The delinquency has become a common crime for the teenager in almost
around the world. In Indonesia, a lot of people under the age of 17 has been
becoming the active smoker, using narcotic, doing free sex, and committing
criminal acts. Including more violent acts, such as murder, which are often
related to drugs, gangs or both and another form of crime that is committed by
juvenile. There are also several cases about pregnancy out of the marriage,
married by accident, abortion, and bullying. It turned out that 21% of
teenagers, or one of five teenagers in Indonesia had an abortion. Almost 93.7% of
teenagers ever had sex. It is the result of data analysis conducted by National
Commission for Child Protection. The data are collected from 14,726 junior and senior
high school students of 12 big cities in the Children’s Forum Discussion 2011.
Teenagers in Indonesia lack some good personalities, such as: respect,
politeness, responsibility, and discipline. Most of them are not respect to
adult, even their own parent. For example, they do not pay attention when their
parents are talking to them. Oftentimes their parents would say, "Are you
listening? I’m talking to you". In school, sometimes students do not
respect to the teacher. When the teacher is explaining a material, some
students chat with friends, playing games, or sleep. They also do not respect
to their friends so that sometimes there are bullying done by senior toward
junior.
Politeness is identically with eastern culture. However, now most of
teenagers are impolite in their speech and appearance. They speak rude to
anyone and wearing improper clothes. Most of teenager are irresponsible. They
try to avoid their duty as a child, as a student, and as a part of society.
Breaking the rules are usual for teenagers. Some of them, as students, break
the school’s rules, such as: truant, coming late, wearing improper uniform,
smoking at school, writing on the wall, fighting, etc. It shows that they lack
discipline.
Technology also influence teenager’s behavior. Everyday an average
teenager spends up to eight hours on electronic devices, which is more than 56
hour in one week. Teens are obsessing over having the newest and best phone,
computer or tablet. Since teens are using technology devices every day, they
are beginning to isolate themselves from family and friends while limiting
their communication skills. Teens who addicted to technology will be isolated
from the real world. Teens mostly communicate through sending text, online
chatting or Facebook. These are
isolating teens and causing their verbal communication skills to hinder. Internet
abusing also cause the teenager’s moral decline. They can access freely the
adult content like pornography.
The government tries to deal with the teenager’s moral decline by
developing character education. The national education is arranged to create
human resources who are smart, skilled, have a good character, independent,
religious, responsible to the environment and to the nation. Brahmaputra (2013) in his thesis wrote that religious
values also have an important role in building student’s character. Buddhism
emphasize the importance of good character. A man should avoid all evil,
cultivate good, and pure mind. Therefore, education and teaching moral values
are important to create human resources with those characters. Teaching moral
values is not only the government’s responsibility, but also the teacher and
every element of the nations.
The objective of this paper is to find out the implementation of
Buddhism-based character education in cultivating youth morality. This paper
explain about the definition of morality in general, the Buddhist concept of
morality, the concept of character education in general, the concept of
Buddhism-based character education, and the implementation of Buddhism-based
character education in cultivating youth morality. This paper reviews the
thesis of Brahmaputra entitled “The Influence of Teaching Method and Buddhist
Values in Student Character Building of Perguruan Buddhis Bodhicitta Senior
High School Medan”.
Morality
Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions
between those that are distinguished as proper and those that are improper.
According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2014), morality can be a body
of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a particular
philosophy, religion, or culture, or it can derive from a standard that a
person believes should be universal. Morality may also be specifically
synonymous with "goodness" or "rightness".
Some people are confused to distinguish between morality and ethics. Ethics
(also known as moral philosophy) is the branch of philosophy which addresses
questions of morality. The word "ethics" is commonly used
interchangeably with “morality”, and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean
the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual. Likewise,
certain types of ethical theories, especially deontological ethics, sometimes
distinguish between ethics and morals: "Although the morality of people
and their ethics amounts to the same thing, there is an usage that restricts
morality to systems such as that of Immanuel Kant, based on notions such as
duty, obligation, and principles of conduct, reserving ethics for the more
Aristotelian approach to practical reasoning, based on the notion of a virtue,
and generally avoiding the separation of 'moral' considerations from other
practical considerations” (Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, 2008:240).
Indonesia has a philosophical basis called Pancasila, which are the "Five Moral Principles" of
Indonesian life and society. It embrace humanitarian ideals that are mutually
interlinked and inseparable. The essential meaning of the Five Principles which
relate directly to human rights in Indonesia includes:
1.
