Falcon Of The Week: Anthony Lent

Meet a senior who brings religious diversity to the Christian Brothers community.

Despite learning about other religions in their World History and Comparative Religions classes, most Christian Brothers students do not have much experience with religions other than Catholicism, or similar forms of Christianity. It is not every day that one meets a student as unique as Anthony Lent (’13).

In addition to his extensive collection of colorful socks and ridiculously high SAT scores, Anthony Lent has an unusual conviction. The Christian Brothers senior is a practicing Buddhist.

“I started to become Buddhist around 7th grade but I fully transitioned into the lifestyle towards the end of 8th grade,” says Anthony. “My parents are Catholic [so] I’m not exactly sure what drew me towards Buddhism — it just felt right to me and made sense.”

Being that he is Caucasian, Anthony says that most people react with disbelief to the news that the senior is Buddhist.

“People want to know more and pepper me with questions, which I am all too glad to answer,” the senior says.

In describing his beliefs, Anthony explains that “there are two basic principles of Buddhism – the first is to live a moral life, and the second is to be thoughtful of your actions towards others.”

If it sounds a lot like Christianity, it’s because it is.

According to Anthony, Catholic principles such as “the Beatitudes and [other] morals of Christianity” are very similar to Buddhists teachings.

Besides going to the temple to take food to the monks and nuns, who follow the Ten Precepts (one of which is to not use money), Anthony meditates both at the temple and at home.

“I meditate when I can and when I feel the need to, but most often I wake up at around 4:30 a.m. and meditate for a good half hour to an hour.”

“Meditation is very important in a Buddhist lives [because] it allows us to clean our minds and bodies,” reflects the senior, “it is also calming and allows us to think through [our] actions.”

Adding to the diversity and inclusive community of our school, Anthony brings a calm and reflective nature that stem from his meditation and participation in Buddhist tradition. He is a strong example for all, regardless of religious opinion, about the importance of self-reflection and respect for all living things.