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101 pages |
New interview with David on I Must Be Off for ExPat Arts |
David Brazier, philosopher, poet, author, is an international authority on Buddhist psychology, a spiritual teacher with a number of talented disciples, a scholar, traveller and commentator on contemporary culture and social affairs. "My aim really is just to spread love and fellow-feeling in the world, create friendship; empower people to find and have the courage to live out their particular karmic mission by finding the source of spiritual help that is universally available, but can only be received when the ego relinquishes its control. Everybody's life is led by love. but with love comes many difficulties. Sooner or later we are each defeated by these difficulties, but beyond that defeat we can love again. That is true liberation." You can also find him at: Facebook profile Writings from David, and Friends of Amida. His Buddhist name is Dharmavidya.
| Nominated by Huffington Post as one of the "12 Buddhists on Twitter you should be following" alongside Dalai Lama, Jack Kornfield, Tricycle Magazine, and 8 others. twitter.com/dharmavidya |
AUTHOR of
# LOVE AND ITS DISAPPOINTMENT: The meaning of life, therapy and art
# WHO LOVES DIES WELL and
# five other books.
SPIRITUAL LEADER
He is head of the Amida Order, an international Pureland Buddhist community sponsored by the Amida Trust that trains individuals to practise culturally engaged spirituality in many parts of the world and he is also patron of the Tathagata Trust that promotes socially engaged projects inspired by Mahayana Buddhist principles in India.
COMMITMENT to a spiritual life means being willing to do whatever is necessary and Dharmavidya has found his role changing time and again as the work of the communities that he is associated with evolves. Today he spends much of his time travelling internationally, teaching, inspiring, blessing and giving direction to the work of these growing spiritual enterprises as they attempt to tackle educational, health, social and economic as well as spiritual problems in an increasing number of parts of the world.
SOME QUOTES:"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 believe that everything happens for a reason - that everything in my life is guided. I try always to listen to that voice." "I have always been a critic - I very early realised that if most people think something is so then it probably isn't." "I am dedicated to Mahayana because it is a fine vehicle. I could be a Sufi or a follower of almost any religion, but the particular merit of Amidism is its inclusivity. Even people like me are acceptable to Amitabha Buddha, for, as the supreme example of Buddhahood, he never condemns." "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."
See his KEYNOTE
at the International Conference on Other Centered Approaches, Berkeley, California, February 2011
TEACHING: He 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. In the Amida community he leads the vocational training of those aspiring to ministry and the full time religious life and also teaches on the Amida Buddhist Psychology Training Programme.
WRITING: He has written seven books and numerous chapters and articles on Buddhism, psychology and culture: see Writings, Poetry, Criticism. You can join his Poetry Circle on Facebook or follow his occasional bouts of activity on Twitter or you can visit one of the Amida Centres in UK, France or elsewhere.
MISSION: His mission is essentially to spread Buddha's teaching of unconditional love in the world, but is not sectarian and seeks to see the truth wherever it is found.
BACKGROUND: He was born in 1947, part of the generation of hope after the war, obtained his doctorate at Keele University and his career included periods as a social worker, psychotherapist, psychodramatist, organisation consultant, and educator as well as religious. He has done much work in the area of community development, team building, leadership development, generating innovative social projects and building alternative social communities. He also invented Pandramatics and is fascinated by the potential that comes through people when they enter into a safe creative or therapeutic space.
FORTH-COMING COURSES that Dharmavidya is leading or co-leading are
November 16th-20th Reihai Sesshin
November 22-December 2: Ten Day Chanting Intensive
December 4th-8th: The Bodhi Retreat: The most important event in the Amida Order cycle
FORTH-COMING TRAVELS public lectures and events:
2011
January: Assam; Delhi; Israel; February: California; Canary Islands; March: UK; April: Japan; May: UK, France, Belgium; June: UK, New York, France; July: France; August: Korea; September: UK; October UK, Hawaii; November: UK; December: UK, Spain
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
BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGIST: In conjunction with Caroline Brazier, I have devoted much time and energy to the development and presentation of Buddhist Psychology and teach on the Amida professional training programme for therapists. Our approach to therapy, grounded in Buddhist psychology, is called the Other Centred Approach.
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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