My little girl is nearly 4 years old now and her communication skills are much stronger now than they were six months ago, and she is more aware of the world around her. This includes the subject of religion.
For her, the temple is called “Namu Namu“, which I mentioned back in a much older post. It’s actually from the phrase “Namu Amida Butsu” where “Namu” is means “praise to” and derives from Sanskrit originally. But I digress, for her the temple is Namu Namu, and she goes there and sees a bunch of adults chanting, bells struck, and sometimes talking long-winded speeches. It’s funny because she likes to imitate this at home now, where she makes up her own “service” and I am required to sit and participate while she bangs on the bell a lot and pretends to chant long, incoherent syllables. Lots of fun to watch.
This also includes Sunday School, which is something unique mostly to the Buddhist Churches of America. While I personally have given up on the Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in particular a while ago,1 my wife is a devout follower, and I do like the temple community and am still happy to go, so it’s our usual Sunday routine. Having a sense of structure and routine is very helpful with kids and makes them feel more secure, less agitated. I have to say overall, she is a bright little girl and well-behaved, so something’s working right.
Read more at Japan Life and Religion and at In Culture Parent.
Also... check out a photo gallery of Korean Children monks here. Cuter than 1 million puppies and kitties.
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