As part of their RE work, year 8 students visited a Buddhist place of worship. Mr Worthington describes the day.
We travelled to Runcorn to visit Wat Phra Singh, a Buddhist place of worship run by monks from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.
One of the monks, resplendent in orange robes, spoke to the students about the role of Buddhism in the local community, the teachings of the Buddha and the lifestyle he leads as a Buddhist monk. Students also listened to one of the female monks who worships at the temple, Mai Chi. She explained how meditation has enabled her to lead a more fulfilling and contented life.
The monks were thrilled to be greeted in their native language, Thai, by our students, who had been practising simple Thai phrases in class.
Students made an offering to the community of food and incense, and the monks blessed the students with a chant in Pali, the language used by the Buddha. The students received sai-sin, or sacred thread, which was tied around their wrists for good karma and protection. They also enjoyed being blessed by having holy water sprayed onto them!
On the way home, we reflected on a thought-provoking and interesting day. Students were particularly touched by the friendly welcome offered to them by the members of this religious community.
This was a fabulous learning experience for the students, and I was extremely proud of how maturely they behaved.
Visits like this are important because they allow students to experience at first hand how a religion is practised. They get to see how the temple fulfils an important role in the community, to people of all religions, and people of none.
Today the students deepened their understanding of what, day to day, it means to be a Buddhist and how people’s lives can be enriched by following a religion.Mr Worthington, Head of Humanities
