What does it mean to be a Buddhist in the modern world? How does Buddhist practice meet our lives? Sangha stories are a collection of personal reflections, from people across the community. Hear about journeys of growth and transformation, and explore what’s meaningful to people at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre.
AUGUST – THE LOTUS PETALS OF PURITY
At the start of the year, the corridor as you enter the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, became much more colourful.
Watch this video where Alice shares some of the process and thinking behind the lotus mural, and some other musings on where art and spiritual practice overlaps.
For 2 years Sally with help from Sinead, volunteered making the shrines beautiful. Now they have recently started an ambitious project to grow flowers on a local allotment.
A Buddha sits under an apple tree watching the flowers grow.
Shuddhakirti has very generously and kindly offered some space on his allotment to support the project, and there’s more ideas to gather in nature around the apple harvest! Keep your eyes peeled on further details in the autumn. Sally is very open to getting some help from around the Sangha so do get in touch with her if you’re curious.
I started meditating with the uni society (having had very little experience of doing so, or of Buddhism in general.) Fundamentally, I loved the sense of connection within the group, and when they said there would be more of that at the Birmingham Buddhist centre I started going along. It’s hard to summarise really what I’ve got from going to the centre – it’s given me so much. It’s a bit tongue and cheek but my life with Buddhism is just that little bit brighter, quite literally. The mundane starts to unravel itself a bit (slowly but noticeably), and things start making a lot of sense where they were once not so clear.
I’ve never had much sense of a higher purpose or goal, but the one of freedom is something that feels very grounded and therefore appealing to me. On top of all the dharmic intricacies, the community around the centre is so special. Each time I visit I feel fully embraced and welcomed and this is in no doubt because of the wonderful people the centre surrounds itself with – a community I felt honoured to join by becoming a mitra!
I wanted to make this commitment because I know I’m only a few steps into the path, and I already feel the difference in the way in which I relate to the world and the beings inhabiting it… one can only imagine what enlightenment would/will (?) feel like!!
The word ‘Mitra’ means friend and this is a step that marks a deepening of commitment, to living a life based on compassion and wisdom and doing that within this spiritual community. Following the recent Mitra ceremonies, we asked Ian, what this step meant to him?
Becoming a Mitra wasn’t just a step; it was a deepening of my commitment to a path that has brought immense richness into my life. The twin pillars of meditation and sangha have been incredibly supportive, developing my ability to connect with my inner self and the wider community. What I truly celebrate about being a Buddhist is its incredible capacity to foster genuine connection among people.
There’s an inherent curiosity that permeates the practice, an openness to exploration, and a refreshing sense of fun that often surprises those outside the tradition. I continue to practice because it grounds me, informing my ability to live with congruence, to embrace adventure, and to navigate what I’ve come to see as a beautifully challenging path.
In my teenage years I’d dipped into books, absorbed snippets of wisdom, and felt a quiet certainty that there was something more, something essential, waiting to be fully explored. In my late 30s arrived and the centre beckoned, not just as a neighbour, but as a promise of the deeper understanding I felt I was drawn too.
It’s a journey of continuous growth, ever-unfolding, and always leading me towards greater authenticity and connection. This connection feeds my internal letting go, which has paradoxically, fueled a powerful surge of love and kindness, not just for others, but for myself. This newfound inner abundance naturally spills outwards. Externally, I find myself presenting as calmer, more grounded, and even more expressive.
Ahead of a retreat she’ll be leading in June, we met up with Suddhimani to explore her home, get an insight into some of her practice and find out what’s alive right now.
In the video, find out what’s special and inspiring to Suddhimani, a small insight into her shrine space and look at her intuitive art practice. We traverse the topics of foolishness and play, and look at the theme of an upcoming retreat she will be leading.
The retreat will be on the theme of “coming home”, a gentle weekend of discovery looking at elements from the Myth of the Return Journey from the White Lotus Sutra, and giving us a chance to begin to understand what it really means to come home.
The retreat is open to anyone who knows the Metta Bhavana and mindfulness of breathing meditations. (Or there is still time to do an introductory course before the retreat!)
Find full retreat details here: https://birminghambuddhistcentre.org.uk/events/summer-weekend-retreat/
