Today in Balavihar, we first reviewed the parts of the chariot,
Wheels: Sauraja - Valor, Courage and Dhiraja - Fortitude, patience
Flags:
Satya - Truthfulness
Sila - Good character
Horses:
Bala - Strength
Viveka/Bibeka - Discrimination
Dama - Control of senses
Parahita - Caring for others
Reins:
Ksama - Forgiveness
Kripa - Compassion
Samata - Equanimity
Shield: Birati - Dispassion
Axe: Dhaana - Charity
Charioteer: Isa (Bhajanu) - Devotion to God
Sword: Samtosa - Contentment
Bow: Bara Bigyana - Self knowledge
Quiver: Pure and steady mind
We learned about the arrows in depth:
Quietude of mind is Sama.
The five noble values of life are:
- Non-injury
- Truthfulness
- Self Control
- Non stealing
- Non hoarding
The five daily disciplines are:
- Austerity
- Study of the scriptures
- Purity of mind
- Contentment
- Worship of God
We learned about Ahimsa. We talked about doing the right thing. If you want to hurt someone, think, would you want that to happen to you? The answer would be no so, don't do it to them.
We talked about truthfulness, always tell the truth. "Three things cannot be hidden - the sun, the moon, and the truth." Buddha said.
We learned what Brahmacharya means, it means self control.
Asteya means non stealing, which brings me to, we looked at a bunch of pictures and stated which ones were stealing and which weren't.
We concluded our class with the closing prayers.
