The New Buddhist Center Hamburg Diamond Way Buddhism for Northern Europe The Vision |
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Our rented loft is not large enough for further growth, which is why we naturally had the wish for a new center, owned by a non-profit organsation. Now, however, we share a greater vision:
In Hamburg, we can bring Buddhism right into the middle of our society for the first time. A "Culture Café" with Buddhist programs will attract a wider public. Apart from the international press, visitors will find "Buddhism Today"; photographers will exhibit works with Buddhist motives. Actors will give readings from old texts and experts will lecture on the fields where Buddhism touches today´s society: psychology, medicin, and more. The café will be accessible from the street and offer a true oasis in the middle of the city: a stylish and cosy place to relax, with a terrace or winter garden reaching into our lush green backyard with flowers, bushes, trees and a pond. The meditation and lecture hall will be just a few steps away...
The center will be a place for the activities of the 17th Karmapa and the Lamas of this lineage, a meeting place for Buddhists and practitioners from Northern Europe and all over the world. Hamburg, being Germany´s media capital and the country´s second largest city, comes as a natural location for such a project.
The location has already been found: an oasis in the city, central yet quiet. Almost 2,000 m2, closed to the sides with yet enough space to house larger courses. Easily accessible by public transport and car. The activities can spread among several buildings and a lush garden.
The meditation und lecture hall
Located in the middle of the grounds, the heart of the new center has flexible walls, offering 100-180 m2 of space. Its glass wall facing the garden can be folded away, creating more space by an add-on tent for larger courses.
The Café
is located in the front house and accessible from the street. A stylish and cosy place to relax, offering drinks and small dishes. A garden terrace or winter garden offers a sunny place in the lush green of our garden. The visitors of lectures and courses can also be catered for from here.
The living project
In the front houses live the 20 members of the buddhist living project who will run the center on an honorary basis, paying appropriate rents. They are people on jobs or students practicing Dharma and are always there to help our visitors. They also coordinate the daily meditation program.
Study room, library and shop
Next to meditation hall, our book and video collection offers Buddhist background knowlege. The study room is ideal for regular seminars with an audience of up to 20 people, keeping the meditation hall free for practitioners.
The back house
The whole ground has to be bought in one piece but is too large for the center as such. Therefore, good friends from the Sangha will buy some ground in the back and build a house there to live in. They will finance it privately, thus enabling the non-profit organisation to start the project. The ground will be accessible from the center.
The garden and stupa
The lush garden with lots of flowers, bushes, trees and a pond will offer secluded places for talk and relaxation. On a free area, a tent can be erected to enlarge the meditation hall. The stupa creates a field of good energies. Other than shown in the picture, it will move to a more quiet place in the back of the estate.
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