lotusinthemud

Amida Newsletter #43, announcing a retreat in the UK

Summer Retreat - Dwelling in Entrustment

13th - 18th August in Holland House, Worcestershire, UK



A residential retreat

Spend a week learning to trust, 'lean in' and be held on this Pureland Buddhist retreat led by priests with the Amida Order:
 Rev. Kaspalita, Rev. Jnanamati and Rev. Satyavani.

The perfect opportunity to deepen your connection the sacred. Dharmavidya is not running any retreats in France this year, so come and join us at this beautiful location in the UK. 

This retreat will include silent contemplation, chanting, personal enquiry through the creative process (including writing, poetry and visual art), group sharing and dharma talks. The retreat is open to all - Pure Land Buddhists, Buddhists from other traditions or other spiritual practitioners interested in learning experientially about the Pure Land way and a more faith-based tradition of Buddhism. 

This retreat is an opportunity to enter more deeply into the Pure Land practices. Dharmavidya has referred to Pure Land Buddhism as refuge Buddhism, and explains that rather than being a tradition that encourages the cultivation of practice Pure Land invites us, over time, to deepen our refuge. The various practices we engage in are devotional and are in this context ways of deepening our refuge in Amida Buddha. They are also ways of opening to the grace of tariki or Other Power of the Buddhas.

Venue: The retreat will be held at Holland House near Evesham in Worcestershire, a beautiful retreat centre with lovely gardens with a great kitchen. The cost includes all accomodation, delicious food and dana for the retreat leaders.

Cost: A £40 deposit is required to book your space - this deposit is non-refundable. The earlybird fee (until end Feb 2017) is £365, after this the fee £395. Unwaged fee £345. Payment by installments is also an option. For details of how to pay your deposit and secure your place, contact Satya: [email protected] 
Phone 01684 572444. 

You can read more about the retreat leaders below, read more about the Amida-Shu school of Buddhism at www.amidashu.org, or more about the Amida Mandala temple at www.amidamandala.com. 

Namo Amida Bu

The Retreat Leaders
Rev. Kaspalita runs the Amida Mandala Buddhist Temple in Malvern with his wife Satya. He is a practising psychotherapist and offers mindfulness classes as a part of Mindfully Whole. He co-runs Writing Our Way Home, a mindful writing company, with Satya. 

Rev. Jnanamati is a Pureland Buddhist Priest with the Amida Order. He works as an art therapist and also does chaplaincy work in health care settings. He is the Amida-Shu representative for the Worcestershire Interfaith Network. 

Rev. Satyavani is a Pureland Buddhist Priest, psychotherapist in private practice and a writer. She co-authored 'Just As You Are: Buddhism for Foolish Beings' with Kaspa and has written several novels.

See the Facebook event or get in touch for more information.

:: link

Amida Newsletter 26: Whispers from the Bamboo Grove ~ Amida Mandala: The First Four and a Half Months

The First Four and a Half Months

Amida Mandala, Malvern, UK

Reverend Satyavani:
We have now been resident in Amida Mandala in Malvern for four and a half months. Is that all? It feels like we've had at least a year's worth of experiences! We now have four residents, Adam, Brian, Steve and James, and are currently looking for one more. We are into a new routine of running three services and one listening circle a week, and the occasional chanting day, retreat day etc. We have had a new wave of sangha members since moving and some of these are now settling into the community and practice having attended regularly since we arrived. Adam has now run his first services and has also started a monthly book study group. Kaspa and I have given talks to schools, students from theological college, and the Rotary club, and met with interfaith ministers, local politicians, neighbours...

A recent unexpected project has been major work on the garden, led by a new sangha member and volunteer, Ron. With the help of our volunteers he has already taken down several big cypresses to clear space in the garden and let in light to us and to our neighbours. We have plans for a meditation hut!

Although we are taken up with the big list of things-to-be-done here, we feel connected to and supported by the wider sangha both in the UK and beyond, and of course by Dharmavidya. We are looking forward to another visit from Jnanamati and we are in very regular contact with the Trust who are behind us (and in front of us!) all the way. I especially feel this connection when we have services and retreat days. You all have a space in the shrine room!

