SRV Youth Focus
Making a Lasting Impression
When our older SRV children were very young we taught them through rituals, stories, drama, and art. Core philosophical and dharma teachings were expressed in that manner. Now, as they are entering the later grades of elementary and middle school, they are naturally interacting in a more intellectual way with the external world (the bhutakasha) and having more involved social interactions as well. In our secularized society it is essential for the children of dharmic families to have friendships with other children whose home life is also based in dharma, otherwise they feel out of step with their peers. For the children of parents who follow Vedanta, this can be a real challenge, since we are not a large group in any city. Therefore, at SRV's Portland ashram, we work hard at finding times our children can come together for formal spiritual instruction in the ashram, and have fun in the process.