An 8 Year Old Buddhist in Action
Saturday, 11 May 2013
An 8 Year Old Buddhist in Action
If you ask me “Do you like Buddhas?”, a picture of Green Tara pops in my head. It makes me feel good because I think of memories of being at my grandma’s altar or at Vajrapani for Family Camp.
One thing that I learned from my grandma about Buddhism was antidotes. For example, the antidote to jealousy is rejoicing. When I tried it, it wasn’t as hard as I thought.
Also, another thing I learned helps me when I have anxiety. My grandma taught me that my mind is like a little puppy but I am in charge of it. So if I don’t stop it, the anxiety will just get stronger. But I’m really stronger than it so I can stop it from getting worse.
I’ve learned that if you meditate, your mind can get calm. If you calm your mind, you can make all your thoughts go down. I usually think of a light here (points to third eye) or here (points to crown) and it makes me feel relaxed.
I think Buddhism is about training your mind and about other things I haven’t learned yet. It’s also about becoming a Buddha so you can help people. And helping people that are sick. Buddhism is about caring about others. I know that people who don’t know anything about Buddhism have Buddha Nature. Like one of those people who doesn’t know anything about Buddhism has done some kind things. That thing that they did that was kind or good came from that spot in yourself. Everybody has it.
I learned about caring about others with my sister today. She was feeling sad and I had gummies. She wanted one and I had been thinking of savoring them for myself and waving them in her face and saying nah nah nah-nah nah. I’ve done this to her before. But even while one side of me was saying “I want them all for myself”, the other part of me was feeling sorry for my sad sister. The part of me that cares for others WON! I thought that teasing her would make me happy but sharing with her and making her happy made me feel better.
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Nya Larson is 8 years old and was born at home in Whale Gulch, California. She lives with her parents and her 5 year old sister with her grandparents nearby. She loves to sing, dance and draw.
[Source: http://blog.vajrapani.org/featured/featured-authors-articles/item/270-an-8-year-old-buddhist-in-action.html]
It is important to implant spirituality and spiritual ethics in young people. We have to be the example also. Not walking the talk will gather no followers. Let ethics be the basis for them to make decisions, live their lives, interact with others, respect the environment, respect people and animals, and not get caught up in deceptive materialism. Let them know they can be happy by being good, honest citizens that have good relations with others.
We should pass onto to our children the value of being happy does not depend on taking, using, being ungrateful, acquisitions, branded items, superficial beauty, wealth and all that 21st Century mainstream thought ‘teaches’. We have to have them remember kindness, respect of other cultures/religion/races, have gratitude, love others, respect the earth and be happy with or without wealth. This is important for their happiness, emotional survival and our planet’s survival.
Buddhism definitely can offer these type of thoughts. Other religions as well. Even if we are atheist, ethics are just as important. Seeing this young girl already understanding some form of spirituality is beautiful. I have blogged this here to inspire many other young people and parents.
Tsem Rinpoche
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The future holds promises and dreams for the children that can be achieved through education and words of wisdom. What one learns at this young age, the company that one keeps, the path that one follows and the lessons of life one takes makes a person what one will become tomorrow. Children is the hope of our future where we teach them the good value of life and introduce them dharma. Inspiring Nya Larson a 8 years old girl learned from her grandma about Buddhism was antidotes at a young age. At such a young age she understand about the benefit on meditation .That is wonderful indeed. She learned about caring, loving, helping others as well.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing
Amazing to see a young 8 years old girl who have so much wisdom and understanding about Buddhism. How wonderful if more children are exposure to learning and practicing dharma from a very young age. Then we will have many people that will have the right understanding and view in everything they do. It is very important to train the mind from young. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this interesting article.
Children is the best hope for the future. We may have many different ways to teach the children and provide them with the best education. At the same time, we should never forget to instill the good value of life and introduce them dharma. In order to instill the dharma to the children, we must practice and believe ourselves that we can offer the best teaching that we learned from our guru.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful post. Attach with a nice photo taken during dharma class by Kechara Sunday Dharma School (KSDS).
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this inspiring post .Inspiring post of a young girl Nya Larson though only 8 years old seem to know about Buddhism and putting it in action.She seem to know a lot like helping people and caring about others. It is important to educate young children at a young age and as a parent too should set good values to them . She have her grandmother teaching her dharma from early age is just wonderful.May her story inspire us all and an example for us.
Thanks again Rinpoche.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this. I am so rejoice for this girl-Nya Larson, what she said is simple and absolutely Buddhism teaching. Sharing Dharma with children is easier than sharing with adults as they are naive and have not ‘polluted’ by society. Teaching children Dharma is like planting the seed of Buddhahood in their life time and if they have the chance to learn more the tree will grow bigger and bigger. The most precious gift to children is Dharma instead of physical item to please them, as nothing is unchanged but Dharma.
