A fair reflection on Buddhist youths

When we look around the temples nowadays, what do we see ? We see adults attending Dhamma talks, meditation retreats, organising events for the benefit of many and making acquaintances.

And then we see the kids, attending Sunday School, kneeling down in front of the Buddha image, sitting in classrooms learning from their teachers.



But something is not right in the picture. Somewhere, something is missing. Where is the link ? What is missing ? Where are the youths ?



Yes, that is a main topic on the lips of Dhamma propogators and practitioners. The youths age 16 to 20 years old are no longer attending Sunday School, nor are they attending Dhamma talks. So how does their Dhamma learning continue ? Do they go and seek the Truth by themselves ? Do they consult a teacher ? Or do they just bury that under all other priorities they have in their lives ?



Most likely is the latter. While in this Dhamma-ending age, the number of human beings who have the opportunity to be in contact with the Dhamma lessens by the minute, those who have been in the Sunday School for 5, 10, 15 years too suddenly lose that pillar of support that had been present in their lives. So where do they go to for guidance, for advice and for understanding ?



While everyone is encouraging each other to go to the temple to seek the Truth, not enough effort is being done to keep them there. This applies to the youths as well. This is because after years of spending time in the temple, not much learning has been gained.

And this is neither the fault of the teachers or the school. It actually lies within the youths themselves. If a youth has sought for an answer to their problems and they have managed to obtain it from the Dhamma, then unprompted, they will put in effort to learn the Dhamma.



The youths complain that classes are boring and this is not due to the lack of appropriate topics being taught in the school. It is more to the fact that they do not know how to apply what is learnt in their daily lives.



If one were to be told that all the answers they seek lie within themselves and the Dhamma, they would not believe a word of it. That is unless they have experienced and lived through the teachings.



Many youths see the Dhamma as another subject that they learn to get high marks in the exam. This should not be the case. The Buddha once said, "even the illiterate can be wise". The youths need to be taught that they need to apply what is learnt and that it can be applied. This has to be done by fellow youths as teachers cannot fulfill that role.



Such an example would be the basic understanding of the Five Moral Precepts, or "Panca Sila". The Buddha laid down these precepts as it would be of benefit to those who practised them. However, youths nowadays do not practise them as they do not see the importance nor the benefits it brings.



A youth will continue to tell lies if he is not caught. He would not observe the fourth precept as he does not see the need for doing so. And that is where proper guidance is needed.


The Buddha's teachings has to be taught through the means of friendship. A teacher has to be the student's friend to be able to get the message through. If someone close were to tell the youth that lies and false speech would lead to others being harmed, including loved ones, that youth might gain that understanding and stop that habit of his. It is a known fact that lies only lead to more lies and therefore would continue to lead to conflicts and misunderstandings.


Furthermore, if the youth could be taught to tell the truth, then he would be able to gain the benefits of speaking the truth such as attracting wise associations as the wise do not associate with the foolish.



The root of the problems with the learning of Dhamma in Buddhist youths is two-fold. One, the youths do not have the suitable guidance to be taught the truth. Two, the youths have not experienced the benefits of practising the Dhamma.



Therefore, Buddhist youth groups play a vital role in ensuring that youths in the Buddhist society continue to be educated and guided in the right teachings. Much more effort would have to be put in to ensure that improvements are seen. The inculculation of Dhamma values in youths would not only be of great benefit for the youth themsevles, but also the society at large.