Why Buddhism?

The Buddha was a human being, just like us, who discovered for himself that the key to happiness and suffering lies in our own mind: the way to true awareness, positive emotion, joy and liberation that he discovered is open to us.

That path consists of awakening to and overcoming the illusion that we are a fixed, separate self in a world of fixed, separate objects. This is the path of meaning Buddhists follow and that we offer here in Shrewsbury and other Triratna centres around the country and the world. 

The Buddhist path is not an easy one, and trying to follow it on our own makes it immeasurably harder. Feelings of disconnection and isolation are a natural consequence of the illusion of separate selfhood, and it is only through getting together with like-minded people who share the same goal that true connection becomes possible.

The Buddha highly prized spiritual friendship, and the Triratna Buddhist community has made it one of the pillars of our collective practice. Deep communication, sharing our struggles and inspiration, and coming together in large numbers form the lifeblood of our Buddhist community.

The ultimate aim of this fellowship is Awakening: the complete and permanent transformation of all aspects of our being in line with the initial insight that our cherished idea of a fixed and separate self is an illusion.

Meditation, study of the Buddha’s teachings, devotional practice and friendship all serve this common goal, and we offer these at our centre.