Meditation Classes
Learn Meditation
We offer a range of friendly, practical courses and shorter sessions in Buddhist meditation:
- Daily lunchtime sessions: Monday to Friday at 1 pm, no need to book. Popular and informal – a good place to start
- Mid-week evening sessions: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 6.00 pm. Same as lunchtimes, no need to book
- Six-week evening courses in Meditation on Wednesdays: Starting on 1st May, 26th June, 4th September, 30th October
- Occasional one-day Saturday courses in Meditation: 11th May, 15th June, 12th October, 14th December
- Another option: Meditation is a big part of our Tools for Living your Life Buddhism classes, most Saturdays at 11am. No need to book
Meditation Classes coming up
Our Teachers
Our teachers are ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Order and those preparing for ordination. They are well-trained and experienced practitioners, communicating from their own experience.
How to book
You need to book and pay for the six-week and one-day courses in advance please – online, by phone or in person. Prices and booking details for each course are in What’s on. Questions? 0161 834 9232 or info@manchesterbuddhistcentre.org.uk
See below for course handouts and led meditations
What is Meditation?
Meditation can transform our Lives
Many things are beyond our control, but we can take responsibility for our own states of mind and change them for the better. Buddhism sees this as the most important thing we can do. Meditation can help us develop concentration, clarity, positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things.
Through regular practice and over time, we learn our mind’s habits, and cultivate new, more positive ways, transforming our understanding of life and actions within it.
Traditional Practices
In our introductory, foundation and led meditation classes we teach the same two traditional Buddhist meditations:
- Mindfulness of breathing to develop awareness
- Loving-kindness meditation or Metta Bhavana for positivity
Two Traditional Meditation Practices
Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation
This practice helps us become calmer, more centred and concentrated, taking the breath as the object of attention and noticing it coming and going in a relaxed, open way. Settling the attention on the breath lets our mind quieten down and awareness deepen.
The mindfulness developing from this helps us to keep a continuous flow of attention to what is happening in each moment.
- Listen to mindfulness of breathing meditation led by Ratnaguna – 20 minutes
Mindfulness is body and mind fully engaged in a state of clarity and positivity that saturates and colours the whole of our experience
SangharakshitaLoving-Kindness Meditation
Traditionally called the Metta Bhavana, this meditation practice helps us to develop a gentle transformation in our emotional life. Through wishing ourselves and others happiness and well-being, we can become more emotionally positive, kind, and compassionate.
- Listen to Metta Bhavana meditation led by Padmadarshini – 27 minutes
You are deeply concerned for their well-being, happiness, and prosperity…When you feel this loving-kindness you want them to be not just happy but deeply happy; you have a strong desire for their true welfare, growth and progress
Sangharakshita
Going Deeper
Deepen your Experience of Meditation
After an introductory meditation course, you may want to continue your practice or take it to deeper levels. You could try:
- A Buddhism course to put meditation in context. Learn how ethical living can support our meditation
- Weekend meditation events: local and visiting teachers lead occasional workshops to help deepen our practice and answer questions that arise from it
- Retreats: an ideal way of going deeper with your meditation with more silence and space
- Using the meditation halls to drop in and meditate during the week. One of them is usually available, although it’s safest to check first with reception
Friendly, experienced, intelligent facilitators provide clear, interactive teaching interspersed with practical instruction of high quality. Since starting my first course I have noticed definite positive changes in several areas of my life
Meditation Resources
Course Handouts
Handouts for our meditation courses are freely available here in printable pdf format
Six-week Foundation Course
- Week 1 – The Purpose and Aim of Buddhist Meditation
- Week 1 – More on the First Great Stage of Meditation
- Week 1 – The Mindfulness of Breathing
- Week 2 – From Thinking to Sensing
- Week 3 – The Metta Bhavana
One-day Course
Other Meditation Resources
You can listen to talks and more led meditations on the talks page. There’s a wide range of meditation kit and introductory books in our shop and we also have a reference library.
Led Meditations
Led by Ratnaguna and Anita Banerji – download or click and play here
Six-week Foundation Course
Meditate – do not delay, lest you later regret it
The BuddhaOpening Times & more
Opening Times:
Mon: 10am - 6pmTues - Thurs: 10am - 7pm
Fri: 10am - 5.30pm
Sat: 10am - 5pm
Bank hols usually open - see calendar for changes
Charity reg no: 514937