January 2020 sangha meeting
04 December 2019
Details :: here
A1 News
Newsletter - October, November and Bodhi Retreat
19 September 2019
NB: UPDATED Thursday October 10th
AMIDA PURELAND BUDDHISM IN PERTH
Sangha evenings in Perth and Bodhi Retreat in Malvern
Our next sangha evening will be on
Wednesday November 6th
Not Tuesday November 5th
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
Note: Meetings are open to all.
*****
The Bodhi Retreat in Malvern
4 - 8 December.
This year I''ll be attending the Bodhi Retreat (for Buddha's Enlightenment Day) in Malvern, rather than hosting a retreat day here in Perth, as we held last year.
This is an ideal opportunity to meet Dharmavidya and other senior members of the Amida Order, to practice with the sangha at our main UK centre at Amida Mandala Buddhist Temple and to experience 24 hours of continuous Nembutsu practice.
Satya has written: Hi all - Kaspa & I have just designed the 2019 Bodhi schedule which has been approved by Dharmavidya. We'll hold the retreat space, with guest talks by Dharmavidya, Susthama and Kaspa, with a 24 hour continuous period of nembutsu, with ceremonies and lots of space for practice, small and large groups and informal connecting with the sangha (note 2 hour lunch breaks & a free Saturday afternoon).
We hope that you'll join us for some or all of it - each day is also stand alone. The theme is a surprise which we'll reveal nearer the time : )
We already have rooms booked. We do have space for a fold-up bed in the library (Sujatin - I have booked this), and there are 2 basic bunk beds - if you'd like these let us know. We can also ask our local congregation if they can put people up - let us know if you'd like us to ask.
(Contact Satya for the local accommodation list).
We're suggesting £10 a day donation for food plus £30 for dana for Dharmavidya and to go into temple funds. Khema has agreed to organise the food - we'll be looking for main & helper chefs nearer the time.
So, if you haven't already do let us know you're coming (or if you're a maybe) so we can begin to plan.
Looking forward to it,
Namo Amida Bu, Satya
*****
NAMO AMIDA BU
Sujatin
Meeting on 3 September 2019
28 August 2019
Newsletter :: here
News: July and August 2019
06 July 2019
AMIDA PURELAND BUDDHISM IN PERTH
This email includes
a) links to some of Dharmavidya's short pieces of writing
b) the date of our next sangha meeting in Perth
c) an invitation to join a practice session on-line
and
d) a reminder of the on-line Introduction to Pureland Buddhism Course - and a note about the lessons we have covered in our Perth sangha meetings to date.
***
Many of Dharmavidya's short teachings and pieces of writing over the last 16 years can be found
:: here
You can find out more about our teacher :: here
*****
We are holding a sangha evening in Perth on
Tuesday August 6th
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
Come along and join us - and bring your friends!
Our meetings are held in the shrine room of our 'home temple', overlooking the Kinnoull-side garden. All meetings include Pureland Buddhist practice, Evening Service, time for questions and to check in with each other.
Our Pureland practice includes chanting, sitting, a Pureland service - no experience is necessary and an explanation will be given for each element of the evening. There will be plenty of time for questions.
Note: Meetings are open to all.
:: link
*****
I'm offering another opportunity to join me for some Pureland practice on-line via Zoom on
Thursday 18 July 18th
from 7:15 - 8pm
Zoom is an online video conferencing service similar to Skype.
*****
The online
Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course
.
The Introduction to Pureland Buddhism Course is suitable for those completely new to Buddhism or more experienced practitioners. It will introduce you to the basic teachings of our tradition and go on to explore concepts in more depth. The course has 15 lessons each accompanied by a self-test and more in-depth discussion questions. Each student is allocated a personal tutor, who will guide and support their learning for the duration of the course.
The on-line course fee is £30. However if this makes the course difficult to afford, reduced rates are available.
If you have any questions or would like more details, please get in touch with
:: Sanghamitra
the course administrator.
We have studied some of the lessons during our sangha meetings here in Perth and will continue in the future. Should you wish to attend, let me know
and I will send you the lessons we have covered so far.
:: https://mailchi.mp/3d4987dffcc1/amida-in-scotland-july-and-august-2019
Amida meeting in Perth on 2 July
24 June 2019
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Amida meeting in Perth on 11th June
03 June 2019
1) NB our next sangha meeting in Perth
will be on the evening of
Tuesday 11 June, not 4th
2) I will be offering
Nembutsu practice on-line on Tuesday 25th June from 7:15 - 8pm via Zoom
This is an online video conferencing service similar to Skype. If you would like to join please let me know by email
:: here
and I will send you an invitation beforehand so you can join the session by email. If you haven’t got zoom, then please spend a little bit of time beforehand downloading the zoom app before you join us. It is very quick and easy to do
*****
3) If you would be interested in occasional teachings and discussion via
a WhatsApp group,
please let me know
:: here
https://mailchi.mp/973244065423/amida-in-perth-june-2019-postponed-meeting-2-on-line
Amida in Perth: May meeting and news of Buddhist Action Month
08 April 2019
NB Update: May meeting cancelled!
