The Fourth Form had a wonderful opportunity to enhance their understanding of Buddhism with a trip to the Cambridge Buddhist Centre on the first day of term. Last term the children had been given an introduction to the key Buddhist concepts and practices. The Buddhist hosts at the Centre built on this by answering the children’s questions and putting across the ‘flavour’ of a modern Buddhist life.
The children were fascinated to see the beautiful shrine and hear the significance of each of the items on it. For example, the flowers are a reminder of the important concept of impermanence, and the candles are a reminder of how following Buddhist principles can be a light to follow one’s path through life. The hosts at the Buddhist Centre answered many of the children’s questions and told them all about what had led each of them to become a Buddhist and why being a Buddhist is so important to them. The children were in two groups for the majority of the time and each group was led in a meditation.
Dr Sarah Maxwell, Head of Religious Studies, explained, “The Buddhists were very impressed with the children’s knowledge of Buddhism and with the way they were so “present”. I explained that we do a lot of mindfulness at school and they said that explained the way the children approached the sessions. One of the hosts at the Centre, Mr Peters, remarked in an email, “I very much enjoyed your visit. It was wonderful to experience such an engaged group of children who were clearly so well prepared.”
