Brno Buddhists have completed the construction of their meditation center

Brno - Buddhists in Brno have established a new meditation center in the Divišova district. The building, costing 24 million crowns, replaced their older premises, which no longer had enough capacity. Its reconstruction and expansion were hindered by inadequate foundations. Half of the funds for the so-called House of the Diamond Way were acquired through a grant, while the remainder was provided as an interest-free loan by a private foundation. Members of the center and supporters from both the Czech Republic and abroad are repaying the debt through donations, said Markéta Blažejovská on behalf of the Brno Buddhists.
    The center's building on Trtílková Street features a hall for 200 people and is designed in a completely modern style. "The architectural design of the building reflects how Buddhism currently operates in Western countries. Modern people are interested in Buddhist teachings and meditation techniques, not Tibetan culture. Therefore, we did not want to build the meditation center in an Eastern style; on the contrary, we embraced the tradition of Brno functionalism," said Buddhist teacher Veronika Černá, whose lecture will open the center to the public on Monday.
    The number of those interested in Buddhism and meditation in Brno is growing year by year. According to Černá, people are finding material values insufficient and want to develop and live a rich inner life. Often, it is university students, but families with children also come. "However, they are always people who value freedom and independence. In our centers, there are no restrictions regarding food, drink, family, or work life; this is not about a monastic direction of Buddhism," Černá described.
    The so-called Diamond Way Buddhism arrived in Europe from Tibet in the 1960s. In the Czech Republic, it is the most widespread trend of the diverse Buddhist teaching. It is developed by European teachers, such as Dane Ole Nydahl, who will soon visit Brno. Approximately a thousand people from across the country will attend his lecture, which, due to capacity reasons, will not be hosted in the new center but in the Vodova sports hall, on April 12.
    The meditation center is open to interested parties every Monday to Thursday in the evening. In addition to meditations, visitors can borrow or purchase books on Buddhist topics. Twice a month, lectures by Czech and foreign Buddhist teachers are held, and several times a year, the center organizes other cultural events, such as festivals and exhibitions.

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