Ten Spiritual Principles of Discipline

Wisdom I Learned from My Teacher, Avatara Adi Da

Introduction

1. Discipline is the obligation of relationship. This is discipline at its core.

2. For discipline to work, there must be the pleasure of connectedness.

3. Inappropriate behavior is usually a sign of the loss of intimacy.

4. Discipline works best in a culture of expectation.

5. More potent than negative consequences is the principle of attraction.

6. Discipline is a process, not an instant of success.

7. Behaviors, not persons, are the subject of our discipline (and praise).

8. Most problems are pre-solved, not solved.  

9. Discipline often feels like a betrayal.

10. Discipline changes according to the stages of childhood.

8. Most problems are pre-solved, not solved.

It is the art and consciousness of the adult to foresee any possible problems or conflicts in the physical and emotional domains. If the adult applies the enquiry, "Could I have done something to prevent this?" at the discovery of every problem, he or she will be quickly educated to pre-solving. This means we take deep responsibility for problems and conflicts, even those conflicts that seem to be "outside" us. When we take responsibility for the tendency to externalize, we see the world and people most clearly. By such clear responsibility, we easily oblige our children to take a growing responsibility for their experience.