Over the rest of the year we hope to continue work on the garden and continue with work that needs to be done to the house - some expensive gable re-rendering, and a new boiler. We're starting up a fundraising group soon and you may hear from us soon about that.

We hope that you keep in touch with us here - through our newsletter, our website www.amidamandala.com, or by coming and visiting us. We feel very privileged to be the ones who are currently looking after this special building. We are blessed.

Namo Amida Bu!

Reverend Kaspalita:

The buying and moving in process, which seemed to take a lifetime in itself, now seems like another lifetime away. As I write this the morning sun is streaming in through our windows, and I can hear the sound of Ron, who Satya mentioned above, working in the garden.

Today I have done some writing, I have taught a meditation class, and been talking to some contractors about taking a bathroom out of what was one of the old B&B bedrooms, to make it into a more useable space.
I’ve had a chat with a couple of residents, and this afternoon I’ll be seeing my own private clients, before leading our Wednesday evening service (It’s my turn this week). After service this evening, we’ll have a short stone passing, which we do once a month.

This is a typical day, a mix of my own private work and work for the Temple, either with a management hat on or a priests hat on, so to speak, sometimes both at once.
It feels like we are just entering into a new phase here, the first couple of months new people were coming and going and we were settling in ourselves. Now some of those new people are beginning to feel like old friends, and Satya and I are feeling much more settled ourselves.
How lucky we are to have been gifted such a space, and such a community. It is a grace.

Namo Amida Bu
 

 

 

Weekly Scheduled Events
Wednesday evening service, Friday morning service, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening sharing circle
:: further details here
Find out about other events: retreat days, open mornings, art events, volunteer work sessions, :: here
:: website
:: mailing list
:: contact details
:: FaceBook Page

 

 

Amida Academy
Distance learning programmes.
:: link





Read previous Whispers from the Bamboo Grove newsletters here

Amida Trust Culturally Engaged Buddhism Friends of the Amida Order

whispers from the bamboo grove - amida newsletter 23

Upcoming Amida Events around the World

Retreat with Dharmavidya
Friendship on the Path
24 - 28 February 2015
Venue: Amida Mandala
:: details here

Dharmavidya
will be speaking at 

- the First World Congress for Existential Psychotherapy
14 - 17 May 2015 in London
 

- the conference
'Mindfulness and Compassion: The Art and Science of Contemplative Practice'
3 - 7 June 2015, California

http://www.mcc2015.org
 

- the ITZI Conference, Madrid, 25 - 27 September 2015 

http://www.itziconference.eu

Amida Birmingham
Meetings on 14 February, 14 March, 11 April at 10 am
For further details, venue etc, email Reverend Sanghamitra
:: facebook

Amida Hawai’i

Monthly Amida Hawaiʻi sangha gatherings/practices and the Bodhi Buds youth group:  Sangha Gatherings 4th Friday of month - 6:30 - 7:00 Tea, Treats & Talk Story, and 7:00 - 8:30pm Pureland Buddhist practice.
Bodhi Buds youth group meets from 9 - noon, on the 4th Saturday, every other month.
:: website
:: facebook

Amida London, UK
Sangha meetings: Tuesday evenings 7 - 9 at "Zen in London", Basement Flat, 486 Caledonian Road N7 9RP
For further details of meetings contact Reverend Padmaghosa

Amida Mandala, Malvern, UK
After much hard work and activity during the last couple of months, the temple is now up and running and offering a wonderful variety of events.

Weekly Scheduled Events:
Wednesday evening service, Friday morning service, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening sharing circle
:: further details here
Find out about retreat days, open mornings, art events, volunteer work sessions, :: here
:: website
:: mailing list
:: contact details
:: facebook

 

first amida scotland newsletter

AMIDA SCOTLAND

Newsletter
December 2014

Amida Pureland Buddhism

Hello all.
How lovely to meet you last weekend - such a tender retreat!

So - the Amida Scotland news is that there is no news - or, at least, no concrete news - just yet. However there will be more Amida Pureland Buddhist activity in Scotland in 2015.

