The Kalyanamitra School

Meditation

Meditation for Beginners

 

The Kalyanamitra School

 

 

The Kalyanamitra School

A school that is a kalyanamitra School can be a school of any levels, whether it be primary, secondary, college, university or vocational school. It is any school that has, as one of  its objectives, to set educational standards in morality, ethics and spiritual core values by designing an appropriate curriculum or learning program to achieve its goal.

 

The new Thai Educational Act uses standards very similar to the values desirable in a kalyanamitra School, namely: to the values desirable in a kalyanamitra School, namely:

 

- Good discipline, responsibility, ability to follow regulations and the basic principles of one’s own religion;

- Honesty (and, for vocational students, professional ethics);

- Compassion, generosity and self-sacrifice for communal benefit;

- Thrift in using one’s own and public property, as well as the environment in a way that is sparing and worthwhile;

 

For a kalyanamitra School, three additional benchmarks of human nature which ought to be measured in students are:

 

- Four Target Character Traits

-  Sixteen Characteristics of the True Friend

- Seven Characteristics of a Good Friend

 

 

A school that is a kalyanamitra School can be a school of any levels

 

Religious Curriculum at kalyanamitra School

 

In order to train students to possess all the usual educational values specified in the new Education Act and the three additional benchmarks for the kalyanamitra School, three additional benchmarks for the kalyanamitra School, the following materials should be included in the educational curriculum or program:

 

- Four Defilements of action [kamakilesa]

- Four Forms of Bias [agate]

- Six Roads to Ruin [apayamukha]

- True Friend-False Friend

- Six Directions

- The Four Bases of Sympathy [sangahavatthu]

- Positive Core Values [samma ditthi]

- Four Virtues of the Householder [gharavasadhamma]

- Shame of Evil and Fear of the Consequences of Evil [hiriottappa]

- The Triple Gem

- Environmental conservation

- Seven characteristics of a Good Friend

- Bases of Success in the present life [dittha-dhammikattha-samvattanika-dhamma]

- Bases of Success in lives to come [samparayikattha-samvattanika-dhamma]

- Three Types of Meritorious Action [punnakiriyavatthu]

 

It is worth noting that if the students  learn and understand all the above fifteen topics, they will automatically possess the first four indicators specified in the new Educational Act. Since most educational policy prefers that teachers work on Since most suitable curriculum, these fifteen topics should at least be included in the curriculum. Teachers must also prepare appropriate learning tools such as books and multimedia.

 

 

Good discipline, responsibility, ability to follow regulations and the basic principles of one’s own religion

 

Guidelines on the Cultivation of Human Nature

 

The cultivation of human nature, in this context, means instilling three standard kinds of characteristics in students, namely:

 

- Four Target Character Traits;

- Sixteen Characteristics of a True Friend;

- Seven Characteristics of a Good Friend;

 

Instilling these moral principles in studedts in a kalyanamitra School is the main responsibility of every school teacher. Such responsibility cannot be expected of the Religious Education teacher alone.

 

The educational policy of most countries now favours student-centred learning, where teachers have the role merely of guiding students to search for the right knowledge and providing correct information, School teachers should take this opportunity to add lessons containing positive spiritual values on top of the subjects they are responsible for, Even of students learn all the knowledge they need to survive in the world, without moral education and moral disciplines, they cannot lead happy lives. Some may be financially successful but they may not be satisfied with what they own. Without an understanding of spiritual core values, they will never find happiness. In addition, knowledgeable persons with low moral standards may use their knowledge to take advantage of others. This kind of problem may start when they are students and worsens as they become grownup. Without remedial action, the trouble they cause will only become worse and worse.

 

An important issue that teachers must seriously consider is whether they themselves have enough knowledge of core spiritual values to teach their students, More challenging still, teachers must be capable of transferring such knowledge appropriately to students of different ages and backgrounds. In particular, teachers who are responsible for teaching Buddhism must be able to remember and clearly explain all the  topics of the Buddha’s teachings, to be able to evaluate students grip of the subject matter accurately from class discussions or reports, and make the necessary corrections when students misunderstand the concepts.

