Dhamma Center

Blessed to get meditation guidance from very knowledgeable Bhante Pannawamsa at Dhamma Center.Guidance based on Bhante's experience is truly useful on our way to Nibbana.

In Nov. 2020 I found the Dhamma Centre, Colchester, UK as they were the hosting the program I had logged into on Zoom. The following day I had the opportunity to join the classes the Centre conducted via zoom to continue my Abhidhamma studies. I soon realized that the awkward time difference was no barrier as it was worth the effort for me to adjust. The Centre’s program was expanding and included meditation sessions, online retreats, and interesting Dhamma talks. Nearly 15 months later I am still enjoying classes I originally joined and follow some of the other programs as well.The Centre’s Abbot Bhante Pannavansa is an excellent teacher and guide and has been able to motivate and help the Buddhist communities not only in the UK and Europe but further across the globe too. For many the ‘Dhamma Centre’ has been a wonderfully positive find of the pandemic times. May it continue to grow and flourish helping and motivating people with the Dhamma, the Gautama Buddha’s teachings. In short helping people learn how to help themselves.

The Colchester Dhamma Center was established in 2019. With the advent of the Covid pandemic ,most of the Buddhist temples were then closed for visitors and people were restricted in their travel and social gatherings. The chief abbot of the temple then started a Zoom program for the community, teaching the Buddhist philosophy. This was like a breath of fresh air to the housebound lay people.With time more and more people were attracted to the centre, not only to listen to dhamma but to learn the wonderful technique of insight meditation. The latter, a mindfulness based technique, is known to help people with anxiety disorders, depression , stress etc.At present the chief abbot conducts , 3 meditation classes , one Abhidhamma class and one sutra class in a week for the students in the group. This is in addition to the extra sermons on Poya , full moon days.The service provided by this Dhamma Centre is invaluable. It caters to the community irrespective of their religion and race. The Sunday Dhamma classes for the children are much appreciated by both the parents and the children.I feel this Dhamma Center is a blessing to the community.

Colchester Dhamma Center is a blessing for the whole community. I have been a member of the Dhamma Center from day one, and that was a fresh start in my life. So much has been introduced in the Dhamma Center programmes and all carried out to it's fullest. To list just a few ...Abhidhamma classes , meditation classes , children's Sunday classes....I could go on and on. Classes are lively and that makes it so much easier to learn. Finding suitable examples where ever needed, Bhante makes the most difficult subjects like Abhidhamma , easy to digest and of course Bhante's sense of humour makes the classes interesting .This is an amazing center . I always leave the classes feeling happy and rejuvenated. I must say I am proud to be a part of the Dhamma Center. Bhante , all your efforts to educate us are very much appreciated.So praise where it's due. A big Thank You from me to you Bhante , and a huge Well Done to the Dhamma Center.

Very useful site if you like to learn Buddhist philosophy.

We are pleased to say that for the past two years the Dhamma Center has helped us immensely in understanding Buddhism. Bhante Pannawamsa established the Dhamma Center and has worked tirelessly, conducting weekly Abidhamma classes, as well as teaching us meditation practice. These meditation classes have helped to improve our physical and mental health.During the pandemic, Bhante Pannawamsa also organised Dana (generosity) for homeless people in Sri Lanka, by giving them food, clothing, money etc.We are extremely fortunate to experience the amazing service the Dhamma Center provides for our community.Nimal & Lalitha Dayaratne

The Colchester Dhamma Centre has performed an excellent service to the Buddhist community resident in the United Kingdom and worldwide and given us immense mental support by organizing a wealth of Buddhist religious activities on a regular basis. We greatly appreciate the tremendous effort made by Ven Pannavamsa the chief incumbent at the Dhamma Centre in conducting regular religious classes and the sermons given by him particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic that helped us enormously to get through this difficult period.We wish the centre every success.Saman Warnakulasuriya