There'll be a small temple in my new home in Perth similar to the one I ran in Newcastle for 14 years - a 'home temple', which is quite traditional in Pureland Buddhism. I'll teach and offer opportunities for more Pureland practice - chanting, walking, music, some dancing, some art events - in a warm and welcoming space so we can share and support each other in our spiritual journeys. I also hope to teach in Edinburgh sometimes. Other members of the Amida sanghas around the UK, and maybe further afield, will visit from time to time and there's a whisper of Dharmavidya visiting Scotland again, maybe in 2016.
So I look forward to seeing you again
in the not too distant future.

In the meantime here are links that you might be interested in exploring:

This is the

Friends of the Amida Order social network

where you can link with others around the world and find special interest groups, blog posts and discussions, past 'Whispers from the Bamboo Grove' occasional newsletters and 'Running Tide', the Amida magazine.

Sign up :: here
to receive the
'Whispers from the Bamboo Grove'
newsletter, which comes out, usually, every 1 to 3 months.
You'll find past newsletters :: here

Introduction to Pureland Buddhism
on-line course
:: information here

Event: Friendship on the Path
Retreat with Dharmavidya David Brazier,
Amida Mandala, Malvern
February 24 - 28, 2015
:: details here

Event: Pilgrimage: "In the Footsteps of the Buddha"
Delhi, Nepal
March 15 - 30, 2015
:: details here
:: more information on the pilgrimage website here

You can find out about Dharmavidya's centre in France
Eleusis
:: here
and you can join the Eleusis network
:: here

This is :: a link to to the
Zen Therapy International (ITZI)
website

Event: ITZI Conference
Madrid
25 - 27 September, 2015
:: link to website

 

---

Amida Buddhism: Why Chant?

Everything in life depends upon causes and conditions. Set up the right conditions and the right things happen. Buddhism teaches the right conditions for spiritual growth. A person is what they do. If a person acts with right intention they transform spiritual dangers into opportunities. Buddha taught that times of change (birth, illness, loss, gain, conjunction, separation, and encounter) are occasions of danger that can also be opportunity. However, a person is seldom able to take hold of such opportunity by their will-power alone. Will-power alone tends to be self-defeating because even when it achieves something it gives rise to pride over and attachment to those results. There is a more effective and subtle path to wholesome transformation via the deeper mind and the most effective way of activating such change is to chant.

Actions are conditioned by mind and mind by actions. Since actions are conditioned by mind and mind is also conditioned by its objects, holding a wholesome object in mind conduces toward a wholesome life. Since the most wholesome object is a Buddha, keeping a Buddha in mind is the key to transformation. Since mind is conditioned by actions, the action of calling the Buddha deeply impresses this most wholesome object upon the mind, like a seal pressed into wax. The Buddhas are constantly trying to help us, but generally we resist their help. By calling out to them we open the door to our inner being through which they can help us and, through us, help others.

Actually, the Buddhas are always calling to us. Amida Buddha is calling each of us. Amida’s light penetrates the deepest part of us, but unless we also call we remain closed. Once we begin a practice of chanting, however, a process of transformation begins. Something subtle starts to happen. Each person who chants becomes a vehicle for Amida’s compassionate work in the world, whether they are aware of it or not. Mostly, in fact, one is not aware of Amida’s action until one looks back over a period of time and sees that one’s life has changed. One has become more positive and more effective in many ways and obstacles that used to seem big now seem manageable or small. We do not chant in order to change. We do not chant in order to help others. We chant in order to call the most loving presence into our life and to make ourselves available to it, but the effect is that we do change and others are benefited.

Posted  on November 26, 2008


~ Dharmavidya David Brazier, Head of the Amida Order



NAMO AMIDA BU

whispers from the bamboo grove - amida newsletter 21

News from
the Amida Order
October 5th, 2014

Here's the smart updated Amida website :: link
(thanks to Kaspalita)
and here's the Friends of the Amida Order social network :: link
*****

Adrian Thompson has just published the next

Running Tide 32

You'll find a link to a high resolution on-line version :: here.

