About Us
Colchester Buddhist Centre is at the heart of a thriving, friendly community of practicing Buddhists. We run weekly meditation and Buddhism classes, courses, and study groups for all levels of experience, host day events for Buddhist festival days and other special events, and run several weekend retreats per year.
We are part of the Triratna Buddhist Community, a worldwide Buddhist movement in over 20 countries teaching and practicing Buddhism suitable for people, at all levels of commitment, living in the modern world.
An Introduction to how we have changed our approach since Covid-19 required us to close our Centre
The Team
All of our classes are run on a volunteer basis by ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Order, several of whom form the Council of Trustees providing the legal and spiritual leadership of the centre.
Amalaketu
Newcomers Night Team
Saturday Dharma Morning Team
Amalaketu (meaning “pure comet”) first started coming to the centre in 1997 and was ordained in 2006. He is part of the Wednesday Newcomers Night team, the team for our Dharma Morning class and runs a men's mitra study group. He also champions sustainability at the Centre. He served as Chair of the Centre from 2010 to 2019.
Anavajjā
Thursday Practice Night Team
Anavajjā (meaning “irreproachable” - Ethical Behavior) first came to the centre in 2003 and was ordained in 2017. She leads a study group for women and often leads Festival Days and special events at the Centre
Atulyamati
Trustee
Women's Mitra Convenor
Newcomers Night Team
Thursday Practice Night Team
Atulyamati (meaning “incomparable, unequalled, immeasurable mind, determination, and devotion”) grew up in Finland but has lived in the UK for most of her life. She first started coming to classes in 1991, before we had our own centre and was ordained in 1998. In 2012 she became a private preceptor herself, and performed her first Ordinations in 2014.
She is a Trustee of the centre as was previously Chair from 2003 to 2010. She is also the Women's Mitra Convenor, responsible the training and spiritual welfare of the women mitras in the saṅgha. She is also on the team for our Newcomers Night.
Bodhilehī
Monday, Wednesday & Friday Lunchtime Meditation Team
Newcomers Night Team
Bodhilehī (meaning “she who licks or sips at Awakening as if tasting a sweet medicinal liquid”) was ordained in 2018.
Guṇasāra
Guṇasāra (meaning “the essence of spiritual quality”) first came to the centre in 1993 and was ordained in 2001 and in the wider movement, he is involved in organising and leading the Buddhafield East camping retreats in Suffolk. He also leads a weekly study group for men.
Harsharatna
Thursday Practice Night Team
Saturday Dharma Morning Team
Harsharatna (meaning "Joyfull Jewel") first attended the Ipswich centre in 1991. He was Ordained in 1997.
Karunanātha
Treasurer and Trustee
Friday Lunchtime Meditation Team
Clacton Outreach Leader
Prison Chaplain
Karunanātha (meaning “compassionate protector”, an epithet for the Buddha Amitābha) was ordained in 2018. He currently serves on the centre's Council as Treasurer, responsible for bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, and HMRC and Charity Commission compliance and returns.
He is involved in many of the activities we run in Clacton-on-Sea as well as often leading the Friday lunchtime meditation class. He also regularly visits prisons as a Buddhist Chaplain.
Kusaladana
Monday, Wednesday & Friday Lunchtime Meditation Team
Kusaladana (meaning “he who is ethically skillful in giving”) first engaged with Triratna in 1986 at the London Buddhist Centre, and was ordained in 2012. He is currently on the team for our Friday Lunchtime Drop-In class.
In the wider movement, he is a Trustee of the The Ipswich Buddhist Centre
Sīlanātha
Chair and Trustee
Thursday Practice Night Team
Monday, Wednesday & Friday Lunchtime Meditation Team
Saturday Dharma Morning Team
Clacton Outreach Leader
Sīlanātha (meaning “protector of ethics”) first started coming to the centre in 2004 and was ordained in in 2011. Silanatha took on the role of Chair of the Buddhist Centre in September 2019. Previously he served on centre's Council as Treasurer, responsible for bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, and HMRC and Charity Commission compliance and returns. He also created and leads many of the activities we run in Clacton-on-Sea, as well being involved in a number of weekly classes. He also leads many events and day retreats at the Centre.
