Sample

I.
The Wife

In advising women about their role in married life, I appreciated that the peace and harmony of a home rested largely on a woman. My advice was realistic and practical when I explained a good number of day-to-day characteristics that a woman should or should not cultivate. On diverse occasions, I counseled that a wife should:
a) not harbor evil thoughts against her husband.
b) not be cruel, harsh or domineering.
c) not be a spendthrift but should be economical and live within her means.
d) guard and save her husband's hard-earned earnings and property.
e) always be attentive and chaste in mind and action.
f) be faithful and harbor no thought of any adulterous acts.
g) be refined in speech and polite in action.
h) be kind, industrious and hardworking.
i) be thoughtful and compassionate towards her husband, and her attitude should equate that of a mother's love and concern for the protection of her only son;
j) be modest and respectful.
k) be cool, calm and understanding -- serving not only as a wife but also as a friend and advisor when the need arises.

Modern Society
Some women feel that for them to concentrate on the upbringing of family is degrading and conservative. It is true, in the past, women had been treated very badly, but this was due more to the ignorance on the part of men than the inherent weakness in the concept of depending on women to bring up children.

Women have been struggling for ages to gain equality with men in the field of education, the professions, politics and other avenues. They are now at par with men to a great extent. The male generally tends to be aggressive by nature and the female more emotional. In the domestic scene, particularly in the East, the male is more dominant as head of the family whilst the female tends to remain as a passive partner. Please remember, “passive\" here does not mean “weak\". Rather it is a positive quality of “softness\" and “gentleness\". If man and woman maintain their masculine and feminine qualities inherited from nature and recognize their respective strengths, then, that attitude can contribute towards a congenial mutual understanding between the sexes.

Gandhi’s Remark
“I believe in the proper education of woman. But I do believe woman will not make her contribution to the world by mimicking or running a race with man. She can run the race, but she will not rise to the great heights she is capable of by mimicking man. She has to be the complement of man.\"

Parental Responsibilities
The basis of all human society is the intricate relationship between parent and child. A mother's duty is to love, care and protect the child, even at extreme cost. This is the self-sacrificing love that The Lord taught. It is practical, caring and generous and it is selfless. Buddhists are taught that parents should care for the child as the earth cares for all the plants and creatures.

Parents are responsible for the well-being and up-bringing of their children. If a child grows up to be a strong, healthy and useful citizen, it is the result of parents' efforts. If the child grows up to be a delinquent, parents must bear the responsibility. One must not blame others or society if children go astray. It is the duty of parent to guide children on the proper path.

A child, at its most impressionable age, needs the tender love, care and attention of parents. Without parental love and guidance, a child will be handicapped and will find the world a bewildering place to live in. However, showering parental love, care and attention does not mean pandering to all the demands of a child, reasonable or otherwise. Too much pampering would spoil the child. The mother, in bestowing her love and care, should also be strict and firm in handling the tantrums of a child. Being strict and firm does not mean being harsh to the child. Show your love, but temper it with a disciplined hand -- the child will understand.

Unfortunately, amongst present-day parents, parental love is sadly lacking. The mad rush for material advancement, the liberation movements and the aspiration for equality have resulted in many mothers joining their husbands, spending their working hours in offices and shops, rather than remaining at home tending to their off-spring. The children who are left to the care of relations or paid servants, are bewildered by being denied tender motherly love. The mother, feeling guilty about her lack of attention, tries to placate the child by giving in to all sorts of demands from the child. Such an action spoils the child. Providing the child with all sorts of modern toys such as tanks, machine guns, pistols, swords and such equipment as an appeasement is not psychologically good.

Loading a child with such toys is no substitute for a mother's tender love and affection. Devoid of parental affection and guidance, it will not be surprising if the child subsequently grows up to be a delinquent. Then, who is to be blamed for bringing up a wayward child? The parents of course! The working mother, especially after a hard day's work in an office to be followed by household chores, can hardly find time for a child that is yearning for her care and attention.

Parents who have no time for their children should not complain when these same children have no time for them when they are old. Parents who claim that they spend a lot of money on their children but are too busy should not complain when their “busy\" children in turn leave them in expensive Homes for the Aged!

Most women work today so that the family can enjoy more material benefits. They should seriously consider God’s advice for men: Marriage is a partnership of two individuals and this partnership is enriched and enhanced when it allows the personalities involved to grow. Many marriages fail because one partner tries to “swallow\" another or when one demands total freedom. According to Marriage concepts, marriage means understanding and respecting each other's belief and privacy. A successful marriage is always a two-way path: “humpy, bumpy\" -- it is difficult but it is always a mutual path.

Young people in this country and elsewhere sometimes think that “old” fashioned ideas are not relevant to modern society. They should be reminded that there are some eternal truths, which can never become out-of-date. What was true during the ancient times still remains true today. The so-called modern ideas we receive through the highly glamorous television programs do not represent the way most decent people in the West think or behave. There is a vast “silent majority\" of decent coupled-hood days.

Parents should show exemplary conduct and should not transmit such vices into their children's impressionable minds.

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