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.

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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

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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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Friends of the Amida Order social network

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