Amida News

Dharmavidya, Prasada & Kaspalita to France

Dharmavidya, Prasada and Kaspalita will travel to France on Thursday 3rd July to join other members of the Amida community there. Teachings will commence on 10th July.

Do No Harm

Dharmavidya has been quoted on the Do No Harm site.

Never Die Alone

The book, Never Die Alone: Death as Birth in Pure Land Buddhism, published by Jodo Shu Research Institute is on the brink of publication and copies can be pre-ordered from Amazon. Authors include: Mark Blum author of The Origins and Development of Pure Land Buddhism; Carl Becker author of Breaking the Circle: Death and the Afterlife in Buddhism; David Brazier, head of the Amida Order, author of Who Loves Dies Well: On the Brink of Buddha’s Pure Land; Yoshiharu Tomatsu the Director of the Jodo Shu Research Institute’s Ojo and Death Project; and a group of Thai Buddhists offering a different view of Buddhist dying.

Dharmavidya & Prasada on You Tube & DVD

Last year Dharmavidya and Prasada spoke at St James' church, Piccadilly as part of St James' Alternative series of talks. There's now a DVD available and you can view 2 clips from the talk on You Tube.

Clip one

Clip two

Dharmavidya Attends Buddhist Teachers' Convivium

Dhamavidya attended by invitation the Convivium of Buddhist teachers in UK held at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland organized by the Network of Buddhist Organisations 11-13 March 2008.

Highly Stimulating Arts & Culture Presentations

The arts and spirituality week has continued in a remarkably stimulating way and we all feel quite elated with it. Do continue.....

Presentation at De Montfort University

David and Caroline Brazier presented a session as part of the De Montfort University Cultural Exchanges Programme 2008 called "Writing Abour Spirituality in a Secular Age". Caroline read an extract from the manuscipt of the new book that she completed writing this week.

David read some of his poetry. Both talked about the history of their involvement in writing and the influences of spirituality, psychology and the arts on their work. The session was chaired by Kaspalita Thompson.

Spirituality & the Arts Week Begins

Our week of reflection on culture and the arts got off to a good start this evening as members of The Buddhist House community, including Dharmavidya, attended an event offered by the local Baha'i community at which film-maker Mark Bamford showed hie film The Hero and talked about the influence that being Baha'i had had upon his life and work. The meeting was also attended by novelist Rod Duncan. Much intense discussion resulted. What makes a work of art spiritual? How does spirituality change an artist's approach? Is there a danger is spirituality using art? Is art intrinsically spiritual? What is the nature of creativity? These and many more questions will fuel our inquiries over the coming nine days.

More News from California

Dharmavidya and Prasada are currently in Redding, north California, offering workshops for psychotherapists and members of the local Buddhist sangha. A small team of good friends are hosting them in a warm and hospitable manner and the work is well received. Today there was a workshop for therapist's on the opening phase of the therapeutic encounter and yesterday a gathering for experienced therapists to work on personal issues together.

News from California

News from Reading, from Prasada:

We just did our first event - a session on Buddhism/ practice centred round offering. Much to their surprise here 16 people turned up (Its open to the students but the staff were afraid as it was theur day off they might not come) and we had a lovely time doing meditation and experimenting with experiences of offering that were based on body sense (which we thought would appeal to healing people) we also had a stone passing which was a great revelation to them here - something they just don't do. It was a lovely open sharing. Meantime the woodpeckers are demolishing the telegraph pole outside. they make holes and put acorns in them to breed maggots which they then eat.

Dharmavidya & Prasada in San Francisco

Dharmavidya and Prasada are currently visiting Zen Center, San Francisco, before travelling to north California.

Dharmavidya Returns from Nine Day Solitary Retreat

Dharmavidya has been on solitary retreat for the past nine days in a remote spot in the north of England. He is now returned to The Buddhist House.

Dharmavidya on Retreat

Rev. Dharmavidya, the Head of the Order, today begins a ten day retreat in a remote location.

Media Coverage

Radio Leicester interviewed Dharmavidya about the meaning of the 24 hour nembutsu chanting on their morning news bulletin. Independent Television visited The Buddhist House filmed us on the theme "What do Buddhists do at Christmas".

Dharmavidya on Radio Leicester

John Florance from BBC Radio Leicester  called the Buddhist House and interviewed Dharmavidya live,
during the 24 Hr Nembutsu ( 1st/2nd Dec.) for this week only you can listen again on the BBC Website

Pandramatics

Yesterday evening we held our second in-house session of Pandramatics. The atmosphere and types of work were quite different from week one. That's creativity.

