lotusinthemud

surprise requires spirit

The fact is that we never know what is round the next corner. Surprise requires spirit. Whatever we encounter, we can meet it with fullness of spirit.

~ David Brazier (Dharmavidya): The Feeling Buddha

empathy

Empathy is the opposite of ego. When I am full of ego, it is my own importance which matters. When I am full of empathy it is the other person who matters. Egotism, self-preoccupation, is the commonest barrier to empathy. Empathy is the most effective remedy for egotism. 

~ David Brazier Empathy

izt - a new logo (and what it means)

What's the new IZT logo all about?

It brings together the traditional Zen enso, or circle, and elements from the logo of Amida Trust (which IZT is part of).

The enso is an image that's become reasonably well known in the West, although perhaps its meaning is less known. It represents the ultimate trancendent reality.

The Amida Trust logo is a sunset: the sun and clouds. The sun here represents Amida, which can be considered that aspect of ultimate reality which comes to us, and which we can relate to.

The clouds in this image represent the kleshas. A klesha is a mental state of mind which clouds judgment (anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire and so on) and prevents us from seeing Amida clearly. This is the ordinary human reality, there is something which is perfect in love and wisdom, but so much of the time it is hidden from us by clouds which rise from our karma.

The new IZT logo introduces this element of humaness to the perfect Zen enso. The two horizontal lines are like the clouds which obscure the bright light of the sun. :: link

:: link to Institute of Zen Therapy website

to grow pearls.......

To grow pearls there has to be some grit in the oyster. Each of us also has our gritty question. All too often, however, we devote our lives to ignoring rather than working on it. According to Zen, it is this ignoring (avidya) which keeps us in the realm of suffering (samsara), but it is the grit (dukkha) which gives us the opportunity to liberate ourselves.......it is this very dukkha which is our best friend. Dukkha shows us that we need to do something about ourselves and shows us where, when and how to do it. By working with our own grit, we become a 'true being', a true pearl. We can be greatly helped in this process by 'good friends' (kalyanamitra).

~ Dharmavidya David Brazier, 'Zen Therapy'

:: link to Institute for Zen Therapy

the head of the amida order on teaching the dharma in spanish

Dharmavidya writes:

It's been a full and interesting week. Three evenings I gave talks to different groups within the sangha here on the topic "Que es Tomar Refugio en el Buda?" Each talk I spoke initially in Spanish and in the Wednesday talk I managed the whole thing in Espanol with help with an occasional word from my translator. Of course, when we got to the question and answer part at the end the translator came more fully into the picture. Nonetheless it felt very good to have managed a whole three quarter hour talk in Spanish - a first!

Then this Saturday morning Franca, Sumaya and I participated in the Zazenkai meeting which included a lengthy talk by Zen Master Celso Navarro. This time I managed to understand the whole talk apart from the jokes. When people break into more colloquial language one loses it. His talk was concerned with the universal nature of the Path of Awakening and I was very happy with the ecumenical flavour of his remarks.

:: continue reading here

to take refuge...

"To take refuge is to enter into a relationship with what is beyond the ordinary that opens us to truth and love beyond our personal limited selves."

~ Dharmavidya David Brazier
(from a forthcoming book... watch this space!)

moon at the window - manu bazzano

:: link
Zen – this three letter iconic word includes so many practices and philosophies, often in contradiction with one another. In its origin, it embodies an aspiration to revisit the unfettered teachings of the Dharma as bestowed by Shakyamuni who, unlike Kasyapa and (St) Paul, had no great inclination to big-time politics or to the founding of churches and parishes. Central to the teachings is the realization of the (ultimately) illusory nature the self, the cultivation of friendship, or sangha, the realization that life (ultimately) sucks, especially if one’s ambition is to grab as much as one can and/or hope to hoodwink death.

Within Zen one will find a theistic leaning – towards ‘big mind’ i.e. the identification of the self with the entire cosmos. Some would say that ‘big mind’ is a God substitute, or a shadow of God, a bit like saying “Fine, I’ll let go of the self, only if I can exchange it for a cosmic self”. This is bargain-Zen, insurance policy-Zen.