Our latest newsletter:
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Dharmavidya's latest book
22 March 2019
Meeting in March 2019
28 February 2019
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Bodhi Day - 8 December 2018
13 November 2018
We will be celebrating
Bodhi Day
(The Buddha's Enlightenment Day)
on
Saturday July December 8th
(Note There won't be a sangha evening on the first Tuesday of December)
You are most welcome to join us, ideally for the whole day.
NB. Booking is essential
Bodhi Day
(The Buddha's Enlightenment Day)
on
Saturday July December 8th
(Note There won't be a sangha evening on the first Tuesday of December)
You are most welcome to join us, ideally for the whole day.
NB. Booking is essential
- via the link in the newsletter ::here
BODHI DAY SCHEDULE
This is the probable timetable although there may be some slight tweaks between now and then.
If there's anything here you're unsure about, confused by, have forgotten how to do, have never done, fear not - all will be explained at the time!
Acharya Sujatin will be acting as both celebrant and bell master and you'll have an Amida service book to consult so there is nothing to memorise - just join in, sit back and immerse yourself. There are cushions and kneeling stools in the shrine room - if you need a chair let us know.
Time: 10 am - 6 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS
BODHI DAY SCHEDULE
This is the probable timetable although there may be some slight tweaks between now and then.
If there's anything here you're unsure about, confused by, have forgotten how to do, have never done, fear not - all will be explained at the time!
Acharya Sujatin will be acting as both celebrant and bell master and you'll have an Amida service book to consult so there is nothing to memorise - just join in, sit back and immerse yourself. There are cushions and kneeling stools in the shrine room - if you need a chair let us know.
Do bring along biscuits or cake to share during the breaks.
10: Arrival, coffee
10:30: Morning Service, including Summary of Faith and Practice
11: 15: Brief group check in, reading about Refuge
11:45: Pureland Practice (walking, sitting) followed by Sange Mon and Renewal/Taking of Refuge)
1: Light lunch - vegan soup, rolls, cheese, vegan pate
2: Afternoon Service and chanting to mokujo :: link
3: Dharma talk followed by tea and discussion
4: Nembutsu chanting - walking and sitting
5: Nembutsu sharing circle
5:30: Evening Service
6: Close
This will be followed by optional supper at a restaurant in the city.
Time: 10 am - 6 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
There is no cost for this retreat.
However donations towards our projects in the UK and India are most welcome
*****
Dharmavidya: Meditation with Nembutsu
Meditation is a natural expression of spiritual liberation. When we are swimming in grace, the heart lifts and sings. In following the Dharma one is filled with joy and gratitude that Buddha’s appear in the world. The traditional way to express this is through one or other of the formulas of Refuge, and especially nembutsu.
Meditation in Buddhism reaches its full form in keeping Buddha ever in mind and the nembutsu is a simple way to express this. The actual form of words varies a little from culture to culture - “Namo Amida Bu”, “Amitabhaya”, “Namo Omito Fo”, and so forth.
A most natural form of meditation, therefore, is to, as they say, mount the words upon the breath. Thus one can sit for a time and be aware of the breathing and with each in-breath and each out-breath, say the words… Namo Amida Bu; Namo Amida Bu.
To sustain this for a period one needs to maintain a certain balance. The mind is such that other thoughts, images and feelings will arise. Thus it is possible for the mind to wander or even for sleep to supervene. If you are happy to fall asleep, no problem. In fact, this can be a fine way to end the day, entering slumber with the sacred words in mind.
However, if you want to maintain your practice, it is important to learn to let the intruding mental impulses enter but not dominate. To do this one should not let them get a grip upon the mind, but allow them to fragment even as they are forming. Then the nembutsu remains centre stage and other thoughts become like a background of white noise, gently pulsing in and out of awareness, but never so strong as to carry one away.
Of course, for this to be successful, one must not deem anything more important than the nembutsu itself. This can mean that a very slight effort is required as each thought or image enters, to let it drop down in importance. This is because one has already established many habits of prioritising certain ideas. If something that seems particularly important comes into one’s mind, one might need to inwardly smile and say, “Later,” and set it aside just for now. Meditation is substantially a matter of giving the object of meditation absolute priority for the time of the exercise.
