An Introduction to Buddhism

Six Tuesday Evenings plus optional Wednesday evening on 5th March
All we really want is to be happy. Yet our moments of happiness are all too brief and inevitably followed by the opposite: frustration, disappointment, anxiety, and anger. The Buddha called these ups and downs of life The Worldly Winds and he taught practical ways to deal with them and create peace and contentment in their place. This course will help you to cultivate your own greater sense of peace and contentment. 

Each week will begin with a guided meditation* and then, after a tea break we will introduce practical, down-to-earth teachings to help you transform your life. There will be short workshops and an opportunity to ask questions and relate the teachings to your own life and experience.

*Meditation helps us to transform our lives: The Mindfulness of Breathing is an effective way to calm the mind and Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness Meditation) helps us cultivate positive emotion for ourselves and others, helping to create harmony in the world and in our own mental states.

Booking is essential as places are limited

The programme will include a free 68 page Course Guide:

Week One: The Buddha’s Journey and the Worldly Winds in your life.       

Week Two: The Worldly Winds and the Cycle of Suffering which we create for ourselves.

Week Three: Hindrances to Meditation, the Wheel of Life, the Spiral Path and the 'Gap'

Week Four: The Worldly Winds. What is Karma? Natural Ethics.

Week Five: Am I what I think? How our stories create suffering for us.

Week Six: How things are not what we think they are… and why it is important to know this.

Week Seven: Wednesday 5th March - YBC community members talk about their individual practices and how they are helpful and affirming in their lives (optional but highly recommended).

You don't have to be a Buddhist or wish to become a Buddhist to join this course. Our aim as a Buddhist Centre is to offer these practical down-to-earth teachings as a way for you to find greater contentment in your life. After participating in our courses some people usually do join our community but many others simply take the teachings away with them.

BOOKING: Payment each week is by donation except for the £18 booking fee which includes a comprehensive 68 page guide to the course and a list of resources which you might find useful. To Book please follow the link below. You may pay by credit/debit card or PayPal. 

DONATIONS: York Buddhist Centre has no outside income or support and no one is paid. So these classes are given freely in a spirit of friendship. However we do have rent to pay and utilities and other running costs and we could not meet these without the generous support of those who use our centre. So, if you can, we ask you to make a donation either when you book or each week when you attend.  We suggest £8 to £12 each week or around £60 for the whole course but please give more or less according to your means.