36 posts tagged “amida-shu”

gansha: a person of vow

Oct 4, 2009
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Dharmavidya writes, of a decision we made during the Amida Ordained Conclave:

The term gansha means 'person of the vow'. "Gan" means a vow or prayer or deep aspiration as in the key phrase from Tan Butsu Ge "Gan ga sa butsu" = "my prayer [is that I] become buddha". "Sha" means person. So the term gansha has a double meaning. On the one side it means a person who lives in the light of Amida's vow - and the vows of all buddhas of all times. On the other side it means someone who longs to become buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. When we operate from an other-power perspective we know that we do not have the power ourselves to make ourselves into buddhas, but we know that if we long for it the buddhas who do have such power will hear and shed their light upon us. Thus through our prayer or longing, our lives will become instruments of liberation for many beings even though to ourselves the process will remain mysterious. Buddhism has always placed great store upon a person's gan. According to the gan, so the future. It matters what we dedicate ourselves to, however good at fulfilling that dedication we may be because this is what will work upon the karmic stream.

::continue reading here

dharmavidya - refuge talk 1: latent refuge

Jun 9, 2009
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Refuge Talk one Latent Refuge

To comment, look on the Preland Buddhism group on Friends of Amida

the amida bodhi retreat: distance participation by video continues

Dec 4, 2008
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The video streaming from The Buddhist House has been a great success. I was able to connect from 7:15 - 9:30 this morning for Morning Service and the Entry into the Amida School ceremony. We've been joined from Singapore, Texas, Israel and many other places around the world.

And there's more to come - I've just received an email saying:

Bodhi Retreat Video Schedule
We're now about half way into the Bodhi Retreat, and just getting to grips with live video streaming, log on to www.amidatrust.ning.com to tune in to our live events.
Today 11.15 GMT Q&A with Dharmavidya David Brazier
            13.00 GMT Midday service
             17.00 GMT Tai Shi Chi Chanting
Tomorrow 5th December

             7.20 GMT Sutra Chanting
              8.00 GMT Morning Service
             12.30 GMT Midday Service
              16.00 GMT Freeform Nembutsu

Saturday 6th December

             7.20 GMT Sutra Chanting
              8.00 GMT Morning Service
             9.00 GTM Shu-Admissions ceremony
   12.00 GMT Service

Sunday 7th December

            7.20 GMT Sutra Chanting
              8.00 GMT Morning Service
             9.00 GTM Ordination Ceremony
           12.00 GTM Quan Yin Chanting

Monday 8th Decmeber BODHI DAY

          6.45 Sutra Chanting
          7.00 Service
          8.00 five hour nembutsu chanting
          15.20 closing ceremony

morning service and ceremony of admission to the amida school

Dec 3, 2008
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Video from the Bodhi retreat:

Next Live Event: - Morning Service and Amida Shu admissions Thursday 4rd December 07.30 GMT ::here

live - 24 hour nembutsu, from mid-day 1st december (gmt)

Dec 1, 2008
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I'll be following the 24 hour chanting at The Buddhist House. Kaspa emailed to say:

In a couple of hours we begin our annual Bodhi Retreat, a time of coming together and celebration. As ever we begin with our 24 hour chanting session, this year we'll be streaming video live from The Buddhist House. You can access the video at both www.amidatrust.com and on friends of Amdia at www.amidatrust.ning.com.
Also, new on Friends of Amida, the Amida chat room. I'll be logged in there over the 24 hours, feel free to log in and say namo amida bu!

why chant?

Nov 26, 2008
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Dharmavidya writes:

Everything in life depends upon causes and conditions. Set up the right conditions and the right things happen. Buddhism teaches the right conditions for spiritual growth. A person is what they do. If a person acts with right intention they transform spiritual dangers into opportunities. Buddha taught that times of change (birth, illness, loss, gain, conjunction, separation, and encounter) are occasions of danger that can also be opportunity. However, a person is seldom able to take hold of such opportunity by their will-power alone. Will-power alone tends to be self-defeating because even when it achieves something it gives rise to pride over and attachment to those results. There is a more effective and subtle path to wholesome transformation via the deeper mind and the most effective way of activating such change is to chant.
Actions are conditioned by mind and mind by actions. Since actions are conditioned by mind and mind is also conditioned by its objects, holding a wholesome object in mind conduces toward a wholesome life. Since the most wholesome object is a Buddha, keeping a Buddha in mind is the key to transformation. Since mind is conditioned by actions, the action of calling the Buddha deeply impresses this most wholesome object upon the mind, like a seal pressed into wax. The Buddhas are constantly trying to help us, but generally we resist their help. By calling out to them we open the door to our inner being through which they can help us and, through us, help others.
Actually, the Buddhas are always calling to us. Amida Buddha is calling each of us. Amida's light penetrates the deepest part of us, but unless we also call we remain closed. Once we begin a practice of chanting, however, a process of transformation begins. Something subtle starts to happen. Each person who chants becomes a vehicle for Amida's compassionate work in the world, whether they are aware of it or not. Mostly, in fact, one is not aware of Amida's action until one looks back over a period of time and sees that one's life has changed. One has become more positive and more effective in many ways and obstacles that used to seem big now seem manageable or small. We do not chant in order to change. We do not chant in order to help others. We chant in order to call the most loving presence into our life and to make ourselves available to it, but the effect is that we do change and others are benefited.
::original on Friends of Amida