This is a typical story of a young child in her normal life as opposed to those reincarnated Lamas who are usually found to have strong karmic imprint from young. However, she seems to have a very good foundation in Buddhism. It is a very good hint for us as a layperson, especially for parents, to know that we have to instil knowledge about Buddhism in children from small. It has more advantages as they grow.
There is one sentence that captured my attention, in which she related that everyone has a Buddha nature although he/she is not Buddhist. I could not agree more as myself have witnessed often times where my friends have indeed carried out many good deeds even though they were not Buddhist at that time. This is why Buddhism is so called ‘philosophy ‘ more than religion, because it is The Way Of Life!
Life is Dharma and Dharma is none other than life.
Transformation starts by practising the Dharma, which is applying what we have learnt into daily life. Just do it like this girl, she did and is still doing something beautiful, we might say what’s the big deal, but here is the real deal, can you conquer your own battle like this little girl who care for her sister and gave her own portion of gummies to cheer her sister up. When the most of us grew older our survival instinct and skills have clouded our kindness, it has been buried and pushed away. So it is indeed important to teach children and also ourselves the pure Dharma, and take it to our daily lives, so that we can enforce peace, love and care in modern day society.
Thank you for sharing this Rinpoche. Take care.
这名8岁女孩口中说出来的佛法是如此简明易懂。她的理解很肯定是祖父母或父母亲的教诲有效，作为父母／祖父母教导有方，可以肯定的是，教导她的人完整和正确理解了，自己也身体力行了，才可能让一个小学生了解得那么好，也能在日常生活中实践起来。
这故事进一步加强我的认知：唯有你自己也实践了，才可能让孩子有样学样。佛法肯定是父母／家长能够给孩子的，这辈子、下下辈子的最佳礼物；即便我们不在他们身边，也不担心他们没有正确的价值观引导他们，甚至我们不在人世了，他们仍没有偏离利益自己和他人的正道。
Nya is truly a fortunate girl who has realized the truth of Buddhism and its benefits that dwell into her life. At her very young age, she could even achieve more in Dharma and brings more peace and happiness to the people around her. To nurture the young kids, we have to walk the talk and transform our mind to better qualities before we teach and guide the kids. Thank you Rinpoche for your wonderful sharing on Nya Larson and deep in my heart, i truly rejoice for her.
给年轻的孩子灌输灵性及灵修的原则是非常重要的。当然，我们本身也必须做个榜样。做人不言行一致是无法服众的。让灵性及灵修的原则成为他们做选择的基础，成为他们生活模式、与他人互动，以及尊重环境、人和动物的基础，并且不受困于虚幻的物质世界里。让他们知道自己能透过成为一个好人，一个老实的公民，一个与他人保持良好关系的人而获得快乐。
我们传授给孩子的价值，理应是：获得快乐无需靠夺取、利用、不感恩、物质、名牌物品、缺乏深度的美貌、财富，以及21世纪主流思想所“教授”的一切。我们要让他们把仁慈、尊重其他文化、宗教及种族铭记于心，让他们记住感恩、对人友爱、尊重地球，以及无论在有财富或没财富的情况下都保持快乐。这对他们的快乐、情绪及地球的长存而言非常重要。
佛教绝对能给孩子们带来这一类的思想。其他宗教也能。就算如果我们是无神论者，做人的原则也相等重要。看到这位小女孩年纪小小就已经懂得一种形式的灵修价值，这有多美好啊！我发这篇博文的用意是希望能启发很多其他的年轻人和父母。
詹杜固仁波切
感谢师父总是无私与慈悲的不断给予我们分享佛法，并给予我们开示与教诲
随喜她能那么小就能领悟的那么多的佛法知识，我想她前世应该是在佛法修行与佛法工作中，非常的用心努力，所以存下了很多的佛法功德
累积了很多的福德资粮，所以为她种下了强大的佛法种子，也造就了善因让她的佛法种子在这一世就能那么快发芽成长
也许我们这一世兜了很大圈，也浪费了许多时间才来到这里学习佛法，所以依循师父的教诲，我们没时间在浪费了，现在就必须马上的
开始我们的佛法修行与佛法工作，也许我们这一世并不能证悟离开这娑婆世界，并继续的掉入在痛苦的轮回当中，但是倘若我们现在就开始
好好的学习佛法，并实践在我们的生活上，并依循师父的教诲与开示，那么我相信，即使怎样，我们留在心识中的那佛法种子，与善功德
会让我与她一样，可以在那么小就已经能有机缘陶醉在佛法当中，还有只要我们能谨守戒律，与守护我们与上师之间的三昧耶，我相信我们
掉入轮回，下一世，师父同样的慈悲，会再来到我们身边给予我们更多的佛法知识的
This is wonderful! She does not just talks the Dharma but put it into practice and walk the talk. Children are encouraged to learn the Dharma when they are young and it’s easy to cultivate good mind when they are still young and unexposed to the world. Dharma can help them to be a better person and more loving caring towards others. Just like little puppies they are easy to be trained compared to grown dogs. It’s always rejoicing to see children joining Dharma kids class on Sunday in Kechara House.
