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NEWSLETTER Editor - David Brazier
number 192 - 6th March 2024
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All times in this Newsletter are Rome time zone
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What is the correct attitude to Buddhist faith and practice? Should one aim to be an arahat, a bodhisattva, a Buddha? People ask. Of course, the first answer to questions of this kind is, It all depends what you mean. These are just words. If by "bodhisattva" you mean somebody who will become a Buddha one day, then there is nothing to worry about because it is already assured. However, it might be a very long time. If you mean somebody who vows to save all sentient beings, well, there can be a spiritual trap here. It is a rather grandiose idea. I have suggested that the vow should be "I vow to save all sentient beings from me." One can do a limited amount about oneself, after all. The trouble is that all spiritual ambitions, however spiritual, are still ambitions, and so are bound to have a self-serving or self-glorifying element. It is a conundrum. If enlightenment is achieved by giving up desire, what use is the desire to become enlightened? The only thing that cuts through this is faith. I do not intend to save other beings, but I have faith, and it may be that, because of that, some are sometimes helped. Faith in one person tends to reawaken faith in others. I have no particular desire or intention to return to this world in future lives in order to save beings, but whatever life I do find myself in, I have faith that there will be work to do and I imagine that I will have the faith to do it, even though I may sometimes be confused, or make errors, or get in a mess due to my foolishness, I will continue to have faith. I do not say this because I choose or intend to have faith, it just is so. I don't think that the faith I have now is any different from the faith that I had before I had ever heard of Buddhism. It is just in my bones. Faith sees me through. Some people love me, some hate me; some send me hate mail, some say I have changed their lives for the better. Life is full of ups and downs but it is best not to take them too seriously. An English poet wrote of meeting triumph and disaster and treating those imposters both the same. How? Faith. It is the only possible answer. Enjoy the Newsletter Namo Amida Bu - David MEETINGS WITH SUJATIN JOHNSON GS Buddhist teacher of many years experience 12th March, 2024 19:30 COMMENTARY ON THE SUMMARY OF FAITH & PRACTICE Sujatin will offer a seminar on this extensive commentary which covers all essential aspects of Pureland Buddhist faith and practice. These meetings will continue on the second Tuesday of each month.
Meeting ID: 447 192 6002 ~|~ Passcode: 004138 2nd April, 2024 19;00 TREE OF LIFE SANGHA OPEN MEETING This is an open meeting of the Tree of Life Sangha on Tuesday 5th March, including puja and readings led by Sujatin Meeting ID: 447 192 6002 -:- Passcode: 004138 THIS WEEK'S PODCAST
This weeks podcast is about the bar that represents the resistance that we have to life, experience, self-examination, change & anything that does not fit with one's established sense of self, the world and everything. In psychotherapy, the notion of resistance plays a significant role. It is the first barrier. In spiritual training we come up against such resistance again and again. It is closely associated with pride and conceit. In fact, the whole idea of spiritual training can be thought of in terms of overcoming such resistance and arriving at an open mind and an open heart: a heart-mind that has the faith to entrust itself to things as is. (If you think my grammar is off, see the item on Vernacular Zen further on in the Newsletter). LOTUS SUTRA SUMMARISED
You can watch Will give an excellent summary of the major themes of the Lotus Sutra at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Emk4Z2dw3aBtf7MO4WlpDov_kbmTsaD/view
This was a concluding lecture of his series on this important sutra over the previous six months. The Lotus is generally regarded as one of the foremost sutras of the Mahayana tradition and was declared by the Buddha toward the end of his life during the same period as the Pure Land Sutra and Contemplation Sutra. KO-FI
Do visit The Feeling Buddha Ko-Fi site at
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26-28 April. Northern Spain DEEPENING BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY Path and Encounter David Brazier & Iris Dotan Katz Buddhist psychology is not really concerned with making one into something that one is not, but rather with reaching deeper into what one already is. The Dharma is the fundamental source of our being. We spontaneously recognise it as love, compassion, joy and peace. This recognition is something we already have. It is an unconditional gift. Some call it Buddha nature, but we should not get carried away by the idea that we are all buddhas. The source is not a personal possession. A certain humility is necessary. When we are in touch with the unconditioned, we encounter one another in a new spirit and creative things happen. This is the basis of therapy, of spiritual accompaniment, of deep encounter. It is what is lost in the maelstrom of materialism, superficiality and self-centredness that dominates the contemporary world. This is a workshop to support our practice, restore our recognition of what really matters and meet one another in the safety of the Dharma. Enquiries & booking: Oscar via Jisshas < jisshas@googlegroups.com> TALLER DE FIN DE SEMANA:
PROFUNDIZANDO EN LA PSICOLOGÍA BUDISTA: CAMINO Y ENCUENTRO CON DAVID BRAZIER E IRIS DOTAN KATZ
En Ain Karim, Haro, La Rioja Del 26 al 28 de abril de 2024 La psicología budista no se preocupa realmente por convertirnos en algo que no somos, sino más bien en profundizar en lo que ya somos.
