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
These classes offer an introduction to meditation and Buddhism. Sessions last for one hour and are led by experienced students of Lama Jampa Thaye. Each starts with a simple meditation practiced for 20 minutes, followed by a concise talk about a particular aspect of Buddhism. Questions are encouraged and there’s time to chat over tea and coffee afterwards. All are welcome and we are able to accommodate all levels of experience.
Saturdays host a rolling 20-week course on Buddhist meditation and philosophy and you can join at any point in the cycle. In Tuesday classes the content changes but you may join at any time.
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.
Online sessions
The Buddhist path
We do, from time to time, run short courses on the foundational teachings of Buddhism. We’ll update our website with details when we have them and you can also keep up to date by subscribing to our newsletter here.
Mind Training (Lojong)
- 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
Study groups 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 follow at some of our classes.