Wonderful, and as Rinpoche said many times over and over again it is so important to educate the young and the children, it makes a huge difference.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the attitude of this young girl in your blog. I rejoice that she has already begun her spiritual practice at a young age. I hope she will inspire many young people like herself to think and act like her. Nothing is coincidental, it is apparent she has the merits and mental continuum to carry on her spiritual journey this life. May the 3 Jewels always be with her.
Wow! 8 year old Nya Larson actually shared the core teachings of Buddhism with us: helping others, mind transformation and buddha nature! It is amazing that she understands them and immediately applies them into her daily life. There is no procrastination, lame excuses or poor me but ‘Just Do It’ and ‘Do It Fast’ kind of attitude in her. She thinks logically as she does what makes sense that lead to positive results. She is so blessed to have a grandma who kindly shares dharma with her.
Never underestimate what we have shared with our younger generations for they do take them into their hearts and understand it, sometimes better than us. The best part is that children will apply what we have shared and transform their mind immediately. So we have to make sure that whatever was shared with them is of good and positive in quality. There are many instances where I witness that in Kechara Sunday Dharma School.
Most of the kids who attended the Dharma School were reluctant to attend at the beginning. As time goes by and as their understanding of the dharma increases, they show kindness and care to their classmates by sharing their food, toys etc. Some of them started to take initiatives to help around with chores in the class, such as setting up chairs and tables, bring tea break food & beverage, clean after each other, which were impossible when they first joined the Kechara Sunday Dharma School. A lot of them become more open and share more most times with smiles on their face, as they have tasted the joy of dharma that continue to keep them improving for the better!
Here’s an article on 1 of the class at Kechara Sunday Dharma School. Please feel free to join! http://www.kechara.com/kechara-house/news/mother%E2%80%99s-day-at-kechara-sunday-dharma-school/
Nya Larson, though an 8 year old, truly carries an imprint from her past lives, which is ripening to enable her to understand the core and tenet of what real Buddhism truly is! Through her grandma’s teachings, coupled actually with herself “walking the talk” by practising the dharma through experiencing it. She is an ideal of inspiration for all who wishes to become a good and true buddhist practioner.Like Rinpoche said, “It is important to implant spirituality and ethics in young people; to have them remember kindness, respect others’ cultures, religion, races and have gratitude and love for others and the Earth!”
Dear Rinpoche,
This story about Nya Larson is so touching and the words and thoughts she said above are such beautiful insights from such a young 8 year old kid.
I am totally lost for words when I read this article as I did not expect an 8 year old girl to have said such wise words.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this great article and rest well!
Love
Jutika
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this inspiring post.
Such strong imprint and it is shown at such a young age. She has a very beautiful mind filled with compassion, caring and love. She is fortunate to have her grandmother who teaches her dharma from early age. May she inspiring more young generation to learn dharma and benefits more others.
This young girl is a true buddhist, someone who does not think about themselves but about others. She has matured and learnt so much at such a young age its astonishing. It is really beautiful what her grandmother had taught her and how she had contemplated on her actions and learnt from it. At such a young age already meditating when most kids at her age would be jollying about having fun.
I agree with Rinpoche, most people state themselves as their religion but do not follow the foundation of what religion is about. Many people may state themselves as buddhist but do not follow the foundation of it, “even if we are atheist, ethics are just as important.” I am really glad to have my parents and Rinpoche in my life to guide me to be a better person. If it weren’t for the both of them I wouldn’t have that much of an understanding of ethics. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story Rinpoche and wish to contemplate more on my actions.
I hope Rinpoche is well.
真的很羡慕这位小妹妹，能在这么年轻的时候，就对佛法有这么深的领悟，在她往后的人生一定会法喜充满。信相信佛法，永远都不会太迟，只要坚持到底的修行，一定会对人生有所帮助，谢谢克切拉，谢谢仁波切。
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing on this beautiful girl with the strong imprints on Dharma. Very inspiring. She must have been a strong practitioner in her previous life.
