About Us
York Buddhist Centre is part of The Triratna Buddhist Community, a worldwide movement founded by our teacher Sangharakshita in 1968. Triratna draws on the entire Buddhist tradition, practising Buddhism in a fresh and practical way and making the Buddha’s teaching more accessible to many of us in the West. Our teachers are practising Buddhists who strive to incorporate the ideals of Buddhism into their daily life.
We offer courses in Buddhism and meditation in a friendly, supportive environment. Our meditation techniques can be used by anyone regardless of religious beliefs. Meditation is a means of transforming the mind. Buddhist meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity and a calm-seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging in meditation you learn the patterns and habits of your mind. The practice offers a means to cultivate new, more creative ways of being. With regular work these nourishing, focused states can deepen into a profoundly peaceful and energised mind.
We welcome everyone to our Centre and our online events. We run everything in a spirit of generosity, giving our time freely. We do not charge for classes* so that everyone can access the Buddha’s teaching regardless of their means. We do however ask those who are able to consider making a donation towards the cost of running the Centre - we have no other income and rely on the generosity of those who attend our classes.
As a spiritual community we take our practice of ethics seriously: what we consume and buy has a direct effect on communities across the globe; what we do and how we live now has a direct effect on future generations. This Centre is therefore committed to the 10 Steps of the Triratna Sustainable Centre Scheme
*except for a small registration fee on some courses and retreats
The Team
Joanne
Centre Team
Maitrikirana
Centre Team
Mark
Treasurer, Centre Team and Trustee
Sarah
Shakyapada
Chair of York Buddhist Centre, Centre Team, and Trustee
Susan
Tasha
Our Values
Diversity Statement
As part of the worldwide Triratna Buddhist Community we operate in a spirit of friendship and generosity, practising and teaching Buddhism, and meditation, to anyone who is interested.
Recognising that people have different needs, we aim to welcome everyone, regardless of their:
Age, Gender and Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Race, Colour, National Origin, Ethnic Origin, Religious Belief, Economic Status, Social Status, Parental Status.
If you have suggestions as to how we may improve the Buddhist Centre, or our communication of Buddhist principles and practices, in any of these contexts, or in any other way, please do let us know. While we may not be able to implement every suggestion, we will consider them all and do what we reasonably can. To make a suggestion, you can talk to any member of the Buddhist Centre Team, or write to Shakyapada, Chair of Trustees, at shakyapada@hotmail.com.
Safeguarding and York Buddhist Centre
We believe that anyone taking part in Centre activities has a right to be free from any forms of harassment or abuse.
The safeguarding policy for adults in this section outlines specific grounds for safeguarding concerns. If you are not sure whether there is a safeguarding concern please contact the safeguarding officer. If there is a possible ethical concern that is not safeguarding, contact the safeguarding officer or a trusted Order member.
N.B. We do not have a specific safeguarding policy for children as we do not allow any people under the age of 18 to take part in any of our events at present unless they are accompanied at all times by a legal parent or guardian.
Reporting Concerns: If you become concerned about someone, including yourself, being harassed or abused, please contact the safeguarding officer, the safeguarding contact or a trustee. Details are given below.
Maitrikirana is the Safeguarding Officer: safeguarding.yorkbuddhistcentre@protonmail.com (This is a confidential and secure address)
Shakyapada is the Centre Chair: enquiries@yorkbuddhistcentre.org
How we will respond: You will be listened to in confidence and taken seriously. Any information you give will be evaluated in light of our policies and national guidance to enable us to act legally and fairly. We will work with you to take appropriate action.
The trustees and the centre team reserve the right to take appropriate action to protect anyone who enters the charity’s properties.
Privacy
We take your security seriously. Information about you is only collected with your consent. This will usually be your email details following a request from you to be sent our newsletter. It may also be the information on a sign up form filled in at a class, at our Centre or on this website when booking a course or event. All online information is held securely on our servers or on tthe servers of our newsletter platforms: mailchimp.com or mailerlite.com. For further information please see our full Privacy Policy Below
Our Ethical Guidelines
The ethical guidelines outlined here follow the framework of the Buddha’s five ethical precepts - widely known throughout the Buddhist world - offering a general principle for each and one or two specific applications.
While the Precepts can be applied to all areas of human behaviour, these guidelines are mainly intended to offer guidance in one key area: where Order members, or other experienced members of the Triratna community, are presenting and communicating Buddhist principles to those who are new or less experienced, especially in public situations, where a particular duty of care is owed.