Classes in Buddhism, Meditation and Tibetan Language

The Sakya Buddhist Centre in Bristol runs a number of classes which are open to anyone with an interest in Buddhism and meditation. Some classes are held in-person at the Centre, others are online via Zoom:

Day

Time

Class/Course

Suggested donation

Mondays 8-9pm Lojong  – online £5
Tuesdays 8-9pm Discover Buddhism & meditation – at the Centre £5
Wednesdays 10.30-11.30am Meditation class – at the Centre £5
Thursdays 7-8pm Tibetan language class – online £5
Saturdays 10.30 – 11.30am Discover Buddhism & meditation – at the Centre £5

You may also like to visit our other local group in: Exeter

Classes held at the Centre:

Discover Buddhism and Meditation

  • Tuesday 8pm-9pm 
  • Saturday 10:30am-11:30am 

In the New Year there will be a new series of meditation topics for our drop-in classes on Tuesday evenings (8-9pm) and Saturday mornings (10.30-11.30), which offer an introduction to the Buddhist path. We will work through the series of meditations on the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind to Dharma as outlined in Lama Jampa’s booklet ‘Tasting Birth and Death‘, with a detailed breakdown that allows more time for reflection and meditation within each session.

All classes are open to everyone and no experience of Buddhism or meditation is needed. There is no need to book and you can come along to as many sessions as you wish.

There is no charge for these sessions but we do encourage donations, which help us to continue the activities of the Centre. A suggested amount is £5 but it’s entirely up to you. You can donate here: https://www.sakyabristol.org/donations/.

Weekly Meditation

  • Wednesdays 10.30-11.30am 

This weekly meditation class is open to all – those new to meditation or those who would like to practice together in the shrine room at the Sakya Buddhist Centre. The sessions will begin with full instructions, with time at the end for refreshments.

Classes are free, donations are welcome.

Online sessions

The Buddhist path

We do, from time to time, run short courses on the foundational teachings of Buddhism. You can keep up to date by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Mind Training (Lojong) – online class

  • Mondays 8-9pm

On Monday evenings at 8.00pm there will be a practice session for Lojong, or Mind Training. Mind training is a practice which is accessible to all Buddhist practitioners whether new or experienced. It is a method to undermine our habitual selfishness and start to prioritise others, we can use it right now as all it needs is our self-clinging and disturbing emotions. The sessions will be the actual Lojong practice from taking refuge, guru yoga, generating loving kindness and compassion, exchanging oneself with others and conclusion. It is not a study or discussion group. Explanation of the practice will be given. To attend the session please email lesley.whittaker80@googlemail.com for the Zoom link and also the lineage prayer and structure of the practice.

Tibetan Language Classes

  • Thursdays 7-8pm (These courses run in blocks so please check with us when the next one starts)

The Centre runs classical Tibetan language classes for those wishing to be able to read and understand Tibetan Buddhist texts.

New course starting 26th January: this class is for those completely new to Classical Tibetan language, and will include the fundamental skills of the alphabet and the Tibetan script. We will also look at some essential Buddhist vocabulary. Classes are weekly, lasting up to one hour with homework between sessions. If there is sufficient interest, an intermediate class featuring Tibetan grammar may follow.

The course will last about 8 weeks with a suggested donation to the centre of £5 per session.

This is an online course, please email dan.hore@dechen.org the Zoom link.

Study groups / re-teach sessions

Study groups and re-teach sessions provide the opportunity to explore and discuss texts taught by Lama Jampa Thaye and other visiting lamas, going into more detail on topics covered in the Introduction to Buddhism classes. 

For further info on any of our classes, contact us at bristol@dechen.org or visit the calendar

To help anyone who has been attending classes or who would like to find out more about buddhism here are some videos by our Buddhist teacher, Lama Jampa Thaye. These videos illustrate a series of twenty topics, which we sometimes follow at some of our classes.