Thank you Rinpoche’s teaching on how to implant spirituality in children. Children who have the spiritual values such as remembering kindness, gratitude, respect love others, etc would bring them far in their lives. This is always what we as parents should always work towards rather than just focusing on their academic advancement.
This 8 year old girl shows an extraordinary inclination towards Dharma & Compassion at such young age. This is one of the examples that her inclination is due to the previous lives strong imprint on Dharma and also due to her merits collection from previous lives. We must instill our kids with Dharma from young as only Dharma can protect their Body Speech & Mind. It is so beautiful see a young child practising & sharing Dharma.
Thank you for a most wonderful story of this young girl. It is great that the young are influenced by the elders who are steeped in Dharma practice. It is true that only those who truly practice that will influence and nurture new practitioners. We need to be committed in what we believe in before others would be convince of its efficacy. In fact, Rinpoche has taught us that a good yardstick for our transformation is when we find it easier to bring people to the Dharma. This is especially so for the young, whose minds are easily influenced by our beliefs.
Being religious is beautiful, no matter what religions, if we can walk the true religious talk, our view to see the world would be beautiful, and we will be happier.
Like what Nya said is amazing for a 8 years old kid. She is thoughtful and kind. Dharma is giving us the real truth, which will set us free from our mind trap and the general sufferings that everyone needs to go through.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this. I hope the young generation can expose to religions more for a better future.
This is such a smart girl. And lucky as well. I was always thought by my grandmother that me being able to learn the dharma at such a young age meant that i was very lucky. Because my grandmother did not have her whole life to learn the dharma, but i do. This is very good for this girl to be learning dharma.
Nya Larson is so blessed to have such great imprints from her previous life, plus having such a wise grandma who can continue to impart more Dharma knowledge on her.
Reflecting on myself having only met the Dharma at such a late stage in life, I wish very much for my own children to learn the Dharma and live their lives based on it. Cause i know now that it would mean they will have a very happy and meaningful journey.They can grow old in samsara with less attachments and anger. They can be wiser and care more for others. If all children learn this as a core subject in school and use them in their lives, what a wonderful world we will have !! It seems so simple yet its not! But its great to have examples like Nya Larson plus all the great Gurus and practioners who are living prove to us that Dharma do give us the best state of mind to achieve happiness.
Thanks Rinpoche for this sharing, it definitely make us more aware and remind us for giving Dharma to our next generation…
Rejoice to Nya Larson, maybe she already had strongly imprint from past life but with the perfect condition in this life she able to contemplate Buddhist teaching with ACTION…
May Nya Larson able to learn more and benefit more peoples around the world…
Thank you for the sharing, Rinpoche. How fortunate Nya has such a strong Buddhism in print. As we can see her grandma play a very important role in her life. I am sure She spent most of her time with her grandma at home. This old lady has kindly passing on Dharma to her grand daughter in her young age so that she understand and become an adult that has dharma in her.
To many people Buddhism is complicated but for Nya, is just as simple as.. If i feel jealous then i make myself rejoice. Which is not that hard after all. I especially like what she mentioned about what her grandma taught her to control her mind from being anxiety. I asked myself, ” that’s all we need?”
I also like what she mentioned about we all has a buddha inside us. That’s why many people who are not buddhist can also be kind and help others.
What a blessed family. May all kids has the fortune like Nya that has a good grandma to follow. We should all play a good role in the family so that our children can grow up in Dharma too. What a wonderful Buddhist family.
Such a brilliant and young kid! She knows about Buddhism and the things she said is so true and matured. Such an inspiration for the young and also old. ‘Little puppy’ is a simple term and easy to relate to. I like the way she put it into words as it is easy to understand.
I would want my kids to read this and of coz for them to learn and be inspired by this smart girl. Thank you Rinpoche for such a lovely post.
Amazing imprints this 8 year old girl has. Why these are imprints because of the basic Dharmic understanding that she has can only come from a previous life.
It is important to support such strong good tendencies from a child from an early age as it cultivates a solid foundation for the child’s development.
As parents we tend to overprotect our child and impose our own misconceptions or perceptions on them… sometimes we need to let them fly on their own as we are all eventually our own person. The reason why a parent would ‘protect’ their child is of course understandable, however they need to be open to having the child develop on their own or they may become a mere mirror image of themselves.
Is wonderful to know that in such young age she able to put herself secondary. Perhaps she did practice this in her previous lives in order to have such a strong imprint to make others happy.
Nya Larson indeed set a very good example to kids . It’s wonderful .
