The thesis presents a study on the effects of the Children Meditation Class – based on Fo Guang Shan Chia Yi Educational Hall. It attempts to clarify whether meditation can also be applied to the preschool children (5-6 years old) as well as the primary school children. Traditionally, children are encouraged to learn and possess with all kinds of skills at a very young age, such as learning second language, training of mathematic skills and so on. With these skills acquired, it is believed that children can be more competitive to the future society and adaptive to the social life. In addition to the abilities that the children have to acquire, children will also understand themselves better while going through the state of mental development. The importance of “concentration” for the children cannot be overemphasized as they should learn how to focus on their studies and gain wisdom on things in a more effective ways. This study deals with the exploration on the effects of children meditation which will be suitable for readers who would like to practice and acquire skills on how to pacify one’s mind based on the research on children. There are literature reviews as well as supporting academic results to better the development of the thesis. The research outcomes referred in the thesis would be the effects and examining of results on the practice of meditation by the scholars and professors in different fields. The experiences shared by the participants, the children and their parents are also included. It is found that the effects of children meditation can be recognized from the changes of their behaviors and self-awareness of their own manners. This research also allows the researcher understand how a children meditation class is conducted and what kinds of activities are applied to help children improve their time span of concentration. The discussion also includes how the objects of the children meditation class have been utilized and have helped the children after their enrollment and participation of the class.
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ABSTRACT iii CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Motivation and Purpose 3 1.1.1 Motivation of this Study 3 1.1.2 Purpose of this Study 3 1.2 Problem Statement 4 1.3 Literature Review 5 1.4 Challenges and Solutions 12 1.5 Research Methodology 12 CHAPTER TWO - A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEDITATION IN BUDDHISM 14 2.1 Origin of the Meditation 14 2.2 Effects and Benefits of Meditation 15 2.3 Types of Meditation 20 2.3.1 Sitting Meditation 24 2.3.2 Walking Meditation 25 2.3.3Music Meditation 26 2.3.4Running Meditation 27 CHAPTER THREE - ANALYSES OF THE RESEARCHES 31 3.1 Fo Guang Shan Children’s Meditation Program 31 3.2 Children Meditation Course in Chiayi Educational Hall 36 3.3 Structure of the Interview Questions 38 3.4 Procedures of the Research Methods 39 3.5 Analyses and Interpretation of the Researches 41 3.5.1 Interview the Former Instructor in Charge 42 3.5.2 Interview the Current Instructor in Charge 45 3.5.3 Interview the Parents 46 3.5.4 Interview the Children 52 3.6 Conclusion of the Survey 57 CHAPTER FOUR - CONCLUSION 60 4.1 Results of the Research 60 4.2 Conclusion 61 4.3 Future Research Works 62 BIBLIOGRAPHY 64 Appendix I - Questions to Former Person in Charge (Chinese Version) 70 Appendix II - Mail from Former Instructor 71 Appendix III - Recording of Interview 74 List of Tables Table 1 - Books 6 Table 2 - Journal Articles 8 Table 3 - Theses 10 Table 4 - Benefit of Meditation 18 Table 5 - Two Categories of Meditation Techniques 23 Table 6 - Children Meditation Program Status 33 Table 7 - Reasons without Meditation Programs 34 Table 8 - Status Of Meditation Program 35 Table 9 - Interview Questions to Parents 47 Table 10 - Interview Parents: Personal Background 47 Table 11 - Interview Parents: Practical Experience 49 Table 12 - Interview Parents: Practicing Outcomes of Meditation 51 Table 13 -Background of Children Interviewee 52 Table 14 - Questions for the Children 53 Table 15 - Children’s Reply I 54 Table 16 - Children’s Reply II 55
