Monthly Archives: May 2013

Lotus pupils discuss the Buddhist concepts of change and impermanence

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Lotus class (Years 5 & 6) have been writing about the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and change:

“Everything changes -
thoughts, the planet and yourself. You can get taller, stronger and faster. Your hair grows and you can get scars and cuts. You can get yellow teeth by eating unhealthily and then they can go white again by brushing them well. That’s why you should never judge someone by their appearance because it is always changing.”

“Change is inevitable and we just have to go with it. Being little was fun, but the present is so much more important than the past. I make choices I could never have made before, like going to secondary school.”

“Change is something that happens all the time, even when we don’t notice it. Our feelings change and our opinions and thoughts change. The planet changes too and the seasons. There is also global warming which is a slow change over years and years. I could go on telling you about all the different changes, but soon that would also have to come to an end to make way for something else.”

“A river’s water changes continuously and a river’s path also changes. The water is like your feelings and your thoughts. To be able to let go is a great ability to have, yet so many people cling on and on, but in the end this only makes things worse for them and causes suffering.”

‘Change’

All things change
Some are strange
Others are usual
And not noticed

If you look at a river
The waters aren’t the same
The bank is worn
It’s changed

A book you have read
It’s spine is cracked
And the pages are bent
It’s changed

All things change
Some are strange
Others are usual
And not noticed

A visit from Sister Metta - a Buddhist nun from Chithurst Monastery

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Sister Metta talks to children from Lotus class

This morning we welcomed Sister Metta, from Chithurst Monastery, to our school.

Pupils from Dragonfly (Reception class) organised a special puja to welcome Sister to the school and showed her pictures of their favourite toys, as well as toys that they had made, including some wooden-spoon puppets and cardboard robots.

After Sister Metta had toured the school, she also talked with pupils from Lotus class (Years 5 - 6) who told her all about their pets and upcoming SATS tests! Here’s what some of them had to say about the visit:

“I liked how Sister Metta guided us through the meditation and what she said about not having any regrets, but that she did have doubts about going to the monastery. We told her about our meditations, what we do, what we like and what our favourite meditations are.”

“She said she found happiness just by following one simple path and that she didn’t have to try many other things just to find happiness.”

“We’ve had different monks and nuns come and give talks and each brings something different. Sister Metta brought the feeling that you can change everything, but the one thing you always have is who you are and you can always find happiness in yourself.”

“Having visits like this grounds the Buddhist tradition back into the school and the reason they founded this school in the first place – because there were no Buddhist schools. Even though we’re not taught that we have to believe in the Buddhist faith, it is still interesting to learn from the one faith that is behind the ethos of the school.”

“I learned that happiness and compassion are a way out of suffering and that suffering comes from inside you. Happiness in myself and others can spread out and radiate around you.”