Dharmavidya on Creativity

An interview

End of Chaplaincy Training Week

Today was the last day of our training week in Buddhist Chaplaincy 10-18 November 2007. The early part of the programme was concerned with Spiritual Facilitation and the latter part with Death and Dying. A typical stuent response... "These days have given me something special. The material, the sharing, and the exercises have been meaningful and brought me to a level of understanding that I had not expected. It's been a validation of life and death. This way of learning is so powerful to me." This course is part of the Vow 22 Programme

Facing Death and Dying Workshop

Today we held Day One of our four day training programme on Supporting the Dying and Facing Death

Questions in the Sand

Dharmavidya has published answers to a range of recently asked questions.

Pandramatics

This evening we have our first workshop in Pandramatics. All welcome. Dharmavidya will participate this evening. We plan to continue on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm. Co-ordinator: Gareth Thompson.

33 People at Sheffield Book Launch

Hosted by Amida Sheffield,  Dharmavidya, Prasada, accompanied by Modgala, gave readings of their new books, Who Loves Dies Well, and The Other Buddhism last night, 33 people attended, and the event was a great success.

Exile & Return Retreat

This is the weekend of our Exile & Return Retreat, commemorating the exile of Honen Shonin to Shikoku in 1207 and of his disciples to various parts of Japan. This exile had the effect of spreading the nembutsu teaching far and wide. On the Saturday morning we were joined by students from De Montfort University.

Archedrama

Today Dharmavidya led a day workshop in Leicester on Archedrama. This is part of a series of events arranged in co-operation between Amida-kai and the Maitri Project.

Sheffield Event Announced

Dharmavidya and Prasada will speak on socially engaged spirituality in Sheffield on 8th November

Amida-shu Admission

At a ceremony at The Buddhist House conducted by Dharmavidya, Anne Jones from London was admitted to Amida-shu on 16th October.

Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra Class

Dharmavidya taught a class on the Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra chapter 10 this evening.

Transfer of Merit

Dharmavidya today led the Sunday Service and monthly Transference of Merit Ceremony at The Buddhist House. He spoke on the passage in the Larger Sutra that refers to three grades of persons entering the Pure Land and of the self-identification of Pureland Buddhists with the lowest grade who are Amida Buddha's special concern.

Dramatic send off for Saille

Today Saille left to return to Canada. She has gone back to be with her sister who is sick. Her departure was somewhat dramatic.

Installation of Rev. Dr. Alan Race

Last evening, Dharmavidya attended the Christian ceremony of the Licensing and Commissioning of Alan Race as vicar of St. Philip's Church Leicester and Dean of Studies of the St Philip's Centre, a project dedicated to harmonising Christian relations with other faiths. The ceremony was conducted by Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester. Alan Race is an editor of Interreligious Insight magazine and author of books and articles on interfaith relations.

Report on Stupa Dedication

A report with pictures on last Sunday's event.

Supporting Burmese People in Sheffield

Yesterday evening members of the Amida School in Sheffield sat with sangha friends in the centre of Sheffield, in support of the Karen Community Association, a group of Burmese refugees settled here under the UNHCR's Gateway Programme. There were heartfelt speeches from a range of people in support of the people of Burma. We meditated with a banner saying: Sheffield Buddhists for a Free Burma.

Safeguarding the Domain of Bliss

There is a new Pastoral Letter from Dharmavidya to the sangha published today.

Esalen Event Announced

Dharmavidya and Prasada at Esalen, California, 27 Jan to 1 Feb 2008

Encounter with Christians Aware

This evening Dharmavidya, Prasada, Gareth and Miao-san attended a meeting of Christians Aware in Leicester. The speakers were Dharmavidya and Ramona Kauth, who is from the Karma Ling Buddhist community in Birmingham. There was a wonderful exchange between the audience and speakers which ended on a fine note to everybody's great satisfaction.

Sunday Service

Sr. Susthama took the Sunday Service at 5pm at The Buddhist House. The service includes walking and sitting nembutsu, sutra chanting, a lesson and Dharma talk. Sr. Susthama took as her text for the talk a collection of poems, including the following written by Mitsuyo Makinodan...

Urged by Amida to listen
To the teaching in ordinary times
The more I listen
The more ashamed I am of myself.

At Three Wheels Temple

Inauguration of Three Wheels Stupa

Rev. Dr. Dharmavidya, Rev. Prasada, Ven. Miao-san and Gareth went to Brookwood Cemetery this morning to assist Rev. Sato, his teacher Chimyo Takehara sama, and other members of the Three Wheels Temple in the ceremonies to inaugurate a stupa. The creation of the stupa has come about through the death of Rev. Zenko Croysdale, a Zen monk who left a bequest for this purpose. After the ceremonies at Brookwood in Surrey the party returned to Three Wheels Temple for further ceremonies and a Dharma meeting at which Takehara sama and others made speeches. Members of the Theravada sangha were also present at the Temple events. A warm atmosphere prevailed throughout.