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World Religions Class Visit Buddhist Monastery
From Director of Character Education and World Religions teacher Kate Parker-Burgard
The World Religions class took a field trip to Putnam County, New York last week to visit Watchtower Educational Center (the international missionary training facility for the Jehovah's Witnesses) and the Chuang Yen Monastery (which houses the largest Buddha statue in the Western hemisphere). We toured both facilities and learned about the beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses and Buddhists. Additionally, we had a short class in both seated and walking meditation at the monastery.
In their evaluation of the trip students noted, "The statue of the Buddha was extremely impressive", and "I thought the meditation session was extremely relaxing." When asked what advice they would give to subsequent classes going there they said, "Be prepared to hear views you will most likely not agree with but respect them." Overall their impression of the trip was summed up by one student who said, "The trip was super fun and I learned a lot."
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