This young girl is already practicing to care for others at such a young age. Definitely it is best to start them young. We teach so many knowledge and skill to our children when they were young so why not spirituality the qualities and attitude we want to have in them. Actually these are the same qualities that we and everyone else want. Why? Because it bring benefits, peace and happiness. And children live by example from adults, older brother and sister, the people surrounding them. Nya is showing a good example to her younger sister by offering what she like to her instead of hogging and dangling the candy in front of her sister. Sharing the stuff she has. Acts do make a big difference later in life. It is so blessed to be living with her late grandma who shows, not only teachers, these qualities to her.
Most 8-year old of this age would not take any religious philosophy or learning into heart yet seriously but the fact that Nya Larson listened and followed the practice of Buddhism from her grandma speaks volumes about her young mind.
Nya Larson definitely has spiritual imprints from previous lives as she takes into Buddhism so quickly from young and putting it into practice is what astounds me.
May all grandparents or parents infuse our little ones into dharma from an early age for it practice is found to benefit the practitioner and others as well.
Incredible tale of one so young who can tame and transform her mind. If only most adults could do likewise, this world would be a better place to live in. Which shows the importance of spiritual education from a young age. Many tend to shun away from religious studies or religion – a lame excuse to continue to indulge in samsaric affairs.
For one so young, she indeed is inspiring in her knowledge and application of her dharma wisdom. It goes to show that age is not important in the practise of buddhism…when the environment is conducive wt close relatives/friends leading an example, then the seed within us can be triggered. Will get my children to read this and pray that it will create some positive impact on their own thinking n practise. Thank you Rinpoche for constantly guiding us thru all the articles here.
This pretty girl is an inspiration to young people. She is fortunate to have a grandmother who teaches her Buddhism from a young age. It can be seen that young people can be nurtured and those with strong imprints will develop their spiritual potential very fast.
What strong imprints from an 8 year old.. Amazing. I love how she uses the gummi bear analogy to describe the meaning of empathy and compassion. Too cute! =) how I wish I had her wisdom when I was her age. I wish that all children would have the same realizations as her. She could inspire so many others, kids her age and us adults as well.
I agree that we should start nurturing young kids and lead and lead by example so that they can grow up to be compassionate and kind. Even as adults we are still learning and being inspired by Rinpoche now. We should never stop learning and caring! Hehe Rinpoche is the ultimate prime example of a compassionate and kind giver and teacher!
Thank you, Rinpoche, for everything! =)
Nya Larson as young as 8 years old already has strong affinity with Green Tara statue on her grandma’s altar, if you ask her if she likes buddhas? Green Tara will pop in her head she said. She also knows Buddhism is about training your mind and become a buddha to help others and caring for the sick, very inspiring.I am sure she will grow up to be a very kind and compassionate lady to benefit many in the future, thanks to her grandma for nurturing and instilling dharma into her.
Thanks for sharing Rinpoche,,I fully agree that we should give our children to know the good Virtue eg love,care kindness…-etc instead of materialism things .children are Innocent ,they just follow adult’actions. If we don’t set up good example to them,.they Just follow wrong actions .how beautiful all children can be grown up in a environment of full of love, care, kindness and compassion.
Nya is so fortunate to have a grandma and parents who nurtured and taught her since young. She should grow up to be a beautiful person with loving kindness in her heart. Perhaps she has imprints from her previous lives too.
Nya Larson’s knowledge and mind is beyong her age. Her previous imprints must not be ordinary to have this way of thinking at the age of 8. This shows that the family (in this case her grandma) have a great influence over a child’s thinking. Parents plays an important role to mold your children. I especially like her quote ‘antidote for jealousy is rejoicing’. It is not ordinary for a child to mention something like this. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this great piece of article to us.
Nya Larson may be 8 years old but her clear understanding of virtuous living is truly Buddhism in action. Her sharing is simple and deals with every thought and action that we exercise in our daily lives.
Wondrous teaching from an 8 year old and I can imagine the imprints she had from previous lives that enable her to understand the core and tenets of true Buddhism at such an early age.
May all our young Kecharians read and practise like her.
I’m very agree with what Nya Larson said, Buddhism is about to train our our mind to be calm. Feel glad that i’ve an opportunity to listen at Tsem Rinpoche’s dharma teaching. I love to being a buddhist.
This is so wonderful, that this girl really have the wisdom and knows well about Buddhism. She is inspiring me, when I reading this post.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this interesting story to us.
Thank you Rinpoche for this post, it has inspired me to instil dharma in my two young kids!
