Ten Spiritual Principles of Discipline
Wisdom I Learned from Adi Da Samraj
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.
Ten Spiritual Principles of Discipline
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Discipline is most often spoken of and defined in terms of control, psychology, and management, but these contexts limit both the conception of discipline and its artful implementation. Our management and psyches benefit from a spiritual appreciation of discipline, free of religious games of guilt and control, and free of the provincialism of humanistic psychology.
No issue is more central to the education and raising of children than discipline. Therefore, let us look afresh at the spiritual principles that underlie both religious training and the mechanics of utilitarian management, and re-inspire our art of discipline.
Please note: I speak as a teacher and a father, attempting to elucidate principles that are useful to both parenting and teaching. Sometimes I speak as a parent, other times as a teacher, where I see particular emphasis is needed. If you are only a parent or only a teacher, I beg your tolerance for my inclusion of both views.
