Two new books
04 June 2009
Dharmavidya-Sangharakshita Meeting
Four Talks on Refuge
02 June 2009
Joan Court's New Book
01 June 2009
Listening to the Other
The Feeling Buddha
Sangharakshita's Testament
Critical Buddhism
The Amida Trust forum at
23 April 2009
Psychotherapy & Spirituality
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.
10 April 2009
18 March 2009
OJO Retreat Starts: Our first web intensive
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.
Thank you all very much. Namo Amida Bu
08 March 2009
Order Meeting
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.
01 March 2009
GUILT published
28 January 2009
An Evening with Bill Karelis : Founder of the Shambala Prison Community
Feburary 20th at The Buddhist House
02 January 2009
01 January 2009
First Amida Broadcast from America
Amida Member Receives MBE
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.
29 December 2008
The ToDo Institute has published a special New Years Edition of its journal
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.
Click here to download this issue , go to the following webpage
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
The Importance of Diversity within the Sangha
A message from Dharmavidya on Friends of Amida
28 December 2008
Dharmavidya & Prasada fly west
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
17 December 2008
Would you like to be a Member of the AMIDA-KAI
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.
Continue reading "Would you like to be a Member of the AMIDA-KAI" »
13 December 2008
NEW ONLINE COURSE!!!
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
08 December 2008
Founding of Institute for Spirituality, Religion & Public Life
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.
07 December 2008
Approaching Enlightenment Day
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.
05 December 2008
Affiliated Amida Group in New Zealand
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.
02 December 2008
Amida Ning has Streaming Video
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.
30 November 2008
Dates of Dharmavidya & Prasada Visit to N America
The schedule for Dharmavidya and Prasada's visit in January and February to the USA and Canada are now published on Friends of Amida
27 November 2008
Amida Ning Now Has 200 Members
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.
Enactment of Celibate and Non-Celibate Ordination Tracks
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
Prasada Attending 1st Conference on Practical Application of Buddhism in Western Psychology
Prasada Brazier is making a presentation at this conference in Poland.
26 November 2008
Dharmavidya Returns from Japan
Dharmavidya has returned to The Buddhist House from a twelve day visit to Japan during which he
- made a presentation on 'Buddhist Response to the Suicide Problem' at the 24th World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference
- participated in a service for world peace at Senso-ji Temple
- attended a seminar on 'Living Together: Environment, Peace and Social Development'
- met with Masazumi Okano, president of Kodo Kyodan
- visited the head quarters of Shinnyo-en
- stayed at Tsukiji Honganji Temple, Tokyo
- attended the wedding of a Rev. Haruki Kanayama and his bride Mari in Tokyo
- visited the eternal flame from Nagasaki and Hiroshima that burns in Ueno Park in Tokyo
- visited our friend Zen priest Issho Fujita sensei
- led some classes
- had various other visits and encounters
22 November 2008
The Amida Buddhist Centre in France
2008 - 2009 Guide to Retreats and Events in Amida France
17 November 2008
Sexism in Buddhism: Discussion
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.
16 November 2008
New Year's Retreat at Amida France
Roots and Soil Retreat - Led by Susthama
Come and start the New Year with practice.
The retreat begins Wednesday 31 December and finishes Sunday 4 January.
14 November 2008
WFB Meeting in Tokyo
Dharmavidya is attending the World Fellowship of Buddhists meeting in Tokyo
Weblog
09 November 2008
Exile and Return Retreat
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.
06 November 2008
Against and For CBT
The Book Against and For CBT in which David Brazier has a chapter is now published. Flyer
31 October 2008
Let's chant together
Dharmavidya has written a guide to nembutsu on Friends of Amida - Let's Chant Together!
News from India
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.
Joan Court receives Erskine Award
Joan Court has again received recognition for her many years’ work for animals and is now the recipient of the RSPCA’s Lord Erskine Award.
For and Against CBT
This new book has a chapter by David Brazier (Dharmavidya). See Amida Books
26 October 2008
Amitaryas at Amida France
There amitaryas of the Amida Order have been having a gathering at Amida France. The atmosphere has been relaxed. Much gardening has got done. A tree planting ceremony was held in memory of Andy Whyte who died 3 January 2007.
21 September 2008
Podcast: Basic Buddhism
Listen to a talk by Dharmavidya, on the most important concepts in Buddhism, beginning with the Buddha's discovery of Other Power. This talk was given during our september retreat.
18 September 2008
Dharmavidya Keynote at Transpersonal Psychology Conference
David Brazier, Dharmavidya, Head of the Amida Order, gave keynote address at the Transpersonal Psychology Conference in Scarborough on 13th September. He talked about Buddhist psychology and the humanity of Shakyamuni Buddha.
09 September 2008
Listening Skills weekend course - Nov. 15/16
The Maitri project, in association with Amida Trust, will be hosting an introductory weekend on listening skills, at the Buddhist House in Narborough.
This course is designed for people with little or no experience. Join us to learn new skills or improve your
existing
ones. Would be very suitable for anyone working with adults in a
voluntary/helping role that involves listening and support.
03 September 2008
15th European Shin Buddhist Conference
Dharmavidya and Prasada attended the 15th European Shin Buddhist Conference at the end of August at Bad Reichenhall in Germany and enjoyed the many presentations and the good company meeting many old and new Dharma friends. Prasada gave a presentation about 'Guilt', the theme of her forthcoming book, and Dharmavidya presented a collection of 19 poems.
30 August 2008
Learn Buddhist Psychology from home
Buddhist Psychology offers an understanding of mental process that has developed over the past 2500 years. It offers the West an important new perspective on Human interaction and mental process.
Take time to study with others via the web to learn about the core theory behind Buddhist Psychology without leaving your home or office.
Register today! The course starts on October 1, 2008