I was recently a subject in a piece of research in which measurements were made of the wave patterns in my brain while meditating, and I was using this method. I am told that the results showed an unusual degree of stability in my concentration and in the presence of a steady rhythm of alpha waves. I was very interested in this. It seems that the repetitions of nembutsu do not show up in the way that thought does, but serve rather to stabilise the contemplative exercise.
I find this much more satisfactory than such methods as counting the breaths. Counting has no devotional element and is merely mechanical, whereas the nembutsu is essentially a love song and its repetition is like the beating of the heart.
Many people like to meditate and find it beneficial. We should not, however, regard it purely as a psychological self-help technique. If you meditate, do it in a way that deepens your spirit and connects you with the universal grace. I, therefore, recommend this practice. A period of sitting quietly centring all upon the nembutsu is a beautiful way to deepen one’s life.
October 2018 meeting
25 September 2018
AMIDA PURELAND BUDDHISM IN PERTH
Inviting you to join us on
Tuesday 9th October
from 7 - 9pm
Please note the change of date - our next evening meeting has been postponed from 2nd and will now be on October 9th Time: 7 - 9 pm Venue for all events: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS Details of where to find us are :: here Our meetings are held in the shrine room of our 'home temple', overlooking our Kinnoull-side garden. Pureland Buddhist practice includes chanting, sitting in meditation and a Pureland service. No experience is necessary and an explanation will be given for each element of the evening. There will be plenty of time to check in with each other and for questions. During our Tuesday evening meetings we are currently studying the Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course Note: Meetings are open to all. Come along and join us - and bring your friends! And remember, we'll be celebrating Bodhi Day (Enlightenment Day) here in Perth on Saturday 8th December. You'd be most welcome to join us. Let us know :: by email, if you'd like to come or are not sure whether you will be able to, but are interested. We can make more concrete plans once we know who will be here and whether you would prefer morning, afternoon, all day. We will update you with news nearer the time. It would be lovely to see you on this auspicious date! |
Amida Pureland Buddhism in Perth, Meeting on June 5th
28 May 2018
AMIDA PURELAND BUDDHISM IN PERTH
Inviting you to a gathering on
Tuesday June 5th
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais'
19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill
Perth
PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
Come along and join us - and bring your friends!
Our meetings are held in the shrine room of our 'home temple', overlooking the Kinnoull-side garden.
Inviting you to a gathering on
Tuesday June 5th
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais'
19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill
Perth
PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
Come along and join us - and bring your friends!
Our meetings are held in the shrine room of our 'home temple', overlooking the Kinnoull-side garden.
All meetings include Pureland Buddhist practice, tea and biscuits, time to check in with each other.
We have begun looking at the
We have begun looking at the
Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course (see below*).
You can join at any time - we can let you have notes of any previous lessons.
Our Pureland practice includes chanting, sitting, a Pureland service
Our Pureland practice includes chanting, sitting, a Pureland service
- no experience is necessary and an explanation will be given for each element of the evening.
There will be plenty of time for questions.
Note: Meetings are open to all.
:: link
* The Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course is suitable for both beginners and more experienced practitioners. It will take you step-by-step from broad concepts and simple practices toward more subtle points and more advanced methods. If you are new to Buddhism, you will find everything you need here in order to get a quite thorough understanding of the basic teachings. The course draws upon all the main writings and traditions of Buddhism, considering them from a Pureland perspective.
Note: Meetings are open to all.
:: link
* The Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course is suitable for both beginners and more experienced practitioners. It will take you step-by-step from broad concepts and simple practices toward more subtle points and more advanced methods. If you are new to Buddhism, you will find everything you need here in order to get a quite thorough understanding of the basic teachings. The course draws upon all the main writings and traditions of Buddhism, considering them from a Pureland perspective.
NAMO AMIDA BU
Sujatin
Sujatin
Amida Scotland Newsletter 36: Meetings in April and May 2018
26 March 2018
The next dates for your diary -
inviting you to come along to sangha meetings in Perth.
These will be held on the evenings of
Wednesday 18 April
and
Tuesday 1 May 2018
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais'
19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill
Perth
PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
Come along and join us - and bring your friends!
Our meetings are held in the shrine room of our 'home temple', overlooking the Kinnoull-side garden. All meetings include Pureland Buddhist practice, tea and biscuits, time to check in with each other.
Our Pureland practice includes chanting, sitting, a Pureland service - no experience is necessary and an explanation will be given for each element of the evening. There will be plenty of time for questions.
Note: Meetings are open to all.
