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Manchester Buddhist Centre’s Vision

Manchester Buddhist Centre is part of the Triratna Buddhist Community, founded by Sangharakshita in 1967.

We opened in 1977, and moved to our present home in the Northern Quarter in 1996. Once a derelict Victorian warehouse, our building is now a place of simplicity and beauty

We take our inspiration from the Buddha and how he transformed himself. We believe that is possible for us all. Our teaching and practice is based on the work of Sangharakshita, Triratna’s founder and teacher. We have a clear path of training to help people deepen their understanding and practice of Buddhism. We value the importance of friendship to help us deepen our practice. It’s also important to us to reach out to the people of Manchester, and help with social and environmental issues. We encourage a vibrant culture of imaginative, artistic and creative exploration.

To underpin this we ensure that the Centre is an efficient, and well-resourced charity exemplifying Buddhist principles, benefitting the people of Manchester and beyond.

• More about the Buddhist Centre

Visiting our Beautiful Building

We welcome visitors to our historic building – a converted cotton warehouse.

It retains many historical features, and recycled materials have often been used. The building’s conversion, carried out mainly by volunteers, became a symbol for transformation, as the fabric was stripped back and made anew. Warm earthy brick, plain wood, great expanses of glass, and slender iron pillars and beams now run through all six storeys, pervading the basement café, shrine rooms, yoga studio, social and working areas, even the staircases with the spirit of our practice.

Video highlighting the life of Manchester Buddhist Centre

How to visit us

Drop in whenever we are open, or contact us to arrange a visit from your school or college. One of our meditation halls is usually available for personal meditation or just quiet sitting, but it’s safest to ring 0161 834 9232 first to check availability.

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Looking after our Present and Future

In 2016, we celebrated our twentieth anniversary at Turner Street, and began some much-needed renovations, mainly to the ground floor of the building, and funded mainly by donations. The money for installing a street level lift to make the building fully accessible has also been raised and is being kept safely aside while we complete the lengthy and complex planning, legal and technical processes required.