Blackburn Buddhist Centre

The Term “Friends of The Western Buddhist Order” covers all of us who work, practice around, or simply attend any FWBO group or centre. “The Western Buddhist Order” refers only to those who have been ordained. Those who have been ordained* are given a Sanskrit or Pali name as part of the (thorough and sometimes long) process of becoming ordained. On this page we introduce the faces of the four order members who you might see at the Blackburn Centre, with an attempt to help you pronounce their names!

*The WBO is a radical alternative to the model found in many forms of Buddhism in Asia, where practitioners are either monastic or lay. The Order is open to any man or woman who is sincerely and effectively committed to the Buddhist path, not just to those seeking a monastic lifestyle.

Some Order members are full-time meditators, living a monastic-type life in a rural retreat centre; others live with friends, or with their families, or alone. Most Order members have ordinary jobs, expressing their values in a range of professions and vocations. All of those who work at the Blackburn Centre give their time freely. We run what is called a ‘dana’ economy. We do not charge for classes. Dana is the Sanskrit word for generosity.