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HEALING THE HEART Newsletter of Global Sangha & Buddhist Psychology number 145 - 15th February 2023
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All times in this Newsletter are Rome time zone IN THE TURKISH WORLD AMIDST QUAKE SUFFERING The relentless stream of images of collapsed buildings, distressed faces, broken bodies, rescue attempts and mounting statistics of the dead that saturates Turkish news media at the moment is dukkha writ large. The whole nation plunges into grief. Everywhere flags are at half mast. Two huge earthquakes and many many smaller ones in the same region within hours of each other has meant that numerous cities are seriously affected. It is difficult to take in the scale of the destruction and the horror. I have met many people who have lost loved ones, in some cases having lost more than twenty relatives at a stroke. The human stories reported daily on the media go on and on and meeting with individuals who have been directly affected is deeply moving. Search and rescue operations continue and a trickle of survivors appears. Aid is pouring in. The Buddhist Tzu Chi organisation was quickly responsive ( https://www.tzuchi.org.tw/en/). The earthquakes are a natural phenomenon, but the extent of the death and destruction is also conditioned by building methods. Tower buildings in Japan withstand such quakes and do not fall, whereas the concrete box structures here can readily collapse like a heap of cards crushing everybody inside. The Japanese style, of course, is more expensive. Quick and cheap is often shoddy and unsafe, but what is one to do when the population grows rapidly and resources are scarce? The people will grieve, both collectively and individually. On the one hand, it is a collective tragedy and millions have suffered similar loss. At the same time, every case is individual and no two losses are identical in their impact upon a life.
Being here in North Cyprus I have been feeling for the victims and survivors and pondering upon human suffering that comes in so many forms. The territory where I am is itself an anomaly, a product of a complex history. When I was a child, Cyprus was a British colony, a united island with considerable diversity of population. I was brought up in a cosmopolitan environment that was initially peaceful, but slowly degenerated into a war zone as factions competed: Enosis wanted union with Greece, EOKA wanted independence, and then there were the communists. All three groups were fighting the British and each other. I listened to the bombs and was taken to school (itself a fortified building) in an armoured vehicle. Eventually the British did a deal with EOKA and the first division of the island took place, the British retaining enclaves for military purposes and a Greek Cypriot government under Archbishop Makarios taking over the rest. In 1974 Makarios was overthrown by a Greek junta. The Turks became alarmed and invaded the north, relying on a clause in the independence guarantee agreement. This second division saw the creation of a Turkish zone in the northern half of the island. Many people were displaced as refugees north or south. Long negotiations led eventually to a referendum on the possible creation of a federal constitution which would eliminate the north south frontier. The Turkish north voted in favour, but the south voted against. So the island remains divided. The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus has no international recognition, but the fact that the south rejected the reunification has given a certain de facto legitimacy. So, a tortured history leading to a three-way divided island is another kind of dukkha. The other day I met a man who said that his father lived out his life able to see his home village far away on the other side of the line, but he was never allowed to visit it.
Soon I shall go to Israel where another tragic situation lingers, seemingly equally impossible of solution and where the political situation seems to be deteriorating.
What will heal the heart of the world? Where is the middle way? We need a middle way between contending factions. We need a middle way in dealing with nature. The attempt to dominate leads to stalemate, or tragedy, or, often, both - enduring misery of conflict and loss. Healing starts with humility. We are not masters of nature, we have to accommodate to it and its laws. No faction is perfect or righteous - it is not so much by asserting rights as by understanding one another that conflicts are healed. It has been a joy to come to this corner of the world that is rejected by so many nations and find a warm welcome, hospitality, friendly faces and generosity. The self-righteous "have their reward already", but healing often begins in the humblest of places. Let's cherish them. Namo Amida Bu. A NEW NAME The Newsletter has morphed into "Healing the Heart". This is the name that we chose for our last December retreat. I have been thinking for some time that the Newsletter should have a name and this seems suitable to our purpose. A global sangha should be about healing hearts, the hearts of individuals and that of the world collectively. The means to this is the "middle way" of Buddha and, in modern times, one of the most accessible and generic pathways to this is Buddhist psychology. Much of my time and energy goes into teaching BP and my faith in doing so rests upon the Global Sangha, a community of simple faith and practice. So Healing the Heart will carry Dharma discourse and news and comment on Global Sangha, Buddhist Psychology and treading the middle way in the world as it is. BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY I am very gratified that the BP programme is doing its job with a dozen students in each year group. This two year programme is equipping participants with skills in using the Dharma to heal self and others and bring out creativity and compassion. An advantage of BP is the way that it cuts across and enriches many different schools of Buddhism, presenting the basic teaching of the great sage in a manner that speaks a modern idiom, addressing the problems of ordinary people. SPREAD THE WORD Do pass HTH on to other members of your sangha and if they are interested, ask them to subscribe.