It is inspiring to have read such innocent mind is already displaying such great love, care & thoughts for others at very young age. It reminds me of how wonderful & benefit dharma can be for us & to be taught to our young ones.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing & reminding me the benefits of Dharma.
Nye Larson is a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart. At such a young age, she is very much matured and her thinking puts many adults to shame. I like the way she talked about how the good side of her won over her bad side. She is a sensible and smart young girl who knows how to have a good and caring heart. It could be from past imprint that makes her understand the Buddhist tenets that many adults will
not be able to comprehend. Thanks to her grandmother who instill dharma into her, Nye Larson will turn out to be a fine lady.
Like what she wrote ( I think Buddhism is about training your mind and about other things I haven’t learned yet. It’s also about becoming a Buddha so you can help people. ) 8 year old girl really inspiring me.
Thank You Rinpoche.
Best Regards : Eric kksiow
I rejoice over her grandma deeds. instead of passing to her grandchild her mundane knowledge, she teaches her the most noble teaching that not only will benefit in this life but to her future lives as well. I have seen examples how grandma, mother, daughter sharing similar negativity!
I rejoice over her grandmother deeds. Instead of passing over her mundane knowledges.
She teachers her the the most noble teaching that not only will benefit her in this life but will also be of beneficial in future lifes.
As Nya Larson said, sharing the gummies with her sister made her feel happoer. Truly ‘sharing ‘ with others what we have mak e us ruly happier- she’s has values as a true buddhist when she sacrificed what she has and shares it with her sister.
An 8-year old speaking with much wisdom. Truly puts much of us adults to shame.
She is such an inspiration and her influence on the young children would be most welcome.
She realises that by allowing her “good” side triumph over the “evil” side, she made her sister happy and ultimately, she herself became happy.
An 8-year old speaking with much wisdom. Truly puts much of us adults to shame.
She is such an inspiration and her influence on the young children would be most welcome.
She realises that by allowing her “good” side triumph over the “evil” side, she made her sister happy and ultimately, she herself became happy.
This was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is incredibly inspirational read about what young Nya Larson has to say about the different problems that go through a young person’s mind. The way she thinks is very mature for her age, and in fact, more mature than some adults I know! I mean, think about all the angersome, spoilt, envious, competitive qualities in those around you and then compare that to this child.
The benefits of introducing dharma – or more generally speaking, spirituality – to our kids, is embodied in young Nya’s thoughts. How many children do you know who can think along the same lines as she can? The only ones I know are all from kechara’s dharma classes for kids, where students are exposed to life-changing concepts and perceptions stemming from Buddha’s teachings.
Safe to say, in my experience, buddhist thought definitely has had effect in molding the young people around me to become more responsible, kinder, wiser, more empathetic versions of themselves. And I feel that the ultimate gift that Buddhism and spirituality can give to a young mind is the ability to life their lives out correctly. To make the right decisions, to have a good head on their shoulders, and to become a contributing member of society that is of benefit to others.
I totally rejoice for the good work Nya’s grandparents have done in planting the seeds of dharma in her mindstream at such a young age. May I be similarly blessed in future lives to have the same privilege.
It ‘s so wonderful to know that as young as 8 years old, this little girl has the essence of care, love, a good moral, and to have this realization. It is a prove that imprints and the continuity of our mind when we practice and learn dharma, it brings over to our next life. Most of all it is also the teachings of her grandmom, that does helps her on her path. Wonderful and rejoice!
Wow! Dear Rinpoche, even a young 8 years old girl knows so much about Buddhism and she would use it in her life. I’m really happy that Buddhism have spread this far. If everyone in this world knows about Buddhism like and use it on their life like Nya Larson the world will be a much better place.
Wow! This girl is extremely clever. She is a true Dharma practitioner at such a young age. Amazing. I like how she says that our mind is like a puppy and that we can be capable of controlling it. May this girl be blessed to continually practise Dharma and not fall victim to the cruel lies that Samsara promises as she grows up.
This is such a beautiful young lady I believe that she will grow up to be a fine lady. Influencing the people around her in a positive manner. Inspiring others to be more like her as well.
I am very happy that there are children that are like that in the world. Already caring for others, putting others welfare in front of her own. It is remarkable how she is able to do this at such a young age. She is really someone that we should learn from.
This little(?) girl reflects perfectly what buddhism consists of. A pure form of being humble and yet, a master of interchanging spirituality in it’s simplest form. She is the exact example of how we should “share” our lives with others. Very inspiring!
