Children Dharma Class #5: Preparation leading to Global Buddhism Examination
The 28th of August marked the fifth Children Dharma Class of Term 3. It was also the day of the Buddhism Exam where candidates of all ages throughout the world had been anticipated. At 9.50am, students were ready to enter the Main Shrine. Anthan and Carter remembered to not walk across the shrine and would make sure to also bow to the Buddha while in the shrine. Despite having to wait for the chanting to start, it was pleasing to see students remembering to keep their volume down in the main shrine.
Afterwards, students chanted Heart Sutra Sanskrit along with the guidance of teachers in the classroom. Some students such as Emmeline and Zoey, even took on the challenge to chant as they perfected their pronunciations and pushed themselves, aiming to strive for further improvements each time they chant. With no further time to lose, preparation for the Buddhism Exam commenced after the chanting of Heart Sutra. Teacher Wendy guided children aged 4-6 while Teacher Gwen led children of age 7-9. Meanwhile Edwin took charge of children aged 10 and above.
Each group of students revised independently covering the respective examination contents in each of the classes. Teacher Wendy would prompt students to participate in answering the question cards and it was pleasing to see Ariel and Serena progress over time and slowly take part in the activities and to engage with the class. Meanwhile, children of 7-9 years old focused on multiple choice questions intently under the guidance of teacher Gwen. As the once chattering classroom turned silent, Isaac and Faye focused on their revision studiously while completing their worksheets in a timely manner. A question that arose from Cody was the Day of Buddha’s enlightenment. It was certainly delightful to see Bosco offering his help, joining the conversation and sharing his thoughts passionately. Under the guidance of teachers, all of the students' doubts and queries were cleared.
In classroom 3, students listened to Edwin’s explanation on the Four Bodhisattvas, the Five Precepts and recap on the Dharma Seals attentively. Carter and Raymond would ask questions when they were unsure about the concept while Zoey and Anthan scribbled down notes alongside to further consolidate their understanding in regards to the questions. At around 3pm, BLIA Global Buddhism Exam 2022 commenced. With concentrated minds, children put together their knowledge and hard work from the past weeks and focused hard on the exam. Relieved smiles and reassured expressions appeared across children’s faces as they saw the test questions and they strived the exam with flying colours, hard work paid off with the satisfaction and contentment of completing the exam.