 

 

In order to train students to possess all the usual educational values specified in the new Education Act

 

Since most education policy emphasizes learning integration, teachers should blend moral principles with the subjects they teach such so that students can apply what they learn in their daily lives. This is another way of instilling core values in students besides lessons taught in Buddhism class or activities held in kalyanamitra Homes.

 

The Lord Buddha gave great importance to teachers. They are second only to the parents in the role of instilling mental and moral development in children. Children that are well-educated in morality by their parents and teachers will be able to establish themselves in virtues from their childhood and have the possibility to stay with these throughout their lives. Children who lack moral teachings from their family 9since the parents may themselves lack core values0 will definitely rely on moral education from their teachers.

 

In summary, every teacher should always keep in mind that you are another person who has an important role and influence on mental development of young kids.

 

Preparationfor a kalyanamitra School

From previous discussion of moral standards and some thoughts on instilling moral principles in school children, it can be concluded that any school to be called a kalyanamitra School, must have personnel, from the school director to school teacher, that practice the three standard kinds of characters. In another word, all teachers in the school must be virtuous people. If only a single wicked teacher exists in the school, that school cannot qualify as a fully fledged kalyanamitra School.

 

For this reason, the school must provide training courses for all of its teachers in order to instill them with characteristics of virtuous people. For minimal qualifications, a teacher in a lalyanamitra school must

 

 

The creation of networks of kalyanamitra Schools is another way of building networks of virtuous people in society.

 

- Have knowledge and right understanding of moral topics included in the curriculum;

- Be able to adapt core values into the subjects they teach;

- Understand the objectives, principles and benefits of meditation;

- Have some experience in meditation such that they can provide accurate information to students;

- Have some experience in meditation such that they can provide accurate information to students;

- Hold chanting and meditation sessions as appropriate;

- Be a good role model of a virtuous person.

 

Furthermore, the school should give the occasional opportunity to teachers to study moral principles or attend meditation courses in order to gain more knowledge and experience as appropriate.

 

Activities of a kalyanamitra School

 

Activities of a kalyanamitra School can be categorized into two types: curricular activities and extracurricular activities.

 

1. Curricular Activities

 

        1.1 The school must at least teach the contents mentioned in the ‘Religious Curriculum at kalyanamitra School’ to its students in order to achieve the educational standards in morality, ethics and spiritual core values as well as moral standards for kalyanamitra school. Additional topics concerning moral training may be included as appropriate. Moral principles taught in classes will help students understand Buddhism, which in turn allow students to see benefits of various kinds of activities organized by the school or a kalyanamitra house.

 

        1.2 The school should find an opportunity to visit kalyanamitra temples which could be a part of field study in the curriculum.

 

        1.3 The school should occasionally invite monks from kalyanamitra temples or experts on Buddhism as well as parents from kalyanamitra houses or teachers from other kalyanamitra schools who have success in organizing moral training activities to speak in order to provide moral lessons to students.

 

 

Being responsible for organizing religions activities for different occasions in school

 

2. Extracurricular Activities

 

Extracurricular activities can be held in various ways and can be categorized in two forms as:

 

        2.1 Activities that the school is directly responsible for :

                2.1.1 The school sets daily or weekly activities as regular practices such as abbreviated daily chanting in the morning and evening and full chanting or Friday.

                2.1.2  The school should encourage all of its teachers, students, and parents to participate in activities held at local kalyanamitra Temples.

                2.1.3 The school should take children to help with various forms of community service at local kalyanamitra Temples on weekends or holidays as appropriate.

 

        2.2 Activities of a Buddhist Club

                2.2.1 Regular activities   In general, various clubs are set up in the school to allow students to do activities associated with their education. The school must encourage students to set up a Buddhist club. The teacher who acts as the club advisor must have good knowledge and understanding of Buddhist principles as well as a positive vision on creating peace and happiness in people, society and the world.

