The Vital Importance of Buddhist Education

Venerable Changgao is a monastic who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where they currently reside. This interview, which explores the profound necessity of Buddhist education for modern families and the impact of spiritual interference on child development, was recorded on January 26, 2021.

Venerable Changgao speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The management of one's emotion is a lesson that modern people are only just beginning to learn. It is a vital subject that requires the guidance of a Teacher to educate children on how to master their own heart. However, this is not a lesson for children alone; fathers and mothers must also participate, making it a shared educational journey for the entire family.

Throughout a child’s development, the most profound and lasting influence comes from their parents. Every move, every glance, every facial expression, and every word spoken by a parent is being constantly observed, imitated, and absorbed by the child. It is common to hear a child repeat the very words their parents use, and this mimicry extends to the realm of emotion as well. If a parent is reactive or volatile, the child will inevitably mirror that same turbulence."

The Awakening of Karmic Beings

"Every human body is composed of fifty trillion cells, and every person is born carrying karma from their past lives. These karmic debts do not necessarily manifest at a specific age; rather, their emergence is tied to when a person begins to develop their own personality. When a child begins to exhibit a distinct personality—perhaps as early as five years old, or even as young as one—the beings associated with that karma begin to awaken. If the child develops a personality early, these beings begin to exert control over them from that very moment.

If parents do not understand this, they often neglect the essential task of guiding and adjusting their child’s habits and personality. They allow the child to grow into whatever shape they happen to take, and once that shape is set, it becomes incredibly difficult to adjust it back to its original, pure state. As long as a child grows accompanied by these rigid personality traits, they are inevitably being interfered with by these beings. Their heart and body can never be pure, and they will suffer under this constant, invisible torment."

The Dangers of Modern Technology

"Secular education alone cannot fully support a child’s healthy growth, because it lacks the capacity to help the child resolve their karmic debts. Only through Buddhist education can we begin to address the root of the problem. When parents study the Buddha’s teachings and bring their children along on this path, everything changes. When parents understand the laws of karma and cause and effect, and recognise how karma influences a person’s life, they naturally learn how to help their children cultivate their personalities. They learn to shield them from unnecessary external pollution and prevent karma from easily finding a foothold.

For instance, I have observed the struggles of modern children. From a very young age, their thoughts, concepts, emotion, and personalities are being shaped by mobile phones, computers, and television. The speed at which this media pollutes the mind is truly alarming. Yet, many parents fail to grasp the severity of this danger. They allow their children to remain in this perilous environment, effectively poisoning them slowly and leading them into a burning pit of suffering. If parents were to study the Buddha’s teachings, they would be able to see how many beings are waiting within these technological devices to interfere with their children! They would see how many external spiritual attachments are manipulating their children's behaviour."

A Responsibility to Restore Purity

"Parents must wake up. These forms of pollution must not be allowed to touch the children. Once a child is contaminated, it becomes nearly impossible to save them, because the beings have already taken hold. The child loses the ability to be the master of their own life; from a young age, they are controlled by these beings and can no longer see their true, original nature.

Therefore, Buddhist education is of paramount importance for modern parents. In this Five Turbidities and Evil World, it is the responsibility of every parent to inject a stream of purity into their child’s heart and body, preventing them from being further polluted and suffering as a result. As a disciple of the Buddha, one must recognise the importance of propagating the Buddha’s teachings. Society is constantly changing, and in this world that has gone off the rails, we must use the Buddha’s teachings to correct the course. We must help restore the world to its pure state, assisting all beings in leaving suffering behind so that they may find true liberation of heart and body.

Namo Amituofo."