May 4 – Day 3
10:00 Temple Beth Zion, morning Shabbat service and convo w/ Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum;
Lunch @ Temple Beth Zion
3:00 – 5:00 – Fo Guang Buddhist Temple meet with Venerable Miaox
8:00 Blue Man Group @ Charles Playhouse
Retire to BB
Today we visited Temple Beth Zion and attended a bat mitzvah. It was beautiful. Everyone coming together to celebrate this girl was so powerful. It made me think about how much change we can make as a community if we just come together.
-Sophia
At Temple Beth Zion it was a more tradition service most of the time. But what really stood out to me was the moments in the more energetic songs when the musicians were standing and dancing and everyone was clapping. They had a really fun energy and reminded me we are all human and we all still like to live life and have fun no matter what our religion.
-Jade
Fo Guang Buddhist Temple has been one of my favorite places we’ve gone to so far, probably because of the contagious smiles and interactive education.
-Matai
The activity with the Venerable Miaoxi where we learned about meditating around food had a nice message behind it about the fact that it’s not what you eat, but how you eat it. At first it was challenging because we were eating tomatoes. And let me tell you, I HATE tomatoes. But then I realized that the taste didn’t matter, and it is flexibility that is important.
-Lydia
Fo Guang Buddhist Temple was maybe my favorite place we’ve been to yet. The nun, Venerable Miaoxi, was super sweet. She was no-nonsense, but still left plenty of room for play and fun. A stereotype I had was that some religions were super serious, and some parts still are, but less than they used to be. It’s a balance. This balance is something I strive for, too.
-Ezra K
The Blue Man Group was really fun… My favorite thing to do is laugh. It brings a certain kind of joy that can’t be explained almost lifting up inside me. It is some kind of god, maybe, some kind of peace, and it is also something that all of humanity shares.
-Matrix
I thought The Blue Man Group was so funny, and I laughed so much. Besides from it being fun, I also think that it was a good bonding moment. I talked and laughed with people I don’t normally always hang out with.
-Gwen
While the shadows creep up
The singers open their mouths
And light spills across
Connecting all beings
The light weaving a quilt of
Colors, their hands reaching
Out, picking the suffering
Up, and they cry
Their tears forming
The water we drink
It spilled into the
Dirty water and danced around it
Until only beauty was flowing through the earth, the whole
Was gone and only
Compassion remained
Forever bonding.
-Lyla
