Today is the 15th anniversary of the death of my astonishing friend and Dharma sister, Amrita.
Here is the obituary that Caroline Brazier wrote:
The Rev Linda Amrita Dhammika, who has died aged 50 from an asthma attack*, spent her life working for the destitute, the sick, and for animals, principally in Africa.
Her mission culminated in the founding of the Tithandizane primary health care project at Kamulaza, Zambia, which she built from 1997 onwards into a thriving centre serving 72 villages. Five hectares of land were made available; charity grants were found; villagers contributed labour; and five buildings were constructed. Today, the centre provides medical care, training, counselling and community services.
Linda Dolan, as she was born, grew up in Eccles, Manchester, trained as a laboratory technician and qualified as a teacher in 1978. Doing VSO in Nigeria (1981-83), she saw the importance of primary health care and community involvement in empowering people. In 1985, she worked at Balaka leprosy hospital in Malawi. In 1986-87 she was a community worker with the elderly in Salford. From 1988, her work focused on Zambia. She became a Buddhist, adopting the name Dhammika.
For many years she was projects officer for the International Buddhist Relief Organisation (IBRO), and in 1998 she met my [former] husband, Dharmavidya David Brazier, a priest from the Pureland tradition, took vows with him and became a member of the Order of Amida Buddha. In 2004 she received a further ordination, becoming a chaplain in the order. She conducted marriages and funerals, and offered spiritual counselling, education and support to Zambians. IBRO and the Amida Trust, a UK-based Buddhist charity, supported her.
Amrita's Buddhism took particular shape in an intense concern for animals. She campaigned for vegetarianism, cared for animals wherever she went and was not averse to sharing her living accommodation with baboons or other rescued creatures. She was a walking example of kindness and harmony between species.
In 1993 she started the first rural self-help group for HIV-positive people in Zambia. Three years later, she set up a free nursery school in Dar-es-Salaam, and worked to help Aids victims in Thailand. Her other activities included projects to create bore holes in rural areas of Africa, the conducting of immunisation, dental, eye care, family planning and health information campaigns, and improvements in nutrition, sanitation and education. In 2001, Manchester University awarded her its John Owens award for work in Africa. Following the tsunami of December 2004, she travelled with a Muslim friend to northern Sri Lanka to help Hindu victims in a demonstration of inter-faith solidarity.
She is survived by her husband John Edwards, whose Buddhist name is Sudana, and her adopted daughter Perry.
David Brazier [Dharmavidya] wrote:
We, here at The Buddhist House, have just been communicating via Skype with our friends in Zambia. The funeral of Reverend Amrita Dhammika took place yesterday morning. She was buried with full ceremony. For two nights prior to the ceremony there was dancing around her coffin and lamentation. The ceremonial which took several hours was a mix of Buddhist and local custom. Sr Modgala and Willemien Hoogendoorn took a central role in the proceedings which were appropriate in all respects. Well over one thousand people attended. Amrita was dressed in her Ngoni costume and her Buddhist robe when her body was laid to rest. The inspiration that Amrita has given to the people of this afflicted part of Africa is immense. She was an indefatigable worker for compassion to all sentient beings - a true bodhisattva - and she gave her life for them.
*It now seems that the cause of death was in fact malaria rather than asthma as originally reported.
