Meditation Marathon Join us for an extraordinary event, as we look to raise money for the Manchester Buddhist Centre! From 1:00 pm, until 1:00 am on Saturday 30th September, a group of us will be embarking on a twelve-hour Meditation Marathon, and we invite you to join us, and immerse yourself in the transformative power of the mystery that is meditation. Set aside just half an hour of your time to join us at the serene Manchester Buddhist Centre where we aim to raise £1,000 to support the Centre’s vital work. To take part, please donate, and enter the time you wish to join in your comment ..read more

Our Future Location: Conversations Continue A short video update from Suryaka and Vishangka as we continue to explore whether we stay at Turner Street or move to another venue in the city, alongside other ideas to take the Centre and our Sangha into the future. Suryaka and Vishangka describe the hard work going on behind the scenes, much of it in conversation with Order Member chapters, going for refuge groups, study groups and others. Talking with Sangha members is really helpful as we continue to look at this big important decision. Manchester Buddhist Centre 16-20 Turner Street Nor ..read more

Summer Art Exhibition This summer we are displaying some beautiful artworks by members of our community in our atmospheric historical building in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. A sensitively converted textile warehouse, the aesthetics of our our Centre reflect the importance of art and imagination in our Buddhist practice. The works are displayed around our extensive ground floor and blend in with the existing pieces on permanent display. Many of the works for sale have been generously given by one of our Order Members, Amritasakhi, an artist with a considerable body of work which she is n ..read more

Moving on Together – First Steps As we start to plan the process of moving on from Turner Street over the next year or more, how should we as a Sangha embark on this transitional time together? It seems important to keep returning to three areas as we go forward: The Practical: What is the latest news on locations? When are we next meeting up as a Sangha? Have the timeframes shifted since we last spoke? The Emotional: Our Turner Street home is infused with meaning, practice and memory for all of us. While to some, the idea of this change may feel exciting, to many it will feel frightening ..read more

Moving on from Turner Street An Important Decision on the Future of our Centre The Centre’s Trustees have confirmed that for the long term health and future of our Sangha, we now need to start the process of moving from Turner Street to the next chapter in our community’s life. Whether we can stay in this building has been in the air for a long time and despite every effort, staying in this building can no longer be financially sustained: Reduced rental income Decreased income from courses and the bookshop Energy costs projected to rise from £16,000 to £82,000 over the next year Repairs an ..read more

Meditation Night Online – See you in September Our online Monday Meditation Night is on a summer break now and will be back on 5th September, with that evening being led by Tejananda. He’s a highly experienced practitioner and teacher, a long-standing member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, and author of The Buddhist Path to Awakening. From September, Meditation Night will be on alternate weeks. As always, there’s no need to book, just turn up on Zoom a couple of minutes before we start. No fixed price either, though we encourage giving to the Centre if you can, to keep our physical and virt ..read more

Saturday 21st May: Celebrating Buddha Day – Centre otherwise Closed We’re celebrating the biggest Buddhist festival of the year on Saturday, 21st May and the Centre will be closed for everything else that day Please ring Bodywise‘s bell if you have an appointment with them on the Centre’s second floor – they have their own opening arrangements There’s no Tools for Living your Life session on the 21st Our shop will be closed too Celebrating Buddha Day If you are familiar with the two meditation practices we teach here, and are comfortable with Buddhist ritual, do join our community for a j ..read more

Buddhafield North Camping Retreats For years now, our Centre has had a very close connection to Buddhafield North, and many Manchester people are involved in running their annual summer camping retreats. They’re held at a beautiful hillside location in West Yorkshire, with great views and wonderful walks, and all activities are outdoors or under canvas. Without a retreat centre of our own, and with no outdoor space at our very urban centre, many of us have made Buddhafield North’s retreats a key part of our year. If you’re thinking of coming along this year, there will be plenty of friendl ..read more

Another Way of Looking at Fundraising Launching our 2022 fundraiser, Silabodhi suggests an alternative perspective This campaign is one way that we are trying to reduce our financial deficit in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns. Perhaps more importantly, it’s an opportunity for us all to explore our relationship with the Buddhist Centre. It’s very easy to start with an attitude of giving money for what we receive here. We could take an alternative perspective though – giving more for the sake of others. This approach can help us do more as a Centre, to grow and reach new people who so de ..read more

Would you like to work from the Buddhist Centre? A new sangha co-working space…   Breathworks is a mindfulness education charity that has occupied office space on the third floor of the Buddhist Centre since it was founded by Vidyamala, Sona and Ratnaguna almost twenty years ago. Like many organisations, they have dramatically changed during the pandemic and their staff are working remotely more of the time. They love having a base here but will only now need it for two days a week. Sripaksini, Breathworks Chief Exec, is offering the opportunity for people in the sangha who want to ac ..read more