"Belief
in the one and only God," which means every Indonesian citizen, no matter
which religious denomination or faith they follow, should respect each other’s
belief for the sake of the harmony and peace of humans. This Principle contains
the precept of religious tolerance and freedom of all to adhere to the religion
or faith of his or her choice.
2.
"Just
and civilized humanity," which is closely identified with balancing
fundamental individual human rights and freedoms with the individual’s
obligation toward society and state. This Principle highlights the idea that
relationships within society and state be based on a just and civilized
morality.
3.
“The
Unity”, which embodies the concept of nationalism, of love for one's nation and
motherland. It envisages the need to always foster national unity and
integrity. Pancasila nationalism
demands that Indonesians avoid superiority feelings on ethnic grounds, for
reasons of ancestry and color of the skin. In 1928, Indonesian youth pledged to
have one country, one nation and one language, while the Indonesian coat of
arms enshrines the symbol of "Bhinneka
Tunggal Ika" which means "unity in diversity". Social differences
in daily life should never affect national unity and integrity.
4.
"Democracy,"
which within Pancasila connotes
democracy in the formal meaning and in the material meaning as well. It is a
democracy imbued with belief in the One, Supreme God, with the morality of a
just and civilized humanity and directed toward the goal of social justice for
the entire people. It is a democracy conceived in consonance with Indonesia’s
own traditional and social values, which emphasize consensus and imply not only
political equality, but economic, social and cultural equality.
5.
"Social
justice," which contains the basic principle that in the common endeavor
to attain a just and prosperous society, materially as well as spiritually, any
form of exploitation of human beings is prohibited. This Principle points to
the necessity to create conditions whereby all groups of Indonesians have an
equal and just opportunity to earn their livelihood and secure a life with
human dignity.
Buddhist
Morality
The term for morality used in Buddhism is sīla. Sīla in Buddhism is
one of three sections of the Noble Eight-fold Path, and is a code of conduct
that embraces a commitment to harmony and self-restraint with the principal
motivation being non-violence, or freedom from causing harm. Sīla is an internal, aware, and
intentional ethical behavior, according to one's commitment to the path of
liberation. Sīla is also wholehearted
commitment to what wholesome is.
The foundation of Buddhist morality for laypeople is The Five Precepts
which are common to all Buddhist schools. The precepts or "five moral
virtues" (pancasila) are not
commands, but a set of voluntary commitments or guidelines to help one live a
life in which one is happy, without worries, and able to meditate well. The
precepts are supposed to prevent suffering and to weaken the effects of greed,
hatred and delusion. When one "goes for refuge" to the Buddha's
teachings, one formally takes the five precepts which are:
1.
I
undertake the training rule to abstain from taking life;
2.
I
undertake the training rule to abstain from taking what is not given;
3.
I
undertake the training rule to abstain from sensual misconduct;
4.
I
undertake the training rule to abstain from false speech;
5.
I
undertake the training rule to abstain from liquors, wines, and other
intoxicants, which are the basis for heedlessness.
Honoring the precepts of sīla
is considered a "great gift" (mahadana)
to others. Buddha explained in Mahaparinibbana
Sutta, “Five blessings, householders, accrue to the righteous person
through his practice of virtue: great increase of wealth through his diligence;
a favorable reputation; a confident deportment, without timidity, in every
society, brahmans, householders, or
ascetics; a serene death; and, at the breaking up of the body after death,
rebirth in a happy state, in a heavenly world”. Thus, cultivating morality by
applying the five precepts will bring a great blessing in one’s life.
Character
Education
Character education is an umbrella term loosely used to describe the
teaching of children in a manner that will help them develop variously as
moral, civic, good, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy, critical,
successful, traditional, compliant or socially acceptable beings. Character as
it relates to character education most often refers to how 'good' a person is.
In other words, a person who exhibits personal qualities like those a society
considers desirable might be considered to have good character. Developing such
personal qualities is often seen as a purpose of education.
Based on The Policy of The National Education of Indonesia (2003), the
purpose of education is improving of student’s capability in intelligence, good
personality and behavior. The Government
expected that by formal and informal education, the character of Indonesian
young generation can be built well. Character education is a preventive solution
of character crisis that happened in Indonesia. Therefore, character education should
be integrated into curriculum of education. Character Education can be
integrated in teaching and learning process. It means that every subject must
be connected with the norm or value which can be applied in the daily
life. So, the value of character not
only shown in cognitive aspect, but also social aspect.
The basic of character education should be applied since young age
because at that moment children can develop their potential optimally. Psychologists
call it as golden age. Parents have the
main role in building their children’s character. However, for some families, the
process of character education is difficult to implement, particularly for
parents who are stuck on business. Therefore, character education should be
given when children are in the school. It means teacher should take over the
role of building a good human character.
