Regular Buddhist Group for 4 Irish Cities

Theravāda tradition has remained a stranger to Ireland except for nationals who have made the journey to Asia. A preliminary visit to Eire by Phrakru Padet Jirakulo and Phra Nicholas Thanissaro revealed an unfulfilled interest in the Dhammakāya Tradition and Buddhism in general, especially amongst the immigrant Thai population which has grown to the thousands in the country over the last five years. Visits to Limerick and Cork led to the formation of meditation groups in these cities together with two more in Wexford and Dublin. The Dhammakāya Centre in London will send a monk to teach those groups regularly from February onwards each fourth weekend of the month. Interested? Contact Chaiyut +353 61404575 (evngs).

New Meditation Club at International School

The twelfth of January was the first day of the new term for the students of Collège du Léman International School, Geneva. This year, meditation was included on the list of extracurricular activities for boarding students, and received an enthusiastic response from the twenty-five students who hope to have a weekly meditation session in their school with a monk visiting from Wat Buddha Geneva.

Meditation startup in Geneva

In another first for Switzerland, Supatra Café restaurant, in conjunction with Wat Buddha Geneva gave an introductory meditation session for a group of over thirty interested Genevoise of twenty different nationalities. Phra Nicholas Thanissaro and Phra Seree explained the benefits of meditation together with the opportunity to try meditating for fifteen minutes. The session had an enthusiastic response and the plan is to organize such a session at 3.00 p.m each second Sunday of the month at Rampe de la Gare 11, CH-1290 Versoix starting on 8 February 2009, with a monk visiting from the Dhammakaya centre in London. Interested? Contact Supatra on 022 779 19 88.

New monthly group in Bern

The new year started together with a new group in Switzerland's capital, established by two meditators who regularly join the first Sunday of the month celebration in Zurich. Monday 4 January saw a pioneering group meeting for an introduction to meditation in the backroom of Coiffure Kägi, Seidenweg 24. The group hopes to meet on the evening of the first Monday of each month with a monk visiting from the Dhammakaya centre in London. Interested? Contact Ursula on 031 301 92 15.