ESPAÑOL: Siéntase libre de reenviar el HTH a otros miembros de su sangha
y, si están interesados, pueden apuntarse. En los próximos números del Newsletter, habrá más artículos en italiano y español.
Intentemos ampliar la lista de correo a amigos italianos y españoles.
ITALIANO: Sentiti libero di trasmettere la HTH ad altri membri del tuo sangha
e, se sono interessati, possono iscriversi. Nei prossimi numeri della Newsletter, ci saranno più articoli in italiano e spagnolo. Proviamo ad espandere la mailing list agli amici italiani e spagnoli.
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In Nicosia
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
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 (10 February)
Question from a friend: "Is there a point of Nembutsu practice, where one experiences the state of no return?" Reply: When you continue to say Nembutsu every day, you may sometimes think that your practice and faith have become a matter of course, and that you are already in the state of no return. However, it is Amida Buddha who decides whether or not you will be able to be born in the Pure Land, and I don't think it is good for you to think about such a point of no return. I say so because thinking "I've already reached that point" or "I don't think I've reached that point yet" or "Has s/he already reached that point?" will only deepen your confusion. You should not pretend to be judges. Please come back to Ichimai Kishomon. You should entrust yourself to Amida and just chant Nembutsu.
Namu Amida Butsu.
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HEALING THE HEART PRINCIPLES Fraility: we are mortal, fallible, often deluded, imperfect beings. Facility: nonetheless, we can help one another by listening and understanding Facticity: facing the reality of life in this world, without undue idealisation Amity: to love and cherish one another, warts and all. 11-12th March 2023 WEEKEND RETREAT IN BRITTANY FRANCE "Authentic Life & Healing the Heart" David Brazier: I shall lead a retreat in Brittany at ‘Labyrinthe’, the home of Mo & Peter who train in the Soto Zen Tradition. The retreat will include teachings from the book Authentic Life and explain the Dharma of Healing the Heart. We live in times when there is much strife in the world. This is reflected in the stress within ourselves. The Dharma brings peace and healing. By building an international sangha community we bring healing to ourselves and to the world. There is always trouble (dukkha) and there is always the possibility of awakening to authentic life. 10 places, fully residential. Cost: Suggested 50€ per day for full board accommodation plus dana for the teacher & his work. To book: Mo Henderson <labyrinthe3@icloud.com> BOOKSHOP OF THE MONTH David: This past Saturday, I gave a talk in a bookshop in Nicosia, Cyprus. Some 40+ people came, which was more than expected, and we had a lively, friendly meeting. I gave a talk and many questions followed. Some people had already read the book, so questions were to the point. Of course, everybody here is ultra-conscious of the earthquake disaster and the spiritual-psychological questions that flow from such a terrible disaster. Some of those present had lost loved ones. This all gave the meeting an added significance. Afterwards a number of us went to a vegan restaurant and continued discussions and sharing. A very good occasion. Buy books -:- Support local bookshops
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THE PASSING OF MASTER HSING YUN Indisputably one of the greatest contemporary Buddhist masters ℅ Buddhist Door Global (www.buddhistdoor.net): Venerable Hsing Yun, the founding patriarch of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order and the Buddha’s Light International Association in Taiwan, and a leading figure in the Humanistic Buddhism movement, has died in Taiwan. According to an official announcement of his passing, Ven. Hsing Yun passed away on Sunday 5th February (full moon) at 5pm local time. He was 97 years old.
