Engaging the Younger Generation in Nepal

Bhiksuni Molini and Bhiksuni Dhammavijaya

Energy makes the world go round and youth have plenty of it. To help guide this dynamic human energy, we need to teach values and guide them toward the right path. If the younger generation makes a wrong turn or misuses their energy, the future will be full of terrible problems.

Even during the Buddha’s time, there were novice monks and nuns about seven years old who attained the state of arahantship. The main aim of the Buddhist way of life is "Bahujana  hitaya bahujana sukhaya," to work for the well-being of the many and for the benefit of the many (hita). Working for the well-being of the people is conducive to happiness (sukha) for oneself and others. Young people are also capable of working for the well-being of others and for the benefit of the world. As a path toward that goal, the teachings of the Buddha are very important for the world.

Observing the five precepts is a universally accepted basis for creating peace and happiness in society. If the younger generation learn to value these precepts and live by Buddhist principles, they will find inner peace and live happily with others. According to the Mangala Sutta, there are 38 kinds of action that are the greatest blessings for the world. We need to consider how to familiarize the young generation with the teachings of the Buddha and the how to create these wholesome types of actions.

We are working on a small project for the prevention of trafficking in Nepal, the land where the Buddha was born. In Nepal, many young girls have been sold to brothels in India. In remote mountain villages of Nepal, where the people are uneducated, poor, and increasingly without a family provider (many fathers and husbands have been killed in the decade long People’s War), girls are at greater risk then even before. In addition, there is the traditional dowry system for daughters. The girls’ families are only trying to do what is the best for their daughters, but too often these girls are taken to Katmandu, then to India to be sold into brothels where they become victims of the flesh trade. Due to deception, many young girls are unknowingly put in very dangerous situations. Now with the spread of HIV/AIDs, the situation has even become deadly. Girls return to their homeland to await death in their own country once they become carriers of HIV/AIDs. For these reasons, we are engaged in a Buddhist project based in Nepal that provides shelter and education, including Buddhist education and spiritual development, for young Nepalese girls who have fallen victim to human traffickers.