Phillip Chapman learns the secret of happiness from Buddhists living in a stately home set in 40 acres of parkland in East Yorkshire.

A meditation class takes place at the Madhyamaka Buddhist Centre at Kilnwick Percy Hall near Pocklington.

An escape from the stresses and strains of modern life is on offer at an East Yorkshire Buddhist centre.

While most people are partying their Friday nights away, those who visit the Madhyamaka Centre in Pocklington will indulge in meditation as part of a series of Stop The Week nights.

The Buddhist Centre, based at the stately Kilnwick Percy Hall near Pocklington, is run by spiritual director the Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

The Stop The Week evenings, running from February 11 to March 16, include a guided meditation session and a talk, followed by a three-course candle-lit vegetarian dinner.

Also available at the centre is a course of classes on meditation, which is said to be a "reliable method for clearing to mind, leading to an experience of greater peace, harmony and focus in daily life".

The beginners' course runs on Monday and Tuesday evenings from February 7 to March 28 and each class costs £3.50, including refreshments.

A spokesman for the centre said: "Our classes and courses have been getting more popular than ever. At the moment people are making new year resolutions and meditating is a new thing to do, just like dieting.

"Happiness doesn't exist outside the mind. We can spend our lives looking for external ways to find it, but it will never come. Meditation can help you find inner contentment."

The centre claims that meditation helps people to develop peaceful and positive states of mind, overcome stress and tension, improve relationships and even improve their sense of physical well being.

The classes are said to be accessible and practical and are taught by experienced students of meditation living at the Madhyamaka Centre.

Kilnwick Percy Hall is a Grade II listed Georgian mansion set in 40 acres of parkland.

For more details contact 01759 304832, Monday to Friday from 2pm to 5pm.

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