A Day at Saraha Children’s School

Located in Eugene, Oregon, Saraha Children’s School (SCS) resides within the Saraha Nyingma Buddhist Institute’s 7,000 square foot educational & temple facility, and upon its beautifully forested 2.5-acre campus grounds.

During the weekdays, when school is in session, SCS occupies and utilizes the Institute’s entire grounds as its own. In the first class period of each day, the entire student body assembles “upstairs” in the main shrine room of Saraha Temple to meditate, and receive child-oriented introductory teachings in the Dharma.

This is followed by a “mindfulness walk,” with individual mindfulness assignments for different age groups, in the private forest grounds adjoining the temple. Next, classes are divided by project, age and grade, and meet in the 2,500 square feet of dedicated classrooms “downstairs.”

SCS has a firm academic focus. Signs of this include its children having won the local (University of Oregon) children’s science fair and competition 2 out of the last three years, and having published original works in national children’s literary periodicals.

Throughout the day, particular attention is given to the transition periods between classes and events, where the lessons of mindfulness, concentration, virtue, social cooperation and altruism are continually recalled.

At the end of the day, the student body assembles in the Temple once again to meditate briefly and silently, and dedicate the virtue of the day’s activities to the benefit of all beings.