Sometime I may just like not encourage to do Dharma practice due to the bad habit like laziness, anger and arrogance. But fortunately I am now holding the basic five refuge precepts well without broken any of it. I really can’t wait to go FGS and I will be there early in September because at there I can live like a monk’s life without any thing to worried and I can 100% live like a religious person and not giving any change to the negativities to arise anymore. Really rejoiced for this young girl and may she will keep Dharma with her 24 hours a day everyday. Materialism life is like a poison and it makes our negativities even stronger and bigger. Monk’s life is simple and meaningful. If one day I really become a monk, I will let Rinpoche know. The relationship cannot affect me much now, it is all hallucinated and all these will leave me in any of the conditions and reasons, they are not longer existing so I will keep reminding myself not to let them blamed me anymore until after the end of my life.
This 8 year old understand better the Buddhist concept that I have contemplated for 34 years.
I read what Nya Larson shared of her knowledge and experience and the first thought that came to my mind is how much more she already knows, not necessarily only about Buddhism alone, compared to people who are supposed to have practiced for a longer period. She talks about antidotes and that is probably one of the best things she would ever learn because being aware of “antidotes” means that from a avery early age, she already recognizes that she is in control of a lot of things that afflict others in such a way that it paralyzes them.
And what a wonderful gift her grandmother has given her by making her aware that there is a Buddha nature in everyone not just her. That there is goodness and kindness in everyone. It is this awareness that makes us go look for it. And without using big words, her story about gummy bear shows that Nya has already learned to project out onto the needs of others at a very young age and she already has awareness of the implications of her actions.
Whoever Nya’s grandmother is, she has done a great thing to have brought Dharma into a little girl’s life and I am not at all surprised (in fact I am very glad) that she sees the image of Tara in her mind.
That the world has a chance of being a better place is because there is Nya and hopefully more like her growing up with knowledge of Dharma.
Wow. So inspiring. She knows about the benefit of being kind and generous at such a young age, When she grows older, being generous and kind will be second nature to her. Oh and it’s cool that she knows that there’s a buddha in each of us. Hence, some people who are not buddhist or know nothing about buddhism have that buddha nature in them. When I was 8 years old. All I thought about was “How many gummies can I fit into my mouth.” This girl is very inspiring! Thank you for sharing this with us Rinpoche!
She is a very beautiful and caring young girl, I like her story about her sister and her. She says that one part of her wants all of the gummies but the other part of her wants to give it to her sister, at the end, she gave it to her sister. I think that this is what Buddhism is, Buddhism is about what you give to others, not take from others. She is practising Buddhism, I believe that she will grow up and become a very bright and kind young lady, I rejoice for her.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Beautiful 8 years old Nya Larson indeed set a very good example to kids and adults. Especially to the parents who used to pamper own kids with materials items.
Nya Larson described how she cares and shared made the sister happy,
“The part of me that cares for others WON! I thought that teasing her would make me happy but sharing with her and making her happy made me feel better.”
I think many parents used to neglect this simple act, to teach their kids the importance of sharing, sharing actually make everyone happier.
This blog post truly reflects Rinpoche’s teaching,
“How much we really love our kids is how much we will really practice the dharma…How much we love them is how much we will change ourselves and practice dharma and instill it in them.”
WALK THE TALK IN DHARMA is so important. Just talk dharma without showing in ACTION, definitely not much influence to the kids. So practice and instill dharma at home to show the kids is very crucial. Dharma would be the best gift to our kids !
Wow… the difference between a kid brought up with Dharma and kids whom are not exposed to Dharma. I remember once that Rinpoche mentioned about how some parents spoil their children and pamper them unnecessarily… parents nowadays thinks that not correcting them is a way of showing their care. It may look cute when children pout, but fast forward 10 years and the pouting nature is still there… not very cute anymore. But if one wants their children to grow up to be someone loved by all who come across them… then it is wise to start them developing good habits from young.
Habits are formed from young, and habits grows stronger as the years.
Every one having a Buddha’s heart.
So start caring and sharing with others
Shelly tai on 27 July 2013 at 847pm
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this advice with us. It is very true a lot of parents in this day do not teach ther children about Dharma it is because most of them do not know the Dharma and yet they dont think is nessary. So end up their kid will be suffer even greater in their live because this kids all do mot know the benefits of dharma.
This eight-year-old is wise beyond her age. She understands the core tenets of Buddhism and conveys it well, and with simplicity. When children learn Dharma, they will learn a different perspective of life and a different value system which all parents would love their children to be equipped with. As Rinpoche says, “being happy does not depend on taking, using, being ungrateful, acquisitions, branded items, superficial beauty, wealth and all that 21st Century mainstream thought ‘teaches’.”
