# Teach year threes and fours Buddhism

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-north-perth-year-fours-buddhism
- Themes: teaching, children, humour, simplicity
- Life situations: teaching kids, public outreach

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At the old North Perth temple a teacher dumps year-three/four kids on him: please teach Buddhism — Four Noble Truths won't do; he must find kid-level virtue talk.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

year uh three or year fours who came to our they came to our um Temple when it was stood in North per many years ago and the teacher brought these kids to me I got loaded with them can you please teach our kids Buddhism something and of course it's always very difficult you know when you know you learn Buddhism sort of in place like Thailand you know all about for noble truths and dependent origination and all these very complicated subjects but how can you teach year three or year four year old

## Teaching point

Dependent origination doesn't land in year four — kindness does.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Asked to teach Buddhism to eight-year-olds, Ajahn Brahm dropped the complicated philosophy and asked: what's being bad? The kids answered easily: hurting, lying, stealing, and Daddy getting drunk. Soon they'd worked out the five precepts themselves. Children's fresh minds see clearly. Trust their wisdom and teach simply.

## Source

- [Buddhist Values | Ajahn Brahm | 08-01-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpbWVaXBV4c) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:07 to 7:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpbWVaXBV4c&t=427s