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London Buddhist Centre

Bethnal GreenBuddhist organisations based in the United KingdomBuddhist temples in LondonGrade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Tower HamletsGrade II listed religious buildings and structures
Religion in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
LondonBuddhistCentre
LondonBuddhistCentre

The London Buddhist Centre (LBC) is a temple in Bethnal Green in East London, is the main base for the London Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly known as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. It opened in 1978, and is located in an ornate, vernacular redbrick Victorian fire station, completed in 1888, and in use by the London fire service until 1969. The building was fire-damaged in the 1970s, before being renovated by volunteers for its current use. Further major improvements were completed in 2009. The centre teaches meditation and Buddhism and offers drop-in lunchtime meditation sessions Monday-Saturday, and evening sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, open to beginners. The centre also explores the teaching of the Buddha (dharma) and its relevance in today's society through seminars, courses, classes and retreats. Regular retreats are run at its retreat centre in Suffolk, Vajrasana. In addition to this the centre also runs courses and retreats using mindfulness based cognitive therapy approaches. Its courses for depression, based on the mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy methodology of Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, featured in the Financial Times in 2008. This initiative is supported by the local authority, the London borough of Tower Hamlets. The Times has also reported on the centre's work with those affected by alcohol dependency The building's ground floor areas include a library, bookshop and reception room, with painted murals, as well as two ornate shrine rooms with Buddha figures, or "rupas", sculpted by Chintamani, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order. A third, basement, room for meditation and classes, primarily used by a project called "Breathing Space", opened in 2009. The building's upper floors house Buddhist residential communities. The LBC is a UK-registered charity (255420), and is part of a local network of Buddhist businesses and organisations within the Bethnal Green area. This includes Buddhist communities, a charity shop and an arts centre. The former fire station is a Grade II listed building.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article London Buddhist Centre (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

London Buddhist Centre
Bessy Street, London Bethnal Green

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N 51.5281 ° E -0.0514 °
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Bessy Street
E2 0JG London, Bethnal Green
England, United Kingdom
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LondonBuddhistCentre
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Globe Road & Devonshire Street railway station
Globe Road & Devonshire Street railway station

Globe Road & Devonshire Street was a railway station on the Great Eastern Main Line, 1 mile 54 chains (2.7 km) down the line from Liverpool Street. It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 1 July 1884 when the company quadrupled the double-track main line section, and it was situated close to the site of the former Devonshire Street terminus, which had closed in 1840. The station had two platforms which were served by the newly constructed line. The platforms were situated on a railway viaduct and the booking office was at street-level at the London-end in Globe Road. Passengers' comfort was provided in first and second-class waiting rooms, first and second-class ladies waiting rooms, a drinking fountain, and toilets. There was also a second booking office in Devonshire Street. There were two signal boxes sited near the station, at Globe Street Junction and Devonshire Street, when it opened, although the former box closed in 1894 with the Devonshire Street box taking over its duties.Competition from Stepney Green station on the Underground District line and wartime constraints (notably staff shortages) led to the closure of Globe Road & Devonshire Street station on 22 May 1916 and it never re-opened. At that time, many inner London stations were closed, including two nearby, Bishopsgate and Coborn Road; there are now no intermediate stations between Liverpool Street and Stratford. The station was demolished in May 1938. Nothing remains of it today. Devonshire Street after which the station was named was later incorporated into the northern part of Bancroft Road.