Getting Started | Birmingham Buddhist Centre

New or newish to meditation? Or want to find out about Buddhism? Then the Birmingham Buddhist Centre may be the place for you. Whether you’re just looking to try out meditation, curious, or already have some prior knowledge from books, apps, other Buddhist centres/retreats, anyone is welcome. Best place to start is one of our introductory courses which you can read about here. If you live towards the south of Birmingham you might be closer to the Warwick Buddhist Group which you can find out about here.

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation is the art of cultivating calm, focused and positive states of mind.

We primarily teach two meditations at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, both of which have been practised in Buddhism from its earliest days. The mindfulness of breathing is a meditation for developing clarity and awareness. The metta bhavana is a practice for transforming our emotions, and for cultivating positivity and openness towards ourselves and others.

“Meditation has helped me with so many aspects of my life: finding a deeper sense of calm and stillness, being more aware of thoughts and emotions, and developing the ability to sit with what’s difficult while opening up to a greater sense of joy. ”

WHAT IS BUDDHISM?

Buddhism is a means to individual and social transformation.

The word ‘Buddha’ means ‘one who is awake’ – in the sense of having woken up to reality. Buddhists believe everybody has this potential for Enlightenment and that, if we wish, we can use the principles and practices of Buddhism to begin on the path of self-transformation that eventually brings us to perfect wisdom and compassion.