Peterborough Buddhist Group (Triratna)

What to expect

The Peterborough Buddhist Community is a Buddhist group run with the help of the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, and they are all part of the Triratna Buddhist Order.

They are a friendly and welcoming group of people, drawn together by their wish to explore Buddhism and meditate together. You do not need to consider yourself a Buddhist to join them - they are made up of people from all sorts of different cultures and backgrounds, and the group is relevant to anyone looking for personal growth and meaning. You do not need to have any experience of meditation to come along. Learning meditation is a life-long experience, so everyone has to start somewhere!

Their regular evening is always structured (includes a meditation and discussion on a Buddhist teaching) so that new people will be given the support they need to join in. It starts at 7pm and ends at 9pm and they expect attendees to come for the whole session.

They offer study, group discussions and meditation and often have a talk from Anantamati, invited Order Members or members of the team. They also encourage participation from other members of the Sangha (Sangha means 'our community practicing together') in giving short talks about their practice. They do aim to keep what they offer in line with Triratana. They have ‘Sharing Inspiration evenings’ from time to time where members bring a piece of art work, talk about what inspires their dharma practice, or present a poem or reading.

Several of their members are training for ordination and others are attending mitra study in Cambridge ('mitras' or 'friends' are those are have made an initial first commitment to the order).

They also aim to run monthly 'going deeper' sessions or day retreats, sometimes these are for the Peterborough Sangha and sometimes other outlying groups are invited to join too.

There is a very strong sense of Sangha in their group. Many friendships have been established and there is a real drive to support one another’s spiritual development. They often laugh together too!

More information

It’s not suitable for those under the age of 18.

The Quaker Meeting House has parking at the front, and it’s very near the Railway and Bus stations in Peterborough.

There are toilets downstairs and they usually meet in the upstairs room. There is a stair lift to access the upstairs if needed.

Most people who attend use a chair to meditate on and there are lots of chairs to use. If you prefer to meditate on a cushion it may be best to bring along your own.

They have a tea break in the evening. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available.

They strive to maintain an open, friendly space for all to explore meditation, personal and spiritual development, and are very happy for carers or supporters to attend along with the attendee. Carers are very welcome to participate with some or all of their activities. Carers will be sitting in a circle along with all individuals attending that evening. However, they are keen for carers to look after any specific emotional or physical needs for the main attendee, as they are not trained in counselling or nursing skills.

They don’t charge for the evening. They run the group on ‘dana’ (generosity), so if people are able to contribute towards the cost of the room hire and the travel expenses of the Order Member that is great, but they want the Buddhist Teachings to be available to all.

Retreats have a cost to attend, they will provide that information to people interested in attending.