Jennifer Waters has a wish for the children who walk through the doors of Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-Ji as part of her Dharma Kids program:

“To give them a foundation for decision making in their life.”

The program is designed to teach children ages 5 and up about Buddhist practice and how to live life according to the teachings of the Buddha, and help to guide children in their decision-making process.

“I find that a lot of adults are unclear on teaching their children how to act – to be honest, generous in their everyday life,” Waters, a practitioner at the center, said. “Today it’s hard, with parents working and trying to get ahead and provide for their family, to have the time to teach them the foundation of how to learn and act in the world, how to be and why.”

She relies on the classical teachings and practices of Shakyamuni Buddha, relating them to daily life using art, music and poetry. The goal of the program is to experience basic Buddhist teachings of compassion, inner peace, mutual respect and responsibility for one’s environment, providing tools the children can rely on for the rest of their lives, fostering self-confidence and inner comfort. The teachings that will be the focus for the 2011-12 year will be the Four Noble Truths, particularly the forth: the 8 Fold Path; and the Six Paramitas.

Waters, who has been a Buddhist for more than 20 years, said you don’t have to be a member of the faith to attend the program. In fact, the center’s abbot, Sherry Chayat, is Jewish, and a lot of the practitioners and members are Jewish, Catholic or Christian.

“You can be Catholic, Jewish or Pagan,” she said. “You don’t have to convert to come to the center. The Dalai Lama says, ‘If you are Christian, be a good Christian.’”

So, what brings the people at the center together?

“A lot of people are looking for something more. Something that teaches values,” Waters said. “My program is very traditional. It goes back 2,500 years. there are a lot of programs out there that are eclectic and bring together yoga and music, and that is fine, but this program is very classically Buddhist. I wanted to develop something very lineage-based. That is what Dharma Kids, and the Zen center does.

A session of the Dharma Kids program begins with talking about participants’ motivation, followed by offerings, prostrations, chanting, meditations and “Kinhin,” or walking meditation. There may also be a time for special prayers for anyone or any being that we know who is in pain or sickness.

In addition, the program has annual themes, such as Tsa-tsa paintings done in December, where Babette Teich-Visco of Manlius leads the children in painting statues, and the celebration of Buddha’s birthday on April 8.

Although the kids enjoy the program, it does have its challenges.

“Sitting still is a very hard thing,” Waters said. “What I do is have them sit for a minute – have them count their breaths, then take a break, or do a visualization to see something in their minds or do a mantra, then take a break. I feel it is better to do one-minute periods with full attention than 30 minutes with the mind wandering.”

Waters is in her third year of heading the Dharma Kids course.

“Before me there was a Zen for kids program that was very different, more of an arts and crafts program, really, and I took it over and formalized it into a much more traditional practice,” she said. “We do arts and crafts but I really want to teach them the teachings of Buddha so they have a foundation so that when they are confronted with something like, ‘I want that pencil but it’s not mine, should I take it?’ they automatically have the answer.”

Waters calls Dharma Kids “a family-style program.”

“Parents invited to participate or not,” she said. “Parents can drop their kids and go for a walk, or if they want to stay and participate they can join the circle. And I find that many parents keep coming back because they’re learning. Buddhism is such a vast subject – most parents don’t have enough time to do the adult program and, with the kids’ program they get to meditate and learn teachings that adults are learning also while spending time with their kids.

Dharma Kids is also a family affair for Waters, as her daughter, Juliette, 6, is in the program and is her “little helper. She leads the walking meditation.”

She said she has benefited from leading the program as well.

“For me it’s been wonderful – I’ve grown as a teacher and it’s helped me as a parent to decide how to raise my daughter. Nowadays society has become so watered down where everything is such a mish-mash of ‘whatever you want.’ What I’m teaching is not new, but it’s very profound. It ‘s been wonderful to expose children to ways to help them make decisions in life.”

Dharma Kids is a free program, though people can make a donation. The Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-Ji is located at 266 W. Seneca Turnpike in Syracuse. For more information call 492-9773 or visit zencenterofsyracuse.org.