In recent years our knowledge of modern technology has increased considerably and as a result we have witnessed remarkable material progress, but there has not been a corresponding increase in human happiness. There is no less suffering in the world today and there are no fewer problems. This shows that the cause of happiness does not lie in external objects. Happiness and suffering are states of mind and their main causes cannot be found outside the mind.

When things go wrong in our life and we encounter difficult situations, we tend to regard the situation itself as our problem, but in reality whatever problems we experience come from the side of the mind. If we were to respond to difficult situations with a peaceful and positive mind they would not be problems for us. We may even regard them as challenges or opportunities for growth. Problems arise only if we respond to difficulties with a negative state of mind. Therefore if we want to be free from problems we must transform our mind.

We are like servants of our mind. Whenever it wants to do something we have to do it without choice. We are completely under the control of our mind. Anger is one of our most common and destructive states of mind. It afflicts our mind almost every day. To solve the problem of anger we first need to recognise the anger within our own mind, acknowledge how it harms both ourself and others, and appreciate the benefits of being patient in the face of difficulties. We then need to apply practical methods in our daily life to reduce our anger and finally to prevent it from arising at all.

Odiyana Buddhist Centre is running an eight week course explaining how to recognise, reduce and finally eliminate anger from our mind and how to develop and maintain a patient and peaceful mind. Only then will we have real freedom.

For details of nights and venues please click on the drop down menu – Meditation Classes – Weekly Classes

At Xmas we have some many conditions in place that we expect to make us happy. We have so many expectations. We have a time off work, time with our family, lots of food, parties  & presents but this can easily turn into a pressure cooker of intense emotions.

On this half day course learn how to work with our unrealistic expectations and develop peace and clarity of mind. This will help us to prepare our minds for this challenging period so that you can actually enjoy the festive season and make the most of this precious time with our family.

The teacher of this course is Belinda Johnson – Belinda’s is a dedicated practitioner who teaches in a gentle and compassionate way.

All our meditation workshops start at 10am and run until 12.30pm
They cost £8.50 per person which includes refreshments.

3 course festive meal

Following this half day course we will be offering a 3 course Xmas lunch. This will be available for anyone wishing to stay and enjoy this special time with like minded people. This will be for an additional fee £16.50.  If you wish to stay for this meal please make a separate booking by selecting the “Xmas meal” option from the drop down menu when booking. 

BOOKINGS

You can reserve a place on either/both of these events by paying a deposit. You can do this either by –

– Clicking on this link Booking & Payments

– Sending a cheque made payable to Odiyana Kadampa Meditation Centre to 163 Chester Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4AG

When our mind is peaceful we are free from worries and mental discomfort. If we train our mind to be peaceful we shall be happy all the time. Meditation is a way to develop peace within our mind.

These workshops are a chance to get deeper experience and insights into Buddha’s teachings.

The teacher of this day course is Bruce Robinson – Bruce has been a sincere Buddhist practitioner for many years. He has a soft and gentle approach that lends itself beautifully to this meditation workshop.

All our meditation workshops start at 10am and run until 12.30pm
They cost £8.50 per person which includes refreshments.

BOOKINGS

You can reserve a place on this course by paying a £3.50 deposit. You can do this either by –

– Clicking on this link Booking & Payments

– Sending a cheque made payable to Odiyana Kadampa Meditation Centre to 163 Chester Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4AG

This life is very short & many of our activities such as watching TV, sport & entertainments are empty & have little meaning.

This Empowerment is an opportunity to receive the special blessing empowerment of Buddha Amitayus – the Buddha of long life, and to receive teachings on how to make our life more meaningful

The Empowerment starts at 10am and runs until about 5pm. The cost is £25 per person which includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

You can reserve a place on this course by paying a £5 deposit. You can do this either by –

– Clicking on this link Booking & Payments

– Sending a cheque made payable to Odiyana Kadampa Meditation Centre to 163 Chester Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4AG

In recent years our knowledge of modern technology has increased considerably & as a result we have witnessed remarkable material progress but there has not been a corresponding increase in human happiness. There is no less suffering in the world today & there are no fewer problems. Indeed it might be said that there are now more problems than ever before.

Superficially it looks like our world is improving. We know so many things we didn’t know before & can do things we never even dreamt of but if we look a bit more deeply we will see that there are many problems that never existed before. Terrifying weapons have been invented, our environment is being poisoned & new diseases are appearing. The result of an unbridled pursuit of happiness is that our planet is being destroyed & our lives are becoming more complicated & dissatisfying. People are suffering more from stress, anxiety & low self esteem. It is clear that something is deeply wrong & that manipulating external conditions will not help solve these modern problems.

The reason for this is the problems are internal problems & we can’t solve these with external solutions. Happiness is part of our mind, it is a feeling, so the real source of happiness must lie within our mind not in external conditions. If our mind is peaceful we will be happy all the time but if our mind is unpeaceful we will never be happy however much we try to change our external conditions.

