Our Values

The Aim and Vision of the Mid Essex Buddhist Centre is to create an environment where Spiritual Friendship & Sangha (Spiritual Community) can flourish to enable people to grow and develop towards their full potential through Meditation & the Study of Buddhism. We are open to everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experience.

We also run several retreats every year, Mindfulness courses, well-being sessions, including mindfulness, yoga, pilates and relaxation. Additionally we organise community projects, fundraisers and collections for the less fortunate.

Our History

The Mid Essex Buddhist Centre (MEBC) was created in 2015 from the amalgamation of two Meditation groups from Mayland and Hockley by a group of like minded persons who wished to keep meditating and keep studying Buddhism together on a regular basis.

The Centre belongs to the Triratna Buddhist Community and Order which was formed in 1967 (then known as The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) when the founder Sangharakshita returned to the UK having spent 20 years studying as a monk in India. Since this time nearly every major city and town in the UK is now home to a Triratna Buddhist Group or Centre. Each Centre is a registered charity in their own right and are financially independent. They all follow the same Buddhist Triratna principles. It is an international Buddhist Movement with over 60 centres across the 5 continents. There is a particularly large following in India, consisting of the former Untouchables who converted to Buddhism to escape their poverty by birth. As it gained international standing, the original name of Western Buddhist Order no longer felt appropriate and the Movement was re-named Triratna Buddhist Community and Order in 2010.

In February 2017, the MEBC moved to a rented property in the South Woodham Ferrers town centre. Since then, a growing number of members have been attending our classes and after 5 years in rented buildings, we are now in need of larger premises and we are now in the process of planning a secure home for our community in our own property. We are almost in a position to go ahead with buying a Centre. Unfortunately, we are still £100,000 short of the money to secure a property.

In just over 5 years, 51 people have become Mitras (someone who wants to make a particular connection with our community and see their Buddhist practice in that context can ask to become a Mitra - which simply means friend in Sanskrit). 17 Mitras are training for ordination, two Mitras have been ordained and one is being ordained in July 2021. By then, we will have six Order Members teaching at the MEBC.