*****
A reminder - if you can't get to our meetings in Perth or would like to set up additional meetings at other times of the month, and you would like advice, mentoring and resources in order to do so:
Amida Shu Home Groups
We have an offering for people who would like to practice and study Amida Shu Buddhism in their local area - Amida Shu Home Groups.
These are local groups which can be run by anyone who is interested in our form of Buddhism. Group leaders will be offered ongoing support from an Amida Shu mentor and a pack of resources, including a suggested script to make setting a group up nice and easy.
If you are interested in starting one of these groups you can have a look at the resources here. ***** 
Amida Shu Pureland Buddhism:
Faith and World Peace 4
The Fruit of Faith
The Buddha said to Ananda: “The bodhisattvas born in that Buddhaland expound the right Dharma whenever appropriate and, because they are in accord with the wisdom of enlightenment, their expositions are infallible and free of error. In regard to the myriads of things in that land, they have no thought of possession or attachment. Whether going or coming, proceeding or remaining, their hearts are unattached, their acts are in accordance with their will and are unrestricted, and they have no thought of discrimination... In them there is no idea of self or others, no idea of competition or dispute. With the heart of great compassion to benefit all living beings and with tenderness and self-control they bear no enmity of grudge against anyone. Free of mental hindrances, they are pure in mind and without indolence. Unbiased, noble-minded, sincere and tranquil, their hearts can revere, appreciate and enjoy the Dharma.
Commentary:
In this approach to Buddhism we do not say that you must first behave in this wonderful way and then you will get your reward as a place in nirvana. We say, rather, that the ability to act in this way is the reward. Those who enter the Pure Land act this way naturally. They enter the Pure Land through having faith. In this case we may say, having faith in world peace. Our ability to work for world peace depends upon having faith that peace is already in our midst even while having knowledge of our own inadequacy. It is precisely because we know our own inadequacy that we will abandon the tendency to work by our own self-will and turn instead to reliance upon the Buddhas, the bodhisattva-arahats and their great vows. If we rely in faith upon their inspiration , then some of their great ability to bring peace to others will flow through us. The more sincere, deep and longingful our faith the more completely we will naturally partake in the description given by the Buddha of those who dwell in the Pure Land. In this way, the Pure Land of world peace will appear in this existential world.
~ Dharmavidya David Brazier, Head of the Order of Amida Buddha
NAMO AMIDA BU
Amida Scotland Meeting, March 2018
01 March 2018
All sorts of meetings and events in the area are being cancelled due to this extreme weather - if you can't make it on Tuesday 6th you can join me via Skype
Read the newsletter here
Revised date for February + date for March 2018
05 February 2018
New date for the February Amida meeting in Perth:
Tuesday 13th
March date:
Tuesday 6th
from 7 - 9pm
Huge apologies - I have travelled back from East Anglia, bringing with me my sister's granddaughter's nasty fluey bug which I really don't want to share with you! So - third time lucky (I hope) - I've moved the date to next week.
If you are planning to come to either of the meetings, please email me :: here. Then, should fire, tempest or illness strike and plans need to change, we can contact each other one-to-one, rather than sending to the entire list.
:: we are here
Warmest of wishes. Stay healthy!
NAMO AMIDA BU
Sujatin
Amida Newsletter 33: Meeting on Wednesday 7th February 2018
24 January 2018
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Amida Scotland meeting in January 2018, now 16th instead of 9th
08 January 2018
New date for next meeting: Tuesday January 16th
We were due to meet tomorrow evening, 9th January.
However I have a virus which is leaving me with headaches, back ache and feeling dizzy.
I really don't want to pass this on to you!
- I'm postponing our meeting until next week
- Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace,
Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS :: here - Starting and ending: 7 - 9 pm
Amida Scotland Newsletter 31: our first meeting of 2018
29 December 2017
The next date for your diary - we will meet in Perth on the evening of Tuesday 16th January 2018
Update - change of date from 9th due to illness
At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance,
I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where.
~ T.S.Elliot
At the turning of the year come along and join us for Pureland chanting, tea and conversation and also to reflect on the year that has been and that which is ahead of us.
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais', 19 Fairmount Terrace,
Barnhill, Perth PH2 7AS
Details of where to find us are :: here
Note: Meetings are open to all. No experience necessary.
There's no cost for these meetings - we welcome donations for Amida Shu projects in Delhi and the UK. Suggested amount £2 - £5.
This is :: our website
*****
This is the latest Amida Newsletter
'Whispers from the Bamboo Grove #50,
with news of December's Buddha Retreat at Amida Mandala in Malvern - videos of Dharma Talks, news of ceremonies etc :: link
If you don't already receive this you can subscribe :: here
NAMO AMIDA BU
Amida Scotland Newsletter 30 - next meeting: 9 January, 2018
01 December 2017
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