Within Zen one will also find a deconstructive approach, geared towards the experience of groundlessness or relativity or interdependence or emptiness (sunyata), a painstaking process of recognition of the non-substantiality of the self. Meister Eckhart called this ‘intimate poverty’. The Zen tradition calls it ‘grabbing an ordinary person’s nose and twisting it hard’. Or:

The thief left it behind
Moon at the window
(Ryōkan)

What this may awaken is a sense of deep perplexity when faced with the sheer vastness of the phenomenal world. After which one puts the kettle on... Yes, God is dead, but it’s not such a big deal. The shadows of God also vanished - all the assorted religious, psycho-social ideals, from enlightenment to universal solidarity – after which we can have tea with milk, one sugar please. This is not cynicism of course, but rather a form of profound scepticism.

:: continue reading on the Institute for Zen Therapy site

Manu Bazzano is part of the IZT team. You can visit his own website at: www.manubazzano.com.

moon photo by Derek Gavey

zen and pureland

Zen & Pureland by David Brazier (Dharmavidya)

My Zen teacher Kennett Roshi used to say that Zen and Pureland were two entrances to the same tunnel. The implication was that if you went in Zen you came out Pureland and vice versa. I studied under her and then later became Pureland. Now I'm interested in the point where they meet. If we make a quick comparison of the salient features of the two systems we get a chart something like this: 

ZEN	PURELAND
Self power	Other power
Sudden awakening - satori	Awakening of faith - shinjin
Buddha nature	Bombu paradigm
Koan Nembutsu	Zazen Chanting

Zen and Pureland are both expressions of Mahayana Buddhism, both value the bodhisattva ideal, both value the teacher-disciple relationship, both are “practice schools” as distinct from “philosophical schools”. In Chinese Buddhism, Zen and Pureland are often practised together, though it is generally more a matter of Pureland practice within a Zen ethos. My own style is rather the other way around.

Zen means contemplation. Pureland schools have often practised contemplation. Shan Tao was perhaps the most eminent Pureland master in history and he was known for his contemplative practice. Zen, therefore, is not alien to Pureland. Similarly, chanting is not alien to Zen. Many of the benefits that come from one come equally well from the other. Some people think of Zen practice as hard and Pureland as easy, but our recent Ten Day Chanting Intensive was certainly tough and Zen also has an ideal of effortlessness. These observations show us that some of the supposedly sharp differences tend to melt away when one looks closer.

:: continue reading

some thoughts about a quiet week and the 'pratimoksha'

11th Jan 2012: News from Jnanamati in Delhi

'It’s been just over a week since I have posted anything on this blog. This is not by way of saying that I have been too busy to write; in fact there has been ample time. Rather it seems as though my world for the moment has become somewhat routine and I have lacked inspiration to put anything into words. In actual fact what tends to visit me during such times is a spirit of critical self questioning. This seems to constellate around the bigger questions: ‘what is it that I am doing here’ as much as it does the smaller everyday ones that face me: ‘shall I visit this person, and how will that help what Amida is doing here’. Of course both ends are connected and influenced by my thinking about what constitutes living a Buddhist life. Encountering a culture that for the large part doesn’t understand me linguistically, culturally or spiritually – by which I mean where I fit into the religious jigsaw puzzle – is a daily challenge. If I can get a handle on at least one of these three dimensions then it immediately provides the satisfaction that comes from the sense of being engaged. Yet I find that such moments are just that, fragments that nourish me for sure but not in a way that stops me from, first feeling hungry and then, sometimes empty....' ::continue reading

via jnanamati.typepad.com

chris - a new member of the amida school

Acharya Sujatin Johnson
Namo Amida Bu

Sent from my iPhone

what is amida-shu?

