The Centre for Pragmatic Buddhism in Scotland

The Centre for Pragmatic Buddhism Scotland
“Awareness, Acceptance, Action”

This is who we are: 
⃟  As a chapter of an international Pragmatic Buddhist community, we offer an accessible, practical way to apply the Buddha’s teachings in our everyday lives.  We meet online and in person and welcome people from all cultures and nationalities.

⃟    We explore the full range of our humanity in order to experience the best life has to offer.
We focus on the potential for growth and flourishing across all aspects of our lives involving being mindful of our actions of body, speech and mind in our relationships, employment, community and so on.

⃟   Without excluding Buddhist perspectives, we are open to other understandings and practices which promote the development of health, harmony and happiness among all sentient beings.

⃟  We are a sincere, inspiring, and supportive community, meeting online every week and in person every month.  We offer online and in person retreats and occasionally hold community based events.

This is what we do:
⃟   We currently meet on-line every week, in-person every month; and occasionally for community-based social events and meetings, and for retreats.

⃟  Our meetings strive for honest sharing and include a variety of meditations (for calming and insight); rituals and and a presentation-discussion led by both monks and members.

⃟  We encourage members to develop their own practice, at their own pace, supported by pastoral contact if they wish it. For those who want to publicly declare their Buddhist intent and commitment we offer the opportunity of ‘Going for Refuge’, and a pathway to ordination.

⃟  Our content focuses on life-long learning and personal development from a Buddhist perspective. We provide access to an international Pragmatic Buddhism Learning program for those wishing to enhance and deepen their practice.

⃟ Our meetings typically include an opportunity for thought-provoking discussion in smaller groups.  This gives participants the opportunity to explore how the teachings can be translated into real world actions.  We are very fortunate to have cultivated a trusting holding space for these conversations to take place.  Members are encouraged to contribute as much or as little as they feel comfortable.

How you can contribute:
⃟  Simply by joining us at our weekly meetings, you are contributing to the learning and growth of others!  You are welcome to join us whether you consider yourself Buddhist or not.

⃟   We are developing a devolved, non-hierarchical way of working that empowers members to take ownership of actions and projects as long as they contribute towards the overall aims of our community.

⃟  In the tradition of the Buddha Dharma being freely given, we do not charge for our regular activities, however members who feel they have benefited from their involvement often feel compelled to offer an ad-hoc or regular donation.  Details for how to do this are at the bottom of our Meetup page.

Here are the benefits of continuing with us:
⃟   There is a saying that Buddhism is not taught, but caught, and many of our members report that within a relatively short period of attendance, they notice key changes in their approach to challenges, in their relationships and more generally in their level of awareness.  It’s hard to put a finger on how this happens, but the more you attend, the more likely this transformation will be.

⃟   Many members join us at a time of challenge or difficulty in their lives.  Some feel they are at a crossroads and all are seeking that elusive something that offers a sense of peace and ease from the seemingly unending busyness of modern life.  We do not pretend to offer a magical elixir - life is difficult - however, Buddhism does offer some effective tools to at least approach those difficulties with a more supportive mind-set.  It may not be comfortable at first, but ethical practice teaches us that the way out is in and the fellowship of our community will support you on that journey.

⃟   Each month, we feature a variety of teachers so that you get exposed to different approaches and styles, some of which will resonate more than others.  Developing the ability to discriminate between what is currently useful and helpful to our practice and what is not, is a skill worth cultivating.

What you can expect:
⃟  Firstly, you can expect a warm welcome from the moment you arrive.  Our meetings usually start with a check-in where members can share a brief update on how they are and what’s going on. These contributions are received and held in silence, without response or questioning. It is this safety and friendliness that we think enables people to put down whatever is bothering or preoccupying them, so they can truly engage with the community and more fully participate in the meeting. Just ask anyone!

⃟  Because we meet online, you can expect to meet a diverse group of people who may be quite different from you and your usual circle.  Meeting people of difference can challenge our ideas and perceptions, which is of course a great learning opportunity!  Many of our members have formed friendships outside of Sangha meetings.

⃟   Lastly, you can expect within a few weeks to know if this approach we call ‘Pragmatic Buddhism’ is right for you.  Buddhism asks us to take responsibility for our actions of body, speech and mind - this wakes us up to the reality that everything we do, everything we say and everything we think from this moment forward has an impact on our own and others’ well-being.  Hopefully you will see that we don’t need to be perfect in this endeavour, we simply need to apply some effort to make progress.  We hope that you join and benefit from our fellowship.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
**We’d love to hear from you! Contact us at cpbs@pragmaticbuddhism.org.**
Discover what’s on offer at 
www.meetup.com/the-scottish-centre-for-pragmatic-buddhism
Life is our Monastery!

Our Zoom meeting link is https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2857119945.

If you have benefited from attending any of our regular meetings or events and would like to make a financial donation, known as 'Dana' or generosity, our bank details are:
The Centre for Pragmatic Buddhism Scotland
sort code: 802260 account: 24089967
Received with gratitude and thanks.

The Centre for Pragmatic Buddhism has three other chapters:

Columbus, Ohio in-person and online: https://www.cocpb.com/
St. Louis, Missouri in-person: https://www.meetup.com/pragmaticbuddhismstlouis/
Online Zendo: https://www.cpbonlinezendo.com/