Year 9 students travelled to Runcorn to visit Wat Phra Singh, a Buddhist place of worship run by monks from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. The students were there to find out more about the role of Buddhism in the local community, the teachings of the Buddha and the lifestyle that Thai Buddhist monks lead.
The students spoke with the monks about how they practise their faith and made offerings of food in the spirit of dana (generosity). The monks, in return, offered the students sai sin – string bracelets – to show their blessings.
The students then spent some time reflecting in the newly constructed peace garden, resplendent with a large chedi (or stupa) – a dome-shaped or tower-like structure that enshrines relics and serves as a sacred place or object – shipped all the way from Chiang Mai.
Mr Worthington says: “This was a fabulous learning experience for the students. They got an enormous amount out of the visit, 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, as well as to people of none.
“Today the students deepened their understanding of what, day to day, it means to be a Buddhist and how many people’s lives are enriched by following a religion.”
