The Tara Institute with Year 4

Last Friday, Mr Blair and Ms Pope took Year 4 to visit Tara Institute, a Buddhist centre in Brighton. We were so fortunate to meet, speak and then be led in a breath meditation by Geshe Lobsang Dorje, senior monk at the Institute. We learned about the nature of the mind, heard a story about Prince Siddhartha, and rehearsed and performed two short Buddhist plays. The children were a credit to Erasmus Primary School, able to settle well into meditation and engage enthusiastically and respectfully in the conversations and activities.

Below, are some written reflections from our students:

“Today, we went to the Tara Institute, and we had lots of fun! We spent most of the time in the Gompa (temple). In the beginning, we explored how bad feelings can cover happiness, like clouds covering the sun.”

“From the moment I stepped in, I felt all my thoughts weaken and I started to really understand why we went there in the first place.”

“I thought that the temple was very beautiful. I felt extremely calm, especially when we were meditating. I wonder how you become a monk.”

“I thought it was remarkable how the monk travelled the Himalayas without very good shoes.”

“I felt sorry for the monk as he had to walk away from Tibet (his home country) for 2 months! I wondered about how hard life was for the monk.”

“I liked spending time in a different religion. Buddhism is a very calming religion, as well as respectful.”

“When we were meditating with the monk, I felt peaceful, calm and happy. I think it is so wonderful how some people meditate every single day! I felt glorious, and super-grateful that I had the chance to experience and learn about Buddhism.”