                The school should provide various supports for the Buddhist club such as a venue and a budget in order for the club to operate and organize activities. Daily activities arranged by the club outside class schedules should be daily chanting and meditation for club members, non-members and school teachers.

 

                2.2.2 Special activities  Special activities for the Buddhist club mean activities assigned by the school to the club or activities initiated by the club itself under guidance and support from the teacher who is a club advisor. Examples of special activities are:

            -  Being responsible for organizing religions activities for different occasions in school;

            -  Leading club members and other students to study and practice meditation at kalyanamitra Temples at weekends;

            - Leading club members and other students to do community service at local kalyanamitra Temples;

            -  Leading club members and other students to attend moral training courses or be ordained as novice monks for a short period of time, particularly, in the summer vacation;

            - Arranging for debates with topics associated with moral issues;

            - Co-ordinating participation in the ‘Path of Progress’ Dhamma quiz contest;

 

 

Arranging for debates with topics associated with moral issues

Networks of kalyanamitra Schools

 

Each kalyanamitra School has the same purpose of training its students to have positive core values or to have the its students to have positive core values or to have the standard characteristics of virtuous people which are the Four Target Character Traits, the Sixteen Characteristics of the True Friend, and the Seven Characteristics of a Good Friend, In order to train students to be virtuous, it is necessary to organize various courses and activities for students to study and practice.

 

One problem that has been going on for moral education everywhere is that the teachers lack a true understanding of moral principles, As a result, the teachers cannot clearly explain moral concepts included on the curriculum to students, leaving the students with only a superficial understanding of moral principles and incapable to apply them to daily life. In such a case, neither teachers nor students see benefit in moral training. They view moral principles as ‘fuddy-duddy’ and irrelevant to modern life. Consequently, spiritual teaching in school is considered a chore both for teachers and students. This negligence has caused some academics to propose exclusion of religious study from school even though the subject is of undoubted benefit to students.

 

In order to overcome this obstacle, schools in the same vicinity should co-operate in developing more captivating curriculum materials. Teachers responsible for Buddhist courses should get together for a seminar and brainstorm on effective curriculum and activities. Monks from kalyanamitra Temples who have very good knowledge of Buddhist principles, teachers from kalyanamitra Schools who have been successful in arranging moral training activities, and parents who have a good understanding of Buddhism should be invited to speak and give guidelines at the seminar. By doing so, the problem should be solved to a certain degree.

 

 

Leading club members and other students to do community service at local kalyanamitra Temples

 

Besides collaboration between teachers from different kalyanamitra Schools, students from these schools should organize inter-school a ctivities occasionally such as arranging a moral quiz contests or a joint moral training course between schools in the same vicinity. In any case, the number of students participating in inter-school activites should not be too large. Otherwise, the training may not be as effective as it should be. If there are a lot of students, students should be divided into groups or attend the training at different times.

 

The creation of networks of kalyanamitra Schools is another way of building networks of virtuous people in society. These networks will be networks of people of different ages, namely, teachers, parents and students from different schools.

 

If all the objectives of kalyanamitra Schools are met, there will be no more fighting or serious misbehaviours between schoolchildren. Furthermore, when students from kalyanamitra Schools grow up, they will keep the positive core values towards life and the world, enabling them to think, speak and act righteously.

 

When all members in a society are virtuous, there will be no more False Friends. That society will experience true meaning of peace. This kind of thought may be considered as a dream to some people. However, if we all have a strong determination in creating noble principles in ourselves, the characteristics of virtuous people will be gradually developed in us. Then, every one will think, speak, and act virtuously towards others. Ultimately, this dream may be come true.

 

 

Meditation - Related Articles

What is meditation?

7 Bases of mind 

How many kinds of meditation are there?

The Right Concentration

The False Concentration 

How to Meditate 

A Meditation Guide

Learning Meditation

Basic Meditation Method 

Meditation is not difficult 

Dhammakaya Temple  

Meditation Retreat