The Fo Guang Shan-affiliated news outlet The Merit Times reported “Ven. Master Hsing Yun devoted his life to the propagation of Humanistic Buddhism [which emphasizes integrating Buddhist practices into everyday life] and the realization of the Fo Guang Pure Land,” &. “In the past 56 years since the founding of Fo Guang Shan, he established more than 300 temples worldwide and founded five universities in Taiwan, Australia, the Philippines, and the USA, as well as the Buddha’s Light International Association with millions of members. Countless people have benefited from his compassionate endeavors.”
Ven. Hsing Yun was born in Jiangsu Province, China, in August 1927. At the age of 12, he was tonsured at Nanjing Qixia Monastery, and received full ordination at the age of 15. He graduated from Jiaoshan Buddhist Academy in 1947. In 1949, at the age of 22, Ven. Hsing Yun relocated to Taiwan, where he would go on to found Fo Guang Shan in 1967 in Kaohsiung, southwestern Taiwan, with four guiding objectives: to propagate the Dharma; to foster talent through education: to benefit society through philanthropy; and to purify human minds through spiritual cultivation and practices.
In the field of education, the achievements of Ven. Hsing Yun and Fo Guang Shan include the founding of the University of the West in the US, Nanhua University and Fo Guang University in Taiwan, the Nan Tien Institute in Australia, and Guang Ming College in the Philippines, in addition to 16 Buddhist Colleges, 27 art galleries, libraries, publishing houses, and book stores, and more than 50 Chinese schools. The master’s philanthropic enterprises have included children’s homes, homes for the elderly, and numerous hospitals and medical clinics, in addition to providing emergency aid and relief, as well as education for the young, the elderly, and the disadvantaged.
Ven. Hsing Yun and Fo Guang Shan have also overseen the creation of numerous organizations and resources to share the teachings of the Buddha, among them the Fo Guang Publishing House, Fo Guang Shan Foundation for Culture and Education, Buddha’s Light Satellite Television (later renamed Beautiful Life Television), and The Merit Times, the first daily newspaper founded by a Buddhist community. In the 56 years following the founding of Fo Guang Shan, Ven. Hsing Yun established more 300 temples worldwide, among them, Hsi Lai Temple in the US, Nan Tien Temple in Australia, Nanhua Temple in South Africa, and Templo Zulai in Brazil.
Ven. Hsing Yun endeavored to propagate the Dharma as a global citizen for more than 80 years, sharing the light of compassion around the world and changing the lives of untold numbers of people. As a prolific writer, he authored the Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, totaling 395 volumes. His work is sustained by more than 2,000 monastic disciples and millions of followers worldwide, more than 100 ordained Dharma heirs to continue his teachings. ============================================================
AMIDA'S CALL TO THE ZEN PRACTITIONER Geeta: - Words by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Title by Geeta, inspired by a conversation during Morning Nembutsu Come down, O maid, from yonder mountain height: What pleasure lives in height (the shepherd sang) In height and cold, the splendour of the hills? But cease to move so near the Heavens, and cease To glide a sunbeam by the blasted Pine, To sit a star upon the sparkling spire; And come, for Love is of the valley, come, For Love is of the valley, come thou down And find him; by the happy threshold, he, Or hand in hand with Plenty in the maize, Or red with spirted purple of the vats, Or foxlike in the vine; nor cares to walk With Death and Morning on the silver horns, Nor wilt thou snare him in the white ravine, Nor find him dropt upon the firths of ice, That huddling slant in furrow-cloven falls To roll the torrent out of dusky doors: But follow; let the torrent dance thee down To find him in the valley; let the wild Lean-headed Eagles yelp alone, and leave The monstrous ledges there to slope, and spill Their thousand wreaths of dangling water-smoke, That like a broken purpose waste in air: So waste not thou; but come; for all the vales Await thee; azure pillars of the hearth Arise to thee; the children call, and I Thy shepherd pipe, and sweet is every sound, Sweeter thy voice, but every sound is sweet; Myriads of rivulets hurrying thro' the lawn, The moan of doves in immemorial elms, And murmuring of innumerable bees.