El Dharma es la fuente fundamental de nuestro ser. Lo reconocemos espontáneamente como amor, compasión, alegría y paz. Este reconocimiento es algo que ya tenemos. Es un regalo incondicional. Algunos lo llaman naturaleza búdica, pero no debemos dejarnos llevar por la idea de que todos somos budas.
La fuente no es una posesión personal. Es necesaria cierta humildad. Cuando estamos en contacto con lo incondicionado, nos encontramos unos con otros con un espíritu nuevo y suceden cosas creativas. Ésta es la base de la terapia, del acompañamiento espiritual, del encuentro profundo. Es lo que se pierde en la vorágine del materialismo, la superficialidad y el egocentrismo que domina el mundo contemporáneo.
Este es un taller para apoyar nuestra práctica, restaurar nuestro reconocimiento de lo que realmente importa y encontrarnos unos con otros en la seguridad del Dharma. Lugar: Casa de Espiritualidad “Ain Karim”, c/ Bretón de los Herreros, 31, Haro, La Rioja. Horario: Comienzo el viernes a las 18 h, hasta el domingo con la comida. Si tienes cualquier duda o consulta, puedes llamarnos al 620265962 o escribir a formacion@ahoramindfulness.es
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Monday to Friday 06:30 DAILY NEMBUTSU Geeta Chari: Let’s do some Nembutsu every weekday morning at 6:30 am Rome time. We begin to chant straightaway, without social talk, for 20 minutes, in chain-style. There is a bell rung at the end. People who wish to stay and talk afterwards are welcome to do so. Saturdays and Sundays are rest days. Namo Amida Bu Every Thursday there is a half-hour reading and discussion of the Summary of Faith and Practice from 06:00 to 06:30, followed by Nembutsu as usual. ESPAÑOL Practicamos Nembutsu todas las mañanas (excepto fines de semana) a las 6:30 hora de Roma. La práctica consiste en recitar el nembutsu en cadena durante veinte minutos. Al finalizar se escuchará el sonido de la campana, y posteriormente, los que lo deseen podrán conversar. Namo Amida Bu Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84997972011?pwd=NFVGZDhBTy95NTJlalJYWHZaYVJtUT09WhatsAppThere is now a WhatsApp group for those who would like to attend Daily Nembutsu. Please contact jisshas@googlegroups.com to be added. Every Sunday 10:00 SUNDAY PUJA
Dharmavidya, Liz, Sujatin & friends gather for a service on Sunday mornings, normally at 10:00. There is usually a short period of sharing and commonly a theme emerges. this past weekend the theme was the stories that we tell ourselves and others and how some stories conduce to wisdom and compassion while others have unfortunate consequences. The Buddha told many stories to help people awaken. If you would like to join this group, please come along to a meeting. This is a good way to practise together. There are two zoom links given below as travel arrangements sometimes cause some difficulties. When the first does not work, try the second. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84734198325?pwd=eDU5Z0dBUmVuVmFyZktab3dIeHNmQT09Meeting ID: 847 3419 8325 -:- Passcode: 536609 Meeting ID: 447 192 6002 -:- Passcode: 004138 Mondays 09:15
QI GONG WITH ANGELA
Angela is offering Qi Gong on Mondays at 9.15 am Rome time. If you are interested, please contact her via Jisshas < jisshas@googlegroups.com>
Comment by an attender: "I just want to say thank you for the lovely and warm welcoming to your morning Qi Gong experience. I feel very grateful for it. A new way to start the week."