We live in a consumer-led society, dictated by economics. Wealth is equated to success and therefore, it is erroneously linked to happiness. Children are taught to want to have material things – the latest phones, games, shoes, clothes, because the media influences them. Fortunately with Dharma, we have the opportunity to teach our children differently, which will give them true happiness.
Personally I am lucky that my son does not have attachment to designer goods etc and i attribute that to the Dharma. Of course he is nowhere near perfect and needs to be reminded to do stuff but i do think that Rinpoche’s teachings, care and the Dharma has contributed to everything positive about him. For that, I am very grateful.
Dear Rinpoche, thank you for sharing this most inspiring story with us.8 year-old Nye Larson’s wisdom is expressed in simple words but full of profundity.
From the very first paragraph, we can see already how powerful the influence of her grandmother and family are in shaping the ethics and values and way of thinking of this young mind.She uses a word like “antidote” to describe ‘rejoicing’ to counter ‘jealousy’.Maybe it’s easier to school young minds (that are not so set)about antidotes like “rejoicing”.
I like it best where she says what Buddhism is to her: about training the mind; about becoming a Buddhist “so you can help other people.And helping other people who are sick. Buddhism is about caring for others”.How wise is such a mind of non-duality(a mind that isn’t fixated about labels like ‘Buddhism’ and recognizes the universality of compassion and the Buddha nature) that can utter statements like: “I know that people who don’t know anything about Buddhism have Buddha Nature. Like one of these people who doesn’t know anything about Buddhism has done kind things. That thing that they did that was kind or good came from that spot in yourself. Everybody has it”.
She’s a wise girl. She knows the purpose in life since so young, that is mind-control and care for others. She connects herself to her inner-self. This is a very precious quality as many adults know nothing about themselves and just keep chasing for nothing! Like money, marriage, fame and more that bring harm more than benefit to us if we don’t have mind-control or don’t know ourselves better/enough (I believe that everyone has the wisdom to figure out the purpose of life if we develop it).
For the part where she described the good side of her has won over the naughty side of her really makes me admire this little girl. She know herself very well, she really connects herself to her inner-self, talk to her inner-self, think over it. It is so rare to see in adults.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this. Many people would be inspired by this short and sweet article!
Buddhism certainly offers the practical wisdom to help us respond in a positive manner to life’s challenges. And the type of wisdom that anyone at any age can apply to their lives for happier outcomes.
Many people in the west claim to be Christians of many generations. Most are just by name Christians who doesn’t live their lives without the christian foundation. Many in the East claim to be Buddhist of many generations and same goes,… it is just by name they are Buddhist. What is important is no matter what faith we claim to embrace, let’s do justice to the faith by studying up on it and apply it to the best we can. We will fall short but I suppose that’s why we are called practitioners.
Thank you for posting this simple story which reminds me of keeping things simple and apply what I can to bring about happiness for myself and others.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.Indeed the young display the true nature of generosity and compassion.I am very happy for her as she understand it at such a tended age with the guidance for her grandmother who is indeed attained the true essence of life.
Her grand mother is kind to refer the nature of the mind as puppies.As I would perceive it as hungry wolves who is always greedy for more. Lack of generosity and compassion, never be contented in seeking contentment .
How nice if all of us could have the nature of that innocent child.From the family who understand and practice Dharma.
The wonderful thing about Buddhism is that it can be exposed to any situation without even being called Buddhism.It’s Right “everything”
Nya Larson is a treasure and delight!What better could we teach children? Children are generally the reflection of their parents.
Thank you Rinpoche,for sharing this delightful post.
Inspiring little girl. She is beautiful not only on the outside but inside too! A great attitude she has and only 8 years old! So much more mature than some of us “adults” I must say!
This is why it is so important for us to nurture kids when they are young and instil values and spirituality like Dharma in them. And not just teach and preach to them for children these days are very smart and will look at the parents or adults as “role models”. So it is important for us adults to be really honest with them and walk the talk!
No point telling them to do one thing and we do another. Hypocrisy is something kids do not comprehend and they can grow up hating the adults for it and also hate what we are teaching them. They can be defiant towards us and they may end up even not liking Dharma even. So we need to be more mindful as adults and not end up becoming one of those hypocrite parents where they don’t respect nor listen.
She might be a strong Buddhist practitioner in her previous life, therefore this life has a strong imprint continuing her journey benefiting many others
Beautiful insights for this young girl, she will grow up shining her light over this world. And she will teach all around her now and her (maybe) future children. May she be blessed and happy always. Thank you for sharing, it sets my day. with love, rita
It’s wonderful. What she said reflects what Tsem Rinpoche has taught us about Buddhism. I like the part where she said that our mind is like a puppy and we can truly control it!