amida-shu definitions

Oct 24, 2008
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::Dharmavidya writes:
Q: What is Amida-shu

A: Socially engaged Pureland Buddhism, a generic, religious spirituality animated by the energy of Amida Buddha. Amida-shu has three basic teachings: the trikaya nature of Buddhas, the bombu nature of adherents and the nembutsu as principle practice. The core teachings of Amida-shu are found in the Larger Pureland Sutra. Amida-shu is an other power spirituality.

Q: What is other power?

A: Other power refers to the Buddha's teaching of 'dependent origination', according to which all things arise in dependence upon causes and conditions. This means both that the causes in our karmic history will always cause us to be bombu and also that there are other causes that can, nonetheless, empower our spiritual life. All of these - our own karmic history and our openness to the healing power of Buddhas - are outside of ('other' than) our present self. We are both victims and beneficiaries of other powers. When we take refuge in the healing power of a Buddha it is as though a seed were planted within us that will then grow by itself. We then become a tathagatagarbha, or 'buddha-womb' within which the seed of Buddha gradually matures. Calling upon Amida Buddha is thus like allowing oneself to be impregnated by the Buddha's healing power which will then grow of its own accord. Amida-shu thus relies upon a subliminal process of spiritual growth.

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what are the basic teachings of amida-shu buddhism?

Aug 20, 2008
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Dharmavidya writes:

Amida-shu is a form of Buddhism that affirms (together with all Mahayana Buddhsim) the threefold nature of Buddha (ultimate Buddha, spiritual Buddha, Buddha in the world), adheres to the Pureland Buddhist emphasis upon the ‘bombu’ nature of the practitioner (that we do not have the power to become enlightened unaided), and adopts as its core practice the ‘nembutsu’ (calling upon Amida Tathagata).

These three constitute the core teachings of Amida-shu. Different members of Amida-shu may interpret these teaching in different ways. Amida-shu is in favour of personal spirituality and regards these three teachings as a framework within which individuals pursue their spiritual quest. The nature of faith, the real meaning of a ‘spiritual Buddha’, the value of particular practices, and so on are things for the practitioner to find out through experiential immersion, experiment, and reflection. Amida-shu is thus a school of Buddhism with much scope for enquiry and is not a ‘hand-me-down’ set of dogmas, even though it does provide a simple frame within which enquiry can proceed.

Broadly, Amida-shu differs from many other schools of Buddhism in seeing many of the elements of Buddhist teaching as ‘outcomes’ rather than as ‘means’. Thus, it is common for Buddhism to be presented as a means to attain enlightenment and the ‘eightfold path’, for instance, will then be presented as the method by which one can practice so as to arrive at the spiritual goal, whereas in Amida-shu the eightfold path will tend rather to be seen as the outcome of a spiritual life. This gives a particular 'flavour' to this kind of spirituality making it celebratory rather than goal oriented. The emphasis on 'bombu nature' similarly eliminates any kudos in being 'spiritually advanced' and facilitates a spiritual relaxation into a sense of assured grace.

The Amida-shu understanding of ‘faith’ is ‘other power’ but not passive. We believe that by associating ourselves with a Buddha we become part of that Buddha’s work.

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love and its disappointment

Aug 7, 2008
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The cover copy for David Brazier's next book
Love and Its Disappointment: The meaning of life, therapy and art
to be published next year, is as follows...

What is life about? Love. Does love run smoothly? No. To whom does this matter? Everybody. Simply facts with enormous implications. Rooted in common knowledge, this book advances in clear and specific terms a radical and practical theory of human functioning, exploring the relationships between beauty and love, frustration and creativity, perception and healing. Essential reading for psychotherapists, it is also full of insights for the critic of culture and society.

::link

newcastle and northumbria degree ceremonies

Jul 16, 2008
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Yesterday I was a guest, as a member of the Chaplaincy team at Northumbria University, at the Congregation at which Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. As Buddhist Chaplain at Newcastle University, I was a member of the academic procession at two Congregations last week, at one of which Rachel Abel, Amida-shu member, received her degree. This was the first time that Buddhist robes have been worn in the academic procession at the University.