2022 the ninth Great Compassion Bodhi Prajna Temple youth meditation camp was completed on Aug 19. We wish that the virtuous roots burgeon in the youths’ mind fields. With their aspiration of loving-kindness and compassion, the youths can unfold their positive lives.
The Great Compassion Bodhi Prajna Temple, a registered temple in Canada, is located in a tranquil forest near Toronto. It is also a Mahayana Buddhist center that values listening, thinking and meditating. The abbess Master Miao Jing and Master Miao Yin deeply understand the virtuous seeds need to be planted at an early age through Buddhist education. Therefore, they have been deeply cultivated in children and youth education over the past decades. The temple focuses on developing the Karmic concept of Cause and Effect, self-awareness, positive thinking, filial piety, and ethics and morality. Since 2014, the temple’s first youth meditation camp, it has hosted nine consecutive years of youth summer meditation camps benefiting hundreds of children and youths. The meditation camp not only helps the youths to positively guide their personalities and through a diverse and lively mindful meditation training to raise their attention and unfold their inner Buddha nature and compassion.
This year the youth meditation camp lesson started with the aim to establish the youths’ gratitude and positive thinking mindset. The youths learned how our minds can affect our lives through the results of scientific experiments and learned about gratitude and how to develop it. They also learned to be self-aware of their own thoughts and how to transform them. The lessons gradually introduced the Cause and Effect concept of Buddhadharma and rich and interesting diversified meditation practices. While teaching the youths how to deal with scattered minds and during the lessons on the Three Poisons of Cause and Effect, the Masters particularly designed the Animal Memorization technique, a method that the youths can remember naturally and easily to be aware of their own vexations. Also, the youths can easily apply the method in their daily lives. The Abbess Master Miao Jing and Master Miao Yin themselves lead the youths to walk around the Buddha stupa and practice walking meditation and train their mindfulness through upholding Mantras and observing their steps. Meditation in the tranquil forest with the sound of bird chirps to allow them to practice mindfulness meditation with their eyes, ears, breathing, etc., diverse meditation techniques. The wonderful and interesting meditation camp also included different programs of working outdoors, teamwork games, handcrafts, to let the youths learn with joy through interesting activities, observe mindfully, dedicate themselves with a pure mind, patiently communicate with others and naturally develop team bonding.
During the Zen and Tea lesson, the youths not only learned the manner of serving and tasting tea, but sincerely offered tea to the Three Jewels. Respecting teachers. Through Zen and Tea to practice meditation and be aware of the feeling from the five senses and the corresponding actions. Focus our mind so as to not be scattered. The mind can be clearly self-aware at every moment.
During the lesson of flower arrangement, the youths learned to observe nature and the fusion of grass, trees, flowers, and leaves. At the same time, they contemplate on choosing the ingredient of flowers and leaves to arrange a pot of flower to sincerely offer to the Three Jewels. Seeing the youths picking the ingredients with their own hands, carefully cutting down each flower and the leaves, sincerely completing their work of flower arrangement. We noticed their mindfulness and attention. Seeing them offering their flower arrangement to the Buddha, we could feel the pure and sincere mind of these youths.
From the sharing of the youths during the camp closing ceremony and their learning diaries, we observed that the youths were able to speak and write about their gratitude toward Buddha, Bodhisattva, Three Jewels, and their parents. These fortunate children already have more abilities in self reflection, self awareness, and gratitude. We hope that the wholesome seeds can, through the irrigation and nurturing of Buddhadharma, grow full of fruits, and in the future become the clear stream of the country and society. “Buddha holds my hand and helps me find the right path. I have Buddha’s light with me, I no longer feel helpless.” With the sign language performance of the youths, 2022 the ninth Great Compassion Bodhi Prajna Temple youth meditation camp was completed on Aug 19. Next year 2023 will be the 10th youth summer meditation camp. We look forward to having you join us.
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