R.P.E DEPARTMENT – Visiting speaker – FOCUS ON BUDDHISM

As part of the R.P.E department drive to promote a greater understanding of religion throughout the school, we were delighted to invite in Kelsang Gyalpo from the local Buddhist Centre in Attleborough. Originally from Ireland he has been practicing and teaching for 20 years. He has lived and worked in many Buddhist centers throughout the world and brought with him an enthusiastic, balanced and kind approach to Buddha’s teachings.

The Academy is keen to provide access to authentic religious and world views and has expert speakers lined up throughout the year to enable students to learn about the world through these different lenses. Gyalpo started his talk to year 10 students by joking that he had just flown in from Tibet, before explaining that he had actually made the short journey from Attleborough. The students could have been excused from taken him seriously, as he sat on stage in a traditional Buddhist robe. Before we began the assembly Gyalpo asked if he might have a quiet place backstage to prepare. While he sat in quiet contemplation, I sat on the edge of the stage flicking through my phone, checking my work emails, waiting for the students to arrive. This decision became relevant when he started his talk about the world’s addiction to our phones. Maybe I should have taken that time to calm and centre myself?

Gyalpo took the students through a number of elements of Buddhist teaching, spanning from the power of the mind, karma, female Buddhas and enlightenment. The Y11 assembly were also invited to participate in a 5-minute stilling exercise which he explained was not direct Buddhist practice but based on it. Most students gave it a go with Gyalpo explaining that engaging with the process at any level provided us with a learning experience. At the end of each session the students were invited to ask questions. These were often insightful and led the discussion in new and unexpected directions. These included

“Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?”

“Do Buddhists practice martial arts?”

“What does a Buddhist’s typical day look like?”

For each question that was used, the questioner’s name was entered into a prize draw to win a £20 voucher. The winner will be announced in the next R.P.E assembly!

Given the chance to reflect on the assembly, here are a few words from our Y11 students:

“I have never heard from someone who views life from a Buddhist perspective. It was a
pleasant experience and nice to hear from the perspective of someone you don’t hear every
day” Sam

“It was interesting to find how he lives his everyday life including meditation to calm his life
and slow down, appreciating the good in life. I think it must be hard to live a fully peaceful
life, however I think it will encourage me to be positive and go into things open minded. I
think it was a really important assembly because it’s not someone you usually see and it’s
important to learn about different religions and ways of life.” Florrie

“The assembly was interesting. It’s always good to have knowledge of other cultures and
religion. I personally have never met a Buddhist. I have never met such a spiritual person. It
was a moving experience, and the stilling exercise will help me be calm for GCSEs.” Ross

“I liked how meditation was included because it gave insight into how the religion works and
what it was based on. It really made me consider about the mindset of a Buddhist and how I
can actually incorporate it into my own life.” Molly