Birmingham Buddhist Centre in Moseley sets out to polish its jewel

Tucked off the Alcester Road just before Moseley village, the Birmingham Buddhist Centre on Park Road has long been a place where people come to slow down. Whether you are curious about meditation, exploring Buddhism or simply looking for calm, the centre's message is clear: anyone is welcome.

The centre is part of the worldwide Triratna Buddhist Community and exists, in its own words, to teach meditation and Buddhism in an accessible, relevant way. Its leaders and teachers are not monks or nuns, and many have families and jobs.

Newcomers usually start with an introductory course or a drop-in class. Two meditations are at the heart of what is taught: the mindfulness of breathing, for developing clarity and awareness, and the metta bhavana, a practice for cultivating positivity and openness towards ourselves and others. There are lunchtime meditations, online classes and evening events through the week.

The building itself is a gentle wellbeing space. There are several rooms for meditation, a large main shrine room, a café area with free tea and coffee, a yoga studio and contemplative gardens maintained by volunteers. Visitors can drop in between 10am and 4pm to sit quietly, meditate or enjoy the garden when rooms are not booked.

Yoga classes in the studio are run independently by teachers, ranging from mixed-level sessions to yin and restorative yoga with Tibetan sound healing, and the centre also hosts therapy, music, bodywork and counselling.

Now the community is looking after its home. At the start of 2025 it launched Polishing the Jewel, a fundraising and building project to repair, renovate and renew the centre, with a target of over £140,000 for the essentials. Counting donations, pledges and previous savings, the total has reached £99,342, with early work covering surveys and fire safety improvements such as a new alarm system and fire doors.

"For over 26 years, our Centre has been the base, the home, the heart of our community," the centre says.

Class listings, introductory courses and details of the Polishing the Jewel appeal are on the Birmingham Buddhist Centre website.