The Children’s Meditation Garden, Wimbledon
This is of special interest to schools because it was designed and created by children in their free time on Sunday mornings.
Buddhapadipa Temple
The Children’s Meditation Garden is in some woodland in the grounds of a suburban Buddhist monastery. It was created by the Children’s Meditation Club, which meets on Sunday mornings at this monastery, which has much relationship with its local community.
The Children’s Meditation Club
At these Sunday morning sessions, Club members learn Buddhist meditation, study and discuss the Buddhist moral teachings in the Noble Eightfold Path, and do activities like gardening and drawing pictures. Sessions last an hour and half.
Most Club members are aged from eight to thirteen years old, though sometimes both younger and older children attend. Present membership is around ten children, though the number attending varies. The Club has an adult organiser who is a Buddhist but not a monk.
The Club was started to teach meditation to the children of Buddhist parents. But it has now often attracted children who live locally but do not come from Buddhist families. Their parents have agreed to them attending the Club.
How the Children’s Meditation Garden Developed
The Club wanted to make a garden. First they made a small Zen garden with rocks set in gravel,
like those described earlier. Then the children decided that this wasn’t very interesting and they
wanted to make something else. A 12 year old girl made, single-handed, the eight-spoke Buddhist
Wheel, shown in the photo, out of grey slate and white gravel. Next the children wanted to make
a place to meditate outdoors during Sunday sessions in summer. They arranged seats out of log sections
around a mound. In the mound are three rocks to represent Buddha, the Buddhist teachings, and all
the people who follow Buddhism – a common idea in Buddhism. The children also hung some wind chimes
from a tree. The Abbot of the monastery gave them a statue of Buddha for their garden.
After a while various little shrines began to appear in the garden. These are gifts to the Club by anonymous well-wishers – no-one knows who has made them. Earlier, mention has been made of the tradition in Buddhism whereby people make gifts like this to temple or monastery gardens.
The design of the seats around the mound may look like the Tibetan Peace Garden in London. But there is no connection in fact. No-one in the Club knew about that garden. This is the children’s own design.
How the Garden is Used
Every Sunday in summer Club members now meditate in this garden, if the weather is good. They do some sitting meditation for 10 or 15 minutes, then walking meditation for 10 minutes. They also have discussions, maintain the garden and chat with friends. If wet or cold, they use a room in the monastery.
Club members use a Buddhist meditation method for increasing peacefulness and understanding of how the mind works. It is a slightly simplified version of the same method which is used by adult monks at this Thai monastery. The Abbot has provided guidance. Children are taught meditation in stages and in different ways, depending on their age.
When asked why they practiced meditation, a common reply from the children was that they valued the ‘calm’ it gave them.
Visiting
The Children’s Meditation Garden is in the beautiful, peaceful grounds of Buddhapadipa Temple, Wimbledon, London, which has been mentioned earlier. Visitors are welcome to look around the Temple grounds.
www.buddhapadipa.org/pages/contactus.html - See the Temple’s website for current contact and access information.
Continue reading: Tibetan Peace Garden, London.