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’.

Introduction to meditation

NBW provides a free, easy-to-understand Introduction Session for beginners and newcomers every couple of months. After attending the introduction you will be welcome to join our weekly community meetings.

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)
Juilet Kimber (Secretary)
Paul McNeil (Treasurer)
Caroline Relfe
Gordon Davidson
Ros Brooks
Richard McIlwraith

NBW’s Founder

Ven Seelawimala & Geoff Hunt 2015

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.