Students studying Philosophy, Ethics and Religion at Huddersfield New College recently took part in a full day Zen Buddhist retreat. The group took part in five hours of intense meditation practice in a genuine Buddhist experience, deepening their knowledge of Buddhist practices including ‘Zazen’ (sitting meditation) and Kinhin (walking meditation).
The retreat allowed students to see how their knowledge of Buddhism operates in a genuine setting, and experience for themselves how removing themselves from the pressures of the world is not only challenging, but cultivates mindfulness.
The students are pictured above at the end of the day once their silent retreat running from 9am until 3.45pm had finished.
Daniel O’Keefe, Teacher of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics says: “A first hand experience of Zazen and Kinhin allowed our students to experience for themselves a key aspect of Buddhism, and find out more about why more widely people of all faiths find these practices life-changing. There is no doubt it challenged and took students out of their comfort zones – especially the silent aspect of the retreat! As well as bringing their knowledge of Buddhism to life in a unique and engaging way, all of our students took something away for themselves. It is not often any of us take time out of our busy lives to self-reflect and explore our own minds and the day also developed their resilience by revealing some of the key ways students can manage their thoughts during times of anxiety and stress.”