Buddhism
Based Character Education
The goal of Buddhist education is to attain wisdom. The Buddha further
taught that everyone has the potential in realizing the ultimate wisdom. The main
goal of education is developing a good personality. This included physical,
mental, moral and intellectual development. The aim of Buddhist education is to
make a wise, intelligent, moral, non-violent, and secular man. Students became
judicious, humanist, logical and free from superstitious. Students became free
from greed, lust and ignorance.
Buddhism based character education aims to cultivate the Ten Perfections
(dasa-pāramitta). In Buddhavamsa, the Ten Perfections are
listed as follows:
1.
Dāna parami (generosity)
This can be characterized by unattached and
unconditional generosity, giving and letting go. Giving leads to being reborn
in happy states and material wealth. Alternatively, lack of giving leads to
unhappy states and poverty. The exquisite paradox in Buddhism is that the more someone
gives - and the more someone gives without seeking something in return - the
wealthier (in the broadest sense of the word) he will become. People destroy
those acquisitive impulses that ultimately lead to further suffering by giving.
2.
Sīla parami (morality)
It is an action that is an intentional effort. It
refers to purity of thought, speech, and deed. The four conditions of sila are chastity, calmness, quiet, and
extinguished, i.e. no longer being susceptible to perturbation by the passions
like greed and selfishness, which are common in the world today. Sila refers to overall (principles of)
ethical behaviour.
3.
Nekkhamma parami (renunciation)
Nekkhamma is a Pali word generally translated as
"renunciation" while also conveying more specifically "giving up
the world and leading a holy life" or "freedom from lust, craving and
desires." In Buddhism's Noble Eight-fold Path, nekkhamma is the first practice associated with "Right
Intention." In the Theravada list of ten perfections, nekkhamma is the third practice of "perfection."
4.
Paññā parami (wisdom)
Prajña (Sanskrit) or pañña
(Pali) has been translated as "wisdom," "understanding,"
"discernment," "cognitive acuity," or "know-how."
In some sects of Buddhism, it especially refers to the wisdom that is based on
the direct realization of the Four Noble Truths, impermanence, interdependent
origination, non-self, emptiness, etc. Prajña
is the wisdom that is able to extinguish afflictions and bring about
enlightenment.
5.
Viriya parami (diligence)
It stands for strenuous and sustained effort to
overcome unskillful ways, such as indulging in sensuality, ill will and
harmfulness. Virya does not stand for
physical strength. It signifies strength of character and the persistent effort
for the well-being of others. In the absence of sustained efforts in practicing
meditation, craving creeps in and the meditator comes under its influence. Right
effort known as viryabala is, thus,
required to overcome unskillful mental factors.
6.
Khanti parami (patience)
Khanti (Pali) has been translated as patience, forbearance
and forgiveness. It is the practice of exercising patience toward behavior or
situations that might not necessarily deserve it. It is seen as a conscious
choice to actively give patience as if a gift, rather than being in a state of
oppression in which one feels obligated to act in such a way.
7.
Sacca parami (honesty)
Sacca is a Pali word meaning "real" or
"true." In early Buddhist literature, sacca is often found in the context of the "Four Noble
Truths," a crystallization of Buddhist wisdom. In addition, sacca is one of the ten paramis or perfections that a bodhisatta must develop in order to
become a Buddha.
8.
Adhiṭṭhāna parami (determination)
Adhitthana (Pali; from adhi
meaning "higher" or "best" plus stha meaning "standing") has been translated as
"decision," "resolution," "self-determination,"
"will" and "resolute determination." In the late canonical
literature of Theravada Buddhism, adhitthana
is one of the ten "perfections" exemplified by the bodhisatta's resolve to become fully
awakened.
9.
Mettā parami (loving-kindness)
Metta (Pali) or maitri (Sanskrit) has been translated as
"loving-kindness," "friendliness," "benevolence,"
"amity," "friendship," "good will,"
"kindness," "love," "sympathy," and "active
interest in others." It is one of the ten paramitas of the Theravada school of Buddhism, and the first of the
four Brahmaviharas. The metta bhavana ("cultivation of metta") is a popular form of
meditation in Buddhism.
10. Upekkhā
parami (equanimity)
American Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote, "The
real meaning of upekkha is
equanimity, not indifference in the sense of unconcern for others. As a
spiritual virtue, upekkha means
equanimity in the face of the fluctuations of worldly fortune. It is evenness
of mind, unshakeable freedom of mind, a state of inner equipoise that cannot be
upset by gain and loss, honor and dishonor, praise and blame, pleasure and
pain. Upekkha is freedom from all
points of self-reference; it is indifference only to the demands of the
ego-self with its craving for pleasure and position, not to the well-being of
one's fellow human beings. True equanimity is the pinnacle of the four social
attitudes that the Buddhist texts call the 'divine abodes': boundless
loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. The last does not
override and negate the preceding three, but perfects and consummates
them."
