【吳金城 洛杉磯報導】每年五月西敏中學都有走出校園學習的探訪活動，隨著疫情後復甦逐漸開放，學校老師感恩常住接受他們參訪的安排，於五月十七日讓他們中止的戶外教學課程圓滿。
當天在慧澄法師帶領下，蒙市二分會、西敏分會與柔似蜜分會的會員，做好防疫措施，在五聖殿前第一停車場迎接乘坐兩部巴士的九十七位師生。
這是疫情至今西來寺首次開放團體參觀，大眾在成佛大道會合，由吳金城用越語簡介成立因緣及建築過程後，學生們分三組由義工及三位老師一起導覽。大家井然有序的到各景點，專注聆聽說明，對佛教的多元文化有概略的認識，也對莊嚴雄偉的建築讚嘆不已。
除了準備結緣品，為滿足學生們的好奇心，特別保留自由活動時間，讓這些學習講越文的孩子們有更深入的佛門體驗。
以下是西敏中學師生參訪後其中一些感想:
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To Hsi Lai Temple: It has always been my pleasure to be able to take the students to Hsi Lai temple for the past 10 years. This is one of the religious destinations that students always look forward to. This year is even more special to us for we are the first group to visit the temple after the pandemic! During our visit, not only do we learn more about Buddhism, of which the majority of Vietnamese people are Buddhist, but we also learn about the temple’s beautiful architecture and the cultural aspects. Thank you very much for opening your door to welcome us, and we are looking forward to many many more years to come! Thao-Ly Nguyen (Vietnamese Language teacher at Westminster High School)
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Hi! I really enjoyed the tour around your temple! I learned a lot about Buddhism’s roots and cultural practices, and the scenery was gorgeous. I also appreciated the hospitality and kindness your tour guides and workers extended to us students — it was such a fun experience 🙂 – (Student L. Tra)
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Thank you so much for having us over at the temple and showing us around! Genuinely the temple is massive and super beautiful overall, with plenty of nature surrounding the temple and beautiful architecture inside and outside of the temple. Definitely worth the visit and my time spent there was truly not wasted. I felt immersed in the whole place as it pulled me in more to see all the other amazing Buddha statues and shrines. As I left the temple, I felt more educated about Buddhism and felt comfortable and at ease. – (Student – D. Lam)
照片：（西敏分會提供）
