Buddhism for Children drawings And Worksheets to colour up
Martha Aitchison
From time to time I have been asked to design worksheets for schools explaining the Teaching to children. I thought of presenting them as colouring pages with simple drawings and short legends posing questions that the children have to answer in writing alongside the pictures. The teachers liked the idea and so did the pupils. I enjoyed the work and would gladly consider similar projects, which I will do for free of course, if contacted with suggestions. I can be reached by email nottwobooks@gmail.com
Please note: To download find the Share button under the open book and click on it. You will see highlighted in red From first page. This setting will download the whole book. Then click on Download . Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free to download from Adobe) and choose the page or pages you want to print. The normal A4 plain paper used for letters and reports is adequate. Martha Aitchison
Colouring Pages
Temple flower
WORKSHEETS
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Answer at the bottom of the last page.
What is the difference between a railway stationmaster and
MEDITATION Meditation is a special way of paying attention. We practise meditation to train our mind to be more attentive in daily life because being more attentive we will be brighter and happier. What is the mind? We call mind to the part of us that does all the thinking and the planning and the remembering.
When we want to meditate we find a quiet place where we will not be disturbed for five or ten minutes.
We sit like the Buddha, crossed legged on a cushion with the back straight but not stiff. We pretend to be a tall and strong mountain, steady and comfortable. We close our eyes. Then we start to pay attention to the breath coming in and out of our nostrils. We notice air softly touching our upper lip on the out-breath. We notice cooler air going in on the in-breath. Sometimes the breath is fast and sometimes it is slow. Sometimes it is deep and sometimes it is shallow. We just watch it; we do not try to change it in any way. Our only task is to stay relaxed and keep watching the breath as it comes in and goes out with no other thought in our head.
Simple isn’t it? Yes, but not easy! Soon we find that we are thinking of something else. It is not our fault; this jumping about is what minds do naturally, like monkeys on the trees.
Meditation clearly shows us that the mind is always changing. So what do we do? We bring the attention back to the nostrils, softly and with kindness, again and again. Little by little we can train our mind to be more able to stay with the breath for longer and longer. We just have to practise a little everyday, well, most days anyway.
Training the mind is like training a dog. You know how lively a young puppy is. One minute it can be chasing a butterfly
The next it has dived into the dustbin to see what he can find, ugh! The next it has dived into the dustbin to see what he can find, ugh!
It will get into all sorts of scrapes. Just like our minds, a puppy does what its nature makes it do.
So we train our puppy with patience and kindness.
Teaching it games,
and tricks,
and to walk on the lead so it is safe.
Training it well makes our puppy a good and happy dog that everybody loves. Training our mind is the same; we have to be just as kind and patient with ourselves. When we meditate we learn to keep attentive to what is going on here and now and not jumping about from yesterday to tomorrow and back again, like a puppy chasing a butterfly. The answer is: The stationmaster minds trains while the meditation teacher trains minds.
What is the girl saying ? Can you write it in the balloon?
is sharing our things and abilities with everybody without expecting a reward, just because making others happy makes us happy too. Why is one of the girls pointing to the book? Why is the other girl looking unhappy? Can you write it down here?
What is the boy doing? And what do you think the boy is saying to the lady? Can you write it in the balloon?
Respect is treating everybody and everything with care and consideration because we would not like to be treated badly ourselves. What is the girl doing with the paper in her hand? Why is she doing this? Can you write it down here?
The International Buddhist Flag Did you know that there is a flag with many happy colours belonging to all the Buddhist people of the world? It sends to everybody a message of peace when it flutters merrily in the wind. The colours of the flag are the colours of the five rays of light that it is said surrounded the head of the Buddha at the moment of Enlightenment. Each means something important to us.
Blue represents Loving Kindness and Compassion. Yellow represents the Middle Way. Red represents the Blessings that come to those who practise. White represents the Dhamma which leads to freedom from suffering. Orange represents the development of Wisdom.
Here are two flags; the one on your right hand has the lines of the Buddhist flag already drawn, it only needs the colours. Can you paint it? The one on the left is blank so you can also paint the flag of your country.
Here is the Buddha. Can you colour the rays with the colours of the flag?
Can you write below the meaning of each colour?
Blue Yellow Red White Orange
THE FIVE PRECEPTS EXPLAINED FOR CHILDREN Pânâtipâtâ veramani sikkhâ padam samâdiyâmi I undertake the precept to abstain from destroying living beings. WE SHOULD NOT HARM LIVING THINGS Adinnâ-dânâ veramanî sikkhâ padam samâdiyâmi I undertake the precept to abstain from taking things not given. WE MUST NOT TAKE WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO US Kâmesu micchâ-cârâ veramanî sikkhâ padam samâdiyâmi I undertake the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct. WE MUST NOT BE GREEDY IN OUR OWN PLEASURES BUT SHOW RESPECT AND KINDNESS TO EVERYBODY Musâvâdâ veramanî sikkhâ padam samâdiyâmi I undertake the precept to abstain from false speech. WE MUST NOT TELL LIES OR SPEAK UNKINDLY Surâ meraya-majja-pamâ-datthânâ veramanî sikkhâ padam samâdiyâmi I undertake the precept to abstain from distilled and fermented liquor that causes intoxication and heedlessness WE MUST NOT CLOUD OUR MINDS WITH DRINK OR DRUGS
A note for parents and teachers I have simplified the text of the precepts so that children can relate them to their own experience. The third precept, to abstain from sexual misconduct, presented quite a challenge until a senior monk advised me that in its wider sense it not only relates to sex but comprises all kinds of sensuality. Therefore I have interpreted it as refraining from indulging in excessive pleasures, e.g. eating, playing computer games, etc. It also implies giving consideration to the well being and happiness of others and not to think only about satisfying our own selfish impulses. Perhaps the children could be encouraged to think of other examples of following or breaking the precepts and then drawing their own ‘comics’. Working two together one child can do the drawing and the other fill the balloons and then switch over.