If you prefer a paper copy so you can relax and peruse it, with a nice cup of tea (my own favourite option, I must admit), then email Adrian :: here

Adrian says:
"I am in the process of having some copies of this edition printed in full colour.  The cost will be £2.50 + P&P.  Unfortunately, at the moment I can only offer UK delivery.  If you are interested please e-mail me privately (see above)"
*****

The Move That Moves The Heart

Colin McDougall, Mitra with the Amida Order, writes:

 

"With the winter night's rapidly approaching it is almost time to say farewell to Sujatin as she and her husband Peter head north towards their new home in  Scotland. Although I am pleased to see the happiness sparkle in their eyes as they look forward to setting up their new home, it is also with a heavy heart that I bid them farewell. A bitter sweet occasion no less.

The home of Sujatin and Peter {The Amida Sanctuary at Beacon House} has been the light where Amida's Newcastle Sangha have met for around 12 years approximately. Beacon House being the point of contact to the Buddha's teaching and the wider Amida community. A place where at a personal level, I have found sanctuary, when life's events have become more than a day to day challenge.  The welcome which I, and many others, have received during this period, has on many occasions been a heart felt experience. Its is with much gratitude that I thank both Sujatin and Peter. Not only for opening their home but also their hearts. Love and warm wishes."
Colin
Namo Amida Bu

*****

Dharmavidya David Brazier is visiting our Hawai'i sangha

from October 2 - 15.

This weekend (3 - 5 October) he is leading a retreat, which includes chanting, meditation, discussion and instruction focused on expressing the Dharma through silence, words and symbolic action, including instruction in the principles and practice of ritual, not as a dead form but as a living language of expression of faith and devotion, as meditation in action.

The retreat also includes advice on the giving and receiving of Dharma talks and guidance.

Various sangha members are participating in a Recommitment/Progressions Ceremony.

This is the Amida USA website :: link
*****

the heart of zen therapy

Here's Dharmavidya on the course he has been teaching in Korea:

Day One: Qwan Shi Yin practises deeply

Introductory remarks about Buddhist psychology, Zen Therapy and about the sutra.
Introductions by individuals. Three particular themes emerged

• the challenge of living the Dharma life, whether as a person in the robe or as a layperson
• the question of all acceptance
• the matter of space and emptiness

Input:

• Do not criticise, but accept everything
• Do not be proud of oneself and devalue others
• Do not seek personal advantage
• Do not advertise one's own virtue, nor the faults and failings of others
• When one finds that one has done these things (as all of us do) tery to avoid becoming defensive or self-punishing and, instead, learn how it is to be a human being.

After lunch
Talk:

• Two main characters: Quan Shi Yin and Shariputra
• Two main concepts Prajna and Paramita

Quan Shi Yin and Shariputra as two different kinds of intelligence that need to be in communication with one another, the heart and the head. In helping others, the heart leads the head, but must not try to do without the head. Quan means to look deeply. Yin means tears, crying. Shi refers to generations of people. Quan Shi Yin looks deeply into the tears that have come down through the generations. The therapist attends carefully to the distress that has come to the client, knowing it as an instance of the suffering of all beings.

Prajna is cognate with “diagnosis”. There is a surface presentation and a deeper meaning. There is an immediate manifestation and a longer term process. Paramita refers to the other shore, beyond the rushing torrent of emotion and karma. The therapist has confidence that together they will reach the other shore, and that the way to get there will actually be revealed within the torrent itself.

Then the group divided into small groups to discuss the material presented.

Then we did an exercise: each person made a list of who they would choose from the group to represent different members of their family or other significant people in their life. After the break there were a series of pairings exploring the relationship between projection and reality.

:: continue reading here

Whispers from the Bamboo Grove - Amida Newsletter Number 14

Amida Academy Courses

It's the time of year when people are signing up for college courses and evening classes - so we are taking this opportunity to let you know about our Amida Academy* courses and to encourage you to join us.


Buddhist Psychology

This highly respected and well subscribed course covers the extensive theory that lies behind the Zen Therapy approach pioneered by Dharmavidya David Brazier. The course is tutored but is largely organised around peer learning exercises. It takes place over two years, equivalent to six modules each consisting of three units.

The year one course commences in January 2014.

