Based on these 3 suttas ๐. ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ค๐-๐ซ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐: ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ (๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐), ๐. ๐๐๐ก๐-๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ (๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐), ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐-๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ (๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐), the Buddha provided to Rahula at different stages of his life, which mirrors the three training paths to awakening: virtue, meditation, and wisdom. Parents, who are willing to pass on spiritual teachings and values to their children, should be inspired by the Buddha and how he guided Rahula in his spiritual journey. The Buddha’s response to Rahula’s request for inheritance, in which he encourages Rahula to ordain and inherit his path to liberation, serves as a model for the author in imparting Buddhist principles to their own child. (Note: After ordaining Rahula, King Suddhodana, the father of the Buddha objected to this decision and suggested Buddha not to ordain anyone without family consent, Buddha agreed with it and made a monastic code to apply that rule)
๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ (๐๐ขฬ๐ฅ๐):
In the first story (1. Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: Instructions to Rahula at Mango Stone (Middle Length Discourse 61)), the Buddha teaches his son Rahula about living a life of integrity. When Rahula told a deliberate lie at the age of eight, the Buddha used a simple yet powerful analogy to convey the importance of truthfulness. He explained that someone unashamed of lying has a spiritual life as empty as an upside-down bowl. The Buddha emphasized the need to avoid falsehood, even in jest.
This approach highlights the ineffectiveness of harsh punishment in disciplining children and underscores the significance of imparting moral values calmly. After addressing the lie, the Buddha urged Rahula to reflect on the consequences of his actions, focusing on whether they bring harm or benefit. This approach shifts the moral framework from absolutes to self-awareness and empathy.
The Buddha’s guidance stresses the importance of cultivating a child’s capacity for empathy, emphasizing the role of parental modeling. He also encouraged Rahula to admit mistakes and seek guidance from wise individuals when harm is done. This highlights the crucial role parents play in nurturing a child’s integrity, as children are more likely to be honest when they are in a trusting and supportive environment rather than a punitive one.
๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (๐๐๐ฆ๐ฬ๐๐ก๐ข):
The second story (2. Maha-Rahulovada Sutta: The Greater Exhortation to Rahula (Middle Length Discourse 62)) illustrates how the Buddha introduced meditation to his son Rahula as a means to nurture inner well-being. At a young teen, Rahula expressed vanity about his appearance to his father during their morning almsround. The Buddha responded by teaching him a profound lesson on the consequences of self-attachment through identifying with the physical body or any mental aspects.
This teaching raises questions about admonishing a teenager for feelings of vanity and interfering with their normal developmental process. However, the Buddha’s response becomes clear in his subsequent guidance. After Rahula’s request for instruction in breathing meditation, the Buddha used analogies to explain how to maintain equanimity during meditation, emphasizing the importance of qualities like lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Only then did he teach Rahula breath meditation in sixteen stages, highlighting its power in cultivating inner well-being and preparing for the moment of one’s death.
This approach offers an alternative to rigid self-conceptions and underscores the importance of inner tranquility. It’s a method that can help adolescents navigate the challenges of self-identity and find stability and peace during their teenage years. Additionally, breath meditation is emphasized as a valuable practice throughout life, including in preparing for the end of one’s life.
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฆ (๐๐๐งฬ๐งฬ๐ฬ):
In the final sutta (3. Cula-Rahulovada Sutta: The Shorter Exposition to Rahula (Middle Length Discourse 147), the Buddha guides his devoted son Rahula toward liberating wisdom. By this time, Rahula had dedicated much of his teenage years to the path of awakening, demonstrating exceptional commitment to training. When Rahula turned twenty, his father recognized that he was close to achieving liberation. The Buddha took his son deep into the woods, where he led Rahula through a comprehensive series of questions aimed at unraveling the clinging to the concept of a self. For someone as well-trained as Rahula, shedding the deeply ingrained belief in an essential self can be the last obstacle to liberation. The Buddha’s teaching on not-self is not merely abstract philosophy but practical instruction on finding happiness through letting go.
The setting in nature is significant, as it highlights the different perspectives and sense of peace that nature provides, facilitating the release of self-concern. The experience of contemplating letting go amidst a quiet grove of trees contrasts with doing so in the confines of urban life. This sutta emphasizes the importance of self-discovery within the context of the natural world.
The story of Rahula’s journey illustrates how the pursuit of awakening is the greatest happiness in Buddhism. The hope for one’s children is to lead them on the path of awakening, providing them with the peace, happiness, and safety that it offers. The three trainings of virtue, meditation, and wisdom are essential components of this path.
Karuna Buddhist Society 