The
Implementation of Buddhism Based Character Education in Cultivating Teenager’s
Morality
Brahmaputra (2013) wrote, “Teaching the immeasurable values, such as
loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity through the theory
and practice in Buddhism subject will influence in building student’s
personality”. He also states that the objectives can be achieved if the teacher
has a good method in teaching. Buddhism-based character education can be
implemented in teaching and learning process by involving a good teaching
method, structured material, and a clear competence objective.
Bhikkhuni Soun, in the 10th of International Celebration on
the Occasion of United Day of Vesak 2013, explained that a religious
approach-based character education would contribute to recover the humanization
and the morality of human beings through providing specific moral training
programs. Buddhist teaching-based character education is characterized by the
Noble Eight-fold Path with eight elements: right understanding, right resolve,
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness,
and right meditation. The Noble Eight-fold Path is divided into three stages
from the perspective of character education. The first stage is establishing
the right perspective of the world. The second stage is developing morality and
spirituality based on the right perspective of the world. The third stage is
completing the Noble Eight-fold Path by developing the perspective of the
world, morality, and spirituality, fostering the middle path, and leading a
right life.
Consequently, the Noble Eight-fold Path, through the perspective of the
world, morality, and spirituality, changes one’s life fundamentally and forms
an integrated character. This integrated character is called the character of
the middle path. Neutrality is the state of mind prior to the stage of
discerning good from evil by abandoning extreme thinking. Such neutrality mind can
be understood beginning with the recognition of interdependence and is
perfected through the practice of the Noble Eight-fold Path. Thus, the
character of the middle path refers to the moral subject by which the self,
formed through the recognition of an interdependent being dependent on others,
stops extreme thinking and practices both self-interest and interest in others.
Furthermore, such character of the middle path formation is the purpose of
Buddhist teaching-based character education.
Conclusion
In Indonesia, a lot of teenager has been becoming the active smoker, using
narcotic, doing free sex, and committing criminal acts. They also lack some
good personalities, such as: respect, politeness, responsibility, and
discipline. Since teens are using technology devices every day, they are
beginning to isolate themselves from family and friends while limiting their
communication skills. Internet abusing also cause the teenager’s moral decline.
They can access freely the adult content like pornography. That phenomena shows
the destruction of teenager’s morality.
Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions
between those that are distinguished as proper and those that are improper. Morality
can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a
particular philosophy, religion, or culture, or it can derive from a standard
that a person believes should be universal. The term for morality used in
Buddhism is sīla. Sīla in Buddhism is one of three
sections of the Noble Eight-fold Path, and is a code of conduct that embraces a
commitment to harmony and self-restraint with the principal motivation being
non-violence, or freedom from causing harm.
The aim of Buddhist education is to make a wise, intelligent, moral,
non-violent, and secular man. Students became judicious, humanist, logical and
free from superstitious. Students became free from greed, lust and ignorance.
Buddhism based character education aims to cultivate the Ten Perfections: generosity,
morality, renunciation, insight, diligence, patience, truthfulness,
determination, loving-kindness, and equanimity.
Brahmaputra wrote that teaching the immeasurable values, such as
loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity through the theory
and practice in Buddhism subject will influence in building student’s
personality. He also states that the objectives can be achieved if the teacher
has a good method in teaching. Buddhism-based character education can be
implemented in teaching and learning process by involving a good teaching
method, structured material, and a clear competence objective.
References
Blackburn, Simon,
2008, Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
(2nd ed.). London.
Brahmaputra,
2013, Pengaruh Gaya Mengajar Guru dan
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Buddhavamsa: Chronicle of Buddhas. 1975. Translated by I.B. Horner. London: Pali Text
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Dialogue of The Buddha (Digha Nikaya) Vol III. Translated by David, Rhys. 1979. London: The Pali
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Larson, Kelli.
2009. Understanding the Importance of
Character Education, University of Wisconsin-Stout
Shintami, Monique,
and friends. 2012. Ngeri…1 Dari 5 Remaja
Melakukan Aborsi. DETIK Magazine 30th edition (June 25th,
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(Templestay in Korean Buddhism). The 10th of International
Celebration on the Occasion of United Day of Vesak 2013
Stanford
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Morality, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Retrieved April 20, 2016.
Undang-Undang N
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