The important thing is not to have your children accept Buddhadharma, but rather, to instill in the child a sense of responsibility, a set of moral principles, and courage to face whatever may happen. Their sense of responsibility should be toward all people, toward all sentient beings. With proper moral actions, children should not do or say things that will harm the body and mind of themselves or others. The proper courage is one where children put their best feet forward, accepting whatever may come, and accepting the idea of cause and consequence, not only in this present life, but in past and future lives as well.

Concentrate on these things. As to what kind of people your children turn out to be, or what religion they follow or path they take, that's up to them, not you.

STUDENT:

Shih-fu, you said earlier that parents could tell Buddhist and Ch'an stories to children. Some of those stories are bizarre, and for those who don't practice, or who aren't familiar with Ch'an, the stories are easily misunderstood. How should one deal with this?

SHIH-FU:

Stay away from the bizarre stories. Many stories are not strange, and are easy to understand. Tell these to your children. Leave bizarre stories for practitioners.

STUDENT: