St Thomas Catholic school’s religious discover Tour with Fo Guang Shan Christchurch

A group of 80 students from St. Thomas high school, a Catholic boys' High in Christchurch, New Zealand, who visited Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Christchurch for a "religious study tour" with six teachers in 20 September. They were warmly received by Abbess of FGS New Zealand Venerable Masnhin and other members of the temple.

During the visit, the students were introduced to the concept of the "Three Goods and Four Givings" of Humanistic Buddhism by Abbess, and learned about the design concept of "the Practitioner’s mindset" from BLIA member representatives. They also participated in activities such as striking the happiness bell, visiting the art gallery, watching a video about “The life of the Buddha” in the Buddha hall, practicing lotus hand gestures, and engaging in question-and-answer sessions.

Both the teachers and students were very satisfied with the visit. Most of the students had never visited a temple before, and they were happy to learn about different cultures. They expressed their intention to invite family and friends to visit the temple in the future to enjoy the vegetarian food, visit the art gallery and relax in the quiet space of the Buddha Hall.

Stephen Kennedy, head of the school's religious studies department, stated that the purpose of the study tour was to let the students appreciate the beauty of religious harmony and understand the influence of different religions in daily life. He believed that visiting FGS Christchurch and learning about the basic etiquette of Buddhism was very important for the students and would have a positive impact on their future lives. Kaya Wiparata, a Māori student, was particularly delighted to learn about the "Four Givings" spirit, which is not present in Māori culture, and found Buddhism to be very meaningful.

St. Thomas is a Catholic school that aims to promote understanding of different religions and strengthen racial and religious harmony and tolerance. The school had previously invited FGS Christchurch representatives to give a cultural lesson on the "Three Goods and Four Givings" to over 300 teachers and students during assembly time, which was well received. The school has since maintained a good relationship with the temple.