Coming to a Buddhist centre for the first time can be a little intimidating. You may be expecting monks in saffron robes and practices transplanted from another culture.
But although we do teach and practise a range of explicitly Buddhist practices, it isn't actually like that.
Let's start by looking at how you get into our centre in Castlefields!
You can enter down the little alley to the right of the building. Halfway down, you'll find the main door on your left, which leads into a small stairwell. Go through the blue door to your right, not upstairs.
If you use a wheelchair, you may find it easier to access the centre through the glazed rear door.
(The large wooden "front door" that opens onto the street is a fire door from the meditation/shrine room.)
Door blue leading to the bookshop
Once through the main door, you'll see a small bookshop which also sells gifts. You'll also see a donations bowl and a card reader for donations and purchases.
That's worth remembering for later.
Turning to your left, you'll see our social space with chairs and tables.
On the left, as you look into the social space, you'll see pigeonholes for shoes and a coat rack. Feel free to leave your things there; they will be perfectly safe.
This might be a good time to put your phone on flight or silent mode.
Turning to the right, you will see a glazed door that leads into a small library with a couple of sofas. We try to make this a quiet space for people who don't necessarily want to socialise.
Another glazed door leads out to our lovely garden, which you can go into at any time. Again, this is a nice space to withdraw to if you feel the need.
As you walk towards the library, you'll see a little kitchen on your right, where tea and coffee can be made. We usually have an urn on, so you can help yourself to a hot drink.
Cups are on trays under the worktop. Tea and coffee are kept in tins on it. We have alternatives to dairy milk (no cow's milk, sorry!) in the fridge. The right-hand top cupboard holds a range of herbal teas.
Turn left, and you'll see a short corridor leading to a couple of toilets, one of which is wheelchair-accessible.
When you come in, someone may come to greet you. This might be an Order member (usually wearing a kesa or strip of white cloth around their neck - these are our ordained Buddhists) or another member of the community.
Feel free to engage with them as much or as little as you want. If you want to be quiet and check out the books or whatever, that's perfectly fine.
That depends on the event you're attending. If it's a meditation session, someone will usually ring a bell to invite everyone into the shrine room, where you'll see a Buddha figure, flowers and other ornaments.
This is the spiritual heart of the centre, so we ask visitors to treat it with respect by not wearing shoes or bringing in hot drinks or personal possessions.
The typical pattern of our drop-in classes, for instance, are a little guided mindful movement, followed by some body-awareness meditation to settle us, and then either the mindfulness of breathing or metta bhavana (a practice for cultivating well-wishing or loving-kindness) meditations.
We have guided online versions of these practices that you can listen to at home if you like.
We typically meditate for about an hour all told – but don't worry, you won't be expected to sit still for that whole time!
The meditation is followed by a break, during which you can have a cup of tea or coffee and sit and chat with people; we also encourage people to sit on quietly in the shrine room or go into the library or the garden if they'd rather.
Socialising is not compulsory! You can do what's right for you in that moment.
The second half of the session consists of some input on Buddhism, often followed by small-group discussions. Again, these are not compulsory; you can choose to opt out or simply sit and listen, and there will often be a group specifically for newcomers.
We do generally find that people really benefit from small groups, but you're very welcome to take these things at your own pace.
At the end of the session, when you're on your way out, feel free to leave a donation, either in cash or by card. This can be any sum, or none, though many people find five pounds about right. But there's really no obligation.
We hope this guide will answer any questions you might have. Once you've been a few times, you'll get into the swing of things. And remember that you can always ask a community member if you're not sure about something.
Enjoy our beautiful centre!
