During the recent Conclave and Order Meeting, Dharmavidya introduced the term 'Culturally Engaged Buddhism' as a response to thinking about 'Socially Engaged Buddhism'
WE ARE NOW REGISTERING STUDENTS ONTO THE DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMME IN BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY. PLEASE EMAIL susthama@amidatrust.com to enrol onto this stimulating and inspiring course.
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Amida Trust offers a distance learning programme in Buddhist psychology. Intakes take place every September for the October start. If you plan to join the programme, you should contact us during the summer, and certainly before mid-September.
The course consists of two years training, each made up of nine units grouped in three modules. (click here to view course outline) The codes to access the units on-line are issued monthly to the students through the academic year, starting each October. Each unit includes theoretical material and experiential exercises. Year One covers basic theory. Year two covers applications. Comparative material with Western psychology is also included. Learning support and contact with other students is encouraged. Students submit work and take part in discussions on a private and dedicated site so should have regular access to the internet. This programme will suit those interested in Buddhist psychology and its therapeutic applications, whether in one to one psychotherapy, or in other settings. It is not itself a full psychotherapy training, but will compliment practical training with Amida or elsewhere.
The course is of interest to practising therapists wishing to integrate a Buddhist approach into their work and others with a general interest in the subject. There are opportunities to reflect on case material and to get feedback on client work. The course offers both theoretical grounding in Buddhist psychology and a wide range of supporting practical exercises. Each unit consists of a pack of about 30 pages. Students are expected to complete a series of journal exercises and to discuss the learning from these on the student e-group. Each module culminates in a written assignment of between 2000 and 3000 words in total.
The Distance Learning course may be taken on its own, or may form the theoretical core of the Amida Trust's Psychotherapy Advanced Certificate programme for which it is also a requirement.
The Amida Sangha on Big Island of Hawaii announce the opening of the Amida Hawai'i - Pureland Buddhist Dharma Center in the town of Waimea. An official opening ceremony will take place in february 2010 during the visit of Dharmavidya and Prasada. The center is, however, now open for services and events. Full announcement.
On Monday 1st June a meeting took place between Dharmavidya, head of Amida-shu and Sangharakshita, head of the Western Buddhist Order. Dharmavidya thanked Sangharakshita for referring to his work in the latter's testament interview called What is the Western Buddhist Order? The meeting ranged over topics of doctrine, organisation and purpose. The two leaders found a great deal of common ground and a good spirit prevailed throughout the encounter.
Joan Court, age 90, patron of Amida Trust, originally a midwife, then a social worker who brought the issue of child abuse to public attention, subsequently a formidable campaigner against the cruelty perpetrated by humans upon other animals, has now brought out her second book: The Bunny Hugging Terrorist published by Selene Press with a preface by Tony Benn. The book includes references to the ork of many organisations and individuals on behalf of animals, including Amida Trust. 120 pages, £9.99 plus P&P. Copies obtainable direct from the author, via Amida Trust.
Joan's first book, In the Shadow of Gandhi, is also still available.
On 13-14 June Dharmavidya will lead a weekend retreat at The Buddhist House on the theme The Feeling Buddha - a significant opportunity for teaching, practice and discussion.
Sangharakshita, the leader of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order has issued a transcript of an interview called What is the Western Buddhist Order?. In it he refers for support to David Brazier's The New Buddhism as well as to the Critical Buddhist book Pruning the Bodhi Tree. He is quite forthright about what he regards as acceptable and non-acceptable positions for members of WBO. This will be seen by many as an attempt to restore the original vision to a movement that, perhaps, has drifted somewhat from its original course.
has become the epi-centre of current debate in English on the questions raised by the Japanese 'Critical Buddhism' movement. Are 'Buddha nature', 'non-duality', 'interbeing', etc all non-Buddhist ideas? Join
Dharmavidya and Prasada presented lectures about Buddhist Psychology and about Psychotherapy and Spirituality at Leeds Metropolitan University. Dharmavidya's paper on Psychotherapy and Spirituality is available for reading and discussion.
The Ojo Retreat at The Buddhist House starts tomorrow morning. Preliminary materials are already available. This retreat can be followed by attending at TBH or by following along via the internet and practicing at home. New materials will appear each day for the eight days of the retreat. If you want to join in sign up at...
Enrolled participants can also give feedback and engage in discussions of the emerging themes or contribute writngs, poems, etc.