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DIARY All times are Rome time zone Every day 06:30-06:50 Nembutsu Chanting - Geeta Chari https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84997972011?pwd=NFVGZDhBTy95NTJlalJYWHZaYVJtUT09Wednesday 8th March 12:00-16:00 Upavastha: Full Moon Practice RenewalProgramme of puja, readings, meditation, & chanting until evening https://bit.ly/3YgaPQn -:- Meeting ID: 879 5343 9118 -:- Passcode: 804176 Giovedì ore 21.30 16 febbraio - - ogni due settimane Gruppo Italiano ** Thursday 14:10-15:30, 16th February, then every two weeks Naikan PracticeKimiko Nita
Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3r1gVFj -:- ID: 889 9207 0497 -:- Passcode : 999175 Thursday 14:30, 23rd February & every two weeks IBAP Group / BP Diploma Tutors Meeting *Thursday 19:00-20:30, 16th February & every two weeks ITZI Supervision Group **- Iris Dotan KatzFor presentation, review and discussion of counselling/psychotherapy casework from a Buddhist psychology perspective. Thursdays 16:30 Readings from the Commentary on Summary of Faith & Practicehttps://bit.ly/3T9tX0x Meeting ID: 871 8967 0352 -:- Passcode: 732590 Fridays 19:30 Amitabha Service For the West - Vajrapala & Angela Romani https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89480699209?pwd=enBHS3RYWVZxN1FyUGthZ1o0cVdFZz09Meeting ID: 894 8069 9209 -:- Passcode: 137836 Saturdays 14:00 Refuge Group PujaPuja, Dharma Talk, Sharing, Discussion, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83365263186?pwd=cURmOW5FNGJvdTd2SG1qVWtPSDJrZz09Meeting ID: 833 6526 3186 -:- Passcode: 353386 Sabado 16:30 Encuentro de la Sangha en español y servicio. Guiado por Ganendra. Por zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81138990223?pwd=dmNZU3VmRTRhUjBobVdnMjhuV3NYUT09Para asistir, escribir por whatsapp a +34 620265962. Sundays 10:30 Global Topical Forum- Liz Allmark https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88974912642?pwd=N2VyQnc0MUM4WUU0YTFTdCt0QWVmQT09Meeting ID: 889 7491 2642 -:- Passcode: 537296 Sundays 20:00 GS Friendship GroupAn informal meeting for all https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87394084532?pwd=eEY3eUhHcjN0b0xLanZXcTNqVmVzdz09Meeting ID: 873 9408 4532 -:- Passcode: 519784 FORWARD PROGRAMME 2023 Buddhist Psychology Seminars 25th February 10:00 & 20:00; Upavastha: 8th March; In-person Retreat in Brittany: 11th-12th March; Buddhist Psychology Seminars 18th March 10:00 & 20:00; Buddhist Psychology Seminars 1st April 10:00 & 20:00; Upavastha & Birth of Shakyamuni Buddha: 5th April; Buddhist Psychology In Person Event in Spain 14th-16th April; Buddhist Psychology Seminars 29th April10:00 & 20:00; Upavasthe: 6th May; Buddhist Psychology Seminars 20th May 10:00 & 20:00; Upavastha 3rd June; Buddhist Psychology Weekend 10-11th June; Upavastha 1st July; Obon: 1st to 6th August; Buddhist Psychology Summer School: 7th to 11th August; Upavastha: 30th August; 30th September; 28th October; Healing the Heart Retreat: 25th to 28th November; Bodhi Day: 8th December; Upavastha: 27th December. Other dates will be added when fixed. We intend to have a Buddhist Psychology event in Spain in the spring, but a venue is not yet booked. * Codes separately notified ** Details from Jisshas < jisshas@googlegroups.com>
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