.... on to the next
Awakened by Zen, doubly awakened by Pureland, yet very much a free thinker, my life has become a continual pilgrimage, an attempt toward greater appreciation of truth and deeper understanding of love. Along the way I have written books on psychology, spirituality and culture and a volume of poetry...
Having been fortunate enough to have studied under some amazing teachers, both from Asia and from the West, I dedicate my life to Dharma, though not in a particularly conventional manner. I write books, I travel and I teach, especially via Zen Therapy and Buddhist Psychology, am head of the Amida Order, president of ITZI (Instituto Terapia Zen Internacional) and patron of the Tathagata Trust. I have been involved in setting up a number of educational and social work projects as well as intentional communities.
# I am no saint. I am just a person who is willing. I have the same hunger and thirst, sexual and material desires as anybody else, but I have chosen to follow my star and it has led me to this. # I have always been a critic - I very early realised that if most people think something is so then it probably isn't. # Religions are all too human attempts to express reverence for the deepest intuition of our heart. # It does not matter whether Buddha is a god or not, but it matters hugely whether your god is a Buddha. # We are all students. # If you want to travel with me and help the Work, I'm here.
See KEYNOTE at the International Conference on Other Centered Approaches, Berkeley, California, February 2011
AUTHOR of
# LOVE AND ITS DISAPPOINTMENT: The meaning of life, therapy and art
# WHO LOVES DIES WELL and
# five other books.
SANGHAS
President of ITZI
Head of the Amida Order, an international Pureland Buddhist community sponsored by
Amida Trust
Patron of Tathagata Trust for socially engaged projects in India.
TEACHING: I lectures in Dharma centres, universities, and public venues and can be consulted and invited. His schedule is planned twelve months ahead so please make allowance.
WRITING: I have written eight books and numerous chapters and articles on Buddhism, psychology and culture: see Writings, Poetry, Criticism.
FACEBOOK: Writings from David or David Brazier author or ITZI or Love and Its Disappointment or Institute for Zen Therapy
BACKGROUND: I was born in 1947, part of the generation of hope after the war, and travelled from an early age. My career included periods as a social worker, psychotherapist, psychodramatist, organisation consultant, educator and Buddhist priest. I have done a lot of work in the area of community development, team building, leadership development, generating innovative social projects and building alternative social communities and invented a method called Pandramatics as well as Zen Therapy and the Other Centred Approach.
FORTH-COMING TRAVELS public lectures and events 2012
March: UK, Netherlands, Belgium, UK; April: UK, Seville, Milan, UK, Canary Islands May: Canary, UK, Spain (Bilbao); June: Bilbao, UK; July: France; Undecided August: Korea; September: Japan, UK; October Buddhist Teachers in Europe gathering, Canary Islands; November: Galicia, France, Canaria, UK December: UK, Belgium; January: Belgium, Israel, Spain; February: Spain, Belgium, UK;
TEACHERS
The people I have known personally who have influenced me most in life, apart for my close relatives:
- Nai Boonman, who taught me sammatha meditation
- Chogyam Trungpa, who introduced me to Vajrayana
- Anne Trembath, who taught me psychotherapy and psychiatric social work
- Carl Ransom Rogers, psychologist
- Jiyu Kennett, who taught me Soto Zen
- Mary Midgley, who shared her approach to philosophy with me
- Gisho Saiko, who entrusted me with the hope of bringing Pureland to the West
- Al Bloom, with whom I share many common aims
- Celso Navarro, Zen Master and close friend
There are different sections to this weblog concerned with day to day or longer term matters. Please find your way around by using the "Categories" and the "Recent Posts" sections on the left.
Questions: There is a section in the weblog called "Questions in the Sand". This replaces a previous separate weblog of that name. If you want to address questions to David Brazier about religious or philosophical questions or about faith and practice, send them to him by e-mail to dharmavidya@amidatrust.com with "Questions in the Sand" in the subject line and the answers will appear in this section in due course.
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