Buddha's View on Children in Priesthood

불타(佛陀)의 출가아동관(出家兒童觀) - 원시경전(原始經典)을 중심(中心)으로 -

Nobody denies that to detect a view of children agreeable to us is one of our tasks. Studying the Early Buddhist Scriptures, for the purpose of finding and the view of children entered the priesthood of Buddhism rooted deeply in our culture, I can find out the following conclusions. 1. Buddha regards that adults and children are same in that both of them are equally able to attain Nirvana, and he recognizes the differences between adults and children appeared in body and mind in the process of spiritual discipline. 2. He consideres that parent's worldly love is needed to the children priests below the age of 12. 3. He called priests over the age of 12 to 20 children priests, and he said that they have to be under a certain guard in particular, because unlike adults they have a lot of problem in the discipline process. 4. In the view of human being's growth and development, it is assumed that the group of children priests played a part as a group of spiritual discipline for youths. 5. It's regarded that the group of children priests also had function as a group of child welfare of today. 6. In other side, we can see Buddha's strict view of education for children priests, that is, even though they were children they had to discipline themselves thoroughly according to the view of values of Buddhism as far as they are priests who entered the temple. 7. Even if they are children, only minimal living things are permitted to them, and an ascetic life is required to them. In modern sense, how can such views be accepted and used? I think, this is our new task deeply looked into again in the standpoint of education of whole man rooted in religions psychology.