Getting stuck in mud and views - March Children's Program

 

For March's Family Program we gathered online, in part thanks to the theme of the month: MUD! We first shared our observations of the natural world, such as the warmer weather, muddy roads, returning robins and Canada geese, and ravens starting to make their nests. We checked out the onion and scallion seedlings sprouting under grow lights, soon to be planted in the Temple vegetable garden. 

We then acted out the story of Six Blind Men and an Elephant, an ancient Buddhist tale illustrating how we can get stuck thinking that our own perspectives are the only "right" perspective, similar to the blind men who think that an elephant is like a pillar, a fan, a rope, a tree branch, a spear or a wall, depending on which part of the elephant they are touching. 

We used several optical illusions to explore ways to help our minds not get "stuck in the mud" by seeing situations from various perspectives, and then meditated while watching mud settle in a jar. We closed with the ringing of the big bell and a group OM

Example of optical illusion, where our mind can get stuck seeing something only one way.
(turn 90degrees for the frog to turn into a horse)