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Newsletter: September 28, 2015
28 September 2015
The Amida Sangha in Scotland
Newsletter 1
September 2015
Amida Pureland Buddhism
in Perth
Hello again, everyone
Stop Press: Dharmavidya David Brazier will be over from his hermitage in France and leading a retreat in Edinburgh over the weekend of
May 7/8, 2016.
Possible title: “WITH MIND OF TIGER & PACE OF OX”, incorporating teachings from Zen, Pureland and Buddhist Psychology. Confirmation and further details to follow. Pencil it in your diary!
And, in Perth - a big thank you to everyone who filled in the questionnaire about what you'd like included in our meetings (and there's still time :: link)
The date of our next meeting will be
Tuesday October 6th, 2015
During the evening we will start reading Dharmavidya's influential book, "The Feeling Buddha'. (As with all his books, authored using his secular name, David Brazier). This is a particular favourite of mine - this was my own introduction to Dharmavidya. It was at a talk based on this book that I met him in Wigan in 1998. A talk that had a profound effect on me! So many people around the world have come the Amida Order's way via 'The Feeling Buddha'. The teachings in the book really ring a bell - they are so relevant to anyone's life.
:: link to paperback on Amazon
:: The Feeling Buddha on kindle
As usual, we will include sitting meditation, Pureland chanting, social time and refreshments.
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Venue: 'Taigh an t-Solais'
19 Fairmount Terrace
Barnhill
Perth
PH2 7AS
Directions: From the Queens Bridge, travel south along the A85 Dundee Road, in the Dundee direction. Turn up Fairmount Road beside the Sunbank House Hotel. Continue to the right along Fairmount Terrace, going beyond the small crossroads beside Balnagraig School. Shortly after this you will come to a small cul-de-sac on the left hand side, where you will find Number 19 at the top of the cul-de-sac.
Here's a photo of the house so you'll recognise it!
We're near the bottom right of :: this map
The shrineroom is on the ground floor, overlooking the terraced garden at the back of the house.
Note: Meetings are open to all.
No experience necessary.
Come along and join us - and bring your friends! Let me know if you think you can come
:: email
But if you don't know in advance, it's fine to just turn up!
There's no cost for these meetings - however we welcome donations for Amida projects in Delhi and the UK. Suggested amount between £2 and £5.
*****
You can find out more about Amida Pureland Buddhism by visiting our website
We now have a FaceBook page
Amida Buddhism: Faith and Practice
Threefold Faith, Threefold Mind, Threefold Path
Threefold Faith
Shraddha, Prasada and Abhilasa
Commentary:
Shraddha means to have complete faith in the act of Refuge. Prasada means to have clarity of mind. Abhilasa means to have pure aspiration and willingness to undertake whatever action may be for the good of all. Faith in all its forms is central to the Amidist approach. All forms of ethical behaviour spring from faith. If there is little faith then there is bound to be a selfish intention even if one’s actions are superficially respectable. Faith in Buddhism refers to the overcoming of self and the implementation of the doctrine of non-self.
Threefold Mind
Sincerity, Depth and Longing
Commentary:
Faith is not something imposed from outside. It is something that wells up from within. It is triggered from outside. It is like a hidden treasure that somebody has sewn into our clothing without our knowledge. Perhaps one day somebody points out the lump in the hem of our garment and on closer examination we discover the diamond. The nature of this faith is a feeling of longing for the Pure Land, as if one had been exiled from his true home. Looking closely we discover that this longing is a fundamental part of our nature. it is our deepest place. Being sincerely in touch with this deep longing gives us courage and directs us to “go forth for the benefit of all sentient beings, in the service of gods and humans” to do all that we can to assist the Buddhas to make the Pure Land visible to all so that all are similarly awakened to their most fundamental drive until all are living in the service of all.
Threefold Path
Sila, Samadhi and Prajna
Commentary:
In Amidist Buddhism we do not see ethics, mind cultivation and wisdom as the path leading to enlightenment so much as the path leading from the awakening of faith. If one has faith in the Pure Land then one naturally wants to serve all beings and so one’s behaviour is likely to be kind, compassionate, wise and friendly. Similarly, if one has faith, then one is not troubled by setbacks or confused personal agendas so the mind becomes clear and bright. Amidist Buddhism does not present spiritual perfection as an emotionless or mindless condition. It is a condition in which the feelings of gratitude, awe, longing and reverence become powerful motivators giving a person energy, patience, single mindedness and clarity of purpose.
~ Dharmavidya David Brazier, Head of the Order of Amida Buddha
*****
A Date for your Diary
Bodhi Retreat 2015
with Dharmavidya David Brazier,
Amida Mandala, Malvern
December 8 - 13, 2015
:: details here
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You'll find past newsletters :: here
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Books about Buddhism
11 July 2015
Books about Buddhism by the Head of our Order, Dharmavidya David Brazier
Dharmavidya's latest book is now available here:
Kindle: amzn.to/1E6idm7
Paperback: http://amzn.to/1E6iiGc
Not Everything is Impermanent – a great introduction to Pureland Buddhism in short readable chapters
Who Loves Dies Well: On the Brink of Buddha’s Pure Land – a moving introduction to Pureland Buddhism
The Feeling Buddha – A fresh look at the Four Noble Truths
Zen Therapy – Dharmavidya’s seminal book on a Buddhist approach to psychotherapy
More recommended books about Pureland Buddhism
The Promise of Amida Buddha: Honen’s Path to Bliss by Joji Atone
Essential Shin Buddhism: The Path of True Entrusting ed by Alfred Bloom
The Other Buddhism: Amida Comes West by Caroline Brazier
Call of the Infinite: The Way of Shin Buddhism by John Paraskevopoulos
Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble Turn Into Gold by Taitetso Unno
River of Fire, River of Water by Taitetso Unno