With hundreds of miles of coastline and rugged landscape, there is no doubt that Cornwall is the ideal destination for those who wish to seek a haven of tranquillity. One Buddhist centre is looking to bring peace to the county by finding a premises to hold its meditation sessions.

Ganden Ling is a centre for modern Kadampa Buddhism in Cornwall founded by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, a world-renowned meditation master. Although they do not currently have a physical centre, Ganden Ling aims to serve as a special place of peace and refuge.

Meditation classes currently take place in hired venues across Cornwall but practitioners have been in search of a dedicated centre for 25 years. However, with the help of a new resident teacher, it is hoped that one will be found soon.

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When Kelsang Yonchen first found Buddhism over 12 years ago, she was going through a difficult time in her life and wanted to find something that brought her happiness. I had been looking for a spiritual journey for a while but I never found anything that ticked all of the boxes, she explained.

It felt like it had filled in all the gaps that I had previously found and it was like the missing piece of the jigsaw. The people were friendly and relaxed and calm, they were just amazing examples around me as well.

Yonchen found a Buddhist centre in Norfolk and started attending classes before later deciding to join a deeper study programme to enhance her knowledge further. As her experience grew, she began helping out with teaching classes in Northamptonshire.

In 2023, she was ordained as a Kadampa Buddhist Nun and has since moved to Cornwall to become the countys new resident teacher through Ganden Ling. It got to a point in my life where I realised other things werent fulfilling me in the same way, Yonchen said. Life naturally changed over time until it became apparent that perhaps now is the time to take a deeper step.

There is no expectation for people to become ordained, its a completely personal choice. It just felt like the right thing for me to do at the time. I wanted the practice of Buddhism to be the complete focus of my life. I became ordained to be able to help others find inner peace and help train their minds to become more happy and more comfortable, and have a deeper sense of purpose as well.

Yonchen had been on an intensive teacher training course at the mother centre of Kadampa Buddhism in Ulverston, Cumbria to become a qualified resident teacher. She then decided to take ordination at their spring festival, before being allocated the role of resident teacher of Cornwall.

Since moving to the county three weeks ago, Yonchen has run between eight to 10 mediation classes in a number of towns. She has also joined the search for a site to become Cornwalls first physical Kadampa Buddhism Centre.

I was so delighted to have been asked to come down here and help make that dream a reality. I think meditation is so important for people, Yonchen said. Its such a busy, overwhelming world these days and to be able to find a little bit of peace, I think is just so important. I couldnt think of a better job. KMC (Kadampa Meditation Centre) in Plymouth is the nearest centre and has been supporting Cornwall the best way they are able to, to help it flourish in their own right.

Currently, sessions are run on a drop-in basis in St Austell, Newquay, Penryn and Falmouth and people who take part sit on chairs for the guided meditation. There are also classes available in Liskeard through KMC Plymouth.

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Everyone is welcome to attend the sessions, regardless of your expertise or whether you are Buddhist or not. By encouraging more people to attend their sessions, Yonchen hopes to be able to help people find peace in their everyday lives.

I want to help anyone who wants to access meditation to be able to learn the basic techniques to help bring some inner peace and calm, and to support people to go further into that journey, she explained. It does not matter if people are Buddhist or not, we still have something that can benefit everybody.

By bringing Kadampa Buddhism into Cornwall, it is like a beacon of hope that however difficult things become in someones life, we do have the opportunity for peace and we just need to know how to find it. Having a physical centre means we have a focal point, so hopefully it will become a place people feel comfortable to go.

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World-renowned meditation master wants to bring peace to Cornwall - Cornwall Live