 The course forms the theoretical component of a full training programme in counselling psychotherapy. However it can also be studied as a stand alone programme for those wishing to integrate a Buddhist approach into their work, whether this is therapeutic or some other helping profession.

There is a study break of a month after each module. Subjects covered include the history of psychology and Buddhism, the Buddhist model of the mind and Zen in a therapy context, its meaning and practice. The course costs €650 each year (€600 if paid before 1st December).

The course is available in both English and Spanish.
The Spanish version starts in the Spring of 2014 (date to be advised).


:: find out more here


Vow 22

Richard writes: "Although for the sake of convenience we tend to think of Vow 22's 'academic years' as running from January to December, in practice people can start whenever they want to. Indeed, we view flexibility as one of the course's chief strengths. So, if you'd like to deepen and broaden your knowledge and understanding of Pureland Buddhism in areas such as theology, the sutras, psychology, history, pastoral skills etc, this very reasonably priced, popular and friendly course could be just the thing for you ! If you enjoy the challenge of thinking things through in a supportive learning environment please do get in touch  - we'd love to hear from you".

Details of the Vow 22 course:

The Vow 22 Programme is named after the 22nd vow of Dharmakara Bodhisattva in the Larger Pureland Sutra. This vow establishes the bodhisattva ideal within the Pureland tradition. 

This programme aims to provide education in Buddhist thoughts from a Pureland Buddhist perspective. The programme is suitable for those intending to ordain, those offering lay ministry, and those seeking a systematic education in Buddhist principles. The course was created and set up by Dharmavidya David Brazier and was developed by members of the Amida Sangha.

Orientation

The Amida Trust Vow 22 Programme is offered from an Amida Buddhist perspective. This is an approach to Buddhism grounded in the Pureland tradition, especially Japanese Pureland, incorporating critical and socially engaged perspectives. This approach is self-consciously an evolving confession. Amida Buddha is at work. Western Buddhism is unfolding. While we centrally draw upon the Japanese Amidist tradition, this is a living faith that is an expression of the faith history of all mankind. Tradition here does not simply mean the transmission of something unchanged from the past. It means the continued life of the spirit in the world in an ever new revelation.

Cost: £20 per module, £200 for the full course

:: continue reading here


Introduction to Pureland Buddhism

The Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course is comprised of sixteen written lessons with quiz type questions at the end of each lesson, most of which are multiple choice or requiring short answers. All the material needed to complete the course is provided. In addition there are optional discussion questions which allow an online exploration of topics raised by the material and its relevance to our day to day lives.

 

The lessons guide you from Basic Buddhism to a deeper understanding of the Pureland Tradition. The course takes you step by step from broad concepts and simple practices toward more subtle points and more advanced methods. The lessons are appropriate for all  levels ofexperience - if you are new to Buddhism, you will find everything you need in order to get a quite thorough understanding of the basic teachings.  The Amida approach draws upon all the main writings and traditions of Buddhism, considering them from a Pureland perspective. Hence it encompasses much material that would be of interest to Buddhists experienced in different traditions.

Pureland is the most popular form of Buddhism in the far east. We offer this course to spread interest in Pureland Buddhism.

Cost: £30/ $48/ €44

:: continue reading here

 

Psychotherapy by Karma Transformation


New for 2013/2014: A course based on the book of the same name by Prof. Maurits Kwee PhD. This is an advanced course for practicing psychologists and psychotherapists. It presents an in depth exploration of a therapeutic approach derived from canonical texts, the Abhidhamma, modern psychology and social construction theory.

Prof. Kwee presents a system rooted in what he calls "Relational Buddhism", an innovative set of ideas reflecting the post-modern landscape. He argues from this position that the way of Buddhism in modern Western countries is best practised as a psychology, rather than as a religion or philosophy.

Prof. Kwee is an independent thinker and this material is being hosted by Amida Academy.

The fee for the year is €675 if paid in full at the time you join the course and in advance of the programme starting (dates to be advised). You can however pay in installments, in which case the fee is €250 per module.


:: find out more here


*What is Amida Academy?

