the [http://www.buddhistchildrensbooks.com/free-chidrens-ebook/]Buddhist Children's Books Website.

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The Human Consciousness

Sometimes I wonder who it is I really am and where I belong. I know that I am not the only one out there who feels the same. I feel a little envious when I read about people who go on fantastic spiritual pilgrimages through Japan or India. It reminds me that I feel something else I was meant to do, like I am not yet whole. In order to make up a whole human one must break down the human self into three distinct parts, called the three selves. The three selves are stacked on top of one another to create the whole, similar to the chakra energy system. Each level governs the emotions, body and mind of the human being, and each human being in turn governs the environment that it lives in.

The Three Selves are broken down into the body or basic self, the mind or conscious self, and emotions which can be considered the higher spiritual self. Dan Millman is the author of multiple books on this subject, including The way of the peaceful warrior and Everyday Enlightenment. Mr. Millman has been a huge inspiration to me and many other people who feel lost in their bodies.

In his teachings Mr. Millman describes the basic self as your subconscious where instincts and intuition take over. This is the level where your fight or flight reflexes live and where you store your will to survive. A good way to think of your basic self is as your "inner child". If you have ever spent anytime observing a young child you will know that they live in the moment. Their priorities are very different form an adults. Kids are very in tune with the physical needs of their body. Even thought you could go through life without being in touch the basic self, you would not be able to grow and you might become stuck in a negative feedback cycle.

The conscious self or ego, is the center of logic and reason which of course we need to survive. With out the conscious self humans would still be living in caves eating raw meat! If we can get our basic self and conscious self to work together our minds would be open to change, and creativity while still being able to function in the society humans have created.

The higher self or spiritual consciousness is a radiant aspect of our consciousness. This is where our crown chakra or "guardian angel," taps into the Spirit or God. The higher self is always with us, it is fully aware, full of selfless courage, love and wisdom.

Not enough people are aware of their higher selves, and some of the people who aware, are perhaps not in tune with their basic or conscious selves. It is important in order to follow our life path and reach enlightenment for all of these three distinct forms of consciousness to work as one providing powerful leverage for attaining the greater awareness and inspiration in our lives that we are all a part of.