Visit to the Buddhist Centre
14 Jun 2024
Trip to the Buddhist Centre
On Monday we were lucky enough to take part in a trip to the York Buddhist Centre. We were invited on this trip as Buddhism is our school world faith focus for this year. Whilst we were there we learnt more about story of Buddha, meditation and the how modern Buddhism is practiced.
When we arrived, we got off the coach and got into our groups. We then set off on a walk to the walled garden. In the walled garden we made bubble wands. We worked out that if we blew our bubble mix slowly, we could create bigger bubbles. We did this activity to think about our breathing, if we feel upset or worried this type of long and slow breathing will help us to feel calmer.
After lunch, we followed a Buddhist Monk to a prayer room within the centre. The Monk told us all about her story and her role within the Centre. While in the prayer room we role played the story of the Buddha. We learnt about the prince who wanted to make life better for everyone who suffered. Volunteers in the class acted out some types of suffering including death, sickness and old age. We learnt how the Buddha meditated in a cave and under a tree for a long time before he reached enlightenment.
Next, we all had chance to have a go a meditation. We were told that we needed to keep our backs as straight as possible to stop ourselves from falling asleep! We then closed our eyes and concentrated on our breathing – just like the bubble blowing earlier. The lady talked about blowing away our worries. Maybe we will try meditate next time we feel worry in our heads.
The final part of the Centre tour was to look and ask questions about the shrines in the prayer rooms. We found this interesting as well as the offerings of water, perfume and food in the bowls around the room.
Well done, Class 3 – you made the school proud with your excellent behaviour throughout the trip.