Manchester Centre For Buddhist Meditation

Learning how to meditate has improved my life in many ways. Here are free lessons, donations are welcome but not necessary. The center is a beautiful building and is visited by increasingly thoughtful and peaceful people.

The Samatha Trust is a lay Theravada Buddhist organisation, offering meditation classes for beginners and advanced practitioners, as well as holding various other events such as group discussions, Dhamma talks, puja (devotional ceremonies), etc. I have been visiting the centre for over a year now, and the atmosphere is great. The teachers, helpers and meditation students are all really nice, and everyone is welcome, regardless of religious belief or lack of it -- you don't have to be a Buddhist to come to the centre and meditate. The practice is focused on Samatha meditation, Samatha meaning calm, serenity, or tranquility. Although the teachers are lay people, often bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (monks and nuns) come to the centre to give talks. Overall, it is a great place to visit if you are interested in Buddhism or meditation.

Nice space, friendly enough, but the beginner's class involved only a five minute meditation. I think most people could manage a little more rigorous than that! Bit of a waste of time, as I freed my evening and went expecting a longer session. Much prefer Kadampa down the road.

They have meditation classes for beginners as well as experienced meditators, in the Samatha tradition that is originally from Thailand. It is a large center, one of the oldest Buddhist centres in Manchester. They also have pali chanting groups, celebrate festivals like vesak, meditation retreats etc. Highly recommended.