This is our first attempt to lead a retreat via the internet and there has been a very pleasing response. The idea has generated a lot of enthusiasm and we hope that this will not only enable individuals to practice more intensely on their own, but also to feel part of the community and make a contribution to the cohesion and purpose of the sangha.
Members of the Amida Order met over the weekend of 7-8 March to take stock of current developments in Amida-shu. There was a generally bouyant atmosphere and considerable enthusiasm for the possibilities that seem to be opening up for spreading the Dharma more widely. The meeting was also greatly cheered to receive news of the refuge ceremonies that took place on the Sunday in Delhi and a Skype link enabled those present at the Order meeting to talk with the Order members who are in Delhi.
Bill Karelis founded the Shambhala Prison Community in 1996 to
propagate education, and in particular Buddhist-derived meditation, in
criminal justice systems at all levels, internationally. He also
travels the world to present meditation generally, and in recent years
has given hundreds of programs in meditation centers, as well as public
talks in university and other public venues. His lineage belongs to the
Kagyu and Nyingma streams from Tibet, as well as the Shambhala
tradition, as expounded by the great master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Mr. Karelis enjoys the practices of poetry, photography and calligraphy
and lives with his wife, Brigitta, in Boulder, Colorado in the United
States.
At 6pm local time on New Year's Eve, which was also the first hour of 2009 in Britain, Amaya Glover, from her back porch in Richmond, Texas, made a broadcast on the Friends of Amida ning site on the theme "Globalization and Inspired Buddhism". Globalization has rought benefits and tragedies, liberation for some and oppression for others. Buddhism is an intrinsically internationalist philosophy that advances an approach to live that strengthens rather than weakening community and supports positive values and compassion for all sentient beings.
In the New Year Honours Amida-shu member Eileen Conn has received the award of being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for "For services to the community in the London Borough of Southwark." Eileen has been an inspiring campaigner for community life and harmony. She has also been involved in recently establishing the newest local Amida group: Amida South London.
Thirty Thousand Days: A Journal for Purposeful Living
This issue is generally available only to members of the ToDo
Institute, but out of friendship with Dharmavidya and Prasada and to
show our support of the Amida Trust we would like to make this issue
available on-line to Amida Trust friends and supporters. The issue is a
collection of many different ideas and essays we have published over
the past 15 years which are all focused on the New Year.
We hope you are enjoying the holiday season and offer you our best
wishes for a wonderful New Year that brings you good health, new
adventures and many opportunities to extend kindness and compassion to
whomever you may encounter along your path.
Gassho,
Gregg Krech
Director, ToDo Institute
www.todoinstitute.org
This morning Dharmavidya and Prasada left the UK, beginning their visits to the United States and Canada, the schedule of their American events is published on Friends of Amida
Buddhism can be a force in this world and your contribution is important for the benefit of all living things. There are so many ways to get involved and to feel part of something much greater than oneself.
AMIDA TRUST INVITES YOU TO JOIN A NEW AND EXCITING COURSE BY DISTANCE LEARNING : EXPLORE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EATING AND WITH YOUR BODY.
Come and join us online for a month long course by distance learning starting in January 2009.
We are launching a month long course looking at attitudes to food, eating and body image. The programme includes exploratory exercises, guided meditations, and theoretical material based in the insights derived from Buddhist psychology. Participants join a supported peer group. Enrolment will be ongoing, with the first participants starting after Christmas.
This month long programme helps you to look at your eating behaviour and your relationship with your body in new ways. Through daily activities and reflections it helps you to understand some of the factors behind compulsive or restricted patterns of eating and to develop strategies to change your behaviour around food. The multi-media course uses meditations, work charts, guided fantasy exercises and practical experiments. It also contains theoretical and inspirational material related to the subject. Participants join an on-line support group and are given access to many resources. They remain registered after completion of the programme thus having access to an ongoing community of peers. Check out details and register through the web page on click here for more details
Please pass this message on to your friends or groups
On 5th December Amida Trust became one of the founder members of the Institute for Spirituality, Religion and Public Life established by Leeds Metropolitan University to foster research and public interest in the relation between spirituality and civic involvement.
December 8th is Enlightenment Day, the celebration of the founding of the Buddhist religion. At The Buddhist House members of the Amida sangha are gathered in retreat. Highlights of the retreat have been and are being broadcast using the video facility on the Friends of Amida ning site. These have included the 24 hour nembutsu chanting on 1st-2nd, ceremonies and teachings by Dharmavidya and Prasada, and will include an ordination on 7th December at 9.00 GMT, further teachings and practice. The ordination of a new member of the sangha is something particularly precious in this age and society where the vital ingredient of personal commitment is often rare. It is a gift to humanity. It is also entry into the most wonderful life.
