WHEN: every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. While we welcome all families with children to come and join us on 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays, parents are fully responsible for their children on these Sundays.
WHAT:
Together we will learn about mindful breathing, taking care of our emotions, how to rest and take good care of our bodies and minds, and how we can care for all living beings. We will enjoy snack meditations, playing, arts and crafts, singing, story telling, the beautiful sanctuary of Deer Park and all its wild animals and plants, and experience our interconnectedness with all things.
• 1st Sunday Schedule:
8:30 a.m. Five Mindfulness Trainings Recitation Ceremony. (On every 1st Sunday we invite all the children to attend the first part of the Five Mindfulness Trainings Recitation, which is the recitation of the Two Promises, the Mindfulness Trainings for children. There is a period of sitting meditation from 8:30-9am and the Recitation begins at 9am.)
9:30-10:00 a.m. Children’s Program staff will play outdoor games with children while adults recite the 5 Mindfulness Trainings
10:00 a.m. Children rejoin the Sangha for walking meditation. We encourage all the children to join their parents in walking meditation.
11:00 a.m. Dharma Talk. If possible, the Dharma Teachers may offer a short Dharma Talk for the children at the beginning, in which case we invite the children to sit up front. If there is no Children’s Dharma talk, we will gather the children just outside the meditation hall before the talk begins. Then we will go out with the children to explore mindfulness practice together until lunch time.
12:30 Lunch. Children eat with their parents. We ask parents to be with their children after lunch until Dharma Discussion, at which time we will gather the children at the Children’s room, near the Solidity garden, for our afternoon program.
2:30 or 3pm Children’s Program during adult’s Dharma Discussion.
A parent’s Dharma Discussion will usually be held on the afternoon of the first Sunday for parents to share their joys and challenges in the practice.
• 3rd Sunday:
On the 3rd Sunday of every month, we recite the 14 Mindfulness Trainings at 8:30am. On this day, we ask parents to drop off their children at the Children’s room near the Solidity pond between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. Parents are welcome to attend the recitation. The rest of the schedule is the same as the 1st Sunday, except the afternoon program will be announced
Let us know you are coming: Please email or call us to let us know you are coming on the 1st or 3rd Sunday, and let us know the gender and ages of your children by the Friday before that Sunday. You can email Sr. Jewel at deerparkmonastery@yahoo.com (Please put ‘Children’s Program’ in the subject line) or call 760-291-1028.
Staying in touch: To receive updates about the children’s program, please send us your contact information (name, phone and email, and the names, gender, and ages of your children). Send to deerparkmonastery@yahoo.com, attention Sr. Jewel.
Invitation to volunteer for parents and non-parents: We would love to have you come and share your talents with the children. If you have a special skill in crafts, art, storytelling, games, etc., please let us know. We also ask parents to help out with the program from time to time, especially to take turns joining us during the afternoon program.
Impermanence: We will do our best to offer a consistent program; however, there are periods of the year when we will not be able to offer the program. During certain special retreats, and when the Sangha goes on tour in August and September, the schedule may be more irregular. We will let you know in advance by email or call us if you have questions.
