Bristol Buddhist Centre

I love this place, everytime I walk buy and see the statues of Buddahs everywhere it makes me smile and an overwhelming sense of calm comes over me.
Must be a religious experience as the only other place that has this effect on me is the chip shop in Coingre road LUV IT !!!

Considering that the gremlins infested my computer when I wrote something that wasn’t entirely kind about The Bristol Buddhist Centre, thereby losing me five reviews and three hours of work, I’m going to endeavour to be a little bit more impeccable when writing about it for the second time. But just for the record, my slight criticism was directed more at Buddhism in general than the centre itself. About this I was pretty neutral, explaining that it was a useful shop and resource centre for those of an enquiring mind. It stocks books and sells statues of the bona fide stylie Buddha’s, (the more serious variety), with not a single fat-​lobed, pot bellied, laughing Buddha in sight. There’s also a few singing bowls and a selection of incense to help dedicate the meditative mind.
Upstairs there’s The Healing Rooms, which is run in association with The Bristol Buddhist Centre, and so essentially, it is potentially making a comprehensive contribution to the physical and possibly spiritual wellbeing of the denizens of the city.

Bristol Buddhist Centre is quite simply a haven for all your Buddhism needs. They specialise in Buddhist courses and retreats but also run meditation and yoga classes. Led by members of the Western Buddhist Order, the whole thing can sound a bit elite and scary. That’s certainly how I felt the first time I turned up for one of the many drop-​in classes, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The reception opens out onto a big comfortable training room. A beautiful Buddhist mural at one end, the whole room is warm and peaceful. The staff, always happy and friendly, run a variety of nights throughout the week from beginner classes through to the more experienced stuff.
Children’s classes, parent and child sessions, and a lot more than just yoga — this is a very relaxing stop.

The Bristol Buddhist Centre is from the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order school which was started by Sangharakshita in 1967 with the aim of making the Eastern philosophy of Buddhism more accessible to those in the West.
The centre offers Yoga and Meditation classes for beginners through to experience, film nights, weekend walks or creativity workshops based on buddhist art. For those interested in more serious exploration of this philosophy of life there is a structured route of progression within the centre with study courses that eventually lead to a commitment of working towards becoming ordained into the FWBO.