WE SHOULD NOT HARM LIVING THINGS What is the girl doing with a rolled up newspaper? How does she look, is she smiling? Can you guess what she is thinking? Can you write it in the balloon please?
And in the picture below, why has she opened up the newspaper? What is she doing with it? What is the other girl saying to her? And what does she reply? Please write it in the balloons.
WE SHOULD NOT TAKE WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO US
Look carefully at these pictures. What have these boys found in the street? Why is one boy pointing at the toys? What is happening in the picture below? Where are they going? Can you guess what the children are saying to each other? Can you please write it in the balloons?
WE MUST NOT BE GREEDY IN OUR OWN PLEASURES BUT SHOW RESPECT AND KINDNESS TO EVERYBODY
What is happening in the picture above? What are the two girls saying to each other? Please write it in the balloons. Also please write inside the heart what the girl holding the cake should have said instead.
In this picture a boy is playing games while his mother is in the garden. What is she doing? Can you guess what is she saying to him? And what is he answering? Please write it in the balloons and then write inside the heart what the boy should do after playing for a while.
WE MUST NOT TELL LIES OR SPEAK UNKINDLY What is the teacher asking the boy? Why is the boy thinking of a bird flying away with papers in its beak? What is he telling the teacher? Do you think it can be true? Please write it in the balloons
The girl trying on the silly hat seems to like it, what do you think she is saying to her friend? What should the other girl reply? And how should she tell her friend the what she thinks? Can you write it in the balloons please?
WE MUST NOT CLOUD OUR MINDS WITH DRINK OR DRUGS Where are these two boys? Looking through the window, how do you think they got here? Are both drinking the same drink? What is the difference? Can you guess what they are saying and can you write it in the balloons, please?
In the picture below one of the boys doesn’t seem very happy. What happened to his bike and his leg? What is he drinking now? Can you guess what is he thinking about? And can you please write it in the balloon?
THE MEANING OF VESAK The day of the full moon of May is a special day for Buddhists around the world. It is called Vesak, a word that comes from the name of the month of May in the language spoken a long time ago in India. On Vesak day Buddhists remember and reflect on the Birth of the Buddha, his Enlightenment and the day when he died and entered Parinirvana.
THE BIRTH The Buddha was born earlier than expected in the gardens of Lumbini, when his mother was travelling to her parent’s house to have her baby. He was named Siddhattha and was the pampered prince of a small kingdom. As he grew up he tired of his empty life of luxury and worried about the suffering of the common people. One day Prince Siddhattha left the palace to live in the forest as a poor beggar. He wanted to find out real happiness by his own efforts in meditation and so to be able to help others.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT Many years later, after a long period of meditation, he found the cause and the cure of all our suffering. In this flash of enlightenment was born the Dhamma, as Buddha’s Teaching is called Prince Siddhatta realized that the cause of all suffering is greed and that the nature of all things is to change all the time. The way out of suffering is to be aware of this and wisely not holding on to what is changeable. He also advised to develop mindfulness and kindness through meditation and reflection .Thus he reached Nirvana, which is a state of profound peace and contentment. Since then the prince has been known as the Buddha, a word that means
THE PARINIRVANA The Buddha wanted to share his discovery with everybody in the world so they also could become enlightened. He spent the rest of his long life travelling and teaching. He founded monasteries wherever he went and many followers became monks and nuns. When the Buddha was 80 years old he died and reached Parinirvana, which is a state of sublime peace beyond Nirvana attained only after death.
VESAK DAY AT A BUDDHIST TEMPLE On Vesak Day Buddhists visit their temple and listen to the monks and nuns who help them to reflect on the message of the Buddha. Everybody joins in chanting and in a short meditation in a beautifully decorated shrine room. There are flowers and candles on the altar in front of the Buddha image and the air smells sweetly of incense. The participants bring food that they offer to the monks and nuns and then all share a nice and friendly meal.
I had a lot of fun doing these drawings for you but I am a little tired now; perhaps you can help me and draw above in the frame some of the activities that are part of a Vesak ceremony at a Buddhist temple.
QUESTIONS 1 What do we celebrate on Vesak day?
2 Who was Siddhattha?
3 Was Prince Siddhattha happy in his palace?
4 What did he decided to do?
5 How did Siddhattha become the Buddha?
6 What does the word Buddha mean?
7 What did the Buddha do during his long life?
8 Why did the Buddha teach the Dhamma?
9 What was the last advice of the Buddha?
10 What do you think the Buddha meant by that?
More of the same in issuu.com/nottwobooks Martha Aitchison nottwobooks@gmail.com