Odiyana Centre is running a 4 week course entitled Meditations for Modern Problems. On this course we look at how we can address modern problems such as stress, anxiety & depression by learning to train our mind & develop deep inner peace.

For details of venues and nights please click on Meditation Classes, Evening Classes and then select the area you wish to attend.

Life nowadays has become so complicated. The reason for this is that our minds make things harder than they need to be. The way to lead a simple life is to sort out the complexity in our mind. When we can keep our mind calm and peaceful all the time then we will be able to lead a simple life regardless of our external circumstances.

On this day course we will learn how to live a calm and peaceful life.

The teacher of this day course is Liz Neale – Liz has been a sincere practitioner for many years with a wealth of experience of putting these teachings into practice.

All our day courses start at 10am and run until about 5pm.
They cost £20 per person which includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

BOOKINGS

You can reserve a place on this course by paying a £5 deposit. You can do this either by –

– Clicking on this link Booking & Payments

– Sending a cheque made payable to Odiyana Kadampa Meditation Centre to 163 Chester Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4AG

Odiyana KMC are delighted to announce we will be running summer evening meditation classes. The classes will be on Tuesday evening at 7.30pm at Odiyana KMC on 16th and 23rd July and 13th and 20th August. These will be taught by a different teacher each week.

The summer classes are open to everyone.

You don’t have to book you just turn up. 

Inspiring Solutions for Difficult Times

Atisha was an 11^th century Buddhist master. He was renowned for his inspiring teachings helping people to solve their problems and find deep and lasting peace. Atisha gave a teaching that became known as Advice from Atisha’s Heart. This incredible text has been benefitting people for over a 1000 years. He realized that while people still have uncontrolled minds they will never find deep lasting happiness. Although Atisha lived and taught in the 10th century his teachings are timeless. It is one of the most profound teaching on training the mind ever given. It helped people to control their minds & find deep lasting happiness.

Although this teaching was given over 1000 years ago it is still as effective now as it was then because people’s real problems haven’t changed. The external environment is dramatically different but our minds are the same, we experience anger, fear, discontentment and unhappiness. The only way to solve these problems is by controlling our mind. We can change our home or partner countless times but until we change our restless discontented mind we will never find deep lasting happiness.

Odiyana Centre is running a 6 weeks course entitled Inspiring Solutions for Difficult Times . On this course based on Advice from Atisha’s Heart we revisit this ancient wisdom because it worked then & will work now if we apply it to our modern, busy lives.

We have classes all across Cheshire. For details of nights and venues please click on Meditation Classes, Evening Classes and then select the location you are interested in.

Everyone is welcome. No booking required.

MEDITATIONS FOR A HAPPY LIFE

What exactly is it that we need to have a happy life? We need a happy mind. So many problems are created by our mind. We don’t realize the role our mind plays in projecting itself onto external situations. If our mind is negative or unhappy it will project an unpleasant world, if it is happy it will project a pleasant world.

Our desires are changing all the time and this adds to our unhappiness and discontentment. We may become unhappy because we are lonely so we surround ourselves with people resulting in us not being able to find the time to be alone, this then makes us stressed and unhappy. We may be unhappy because we can’t find work but once we get a job we feel stressed as we have too much work. We may feel depressed as our dreams aren’t fulfilled or once fulfilled they leave us feeling hollow & empty. We may lack success or become overwhelmed because when we have success it brings more stress than we can bear.

If we want to be happy in all these situations we need to learn to control our mind so it is happy & peaceful whether we are with people or alone, whether we are busy or sitting quietly. Through controlling our mind we can control what we project onto the world and we can start to create the sort of world we want live in.

Odiyana Centre is running a 7 week course entitled Meditations for a Happy Life. We have classes all across Cheshire. For details of nights and venues please click on Meditation Classes, Evening Classes and then select the location you are interested in.

Everyone is welcome. No booking required.

Transforming difficult conditions is vital because we are constantly surrounded by difficulties. We cannot avoid difficult situations but if we can change our attitude to them they will no longer be problems. We can even use the difficulties to train our mind.

On this day course we will learn how to use the difficulties we face in life to develop great inner strength.

The teacher of this day course is Chris Heyes – Kadam Chris Heyes is the Resident Teacher of Nagarjuna Kadampa Meditation Centre in Leicester. He is a dedicated student of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and has been studying and practising Kadampa Buddhism for over 20 years.
Kadam Chris is married with two children and shows by example how to integrate meditation into a busy family life. His teachings are always practical and easy to apply to everyday life. Through his gentle and joyful approach and his peaceful example, he has helped many people find true happiness in their hearts.

All our day courses start at 10am and run until about 5pm.
They cost £20 per person which includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

BOOKINGS

You can reserve a place on this course by paying a £5 deposit. You can do this either by –

– Clicking on this link Booking & Payments

– Sending a cheque made payable to Odiyana Kadampa Meditation Centre to 163 Chester Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4AG