17th March 13:00 NAIKAN WITH KIMIKO
The next one hour Naikan Session. Naikan, literally "inward reflection" is a Japanese approach to life review and Dharma practice. It leads to a sense of gratitude and a healing and enhancing of relationships. Naikan is both a spiritual practice and a personal therapy. Naikan developed out of a Pureland Buddhist retreat practice in which one reflected upon one's life and its destiny. The modern practice can be performed in intensive five or seven day retreats or on a daily basis or from time to time. In Global Sangha we often combine Naikan with Chi Quan, a practice of tranquil abiding in which one offers the fruits of one's introspection to the Buddhas in the spirit of "this is not me, this is not mine, this is not myself" and receives in response the grace and peace bestowed by the tathagata. Join zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88992070497?pwd=M3pDRG9LT3BpMnFwR1BSY0I3Vi9QUT09ID: 889 9207 0497 -:- passcode: 999175
VERNACULAR ZEN Peter Coyote has kindly sent me a copy of his latest book, Zen in the Vernacular: Things as it is, which I am looking forward to reading. In the frontispiece he gives a quotation from The Feeling Buddha. In the introduction he writes: "This book concentrates on the way Zen practice and perspective can be helpful to contemporary secular life, making Zen more accessible and interesting to Americans." Well, I am not an American and there are many things in American culture that I have doubts about, but I'm confident that i am going to find much wisdom as well as practical advice in this volume. Perhaps I shall post more when I have got deeper into it. The expression "Things as it is" derives from Suzuki Roshi for whom it encapsulated the affirmation of unity in diversity and diversity within unity. Thank you Peter.
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The old path may be a bit overgrown but there is a light to follow
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Book now for 23rd-27th October 2024 4th ITZI CONFERENCE "COLLOQUIUM ON BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY" Ten presenters already lined up - how about you? You don't have to be a presenter in order to attend, but we hope that as many people as possible will share their ideas, whether they take a 90 minute, 45 minute or 15 minute slot, alone or jointly with a colleague. Experiential workshops & led discussions will be just as welcome as learned papers. We are aiming to bring together fifty people with an interest in Buddhist psychology, its nature, development, application and relevance to the contemporary world. I bought one of the first tickets. Come and join me, attend, participate & present your work & ideas. It will be a residential colloquium held in northern Spain in an excellent venue, secluded in the mountains, that we have used before and know well. This is a good place for a colloquium. Previous conferences in this series have been very enjoyable gatherings and have included a wide variety of presentations on aspects of Buddhist psychology and its applications in various forms of therapy, personal development, spiritual practice and social life & organisation. The event will be limited to fifty places, so early booking is advisable. The cost for early booking is 320€ fully residential. Information: Sonia via 2024itzi@googlegroups.com, Book now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/globalsangha/1067240#WORDS OF HONEN SHONIN Taijun Tasahara quotes Honen: "I founded Jodo Shu to show that ordinary people can be born in the Pure Land." Honen Shonin is often said to be innovative in his religious thought. At the same time, we must be careful of the sociological aspect of religion, which is that Tendai Shu was unable to preach the teaching of birth for ordinary people. Honen Shonin wanted to liberate Buddhism, which had been the exclusive domain of monks and the aristocracy, to the common people. To achieve this, it was necessary to establish a new sect independent of Tendai Shu. It was not possible to preach the teaching of birth for ordinary people from within Tendai Shu at the time. This dangerous project led to repeated persecutions, but thanks to the project, its teachings and practices were passed down to us 850 years later. I can't help but be grateful to Honen Shonin. Namu Amida Butsu. https://shorturl.at/lXZ56========================================================== TIME TO SIGN UP FOR
THE BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY COLLOQUIUM OCTOBER THIS YEAR IN SPAIN
To Register:Get a ticket at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/globalsangha? "2024 ITZI Conference" More details: see above, the first item in the Newsletter ==========================================================
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