Main Stream: Buddha

This centre serves as a place for Buddhist practice, meditation, teaching, and community life in Dar es Salaam. It provides a calm, contemplative environment for people to learn about Buddhism, practise meditation, and reflect on the Buddha’s teachings. Alongside regular meditation sessions — especially on Sundays — it offers teachings on Buddhist philosophy and encourages both locals and visitors to deepen their spiritual awareness. The centre also involves community support activities, including a nursery program and Buddhist education for Tanzanian youth.

Established around 1915 by Sri Lankan Buddhists in what was then Tanganyika, this centre is among the earliest Buddhist institutions in Africa. Early Sri Lankan settlers formed the “Singhalese Buddhist Association” and secured land in West Upanga, Dar es Salaam, where the temple and meditation spaces were built. A Bodhi tree seedling brought from Sri Lanka in 1919 was planted there and remains a symbolic centrepiece. Over the decades, the centre has continued to provide meditation practice, Buddhist teachings, and community services.

Plot No. 606, Mindu Street, West Upanga Dar es Salaam, Tanzania