Interview with “Light in London” | Spiritual Growth: Children, Parents, and Families | part 1
– In the west everywhere there are family problems, children problems, they break up, etc. Can you say a few words on creating more harmonious relationships and also on the spiritual education of children?
– In the western world and also in India I see that people’s personal life is disturbed very much. This is also happening in big cities of India day-by-day. Why? It is happening, because both husband and wife have pride (ego). If you go and see in every family where harmony exists, you will see that one person’s ego is smaller than the other’s. If both are very egoistic, both egos are very big; they will not live together, even if they are good people. I often see in my disciples or people who are coming – husband is good, wife is good, not bad people, but they can’t live together, in small little things they create very big problems, because of ego, ego makes problems. This will end when they have spiritual knowledge. Problems happen because of the materialistic mind – wife is working, husband is also working; she is gaining money, he is also gaining money. She thinks “Why should I listen to him? I also have money power, I also have something powerful” and ego is increasing. This is the main problem.
Children’s education I think is the most important thing. I am talking about the entire world, not the West or India. If from a young age we provide children with spiritual, not only religious, knowledge, (together with other studies)… Religious knowledge is good if spirituality exists, because spirituality is the soul of all religions. I am not talking only about rituals. So, if from a young age every person, every child gains spiritual knowledge, I am sure that their personal life will not be disturbed.
And again – children must see these things. Mother’s and father’s role is of major importance in children’s spiritual education, because children are learning everything from them, their body language, not only words: how they respect each other, how they speak to each other, how they treat each other, how they love each other. These things are the most important for spiritual education of our children. If parents respect each other, if they talk in harmony, mother says something good and father understands, father talks and mother listens, they show mutual understanding, love, harmony… This is the main spiritual knowledge for our children. If they don’t see this in family, then everything depends upon their karma and that’s it. When children go out to the world, to school, students from different families come, there are different behaviours, children bring different family situations and they learn different things from each other – good and bad. But if our family is strong, spiritual, parents’ relationship is strong and spiritual, when children come home, once again they see harmony and other experiences will not have an effect on our children.
So, first thing is our family. Western, Indian, American, doesn’t matter, I am talking about the entire world. I always think, always pray to God: “If our families harmonise, the future of our children will be very good.” Eighty-ninety percent, of cases, you see divorce or separation happens because of little things; people create big problems from little things and separate. We have to compromise; we have to decrease our ego when we live with someone– like friends or husband and wife. Ego is the main problem and if we promote and establish strong family spiritual culture, I think so many problems in our society will be solved.
– So, the example of parents is important, the atmosphere of the home is important and what about the sadhana for the child? Can he start meditation young?
– Yes, any time, from early childhood. First a child can chant the name of God in any religion – any religion has the chanting of the name of God. Child should start something. When he can sit, he can do meditation, prayer. This will discipline the life of our children.
Read rest of the interview (part2)