2026-05-28 Faculty and Students from Carosa School Visit Fo Guang Shan Miami for the First Time: An In-Depth Experience of Humanistic Buddhism and Mindful Meditation

On the morning of May 28, Shiren Rattigan, founder and principal of Colossal Academy—an innovative educational institution in the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida—along with three senior teachers, led 32 teenagers from grades 6 to 10 on their first-ever cross-disciplinary visit to Fo Guang Shan Miami. This carefully planned cultural and spiritual educational journey aimed to take the adolescents out of the traditional classroom to personally experience the wisdom of Eastern philosophy. Upon arrival, the students and teachers were warmly welcomed by Venerable Zhi Qun and volunteers of Fo Guang Shan Miami, with the venue filled with a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

To help these Western students and teachers, who were encountering Buddhism for the first time, to easily integrate, the temple specially arranged a lively multimedia presentation. It explained the life story of the Buddha's enlightenment, the Dharma propagation journey of Fo Guang Shan's founding master, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, and the core concept of "Humanistic Buddhism"—applying faith into daily life—in a simple and accessible way. Venerable Zhi Qun specifically shared the "Three Goodness" campaign ("Do good deeds, speak good words, think good thoughts") and the "Four Givings" spirit ("Give others confidence, give others hope, give others joy, give others convenience"). She guided the adolescents on how to use Buddhist wisdom for mindful emotional management, helping them maintain a clear and calm mind when facing academic and life pressures.

The subsequent meditation experience was the highlight of the visit. Under the Venerable's compassionate guidance, the usually active and restless students sat cross-legged, learning how to settle their scattered thoughts by observing their breath and relaxing their bodies and minds. During the brief meditation period, the main shrine was completely silent. In their concentration, the students experienced unprecedented focus and tranquility, demonstrating a high level of insight for inner exploration.

As the timing coincided with the Buddha's Birthday, the students and teachers were also led by the Venerable and volunteers to take this opportunity to participate in bathing the Buddha. Touchingly, the students and teachers of Colossal Academy specially brought organic fresh fruits and vegetables—hand-sown, watered, and harvested by the students from their campus farm—as offerings. They respectfully offered these fruits and vegetables, filled with youthful sweat and gratitude, before the Buddha, expressing their highest respect for the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha).

The participating students excitedly expressed that this was their first time stepping into a Buddhist temple, and their first time experiencing bathing the Buddha. The purifying Dharma water and the solemn Buddhist chanting allowed them to deeply feel the interfaith peace and spiritual impact brought by the religion.

In her expression of gratitude, the school's founder and principal, Shiren Rattigan, sincerely thanked the Fo Guang Shan Miami team for their thoughtful arrangements. She noted that this event not only broadened the students' international cultural horizons but also planted the seeds of compassion, peace, and tolerance in their hearts. The principal also enthusiastically looked forward to deepening the collaboration between both sides in the future, continuing to promote diverse in-depth exchanges in healthy vegetarianism, Buddhist art, and tea meditation (Tea Chan), to inject more positive energy into contemporary youth education to stabilize their bodies and minds.