It was not until this SHS student was in need of inner peace that he began a lifestyle that would change his whole state of mind.

“I started looking up quotes, and I started looking up, like, the principles and stuff, and it just seemed that people that did it were really happy with their lives,” junior Dane Haynes said.

Haynes is a Christian who attends church on Sundays and a youth group on Wednesdays. However, he also believes in many of the teachings of Buddha. Haynes began looking into his interest involving Buddha between his freshman and sophomore year. He is the only one in his family with this strong of a duality but Haynes says that he enjoys meditating with his mom.

A big part of Buddhism is meditation and this has helped Haynes in more ways than one.

“It has helped me be calm,” Haynes said. “I used to have a lot of issues with depression…and anxiety, and a lot of the things that I practice kind of help me to deal with those.”

When Haynes first began to meditate, he started with about an hour a week. Now he says he meditates for four hours a week and if he does not, that means he has too many things going on. He starts with a guided meditation on occasion which means he uses the voice of someone else, like a recording, to assist him in his endeavors. Because he is not accustomed to meditation, guided meditations now have began to feel like a distraction to him. Now he is able to guide himself through meditating instead of listening to someone else.

If there is a certain situation bothering Haynes, he mediates specifically on that. Other times he says he needs time to himself so he sits in the woods and enjoys nature.

While most Buddhists don’t believe in a god, Haynes does. This is what sets the two religions apart for him. Haynes says he is not able to give up the idea that God exists.

Typically meditations are to be focused on oneself, and while they may still be for Haynes, he meditates for more than just himself.

“Most Buddhists, they do not believe in a god so they are not, like, meditating to anyone,” Haynes said. “But I believe in God…It’s almost like praying for me.”