Lessons for My Children
Inspired by Dhammapada
The Sayings of the Buddha

In my life, I have been fortunate in the friends I've loved, the things I've learned, the places I've seen, and the moments I've cherished. If I could select a few of the lessons I've learned from these travels and teach them to my children, I would gladly plagiarize the Buddha to deliver my message:

"See the false as false,
The true as true.
Look into your heart.
Follow your nature."

As the mother of young girls, I want them to know who they are. To know their own thoughts, their own wants. I want them to be fully present in the formation of their own lives, and to be true to themselves. A girl who knows who she is doesn't need anyone else to define her.

"Your worst enemy cannot harm you
As much as your own thoughts, unguarded."

How many people defeat themselves with fear? I've done it. I would imagine that most people, at one time or another, have deliberately avoided achieving something for fear that they would fail. I want my children to look beyond the boundaries of their fear. I want them to vanquish the voice that stops them from achieving their dreams. (note: this does not mean that I condone jumping out of airplanes or doing anything without proper protective gear)

"Look to your own faults,
What you have done or left undone.
Overlook the faults of others."

The only way to learn from the voyage of your life is to look at who you were, who you are, and who you are becoming. In finding fault with others, all you learn is how to find fault. Perhaps on the other side of the coin, you do yourself a disservice by comparing yourself to others. This is not a competition. This is your life and, to my knowledge, there aren't any do-overs. (again, note: always wear protective gear)

I could easily find lessons to teach my children. It's not as though I'm the first person to parent a child. But, if there was one lesson, and only one, that I could teach my beautiful girls, I would teach them this: "Meet yourself. Get to know yourself. Be yourself. Love yourself." Perhaps everything else falls in line as a result? I couldn't predict, since I'm still on the path to enlightenment.

          - Dhammapada, The Sayings of the Buddha
            A Rendering by Thomas Byrom
            Shambala Publications, Inc. (1976)