Kyrenia Castle
There is still (just) time to join the
Enrolment for 1st February 2024 now open
“DIPLOMA IN BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY”
TWO YEAR PROGRAMME
Course leader: Dr David Brazier
Tutors: Dr Iris Dotan Katz (Israel),
Dr Yaya de Andrade (Canada, Brazil),
Kimiko Nita (Japan), Nati Menendez (Spain)
This training is offered by an independent consortium of scholar-practitioners. It is a unique and in many cases life changing learning experience working with a highly talented team, to develop skills and knowledge and to contribute to the on-going development of applied Buddhist psychology.
Theme: Buddhist Psychology has been developing over the past 2500 years. This unusual independent program presents this wisdom in a form accessible to modern people. The program based primarily upon the work of Dr. Brazier, has been developing over three decades and has been run in Korean, Spanish and English, It is continuously revised and updated in the light of changing circumstances (covid, zoom, etc.), student experience, and new research and studies. The 2024 intake will be the third run of the current iteration of the course and students will have some interaction with those who are one or two years ahead of them.
The programme presents Buddhist teachings as a psychological medium. This is not a course on using Buddhist techniques to assist Western style therapy, but rather an in-depth examination of Buddhist wisdom applied as psychology: the spiritual path from a psychological point of view and psychological work from a spiritual perspective. It imparts important, liberating, interpersonal skills, personal insight and develops Buddhist compassion.
Format:
Study Material: theoretical and stimulus material, mostly text, but also including audio and video items, is presented on dedicated web pages with associated experiential exercises for students to perform and report back on.
Co-operative Learning - students see and comment on each other's work.
Seminars by zoom every two or three weeks led by staff with time for student inter-action.
Individual Tutorials.
Peer Learning Groups. A vitally important part of the course.
On-line Weekend Workshops three times per year (January, June & October) with lectures, case presentation, experiential groupwork and topic discussions.
Summer School: A one week optional in-person summer school is offered in August in France
The course is divided into six week units called "Classrooms". Spring Semesters (February-July) contain four "Classrooms". Autumn Semesters (September-January) have three Classrooms. Each Classroom contains three topics for study. There are 16 "Classrooms" altogether.
Content: The study materials introduce the major Buddhist teachings common to most schools of Buddhism presented as psychology, showing their applications in personal practice, interpersonal work, psychotherapy and society. The material is quite extensive and requires a minimum of three hours per week. There are no grades, but there are deadlines.
Suitable for: This is a programme for therapists who want to deepen their understanding of the Buddhist perspective, for Buddhist practitioners wishing to learn a therapeutic and inter-personal way of applying the Buddhist teachings, and for all wishing to deepen their insight into their own lives and relationships with others.
Time Zones: Students come from many countries and zones. Seminars are generally repeated morning and evening European time so as to provide options.
Pre-Entry: The next start date will be 1st February, 1st May or 1st September 2024, depending on the number of applicants who apply before the end of this year. Students who book now may start to attend seminars straight away, but will not receive course materials until the start date.
Geeta writes: - "The course is transformative for relationships of all kinds: family,
work, friendships. This Psychology course is not just for professionals.
Psychology is not the preserve of a small group, it seeks to enable
everyone to benefit from learning and applying Buddhist psychology in
their own lives. While the course allows students to learn at their own
pace, it also imposes gentle demands that lead to personal growth."
Staff:
Dr David Brazier, psychotherapist and Buddhist teacher, author of sixteen books including Zen Therapy and many other writings. Co-editor of the Oxford Manual of Meditation. English, living in France.
Dr. Iris Dotan Katz, clinical psychologist with a private practice in Tel Aviv has many years of experience in Zen and Pureland Buddhism and in socially engaged action and peacemaking.
Dr. Yaya de Andrade, a Canadian retired psychologist, originally from Brazil, lived and worked in Vancouver for more than 40 years. She has special interest working with refugees, indigenous peoples, and other groups recovering from traumatic circumstances, wars and major disasters around the world. She currently lives near Toronto.Kimiko Nita, 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.
Natividad Menendez, counsellor and focussing practitioner, based in Spain.
Dr. Priti Vaishnav, from India, who has extensive experience in working in areas of social distress around the world offers administrative support
Fees: £225 per semester (equivalent to £1025 for the whole course over two years and three months).
To Register: Please write to Jisshas <jisshas@googlegroups.com> giving
Full name, Date of birth. Street address. E-mail address. Details of your background in Buddhism (if any). Details of your background in psychology/therapy (if any). Your reasons for interest in the course.&
Booking is already open for next autumn's
ITZI Conference in Spain
Book now for early booking price
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. 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,
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ITZIconference/Book now:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/globalsangha/1067240#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.
TAIJUN KASAHARA: THE QUESTION OF IMAGES
A question from a friend:
"I was wondering if you could explain the role the statue or picture of Amida Nyorai serves. From what I learned from other traditions, depictions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are used as a symbol for their presence, a means to focus your mind and also to convey teachings; and that it was always the Buddha or Bodhisattva that is worshiped, and never the image itself. Is the same true for Jodo-Shu?
And what would then be the significance of the Kaigen-Shiki ceremony you mentioned, does this sort of mark the point at which the statue becomes such a symbolic representation of Amida Nyorai, or is it taught that the spirit of Amida actually resides in the image then, and so the image is actually worshiped after the ceremony?"
TK: Although the spirit of Amida Buddha does not actually reside in the Amida Nyorai statues or their paintings, we worship them thinking that the Buddha's spirit resides there. A channel is created between the small statue of Amida Buddha and the great Amida Buddha, and worshiping the small statue leads to worshiping the great Amida Buddha, which is invisible to the naked eye. There is great meaning in that.
For example, how do you feel when you look at photos of your family? The spirit of the family does not reside in the photos; it is simply a collection of colored particles. However, when you look at the photos, they bring back memories of your family and the feelings of being with them.
The same is true when worshiping Buddhist statues. What is important is the spiritual feeling that is evoked in you by looking at a Buddha statue and by worshiping it. In my opinion, eye-opening ceremony is to make it more realistic.
A wooden statue in the shape of a Buddha becomes an object of worship through an eye-opening ceremony performed by a priest. By putting your hands together and worshiping the Buddha statue, you can direct your heart to the world of true Buddha that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Again, this is a matter of practice, not theory. Rather than asking whether the spirit of Amida Buddha actually resides in the Buddha statue or not, we ask ourselves what kind of changes occur in us when we worship the statue thinking that it is connected to the true Amida Buddha. I hope this answer would be of some help to you.