Page 39 - EH54

TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 37

This series of articles provides a • cultivate self-awareness, comes from within rather than
starting point for helping you and insight, and understanding from what was said by another.
your children develop what we • develop and maintain These moments of self-awareness,
might broadly call a spiritual path emotional balance in which we see something about
that is grounded in the Dhamma. • manage and reduce stress, how we are in the world or
It brings together mindfulness, particularly as a parent finally understand a piece of our
meditation, and Buddhist • help us become more attuned psychology, lead to finding new
teachings to form a values-based and responsive to our children strategies from our own earnest
structure that emphasizes the and family members desire to find what works for us.
psychological, philosophical, and • strengthen our skills as parents
relational dimensions of spiritual • expand and deepen our own For this reason, dhamma
development. spiritual path development for parents should
• provide us with some language have relatively little direct parenting
A Parent’s Path and skills to help our children advice. Rather, because personal

Cultivating our children’s develop their spiritual selves insight is what leads to real growth,
spirituality begins with developing one seeks to increase the frequency
our own. We may have lost That said, reading can point the and depth of insight by practicing
touch with this part of ourselves, way, but it cannot necessarily meditation. Thus, you should place
particularly in the whirlwind get you there. There are two a strong emphasis on developing a
that is our busy professional and other important considerations personal meditation practice. You
householder schedule. Nonetheless, for meaningful spiritual growth. will find your own unique ways of
we are our children’s first and The first is the importance of becoming a better parent as you
primary teachers. How we are discovering things for yourself. Our understand yourself and your family
ourselves shapes them. For this personal insights into why things dynamics more clearly.
reason, family dhamma should be as are the way they are have much
much about a parent’s own spiritual more power for us when they are The second consideration for
development as it is the children’s. related to the particulars of our meaningful spiritual growth is that
The aim of this parent development own life. We are significantly more of friendship and community. A
is to: invested and engaged when an idea great deal of human learning occurs