October 18, 2023

Notes by Nimalan Senthil

STORY:

There is a father speaking to his child. The father asks his son, “Do you know how hunters capture monkeys?” “No,” replies the child. The father explains that “hunters made a jar that had a narrow opening, and it had food inside.”

“The monkey usually comes up to the jar, reaches its hand inside, and grabs the fruit, but can’t pull it out. The narrow opening of the jar lets the monkey’s hand go inside, but does not let the monkey’s hand come outside with the fruit. While the monkey is struggling, the hunters set a trap for the monkey. Eventually, the monkey will realize what it’s doing, but by then the monkey will have walked right into the trap.”

KEY TAKEAWAY:

ORI:

O – Objects. Don’t keep too many.

R – Relationships. Make sure that they benefit you.

I – Ideas. Be open to all of them.

VOCAB:

Tapa – What you want vs. what you need.

ACTIVITY:

Try catching air. It is physically impossible to do this. What can we even hold onto? Nothing really. If you think about it thoroughly, there’s nothing you can hold on to forever. Instead of holding on to toys or objects, try to hold on to yourself and your body or things that will last a long time.

RAW:

Go through your stuff and find 1 item that you can donate.

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Notes by Saamya Deo

Review

The word that we learned about last week was . . . .

DISCIPLINE!

The Sanskrit word, Tapah means to burn. When we rub 2 sticks together it creates heat (friction). That friction is created in our minds when there is a conflict between our needs and our wants. 

Needs vs Wants

Jake vs Finn

Jake is the disciplined planner who can have fun.

Finn is the undisciplined kid who only has fun. (FUN + FUN = FUN)

The Hard Way = Better later (long-term)

The Easy Way = Good for now (short term)

The more discipline you have the more time that you think you have. You free up more. 

The Dialogue: Father and Son

Father: Do you know how hunters used to capture monkeys?

Son: No

Father: The hunters used jars with a small opening beneath a fruit tree. The jar held a banana in it, a monkey’s favorite snack. When the monkey tried to get the banana out, its hand would get stuck and it wouldn’t let go. The hunters that were hiding in the bushes would then come and capture the monkey. 

When you don’t let go, you lose sight of what is truly important.

SO – LET GO of . . . . 

Objects – The more stuff that we have and the more stuff we collect, the more stuff we have to keep track of/manage, but is it helping us live better or making us feel good?

Relationships – Be aware of the people that you surround yourself with because you eventually become like them (If they aren’t helping you grow they aren’t worth it)

Ideas – Our likes and dislikes or our preferences 

First Friend Dwija’s Activity

On the count of 3 try and grab as much air as you can

Did you hold onto any? 

When you go to the beach do you hold onto the ocean?

The sun?

The moon?

The stars?

When you go to the beach you appreciate it but that doesn’t mean that you put it in your pocket and take it home. 

Everything is always changing, for example, the toy that you used in pre-k didn’t stay forever, did it? It broke, or you lost it, or something else happened. So, we shouldn’t hold onto things that will change, instead, we should hold onto the unchanging. 

RAW – Go through all of your stuff and donate 1 item (Let go)