Amida Academy is an on-line academic platform which has been established to deliver distance learning programmes. The ITZI English language distance learning programme in Zen Therapy & Buddhist Psychology was the first programme to go live, quickly followed by the Amida Trust ministry training programme called Vow 22. In February 2013 a Spanish language version of the Zen Therapy & Buddhist Psychology programme commenced and the Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course has moved to this platform. A new course has been added: Psychotherapy by Karma Transformation. Other programmes are in preparation.
:: link

:: here is a contact form, should you wish to find out addition information in addition to that provided by following the links above.

As far as the costs indicated above are concerned, we would like as much as possible not to inhibit anyone who is interested in joining any of these courses because of financial constraints. Do use this link to contact us if you are on a low income and we can discuss the options with you.


Please forward this link to the newsletter
to any friends, contacts or groups that you think might be interested in these courses - thank you.


NAMO AMIDA BU

the latest itzi newsletter

Here's a link to the latest newsletter, Red Letter:

Red Letter is the Newsletter of ITZI, its affiliated groups and its departments, ITZI-Red and Amida Academy. ITZI (Instituto Terapia Zen Internacional) is a consortium of trainers and centres around the world dedicated to the development and dissemination of education in Buddhism, Buddhist Psychology and related approaches to spirituality, therapy and personal growth.

Whispers from the Bamboo Grove - Amida Newsletter number 10: April 2013

Dharmavidya's Pastoral Letter
March 31st, 2013
We have just completed the Mondo Sesshin. This was attended by a dozen people including five nationalities, a diversity that is not uncommon on Amida events. Mondo is about encounter and encounter is about meeting one another in faith rather than in a state of clashing egos. How fragile, brittle or bristling we can sometimes be! However, coming together in faith we can help one another to pass beyond fear and enter into an experience of deep confidence and entrustment.

I feel considerable satisfaction in the fact that we have, as a sangha, evolved a style of practice that demonstrates our faith in a rather robust manner such that those who came newly in our midst on this occasion certainly felt that they were encountering "the real thing". There is always a temptation in what some might call the contemporary spiritual marketplace to water down the message so as to cater for a wider public. I do feel that it is important to have some access points for people who are of a more generic spiritual persuasion or, alternatively, for those of a more secular turn of mind, but it is essential that we retain also occasions when the undiluted faith and practice are manifest and shared amongst us and this was one such occasion.

:: continue reading here

ecourse - introduction to pureland buddhism - begins in march 2013

This course of 16 lessons, written by Dharmavidya, the Dharma Teacher of the Amida Order, guides you from Basic Buddhism to a deeper understanding of the Pureland Tradition. 

As a member of the study group, you will receive the lessons as email newsletters and will have access to an on-line discussions forum. Lessons will be sent out at a rate of one every 2-3 weeks and will take a maximum of 3 hours to complete, including engaging in discussion. The course will start during the first week of March.

Sujatin, a senior teacher with the Order, is tutor on the course, which she has taught on-line and face to face for over 7 years.

To sign up and pay for the course look here. A concessionary rate is available for people on benefits/pension etc

Previous participants have said:

"A thorough grounding in Pureland Buddhism, which doesn't just transmit the facts but also the warm heart and reassuringly human face of this school of Buddhism. I'd recommend this illuminating course to anyone who wants to find out more about Buddhist philosophy and practice." ~ Satyavani

"This course which introduces us to Pureland Buddhism became for me an intense personal journey into the spirit that Shakyamuni Buddha found and shared.  The interactive nature of the teachings and discussions is a most wonderful medium for reflection, both personally and within group process.........the discussion questions are good and part of this reason is that they confront our- selves....... to sit with a discussion question or a comment made by other participants, or by myself, for hours or sometimes days, weeks - this is such a gift of reflective space which is unavailable in the real time of a workshop or talk." ~ Rob

"I have found that the Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course has been interesting and also at times challenging. The course has given me the opportunity to be able to 'deepen my practice'. Along with having the forum to be able to share a few of my life experiences through these winter months, although this has felt challenging, it also has been cathartic. Gratitude to the other group members for given me the space to open my heart. Much gratitude to Sujatin for her support and spiritual guidance throughout. Namo Amida Bu." ~ Colin.

::link