Looking to find out information how buddhist are raised

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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jmbaade
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:24 pm

Looking to find out information how buddhist are raised

Post by jmbaade »

Doing research for a U.S. Highschool class called survey of behavioral sciences. We are looking at the top four religions in the world and how a person who calls themselves a person of this religion is raised in regards to their religious training and conducts their everyday life. We are looking for things like: indoctrination of youth, media influences on the youth and family, religion in daily life, views of other religions and groups. I would like your help, if I am being insensitive or misunderstanding something I would also like that feed back.
chownah
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Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:19 pm

Re: Looking to find out information how buddhist are raised

Post by chownah »

jmbaade,
It look like you are focusing on cultural aspects of becoming a buddhist as it applies to raising children. I think that you should consider whether you want to study how this happens in countries with a large percentage of buddhists (like in Asia for instance) or whether you want to study countries where there is a very very small percentage of buddhists (western countries like the US and Europe etc.). For instance in Asia it is common for an entire community to be buddhist so a child will get constant exposure to buddhist culture not only at home but at school and even just walking down the street.....this is obviously not true in western countries.

Also....are you going to include people like me who were not raised as buddhists but became buddhists later in life?....if you want to include buddhists like me then you must accept that some buddhists were raised as christians...as a child I read the bible and went to church every sunday and was raised as a christian....does it make sense to say that buddhists are raised as christians?...it might not seem to make sense but this does happen. Could this show that there are limits to the effects of "behaviorism"?....could it show that there is something more basic and essential than religious affiliation?.....I'll let you see if you can discover the answers....what you discover might be diffent from what I have discovered....who knows if you might discover something entirely different and unique!!!!

Sorry if I'm just making this more complicated.....good luck with your project....

chownah
jmbaade
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:24 pm

Re: Looking to find out information how buddhist are raised

Post by jmbaade »

I thank you for your reply. No, you are not making it more complicated. You are just clarifying the question like I should have done in the first place. I would like to know how a child raised in a Buddhist world would be exposed to the culture? Would they be indoctrinated with a daily barrage of talking points to be learned and asked to look at the world form a specific perspective or point of view? Or, would they be encourage to question why things are the way they are presented? I was also raised a Christian and for one reason or another have been turned off by the people who seem to have all the answers, who go without ever questioning of who's right or what is right. Christian, but not all Christian are very judgemental about many aspects of life. I believe this kind of behavior comes about because indoctrination and habituation that sometimes leaves rational thinking out of the equation for devout Christians. To get back to the question it came about because of a question about whether religion affected how society behaved. Are some religions more aggressive or lack compassion for differences that exist between people and ideologies?
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SDC
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Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:08 pm

Re: Looking to find out information how buddhist are raised

Post by SDC »

jmbaade wrote:Or, would they be encourage to question why things are the way they are presented?
I practice the Buddha's teaching. My wife doesn't really practice any religion, but just for your information we were both raised Catholic. We do plan on having children in a few years. Of course the values and ideas coming from my end will no doubt come from my practice, however (and this is a big HOWEVER) I do not plan on getting into the habit of attaching the words "Buddhism", "Buddhist", "Buddha", "Dhamma", etc. along with everything little thing I say, especially when they are young and don't really understand. Why? Because it won't mean anything! The ideas and values that are shown are what is most important, not the names of the ideas and values. Of course I will talk about it by name when it is appropriate, but I am not desperate to "raise them Buddhist".

In fact, I will never, EVER, tell my child they are a "Buddhist". Never. Ever. Never. For it to come from me means absolutely nothing (but it will mean a TON to them) and doing so will make them think they are not responsible for themselves and that they have no choice in the matter (like how I felt as a child with my Catholic upbringing, even though my parents were not very serious about it. I didn't understand why and they were afraid to explain it to me at such a young age). When the time is appropriate I will tell them that I practice and that I want them to ask questions about it. As they grow up and become more interested, I will help them learn how to look into it for themselves. And if they really appreciate what it is then they can come tell me they are going to practice. I want them to make the choice. On the other hand, if they completely reject the teaching then I will be okay with that. It's something very easy to accept here in America.


That is how I plan to raise them as far as my practice goes. We'll see if it works. :smile:
“Life is swept along, short is the life span; no shelters exist for one who has reached old age. Seeing clearly this danger in death, a seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.” SN 1.3
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