Śrīkīrtī
Trustee
Newcomers Night Team
Śrīkīrtī (meaning “good reputation”) first started coming to classes in 1994, before we had our own centre and was ordained in 2003. In 2015 he became a private preceptor himself and performed his first ordination in 2017.
He is a Trustee of the centre and is also the team for our Newcomers Night class and supports other classes, as well as supporting the men training for ordination.
Sthiranāga
Men's Mitra Convenor
Safeguarding Officer
Secretary and Trustee
Newcomers Night Team
Sthiranāga (meaning “the most faithful and true”) first engaged with Triratna in 1984 at Padmaloka Retreat Centre and was ordained in 2016. He is currently the Men's Mitra Convenor, responsible for supporting the training and spiritual welfare of the male mitras in the saṅgha, and is on the team for the Newcomers class. He is also the Centre's Safeguarding Officer and Secretary to the Centre's Council.
Sujayinī
Clacton Outreach Leader
Sujayinī (meaning “excellent victorious woman”) first started coming to the centre in 1999 and was ordained in 2010.
In the wider movement, Sujayinī is involved in organising and leading the Buddhafield East camping retreats in Suffolk.
We are supported by a further team of volunteers helping at classes, buying supplies, maintaining the building, keeping the shrines, and all of the other work required to run the centre.
Caroline
Just Chant LeaderClacton Group Support
Chris
Thursday Practice Night Team & Centre Maintenance
Colin
Newcomers Night Team
Eddie
Centre Maintenance, Thursday Practice Night Team
Emma
Thursday Practice Night TeamMarketing Materials
Georgie
Centre Manager & Thursday Practice Night Team
Kendal
Newcomers Night TeamHealth & Safety Officer
Maggie
Friday Lunchtime Meditation TeamThursday Practice Night Team
Rakish
Thursday Practice Night Team, Clacton Group Support
Sophie
Newcomers Night TeamOur Values
Sustainability
We are pleased to be part of Triratna's Sustainable Buddhist Centre programme and our centre has been designed with impact to the environment in mind. We are equipped with a 4kW solar power system, purchased with funds we received from M&S Energy Fund, to generate all our electricity over a year from sunshine. Our lighting is low energy, fully dimmable, LED. Our heating system is provided by an A rated eco-boiler, and we have underfloor heating in our main shrine room and have incorporated high amounts of insulation to reduce heat loads.
We are also a certified Fairtrade Place of Worship: all the tea, biscuits and other applicable kitchen supplies purchased by the centre are Fairtrade. Not only does this mean fair prices and better labor standards for the farmers the products coming from, Fairtrade also helps farmers become better stewards of the land.
All food in the centre is vegetarian, and we only allow vegetarian food to be brought to events. Vegetarianism is not only an expression our commitment to non violence, sustainability too, avoiding the environmental affects of animal products such as pollution, deforestation, and the use of non-renewable resources.
We also recycle all of our recyclable waste, organise car-sharing for off-site events like retreats, and participate in the annual Buddhist Action Month, an annual event organised by the Network of Buddhist Organisations to promote actions that express our care and concern for our planet and our environment.
Safeguarding & Ethics
As an expression of our commitment to the Buddhist precepts, we are committed to ensuring everyone who comes to our centre is safe and those involved in teaching and running the centre always act appropriately and with integrity. To help us achieve this we provide a number of safeguarding and ethical policies explaining our practices.
Privacy
As an expression of our commitment to the Buddhist precepts of honesty and of not taking the not giving, we are committed to only using the data we hold about the people involved in activities at our centre responsibly, and being clear about the way your information is collected and used. To help us achieve this we provide a privacy policy explaining our practices and the choices you can make.