Amida-shu is a spiritual community, an international network of people bound together by a consciouness of "Amida", of the spirit of love and truth at work in the world in the midst of ordinary, fallible beings like ourselves. Beyond this it does not require any particular form of belief or doctrine or theory. Amidists have a practice of calling the Name of Amida. In addition to this, you do not have to meditate or pray or adopt any particular practices, though you can if you want to.

Amidism is not a way of achieving anything. It is, rather a celebration and a communion. Amidists are not necessarily virtuous or wise or accomplished. We are simply people who celebrate the spiritual presence, each in his or her own way, yet together. Amidists often practice in groups, but practice can vary from group to group. Amidists are creative. We like rituals, but we do not cling to one particular form - the spirit can be celebrated in many ways. 

Amidists appreciate the whole range of mystical heritage, irrespective of which religion it comes from. Although we are most closely associated with the tradition of Pureland Buddhism, we understand this vehicle as a generic spirituality and appreciate the wisdom of all those who have transmitted direct knowledge of the Spirit down the ages.

::link - join Friends of Amida: find out about the many facets of the Amida Trust, make spiritual friends close to home and around the world,  arrange to meet them in person at one of the courses or events, read articles, listen to or watch Dharma talks and Pureland Buddhist ceremonies, suppoert the work of the Trust as a volunteer or by donation, join in discussions around specific themes...and much, much more!

meditation for relaxation at newcastle university - new time from january 2012

The time for these sessions for staff and students at Newcastle University has changed (by popular request) -

please look here for details

at the turn of the year - time for reflection

Maia Duerr encourages us to do an audit of the past year - a reflection and intention process - a useful exercise so that one can carry on and expand areas that are useful and fulfilling, drop or cut down on that that are neither and plan new ventures. Of course much, if not most, of the future, as with the past that we are reflecting on, has been predominated by Other Power and not by our own efforts! However we have to take a step in some direction.....not much will happen if we stay in bed with the covers pulled over our heads!

Can I qualify that? As someone who lives within the boundaries created by the ups and downs of M.E., I'm aware that we can achieve quite a bit, even when we are in bed, even for some days or weeks, if we have a smart phone and laptop for company. And most of what I do is internet-based, from the comfort of this overcrowded sofa, using my beloved, becoming elderly, not quite up to speed, Mac PowerBook. Like me - not as whizzy as the young 'uns but hanging on in there, doggedly refusing to say die - or 'can't'!

river of stones - january 2012

I'm joining the River of Stones

 

it has been quite a year. everything continues, everything is different.

Dharmavidya, head of the Amida Order, writes:

This year we have advanced our Buddhist training programme by instituting the idea of a set of Five Sesshin (intensive retreats), by reasserting some of the original ideals of the amitarya programme and moving to a less-tied-down style of life, and by holding a ten day non-stop-chanting intensive in November-December, perhaps the first of its kind in the West. New people have joined the sangha and there is certainly electricity in the air as well as the deepening peace of shared confidence. 

This has, for me, been a year of much travelling. I've rarely been in one country more than four weeks at a stretch. Twelve months ago I was in India with Jnanamati. He is now back there and I'm in Spain in Gran Canaria. In the meanwhile I've visited California, Israel, New York, Italy, France, Belgium, Korea and Japan. I was in Japan immediately after the tsunami and in Korea during the worst monsoon for 100 years. I've been to Spain several times and established a "second life" here with many good friends and involvement in the local Maestro Eckhart sangha. I've lectured, run retreats, met spiritual masters, learnt about Shinto, and drafted an autobiography. We've started an Institute for Zen Therapy. I've also published a book of Poetry called Her Mother's Eyes, thanks to the good offices of the Quaker Universalists.

Much of the early part of the year was impeded by differences of opinion between Caroline, my ex, and myself, about how the organisation that we jointly were involved in starting should proceed. In November we achieved a break through in negotiations and she is now setting up her own organisation. This has released a lot of energy within the Amida sangha and a number of new initiatives are germinating, so the coming year promises to be rather full and exciting. It has also entailed me moving my base of operations to London - another promising development.