May 3, 2023
Notes by Saamya Deo
Review
Last week, Lavanya didi taught us the 4 R’s
Refuse: To say no to things that are bad for the Earth
Reduce: Being conscious about what we have and if we need anything else
Reuse: To create new things out of the things we have
Recycle: To dispose of our things properly
Story
Once there was a boy named Sanjay. He did not like to do puja with his father. He would rather watch television about superheroes. When he turned off the television, and sat for puja with his father, he had a vision. He was locked in a temple with a monster, the shapeshifter, the one he saw on television. There was a diya, it was off. He took his toy and lit the diya. Suddenly, 3 illuminating figures, deities appeared and fought the monster, but they couldn’t defeat it. Sanjay took his toy and threw it at the diya. At once the monster became peaceful. The deities gave Sanjay a ball of light and he was back in reality. His father, understanding that he was bored, let him watch TV. Sanjay took his notebook and showed him his team of superheroes. (The deities that were in his vision)
Lesson
How do we overcome boredom?
When we learn why, we can overcome boredom.
For Sanjay, puja was mechanical, it didn’t have any meaning but as soon as he found meaning he was able to overcome boredom.
The shapeshifter represents our vices.
The diya represents knowledge.
When we are eager to learn, we have positive thoughts and those positive thoughts focus on our vices.
We can do this by being more observant. Of our thoughts and of everything that’s around us. Being observant outside = Being observant inside. Being observant can help us make changes.
RAW
Do puja with your family at least once this week
=========================================================
Notes by Sita Somnath Buono
REVIEW: Sumanji did not give a review but last week Lavanya Didi showed us a video about the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Then Lavanya Didi told us there were really r`s. The 4th r is ‘Refuse’. Refuse anything that will harm the earth. The RAW for last week was to do one of the 4 r`s. For example, you could start using the other side of a paper or bring a reusable bag to the grocery store!
MOVIE
This week we learned about overcoming boredom so we can get things done. We watched a short movie called “Sanjay’s Super Team.” It was about a boy named Sanjay who loved superheroes and thought that doing puja was boring. When he accidentally extinguished the diya while his dad was doing puja, he was transported to an awesome temple. There, because the diya was not lit, a huge monster appeared. Then Vishnu, Durga and Hanuman came to fight the monster. Vishnu rung a bell because the cosmic sound could defeat the monster, but it was not strong enough. Sanjay used his superhero action figure and threw it against the diya to make a sound like a bell and although it broke, he defeated the monster! The gods gave him a new toy and then he was transported back home. His toy made a sound and his dad heard. The dad sadly handed him the tv remote to watch TV but Sanjay went to his notebook and drew Vishnu, Durga and Hanuman and showed them to his now happy dad.
LESSON
The monster in the movie represents our bad and bored thoughts. The diya is knowledge, and the gods are our good thoughts. Using these representations, we can understand that when we`re focused and we want to learn, we can turn our bad thoughts into good ones. We can put this into action by being observant. There are two definitions for being observant. The first definition is being able to notice all the things happening around us, and the second one is being able to notice our thoughts. If you want to change you need to notice your thoughts and what you need to change or you will not even know you need to change. When you focus and observe, your mind is quiet so you can notice your thoughts easily.
ACTIVITY
Our activity was a game that helped us be observant. The game was called ‘Detective’. One person was it. Sumanji messaged that person in the chat so knew they were it. The person who was it had to do something such as touching their nose or tapping their shoulders. The rest of the people in the class had to copy the person who was it. The detective had to figure out who the ‘it’ person was by looking and observing carefully.
RAW
Our reflection adventure of the week is to do puja once with your family.