Moral Education Project for the Deaf, at Sotsuksa Khon Kaen School
At Sotsuksa Khon Kaen School for the deaf, on August 26, the monks from Wat Nanthikaram, the International Buddhist Propagation Center of Mahachulalongkornrajavi dyalaya University, Khon Kaen Campus (IBPC.MCUKK), Nai Mueang sub-district, Mueang Khon Kaen district, Khon Kaen province sent the monks to give the sermon and educate the students to understand how to live with present life at Sotsuksa Khon Kaen School for the Deaf. All students are the deaf and they cannot speak and listen so the preachers need the translator to translate into the body language for them. Although regular people who have full perfection of physical structure sometimes they are still difficult to understand the religious language and how to practice and learn Buddhism. So those students are so difficult to find out to understand the teaching of Buddha because they cannot speak and hear the sermon like the regular person. But the monks try to explain with translator and lead them to Buddhist practice by using the sign language. At that time the students joint paying homes to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha as well as preserve the five precepts. The students, there, love to join that kinds of activities because make them understand about their own life and make merit for themselves.
The good result or merit of preaching and listening sermons: giving the Dhamma or teaching Dhamma to others, writing of scriptures as palm leaves, all kinds of Dhammma books leading in good direction. This is plentiful gift that wields enormous results. The Buddha taught that “Sabadānam Dhamadānam Jinati” the Dhamma gift excels all other gifts. It has many more merits than giving things such as material gifts or help of bodily support. For giving of Dhamma or teaching of Dhamma is the gift of mental support that can help audiences, listeners and readers in five different kinds of good results: “These are the five rewards in listening to the Dhamma”. There are these five rewards in listening to the Dhamma. These are:
- Asuttam sunāti: one hears what one has not heard before.
- Suttam pariyodhapeti: one clarifies what one has heard before.
- Kangkham vihanti: one gets rid of doubt.
- Thidthang ujaum karoti: one’s views are made straight.
- Cittamassa basidati: one’s mind grows serene.
Give a sermon or teaching Dhamma is not easy because the Buddha’s teachings have a deep meaning. One, who tries to listen, tries to learn for long time and in depth that one can know and understand clearly and thereafter he can preach teaches or give the Dhamma or sermon clearly. When a person listens, learns to know and remember, he will get excellent results then bring what they know to share with others, it will result in more and more benefits and serve as extremely valuable donation.
Otherwise the donation of Dhamma brings much more good results than giving all kinds of gifts because the Dhamma gift in supporting Buddhism to remain long time. Because the cause make Buddhism develop five kinds:
- Lay people listen to Damma-vinaya respectful,
- Lay people learn about Damma-vinaya respectful,
- Lay people take note of Damma-vinaya respectful,
- Lay people consider to have a clear understanding Damma-vinaya
respect, and
- Lay people know well and practice Damma-Vinaya respectfully.
Giving sermon is considered to support Buddhism in the world to help people to life happily. That is why we consider a Dhamma gift to excel all other kinds of gifts. According to Dikhanikaya, Parinibana Sutta had divided into two gifts as the following: 1) giving material things, and 2) giving Dhamma.
Giving things such as flowers and such is called Āmisabūja. Giving of explaining Dhamma to lay people to understand correctly by following Buddha’s teachings, and thus developing of Buddhism is called Dhamma Būja. Dhamma Dāna (the gift of Dhamma) accounted to Dhamma būja (Dhamma practice) is the gift with many merits.
In the Paramathajotika scripture, Athakathakhutaka nikāya, Khutakanibath the parable is that Buddha is considered the demonstrator, Dhamma is considered the road, and Sangha (monks) considered travelers on the road with Buddha’s demonstration).
In other meaning, the preacher who have listen and learn the teaching of Buddha by the Buddhist canonical such as Tipitaka and so on then raise Buddha’s teachings to preach, teach, share or publish for the others is also called the demonstrator. The Dhamma is brought by the demonstrator called the road (path). The followers who listen to the preacher are called the truly travelers along the way with the teachings of the Buddha.
The preacher is considered as telling the way, the Dhamma taught is called the way, the listeners and followers of the teachings of the Buddha are call traveler. From listening to a preacher and practicing Buddha’s teachings can make release suffering and reach Nibbāna. This is why the preacher gets many merits or extremely good results.
On the other hand, all Buddhist people who know about the religious activities in Buddhism such as charity, keeping the precept, doing meditation or mental development and have giving charity, observe the precepts and practice meditation that causes to be happy in this and the next life depending on having listened from a preacher and having learnt, read from the scriptures like the palm scriptures, Krang and Dhamma books that ancestors, donators made and kept for generations to read and learn in order to for spiritual well-being.
The giving of the sermon and educating to the students to understand how to live with present life at Sotsuksa Khon Kaen School for the Deaf. All deaf students cannot speak and listen so the preachers need the translator to translate into the body language for them.
These kind of meritorious activities not only help them to understand and receive their physical state but it also helps them to change the bad result of unwholesome in next life as well and get the rewards for them.
Giving the Dhamma or teaching Dhamma and educate morality
Monks lead meditation practice
Moral Education
Moral Education and Meditation Practice
