Welcome
Everyone is dissatisfied, bewildered or anxious at some time or other. These states of mind cannot be eradicated, but they can be understood and they can be softened. It is always possible to become wiser, more compassionate and more peaceful. That’s where becoming a participant at New Buddha Way might help.
We are a community of meditators – a sangha – that has been meeting regularly in the Guildford and Woking area since 2002. Ours is a practice, not a belief system, that is flexible, independent and questioning. Following the Buddha’s teachings — the Buddhadharma — we provide regular meditation sessions, group readings and discussions, workshops, walks, retreats and publications.
At NBW we try to put the values of non-harm, compassion and wisdom in to everyday life. Avoiding dogmatic, ritualistic or devotional approaches to practice, we emphasize contemporary developments of Dharma understanding through active critical engagement. We seek to recognise the interdependence and inter-being of all things, and to understand karma as immediate, lived moral action rather than as an attribute of a ‘merit system’ directed towards the rewards or deprivations of a personal ‘afterlife’.
Joining NBW Meditation Sessions
If you would like to participate in NBW’s weekly Community Meditation sessions we invite all newcomers to join us for a short informal conversation about meditation practice, the NBW sangha and the Buddhadharma. These meetings usually take place shortly before our regular meditations and apply to both those who have never meditated before and those who have done so for years.
To register or to find out more, please contact us at introduction@newbuddhaway.org. We look forward to meeting you! In the meantime, if you have other questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
NBW’s organisation
NBW was founded in 2002 and was registered as a charity in England & Wales, No. 1170368, in November 2016. It is a non-profit charity with a transparent and accountable constitution. NBW’s activities are facilitated by our Board of Trustees and volunteers. It has no employees and its accounts are open for scrutiny following Board meetings. Like any voluntary organisation, NBW’s activities require expenditure. Our income is comprised of donations from participants at meditation sessions and retreats, and from regular monthly donations from Friends of NBW.
Board of Trustees 2024-
Lynne McNeil (Chair)
Richard McIlwraith (Secretary)
Paul McNeil (Treasurer)
Gordon Davidson
Lucy Davidson
Rod Brans
Ros Brooks
NBW’s Founder
New Buddha Way was founded in 2002 by Geoffrey Hunt, formerly Buddhist Chaplain for the University of Surrey, UK, and a Professor of Ethics until his retirement in 2019. With extensive knowledge drawn from a range of meditation practices, including Zen, Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism and Western contemplative traditions, his goal is to make the Buddha’s teachings accessible to a modern audience.
Read Geoff’s article on Why a New Buddha Way.