Manchester Centre for Buddhist Meditation

The meditation practice taught at the Centre is called Samatha. Samatha means calm. Samatha meditation is an effective but gentle way of training the mind to develop inner strength and freedom from turmoil, leading on to clarity and understanding. This path from calm to insight was followed by the Buddha himself and is a central tradition of Buddhist meditation.

There are many kinds of Samatha meditation technique. This one is based on attention to the breath. Its form is particularly suitable for those looking for a way to develop meditation practice in the midst of the challenges of everyday life.

Samatha meditation was first taught in Manchester in the early seventies as part of the activities of Manchester University Buddhist Society. As numbers grew the need arose for a permanent home, and we moved into this building in 1977. It was originally a Wesleyan Methodist Church. The Centre is now owned by the Samatha Trust, a registered charity. For those who have completed the full introductory meditation course there are, from time to time, study groups to investigate aspects of Buddhist teaching or other relevant traditions.

Regular events at the Centre include a Puja -an hour of chanting and offerings - on the second Sunday of each month at 11.00 a.m and often a meeting on the day of the full moon. Other occasional events include days of meditation practice, and days which combine practical work on the building with periods of meditation and some study of theory. Sometimes monks and nuns may visit the Centre or stay for a few days.

Meditation Classes

Beginners' classes are held at 8.00pm, Sunday - Thursday. There is also one drop in group for all levels of experience each Saturday at 11.00am.

New courses for 2009 are held every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and beginners are welcome at any time.

A particular teacher takes the class on a particular day of the week. It is recommended to try to keep to the same night. Please arrive in good time.

There is a beginners' meditation class at Manchester University Students' Union at 7:00pm on Mondays during term time.

For further information, please visit www.umu.man.ac.uk/mubs/meditation.html. You are welcome to join a class at any time.

The meditation practice has a number of stages to help gradually train the mind and the full course takes 6-9 months to complete. Besides the meditation technique some theory to support the development of the practice is also taught. A particular feature of this form of meditation practice is regular one-to-one meetings with the teacher to discuss individual practice and to aid progress.

In keeping with tradition there are no charges for the teaching. However the Centre is reliant on meditators in order to function. Everyone is therefore encouraged to give something each time they use the building to help with everyday running costs. Beyond this the building itself needs to be maintained and repaired. To assist with this once someone starts to come regularly they are asked to join the Manchester Samatha Association, for which the annual fee is £25.