Amida News

April Pilgrimage to Japan in Memory of Honen Shonin 800th

Dharmavidya is currently in Japan visiting Shinto and Buddhist sites and giving lectures in memory of the 800th anniversary of the death of Honen Shonin and offering support to people affected by the recent national disaster.

Dharmavidya & Jnanamati are in India working for emancipation of the oppressed

Dharmavidya is paying a visit to Amida Delhi where Sahishnu is working with Suvidya and other Indian Amida members leading English teaching and Buddhism classes for children from some of the poorest areas. The establishment of an Amida sangha here led by people from impoverished groups is a big step forward. This visit by the head of the order helps to build morale for this group working very much at the coal face of the "Buddhist revolution". 

Buddhism in India is a socio-economic and political force as well as a religious one. Dr Bimrao Ambedkar who died in 1956 was the leader of the untouchables at the time of Indian independence. He fought hard to end the caste system and led his followers into conversion to Buddhism as part of this movement. We are continuing the work of this great bodhisattva of the modern age.

Amida Buddhists work in India without salaries, helping the poorest of the poor. Because of the respect that this work has gained among the deprived people, a number have themselves become Amida Buddhists. This development is a big step forward as it means that the work in India can be more self-sustaining. It also means that the Amida sangha internationally has the benefit of the voices of these people who know from hard life experience why the principles established by Shakyamuni are of such importance to the future of the world. 

 

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

and, all in all, had a very constructive visit to our Buddhist friends and colleagues.

WFB Meeting in Tokyo

Dharmavidya is attending the World Fellowship of Buddhists meeting in Tokyo
Weblog

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.

Does Amida guide my action?

Kazuo Yamashita, has posted a weblog entry on Friends of Amida: Does Amida guide my action? Kazou is a shin-shu counselor and was one of the panel speakers at this years conference

I am looking at myself how Amida Buddha’s wisdom is guiding me. This wisdom is directing me as Nembutsu. I think partly “yes”, but Amida Buddha’s guidance is extremely deeper and more fundamental than I am expecting. Amida Buddha’s wisdom is more bigger than our thought. In this context, I am Bon-bu, foolish person.

Sahishnu Returns from India

Rev. Sahishnu, Amida chaplain and project leader at Amida Delhi, has returned to UK after a very successful five month tour of duty in India.

Amida Delhi: Visit and school admission ceremonies

Just got back from a week in Delhi visiting our project there. The project is in its fourth year and offers English classes to some of the poorer communities in the East of the city. This year Amida chaplain, Sahishnu has two volunteers with her. Kaspalita and I travelled out on Monday a week ago. We spent most of our time visiting the different classes, held in different Buddhist temples around the area. Some were for children, some for young women, and others for mixed adults. They tended to be very interactive with lots of word games and singing. On Sunday the visit culminated with a school admission ceremony for ten people in Shanti Nagar, a district just over the border in Uttar Pradesh. This group has been meeting with Sahishnu for a couple years to practice Buddhism and its members have become particularly interested in our form of Pureland and wanted to become part of our group. You can see photos of our visit on my facebook site

Among those joining the school was Shiv Kumar Gautam who has been a very active supporter of the project in his local community. At the ceremony he also received the Buddhist name Suvidya. The community from Shanti Nagar presented us with a lovely picture of the Buddha teaching the five ascetics. In this picture you see Kaspar and I seated with Suvidya in his home. 

Prasada and Kaspa return from India

Rev. Prasada, assisted by Rev. Kaspalita, has just returned from ten days in Delhi where she went to support the Amida Trust project which provides English teaching to children and young people from poor areas and also to conduct ceremonies to admit ten new members to the Amida-shu.

Prasada and Kaspalita to India

Rev. Prasada will fly to India tomorrow to visit our community in Delhi who are all excitedly awaiting her. She will be assisted by Rev. Kaspalita on what will be his first Amida mission overseas.