The retreat marks the end of a full year for the Amida sangha and, perhaps, a cusp in the ethos of society at large where economic difficulties and political change are at a particularly acute stage. This is a time to reach out. The advent of an as yet primitive broadcasting facility is focussing minds upon how to further improve the connection between activity at The Buddhist House and those who are connected but unable to be physically present and how to enable Amidists around the world to play a full part in prctice and propagation of the Dharma. Amida activity overseas seems once again to be increasing after a lull. Concern for the distant and sometimes unseen other is a valuable aspect of Buddhist training and therefore a by no means inappropriate concern for a week dedicated to awakening. Our community is centred on faith and in our faith community, the sangha jewel, plays a particularly important role. As the connections within our sangha intensify so the influence of Amida Buddha shines more and more brightly in this afflicted world; when we have faith in the Buddha's principle of concern for the other miracles happen of their own accord. Namo Amida Bu.
Amida now has an affiliated group Nembutsu New Zealand dedicated to spreading the practice to a further corner of the world. There seems to be some association between nembutsu and islands - Japan, UK, Hawaii, now NZ - Amida moves on the ocean of samsara. Namo Amida Bu.
On Friends of Amida networking site we have added a streaming video facility for broadcasting events from The Buddhist House. We hope to develop a forward programme of broadcasts. Our first broadcast was of the 24 hour chanting at the start of this year's Bodhi Retreat. The second will be Dharmavidya's Dharma Talk at 1400 GMT 3rd December.
Friends of Amida is a social networking site using 'ning' software catering for people interested in the development of Amida Trust, Amida-shu and the Amida Order. There are now members in 31 countries. The network is already very active, carries Dharmavidya's teachings, discussions, members' blogs and forums, photos and news. If you are interested in Amida-shu, do join Friends of Amida. If you are already a member, tell your friends. The Friends of Amida site is gradually taking over functions previously managed on a range of different Amida Trust weblogs and has enabled us to concentrate information in one spot making for ease of access and ready participation.
On 27th November, following consultations in accordance with the Provisions for Structure, Continuity and Governance of Amida-shu, Dharmavidya, as Head of the Amida School and Order, enacted changes in the Amida Order Rule, being the precepts for ordained members of the Order, such as to create separate ordination options for celibate and non-celibate ordainees. Henceforth ordained members of the order shall have the option to take or not take precepts of celibacy. The effect will be to create the potential for there to be four categories of ordained persons, namely celibate ministers, non-celbate ministers, celibate amitaryas and non-celibate amitaryas. Only for celibate ordained persons shall the shaved head be obligatory. All ordained members of the Order may be addressed as 'Reverend' and referred to as priests, but celibates may alternatively be addressed as Venerable, or, in the case of women, Sister, and celibate amitaryas may be referred to as monks or nuns. In the case of ministers the option for celibacy or non-celibacy shall be made at initial ordination as a chaplain. In the case of amitaryas, the option shall not be made until after novitiate is completed. Novices shall be celibate during novitiate if they ordained as single persons and non-celibate if they ordained as a couple.
The full Rule in its new form complete with explanatory notes can be read on the Friends of Amida site (right column, bottom) or here: Amida Rule
Now on Friends of Amida, a blog post from Dharmavidya, followed by lots of good discussion, sign in, and and your thoughts: Gender is a serious issue in Buddhism
Seriously though, it does seem to be the case that Buddhism has a major
problem in this area. Buddhist events and Buddhist institutions are
almost invariably male dominated especially in Asia. As one speaker
said, the Buddhist vinaya is a blatant case of institutional sexism.
We are holding our annual 'Exile and Return' retreat in commemoration of the founders of Pureland Buddhism in Japan who were exiled at the beginning of the thirteenth century. This retreat is a short period of intensive practice.
Read: Alena, Kaspalita and Dharmavidya.
on Friends of Amida, our volunteer in Delhi writes:
It is cooler today; the erratic electricity at the flat is charging up
the laptop and powering the television and mosquito repellents, but not
the ceiling fans. It is about midday, and loud bangs reverberate around
the buildings, but are not as startling to us as they were a few days
ago. Sahishnu and I have been in India for two weeks now.
http://api.ning.com/files/zBOb4XCsWhwRqLW5Zh8AFDpW03MqIaImeE2pASwmfeINMW2jKQ0TUeCSkuHOG4AA/DSC_3289.jpg?width=449&height=334
