2010 to 2011

JBCL hosts the Maitreya Project's Relics of the Buddha  tour at Leeds City Museum and our Spiritual Programme Coordinator, Venerable Mary Reavey is featured on BBC local news coverage of the event.  Ven. Mary also gave a beautiful Buddhist blessing at the wedding of Ilona Wheldale-England & Richard England and continued her work at the centre, teaching Discovering Buddhism and offering special workshops on setting up an altar and making a mala.  In 2011 she spent two months on retreat in Thailand with Alan Wallace, focussing on Shamatha and offering prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche after he was taken ill during her retreat. Our Patron, David Lascelles informed and entertained with his hugely popular presentation about his journey to the sacred Mount Kailas in Tibet whilst at Harewood Geshe Graham Woodhouse led a blessing ceremony at the Harewood Stupa as new prayer flags were put in place. 
At St. Paul's Street Geshe Tashi has begun teaching a new structured course What the Buddha Said and we have hosted a number of guest teachers including Venerable Yonten from Nalanda Monestary in France, Geshe Graham Woodhouse and Andy Wistreich. Danny Ford and Andrew Sugden facilitate our popular Meditation for Beginners class and we begin to offer twice weekly Lunchtime Meditation classes facilatated by Wendy Ridley and Danny Ford.  David Midgley returns to teaching Discovering Buddhism while Jenny Marshall offers classes on 5 Tibetan Yogas and Wendy Ridley leads 16 Guidelines workshops.
In Summer 2011, the centre relocated to larger premises at 31 St. Paul's Street with a dedicated space to eat and socialise in breaks or before classes and with a more spacious Gompa. A generous and dedicated team of volunteers helped create a wonderful new Dharma Centre where once was a disused office space.

2008 to 2009

Lama Zopa appointed Wendy Ridley as Director of JBCL and reappointed Ven Mary Reavey as SPC. JBCL hosted Geshe Tashi’s FPMT UK summer Dharma Festival Retreat at Trinity and All Saints College in Horsforth with 45 people. Geshe Tashi began a series of weekend teachings on Calm Abiding.
A clean, quiet, central venue in LS1 was found as a new home for JBCL. Volunteers helped move everything from Whingate and established JBCL in its new premises.  There was no time to paint the premises so this was done by a small group of volunteers in August 2009.  Trustees were Steve Cragg, Brian Goodall, David Gray, David Midgley, Gill Niven, Sian Thompson and Lorri Tolan.  At the 2009 AGM two new trustees were welcomed onto the Board of JBCL-Jay Simpson and Tom Sidebottom. Sian Thompson took over as Chair of Trustees in November 2009.  An active programme of weekday and weekend classes is offered.

2007

JBCL offered a full programme with 3 evening classes per week. Geshe Tashi began teaching on the 3rd volume of Lam Rim Chenmo. Other weekend courses were taught by Mike Murray, Andy Wistrich, Ven Steve Carlier and Dekyi Lee Oldershaw. Geshe Tashi gave a Public Talk to about 90 people at West Yorkshire Playhouse and completed nearly four years of teachings on the Lam Rim Chenmo. JBCL took part in the ‘I Love West Leeds’ Festival. Ven Mary gave talks at various schools and several schools visited the centre. Various JBCL students attended the 1st FPMT UK summer Dharma Festival Retreat in Dorset with Geshe Jhampa Tegchok and Geshe Tashi. Lama Zopa appointed Bob Charlton as SPC. Bob Charlton and Gabrielle organised the hosting of the Maitraya Relics at a central venue. The opening ceremony was attended by representatives from the major faith communities and with the help of 30+ volunteers over 1000 people visited the Relics.

2006

Geshe Tashi gave Refuge vows, wishing Bodhicitta Vows and Lay vows at JBCL. Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin taught for a weekend and gave a White Tara empowerment to more than 90 people at Armely Mills. He visited Harewood House to see the stupa and performed a blessing ceremony at JBCL in Whingate.

2005

Lama Zopa Rinpoche appointed Gabrielle Hamilton as Director of JBCL. Having outgrown Jan’s front room, two rooms were rented at Whingate Business Park and transformed into a new home for JBCL. Geshe Tashi began teaching on the 2nd volume of Lam Rim Chenmo. The Charities Commission approved Charitable Status for JBCL.

2004

Geshe Tashi finished teaching his Foundation of Buddhist Thought course. He began teaching a commentary on the 1st volume of Lam Rim Chenmo by Lama Tsong Khapa. Three students from JBCL attended the November Kopan Course and 16 JBCL students attended 4 days of teachings from H.H. Dalai Lama in Glasgow.

2002 to 2003

Ven Mary, Jan and David taught the Discovering Buddhism course on a weekly basis. Weekend courses were taught by Geshe Jhampa Tegchok, Ven. Steve Carlier, Ven. Robina Courtin, Dechen Rochard, Mike Murray, Ven Sangye Khadro and Andy Wistreich. Lama Zopa appointed Ven. Mary as JBCL’s first Spiritual Programme Co-ordinator (SPC).

2000 to 2001

Jan Metcalfe moved to Leeds and offered her home in Harehills as a base for JBCL. Helped by Steve Cragg and others it was transformed into a venue ready for Lama Zopa’s visit. 45 people squeezed into the blessing ceremony and teaching at Harehills Ave and over 200 attended a Public Talk at All Hallows Church. David arranged for faith community reps to meet Lama Zopa and watch a video about the Maitreya Project. Lama Zopa appointed Jan Metcalfe as Director of JBCL. Ven Mary Reavey started teaching in Leeds and helped Jan to develop JBCL’s outreach programme in Armley prison, hospitals and through inter-faith work. Geshe Tashi began teaching his two year Foundation of Buddhist Thought course to 20 students.

1997 to 2000

Geshe Tashi taught an introductory course in Leeds and gave Refuge to 12 people. Having outgrown David’s front room, twice weekly meetings were held at the Swarthmore Centre. Weekend courses led by Dechen Rochard, Andy Wistreich, Stephen Batchelor, Andy Weber, Ven. Steve Carlier, Ven. Robina Courtin, Geshe Tashi and Geshe Sonam Gyatso attracted students from all over the UK. Meditation retreats were organised three times a year in rural locations with catering by Joan Sowry. The retreats were led by Ven. Sarah Thresher, Mike Murray, Andy Wistreich, Paul Seto and Claire Isitt. JBCL became involved with inter-faith and inter-Buddhist activities through Leeds Multi-Faith Forum and Leeds Buddhist Council. Teaching at Armley Prison was launched with two talks by Ven. Robina Courtin.

1994 to 1996

Jan Metcalfe met David Midgley on a course taught by Geshe Tashi Tsering on his first visit to the U.K. Jan, originally from Leeds, worked at Jamyang London. David formed the Leeds Lojong Group with Joan Sowry (Jan’s sister) and Juan Madrell.They met at David’s home to meditate and discuss Buddhism.
During Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to London a request was made to establish the Leeds group as an FPMT Centre. David Midgley was appointed as the first Director of Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds (JBCL). The group continued to meet every week in David’s home.

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