Manchester Buddhist Centre – EPR Trip

On 13 June, a group of Year 10 students had an exciting opportunity to visit the Manchester Buddhist Centre, which is in the heart of the city centre. Once a derelict Victorian cotton warehouse, the building is a place of refuge and calm from the busy streets of Manchester. This trip supported the GCSE EPR course in the study of Buddhist Practices, which covers topics such as places of worship, devotional practices, and festivals.

Students and staff were welcomed by one of the ordained centre members, Paranayaka, who shared his experience of how he became ordained within the Triratna Buddhist Community. This was an interesting contrast to a previous talk students have had from a monk, ordained within the Kamdampa Buddhist tradition. Paranayaka explained some of the key beliefs and values such as compassion and loving-kindness, which drew him to learn more about the Buddhist tradition. He then encouraged students to do the same and express compassion and loving-kindness in introducing each other, by explaining briefly what they admired about each other. This was a powerful and heart-warming experience for all involved.

Paranayaka explained some of the key features of the shrine room, the various objects and practices used in puja, traditional Buddhist devotional practices. They listened to chants and were guided through a mindfulness of breathing meditation, as an aid to calming the mind and experiencing peace.

Questions from the Year 10 students came thick and fast, due to their genuine curiosity and interest to learn more about the tradition. Paranayaka, at the end commented on how wonderful the students had been and how they were a credit to the school. On returning to school, in our EPR lessons we have already made valuable use of the knowledge learned from this visit to the centre. We look forward to visiting the centre again next year.

Miss Jones – Teacher of EPR