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.
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.
Akashahrdaya
Member of Saturday morning team
Akashahrdaya (meaning "he whose heart is like open space") was ordained at Padmaloka on 1st October.
Amalaketu
Trustee, men's mitra convenor, member of Wednesday Newcomers' and Saturday Sangha morning and morning meditation teams
I first came to the Colchester Buddhist Centre in 1997 and immediately felt like I was coming home. In 2006, I was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order and given the name Amalaketu, which means “pure comet.” The centre has been at the heart of my life ever since. I’m regularly involved with our Wednesday Newcomers’ evenings and Saturday Sangha mornings, and I lead men’s events and festival days throughout the year. I also serve as the Men’s Mitra Convenor and as a trustee, helping to support the centre’s growth and vision. It’s a joy and privilege to share the Dharma and be part of such a warm and committed community.
Anavajjā
Anavajjā (meaning “irreproachable” - Ethical Behavior) first came to the centre in 2003 and was ordained in 2017.
Atulyamati
Member of Wednesday Newcomers' night team
Atulyamati (meaning “incomparable, unequalled, immeasurable mind, determination, and devotion”) 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.
Atulyamati was previously Chair from 2003 to 2010 and also was the women's mitra convenor for some years, until she handed the role on in Dec 2021. Atulyamati regularly leads special events at the centre.
Bodhilehī
Friday meditation class team
Bodhilehī (meaning “she who licks or sips at Awakening as if tasting a sweet medicinal liquid”) was ordained in 2018.
Chandraprabha
Trustee, centre chair, member of Thursday practice night team, mitra study leader
I became involved with the Triratna Buddhist community in Colchester in 1994 and was ordained in 2002. Coming across the Dharma (the teachings of Buddhism) changed my life in many ways and in 2005 I left Colchester to join the team at Tiratanaloka retreat centre in Wales, running retreats to help other women prepare for ordination. In 2020 I moved back to Colchester and became chair of the centre in 2024. I'm grateful for being introduced to Buddhist teachings with such clarity in the context of a vibrant spiritual community and this is what keeps alive my wish to make this available for others.
Guṇasāra
Guṇasāra (meaning “the essence of spiritual quality”) first came to the centre in 1993 and was ordained in 2001.
In the wider movement, he is involved in organising and leading the Buddhafield East camping retreats in Suffolk.
Harsharatna
Harsharatna (meaning "Joyful Jewel") first attended the Ipswich centre in 1991 and was ordained in 1997. He is part of the Thursday night team.
Kamaladaya
Friday meditation class team
Kamaladaya meaning “She who is or has the compassion of the red lotus" was ordained in 2021.
Kamaladaya shares the women's mitra convenor role, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the female mitras at Colchester Buddhist Centre.
Kusaladana
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 leads meditation days at Colchester Buddhist Centre.
In the wider movement, he is a Trustee of the The Ipswich Buddhist Centre
Nāgaśūra
Nāgaśūra (meaning "Naga Hero") was ordained at Padmaloka Retreat Centre in 2024 by his private preceptor Śrīkīrtī, before attending a ten week Order retreat at the Guhyaloka Retreat Centre in southern Spain. He is part of the Saturday morning class team and runs the young people's group.
Saddhavasita
Trustee, women's mitra convenor, member of the Thursday Practice night team and morning meditation team
Saddhavasita meaning “She who is perfumed by faith” was ordained in 2021.
Saddhavasita shares the women's Mitra convenor role, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the female Mitras at Colchester Buddhist Centre..
Sagaradevi
Trustee, Secretary and Wednesday Newcomers Class Team
Sagaradevi was publicly ordained at Akashavana Retreat Centre in Spain on 7th June 2023 where she was given her Sanskrit name which means “A goddess with the qualities of the ocean”, by her private preceptor Candraprabha.
Sīlanātha
Trustee, Treasurer, Saturday Sangha Morning team, morning meditation team.
Sīlanātha (meaning “protector of ethics”) first started coming to the centre in 2004 and was ordained in in 2011. He was chair of the centre from 2019 until 2024. He is responsible for financial matters at the centre - bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, and HMRC and Charity Commission compliance and returns. He taught classes in Clacton and is involved in a number of weekly classes, events and day retreats in Colchester
Śrīkīrtī
Safeguarding Officer
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 the centre's safeguarding officer and runs a regular study group for men.
Sthiranāga
Member of the Thursday Practice Night team, Saturday Sangha Morning team, online morning meditation team and deputy Safeguarding Officer.
Sthiranāga (meaning “the most faithful and true”) first engaged with Triratna in 1984 at Padmaloka Retreat Centre and was ordained at the Guhyaloka retreat centre in Spain in 2016.
Sujayinī
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.
Joel
Thursday Practice Night team
Kendal
Health & Safety OfficerFire & First Aid Training
Melody
Saturday Sangha Morning teamThursday Practice Night team
Nick
Member of Thursday night practice team
Rachel
Member of Saturday Sangha Morning Team
Sara-Jane
Member of Saturday Sangha Morning 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 provided by the centre is vegan, and we only allow vegetarian food to be brought to events. Vegetarianism is not only an expression our commitment to non violence, but to sustainability as well, 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.
If you have any safeguarding concerns you can contact our Safeguarding Officer directly using our secure email address:
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.