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Survey of Faiths by Melinda Gordon, St. A's Sunday School Teacher
For the culmination of our unit on Buddhism, the middle/high school Sunday School class visited the Zen Center of Los Angeles on November 24, 2002. Lana Spraker, from Saint A's, was instrumental in setting this up for us. Lana also spoke to our class prior to the field trip and presented the ten precepts and four vows of Zen. Our visit at the Zen Center began with a class called the Introduction to Zen Practice which provided an overview of the principles of Buddhism. We learned about the three treasures: Buddha (the oneness of life), Dharma (the "manyness" of life) and the Sangha (the inseparability of Oneness and Manyness). The class allowed time for questions and answers. We were given instruction on basic sitting and walking practices (some of us were better at the full lotus position than others!). We learned about focusing on postures of the body, breath and mind. We had a short meditation to introduce the students (and teachers) to this practice. We then participated in a Dharma Chat that focused on ways of practicing gratitude. Following the Dharma Chat, we were given a tour of the Center, including the Zendo (sanctuary). We were shown how Buddhists express reverence in the Zendo. We finished up sharing a delicious cake. This was an informative excursion and well worth the effort that everyone put forth to make it happen!
THIS FOOD IS THE GIFT OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE -
Copyright © 2003 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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