Budapest
Buddhist Center Budapest
The Budapest Buddhist Centre is located in the heart of the city, just a stone's throw from Keleti Train Station. After many years of searching and fundraising, the Buddhist group purchased an old beer bottling factory in 2001. The building features many heritage-listed components on the exterior, including decorations over the windows, a decorative crest, and a handful of statues built into the architecture, which have been painstakingly preserved.
After many years of renovations, the centre has been transformed into one of the biggest Diamond Way Buddhist Centres in Europe with a meditation hall, dharma shop, library, kitchen, and even a gym. To generate income, apart from renting rooms and apartments, the centre hires out one corner of the building as a restaurant, called Babar, which is known for its chic atmosphere and modern menu.
The centre is open daily from 6-9pm for meditation during the week as well as weekends. There is always a free public lecture on Monday evenings for both newcomers and experienced practitioners alike.
Even this huge space eventually became too small to hold the growing interest in Buddhism, and so the Budapest Diamond Way Buddhist Centre is now undergoing major reconstruction which, when finished, will feature a 460 square metre meditation hall, 180m² common space for eating and socialising, multi-function meeting rooms, galleries, and even underground thermal heating.