Building the Inner Self - Classes IV and V
On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Minoti Didi connected with the Class IV Purva group and a few Class V children for an introspective conversation on building the inner self. The session focused on the ‘Three Doors’ of body, speech, and mind, exploring how these entryways connect us to our inner worlds and guide our everyday actions.
What made the experience especially heartening was the initiative shown by the Class V students. Those who volunteered stepped forward to take on the role of facilitators for subsequent sessions with Class IV. With sincerity and growing confidence, they initiated and led discussions, while Minoti Didi offered gentle co-facilitation and guidance.
Children began the discussion with a correlation of inner self to their ongoing theme of ‘Pollution.’ In a process of thought-provoking enquiry, they drew a profound parallel between outer pollution and internal pollution, identifying jealousy, anger, guilt, and fear as ‘dark clouds’.
Through continued discussion using real life examples, the children separated the tangible from the infinite, deducing that while the brain is a physical organ, the mind is an unseen, boundless landscape of creativity. They realised that the mind reveals itself dynamically through thoughts, imagination, and project ideas.
They noted how the ‘Body Door’ is polluted through conflicting situations, the ‘Speech Door’ through mocking or teasing, and the ‘Mind Door’ through harbouring negative thoughts. Rather than suppressing these emotions, the children identified mindful remedies to clear this inner waste, such as deep breathing, stepping into quiet spaces like the Vanar Vatika, listening to music, and facing fears directly by talking with Didi.
Minoti Didi emphasised that navigating life successfully requires us to fly with two strong wings- Wisdom and Compassion. The students learned that Wisdom means making sensible choices, such as reducing plastic use or protecting natural cycles like pollination and underground water. Compassion extends this care to the Earth, to creatures like bees and butterflies, and to oneself.
They reflected on how the Lung-ta prayer flags placed at the highest points carry and pass on the ‘mantras’ written upon them to the entirety of nature without any discrimination, which they learned are symbols of the enlightened mind.
By the end of the session, children understood that while we all possess these two wings, we must actively strengthen them. By keeping our three doors pure and free from inner pollution, we can live a truly happy, balanced life in harmony with nature.