On Tuesday Oct. 14 juniors in the International Baccalaureate Program visited Buddhist and Hindu Temples to understand different perspectives on religious diversity in modern day society.

As part of the IB program, students are required to take Inquiry and Critical Writing, a discussion and writing based class taught by Mrs. Barrett. The class focuses on developing students’ perceptions of the world and conveying their thoughts in writing.

The students started their morning at Wat Buddharangsi of Miami, a Theravada Buddhist Temple located in the Redlands. The temple was built in 1982 and is sustained by the Buddhist community of South Florida. The monks guided the students in mediation and gave a brief lecture on their way of life.

“It was interesting to see how the Buddhists embrace a peaceful and serene way of life, even in modern day society,” said junior Felipe Tilkian.

After spending the morning at the Buddhist temple students were treated to traditional Indian cuisine at Imlee. The trip then culminated at Miami Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, a Hindu Temple.

“The experience was eye opening and enriched my understanding of the different religious perspectives. I found it interesting that the Hindu priest offered suggestions on how to embrace different religions,” said junior Gabriela Telepman.

Students found the experience engaging and compelling. Junior Jake Soria explained that the trip gave him the opportunity to further his understanding of the world around him.

“The purpose of trip was to facilitate the students’ exploration of cultural and religious differences discussed in class,” said Mrs. Barrett.

Overall students enjoyed the trip and agreed that they felt it helped them understand the role of religion and cultural diversity in society.