3 Buddhist Stories For Children
Buddhism is a philosophical belief system that aims to develop the virtues of the human being to live a full life. Try to remove selfish thoughts, resentment, and envy from your mind to allow for reflection. How can children be brought closer to this deep world? Buddhist stories for children represent a great solution for this.
Today the world is going through different times. Everyone lives in a hurry, oppressed by their work and giving more than they can to obtain things that are just that, material objects. Psychosomatic illnesses (mainly due to stress) are very common. These are not isolated cases, but an unfortunate lifestyle.
Buddhism proposes to achieve inner peace. To do this, we must find a balance. It is logical that we cannot discard the obligations of our life, but we can balance them with the time of rest, meditation and spirituality.
How to bring children closer to Buddhism?
Children are not alien to reality, much less stress. Every time, and from a young age, they are loaded with more obligations and demands. In addition, their need to play, cry, scream, and run is constantly repressed. They are also highly influenced by the material trends that are imposed on them.
Buddhism leaves aside the material and focuses on the care of people and their spirits. This is so because it understands that what we perceive through the senses is not enough to explain the human condition. In other words, there is a spirituality that goes further.
Since Buddhism works with the mind to develop discernment and kindness to achieve wisdom, we must appeal to specific resources to instill it in the little ones. For example: Buddhist stories for children.
Buddhist stories for children present stories with interesting reflections, which can be used to the maximum if the reading is accompanied by an older person. Here, we show you some options to consider:
3 Buddhist stories for kids that you can read at home
1.- Siddharta and the swan
It is a very exciting story. Siddhartha was the son of a king. When he was little, a sage said that he would be a great king, but that one day he would leave the palace to help others. Worried about this, his father followed him closely and from a young age he entrusted him to the best teachers in the kingdom.
Siddharta was very fond of animals and, above all, taking care of them. One day, he came across a swan wounded by an arrow. While he was taking care of him, his cousin Devadatta appeared and told him that the bird belonged to him. After an argument, they finally decided to consult with the king to find a solution.
They both told their version of the event. Before the puzzled gaze of everyone in the palace, an old man suggested that the animal would rather be with whoever saved it and not with whoever wanted to kill it. At that moment, Devaratta realized that animals also have feelings : they can suffer and love.
Then the swan was cured and, once it was able to fly again, it returned to its family. Siddhartha and the Swan is one of the best-known and most far-reaching Buddhist stories for children in the world.
2.- Live in the present
Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful (and brief) Buddhist stories for children. It has a lot of applicability in daily life, and above all, in these times.
This is the story of a conversation between a man and an old man. The first asked the old man for the key to becoming wise. The old man said something very simple to him. He told her that the essential thing is to live in the present moment.
The old man explained to the man that when he eats, he just eats ; when you sleep, you just rest; When you talk to someone else, you are exclusively doing that.
- But I can also do that without being a wise man – replied the man.
- I don’t think so- said the wise old man. -When you sleep, you are thinking about the problems you had throughout the day. When you eat, you think about what you will do later. As you talk to me, you think about what to ask or answer me before I finish talking.
- The secret – he concluded – is to be aware of what we are doing in the present moment and thus enjoy every minute of the miracle of life.
3.- Sharpen the ax
Another of the Buddhist stories for children that proposes us to slow down the frenetic pace in which we live and give ourselves a moment for introspection.
One day a strong young man came to a lumberjack field to ask for a job. Seeing his appearance, the manager hired him without hesitation. On the first day, his work was very hard and his production was excellent. Everyone was happy about his performance.
Curiously, on the second day his production was half, although he had worked with the same fierceness. The third day, even worse. The trees he cut were very few.
When asked about his poor work, the young man replied that he did not know what was happening. He had worked with the same intensity every day. Then his boss asked him a question: When was the last time you tuned your ax?
- I really haven’t had time. I was too busy cutting down trees.
All these stories convey valuable and lasting messages if we know how to convey them in the right way. Find a relaxed atmosphere, propose a conscious reading and take advantage of Buddhist wisdom with your children, which survives without problems over time.
