From the outside, it looks like a normal terraced house on a Harrogate backstreet, but inside its followers practice the ancient and mystical religion Buddhism.
Around 60 people in Harrogate are practicing Buddhists and visit Harrogate’s Dechen Buddhist Centre on Granville Road.
It has a shrine upstairs for meditation and a meeting room to discuss the teachings of the Buddha, a religious leader who lived more than 2,500 years ago in what is now Nepal.
Followers of Buddhism don’t worship a supreme god or deity. Instead, they focus on achieving their goal of enlightenment, or Nirvana, which they say is a state of inner peace and wisdom.
Buddhism has traditionally been most popular in East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing in the west.
David Bullock started following Buddhism 14 years ago after a local newspaper article tweaked his interest.
He said:
“I was looking for a religion and I knew Christianity wasn’t the one. I bought the Knaresborough Post one Friday evening and saw an article about a Buddhist Lama that had been to Harrogate. It gave a phone number, I rang that, and got to speak to someone.
“I’ve never believed in God anyway. If there was a God and he’s as powerful as the Bible leads us to believe, then why can’t he stop all this violence in the world?”
Howard Quinn said Buddhism has helped him come to terms with a traumatic childhood.
He said:
“I gradually realised that was a set of experiences that stopped defining me, and that’s the thing of the teachings, they are about the rediscovery of the heart, it’s not an intellectual process.”
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Inner peace
The Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding the religion.
These teachings involve discarding negative emotions such as hatred, anger and jealousy.
The centre in Harrogate is visited by Lama Jampa Thaye twice a year. A Lama is a spiritual guide and has the authority to impart the Buddha’s teachings.
Greg Tunesi used to be a regular churchgoer but said joining Buddhism has been a life-changing experience.
“It’s brought a deep and profound inner peace and joy which is wonderful actually.
“Everybody is searching for true happiness and deep peace to avoid pain dissatisfaction and disappointment. That’s a glue that pulls everybody together, but we don’t always behave in a way that facilities joy. We get caught up in everyday stuff.”
In the shrine room.
Meditation is a key aspect of Buddhism and the path to enlightenment.
The centre offers meditation sessions every Wednesday at 10am and 7.15pm and on Saturdays at 11.15am.
Afterwards, they discuss a Buddhist teaching together and how it relates to their own lives and experiences.
Mr Tunesi said:
“Meditation gives us a real opportunity to observe and quieten that busy mind. Many of us think, ‘we are our thoughts’, but we’re much more. Our thoughts are random things that come and go.
“Once we’ve quietened the mind there’s an opportunity to really reflect on an aspect of the teachings and integrate it into our everyday existence.”
Goodness in life
Mr Quinn said many people come to Buddhism after facing trauma, illness or upheaval in their lives.
He said meditation and the teachings help soften the raw emotions that sometimes come with change.
Mr Quinn said:
“We appreciate what we have much more and see the goodness in life in a much clearer way. We spend much more time living in the moment and much less time reliving negative experiences and habits from the past or worrying what might happen in the future.”
Inside the Buddhist centre
Buddhists believe in karma, which is a philosophy that has transcended the religion and is something many of us are all familiar with.
Mr Tunesi added:
“Be kind and don’t be a cause of suffering, if the whole world was operating like that, goodness me, there wouldn’t be so many people tooting their horn if someone has held them up for a second!”
If you’re interested in learning more about the Dechen Buddhist Centre call 01423 881647 or email [email protected]
