Theme: Shakyamuni, the founder of the Buddhist religion, was enlightened on 8th December 2500 years ago. After his illumination the new Buddha gave up the self-centred spiritual quest for his own salvation and spent the next forty-five years wandering India, inspired by the Buddhas of the three times, founding an order of "homeless sharers", and healing the hearts of those who came to see, question or hear him. From this source has come the Buddha Dharma, which we call the Buddhist religion, which has given rise to all manner of manifestations in the fields of spirituality, art, culture, community, architecture, poetry, martial arts, psychology, and so on. Whole civilisations have been inspired by the peaceful Dharma. Now, the Dharma comes to the West in a wide variety of forms and presentations. At Global Sangha we follow the tradition of nembutsu chanting, calling upon Amitabha. Life in the human world is not easy and everybody suffers emotional wounds of one kind or another. The cure is love, compassion, shared joy and equanimity, which is one way of describing the spirit of Dharma practice. These qualities arise naturally out of faith in the universal light of the Dharma, which we call Amitabha. In this gathering appear many of the facets of this inspiring approach to spirituality.
Programme (times are CET i.e. Rome time zone):
Thursday 8th: Bodhi Day
10:00-12:00 SESSION ONE
Check in and Orientation
Dharma Talk "Healing the Person, Healing the World" - David. Brazier
Small groups.
14:00-15:00 SESSION TWO
Puja & Meditation
15:00-16:00 SESSION THREE "Compassion in the Community during Covid" - Liz Allmark
16:30-17:30 SESSION FOUR
Session based on the text "Summary of Faith & Practice" - David Brazier & Priti Vaishnav
18:00-19:30 SESSION FIVE
Dialogue - Iris Dotan Katz & Yaya De Andrade
Friday 9th
10:00-11:30 SESSION ONE
"Living the Contradition" - Iris Dotan Katz
11:45-12:30 SESSION TWO
"Healing the Heart with Qi Gong: the Abode of the Shen" - Angela Romani
14:00-15:00 SESSION THREE Puja & Meditation
15:30-17:00 SESSION FOUR
"(Healing) Letters from Emptiness" - Richard Laubly
17:15-18:45 SESSION FIVE
Dialogue - Geeta Chari & David Brazier
Discussion
20:00-21:00 SESSION SIX
"Poetry of the Heart" - Carol English
Saturday 10th
10:00-12:00 SESSION ONE
"Amae and Dukkha" - Shoji Tsuchie, assisted by Kimiko Nita
Discussion
14:00-15:00 SESSION TWO
Puja & Meditation
15:30-16:45 SESSION THREE
"Healing My Heart" - Priti Vaishnav
17:00-18:30 SESSION FOUR
"Living from the Heart" - Ganendra Oscar Martinez
20:00-21:00 SESSION FIVE Open session, if required
Sunday 11th
10:00-11:30 SESSION ONE
Dialogue "Healing the Heart of the World" : Iris & David
11:40-13:00 SESSION TWO Nei Gong & Naikan - Kimiko Nita & Angela Romani
14:00-15:15 SESSION THREE
Puja & Meditation
15:30-16:45 FINAL SESSION
- Sharing - Closure
Sharing & Discussion In general, the speakers talk from personal experience thus bringing out the relevance of the Dharma to life's satisfactions, challenges and creativity.
Puja & Meditation These sessions include chanting, readings from traditional and other texts, guided or silent meditations and times for sharing
Dialogues Several dialogues are included in the programme. Dharma is transmitted through encounter. This healing is inter-personal. Dialogues bring out the questions we all wrestle with and stimulate us to deeper thought.
Leaders: Liz Allmark, UK, jissha in the Global Sangha, trustee of ITZI, with interest in local community. Yaya de Andrade, Brazilian, retired psychologist now working with the Red Cross in Canada, especially with indigenous groups. Dr Andrade has extensive experience in working with populations recovering from major disasters around the world. David Brazier, Buddhist name Dharmavidya, poet, psychotherapist and Buddhist teacher, author of fifteen books including Zen Therapy and many other writings. Co-editor of the Oxford Manual of Meditation. Geeta Chari, UK, jissha in the Global Sangha. Follower of Dharmavidya for many years with a particular interest in the Vinaya and in the real-world application of Buddhist principles. Trustee of ITZI Iris Dotan Katz, Israel, clinical psychologist with a private practice in Tel Aviv has many years of experience in Zen and Pureland Buddhism and in socially engaged action. Richard Laubley, grew up in California, lived in France for 40 years, moved back to California 3 years ago. In January 2022 he was ordained as a Soto Zen priest by his teacher, Hosho Peter Coyote, in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. Ganendra Oscar Martinez Spain, is a psychologist, psychotherapist and teacher of mindfulness and Pureland Buddhism in Vitoria in the north of Spain. Kimiko Nita, Japan, clinical psychologist, specialises in work with children and young adults, has a private practice for adult clients in Tokyo, and a special interest in Naikan therapy. Angela Romani, Italy, reflexology and tuina therapist, practitioner and teacher of Qi Gong, in particular the Taoist branch, student and researcher of Buddhism. Shoji Tsuchie, Japan, is a practitioner of focussing and of Buddhism with a special interest in the Japanese concept of amae. Priti Vaishnav, India, jissha in Global Sangha, with experience of social care work in India and of peace making in Philippines, Afghanistan and other trouble spots.
