Buddha's View on Children in the Family

불타(佛陀)의 재가아동관(在家兒童觀)

Research on children should be perferably made in reference with the past thinking if it is to be affirmed by the present and to predict the future. In this respect, Buddhism, which is one of the major original thinkings in the Orient as well as the most influential religion upon Koreans daily lives and attitudes, deserves to be researched in the light of education of children. In this thesis, I have made a trial to delve into the original Buddhistic scriptures to find out Buddha's outlook on home children and arrived at the following conclusions: 1. Concerning human development stages, Buddha regarded the starting point of human life from fertilization instead of birth, even at that ancient time, and the fetal life was devided into 4, 5, or 8 stages. 2. In spite of the numerous scriptures by Buddha, very little is written about children, and even these teaching did not regard the child as an independent entity. In addition, since Buddha was a person of superior enlightenment, he did not regard the age of human beings as of great importance. 3. On the relationship between parents and children, Buddha warned the extra ordinary attachment of parents toward children, because such attachment would be an obstacle in the search of truth. This idea was originated from his thought that the relationship between parents and children was not a single fixed one but of unlimited variation through numerous life times of reincarnation. This idea gives some illumination upon the problems of today's education where parent's exclusive attachment to their children and over-protection are hindrance for successful education. 4. Buddha put emphasis on parents' social duty, by which he meant that parents should care and accept not only their biological children but all children and all living things as if they were their own children. 5. Regardeding the children's role to their parents, Buddha taught that children should respect and support their parents under any condition. Buddha also emphasized that true filial piety was to help parents to improve their religious status by helping them attain the truth, morality, and wisdom. It is my intention to investigate Buddha's View tin children of entering pristhood.