I've been having breathlessness, palpitations, racing heart, blood pressure's up, for the last few weeks. Had an ECG and chest Xrays at the beginning of the week before Christmas...and the results are still not back from the hospital. BP improving but still have a racing heart. I'll be pleased when whatever this is is diagnosed. There's something about the heart that puts you right face to face with your mortality. Hearts being somewhat crucial.

Tomorrow.....hahaha....I start running the guided meditation for relaxation sessions at one of the universities, to help university staff and students de-stress, and I have an evening meeting for my Buddhist group here.

One of the conclusions I've come to over the holiday is to do less. Of course, as soon as I decided that, the phone call requests start coming in for extra this and one off that. But I'm cutting out one of the evening meetings so that I just run Amida Newcastle on Tuesday evenings. Better email and let people know. And I'll have to let the other chaplains know that I'm going to consider myself semi-retired from now on. I actually would have retired 2 1/2 years ago, had I not been forcibly retired from teaching on health grounds in 1996. But I will keep on saying 'yes' to more and more. This is the year of practicing 'no'. (Don't laugh)

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

Dharmavidya will be reading some of his poetry at Sukhavati, 21 Sussex Way, Finsbury Park, London
[nearest tube: Finsbury Park, or, Holloway Road] at 7pm on Tuesday 28th October 2008 :: contact details

POETRY EVENING: "WORDS THE COLOUR OF CLOUD"
28 October 7pm at Sukhavati

An opportunity to hear some work by Rev. Dharmavidya David Brazier, to share pieces written by participants, and to discuss the meaning of poetry in our lives.

Poetry is a vehicle for the communication of feelings and intuitions that may be almost impossible to convey by other means and a meeting of people inspired by poetry can similarly be a shared exploration of tender treasures hidden in the cloak of language.

Donations gratefully accepted. Please feel welcome to join us for a bring and share vegetarian supper at 6.00pm.

RETREAT: INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
29 October 10am - 5pm at Sukhavati

A day to reflect upon what is important to us in the light of faith and love. Our lives are vulnerable and dependent in so many ways and in order to live in a wholesome and 'noble' manner we need faith in the power of unconditional love to hold us even when we seem weak within ourselves. This is the message of Pureland, a branch of Buddhism that encompasses a universal spiritual vision. Rev. Dharmavidya David Brazier, head of the Amida Order, will present these teachings in easy terms and provide opportunity for reflection and simple spiritual practice together. Amida retreat days generally provide a warm atmosphere with opportunities for discussion and making friends as well as for practice and learning.

Suggested donation: £15.00. A light lunch will be provided.

EVENING TALK: "OPENING THE HEART"
29 October 7pm at Sukhavati

Rev. Dharmavidya David Brazier will take us to the heart of what spirituality is about with a talk upon the basic principles that guide him in his life as a Pureland Buddhist, a life of exploration, open heartedness, and reverence for the endless possibilities of existence in this world and beyond. The spiritual path is the most vibrant way of living. it involves a continual self-overcoming driven by the yearning that draws us into relation with a light greater than our own.

Donations gratefully accepted. Please feel welcome to join us for a bring and share vegetarian supper at 6.00pm.

The University of Liverpool, School of Psychology
11/09/2008
Start time: 13:30 - End time: 17:30

Increasingly scientific investigations suggest that Buddhist meditators are happier, have improved cognitive abilities and that meditation practice leads to measurable changes in brain activity. Four experts from psychology, psychotherapy, neuroscience and philosophy present and discuss the evidence from a scientific as well as Buddhist perspective, also drawing on their experience with meditation practice and as Buddhist lay teachers.

::more information and booking details here

Forwarded from a friend:

The Choosing Life Retreat in September is designed to enable those with experience of the Work that Reconnects to get together and share thoughts, plans, skills and aspirations about how we can make a contribution to the healing of the world.

It's a camping gathering between September 25th - 28th 2008 in a beautiful garden site at Easterbrook, Devon. Buddhafield hosts this collectively created event for the third year. (You don't need to be a Buddhist to come, you DO need to have done at least a day or equivalent of the Work that Reconnects)

The gathering will be held on the same land as the 'Positive Seeds Project' which grows some of the food, trees and shrubs needed by Buddhafield. There will be an opportunity to work with the land.

Participants are invited to offer workshops and activities (This isn't obligatory either!). Rituals, meditation, games, discussion and poetry. Share your inspiration!

Led by: Maitrisara, Dharmamrita

Cost: £160/130/85 See http://www.buddhafield.com/Contact.html for contact details and how to book or Tel: 01647 24539 or 07747 446040 or email retreatinfo@buddhafield.com

Today, after our Chaplains' meeting, I met with a member of my sangha and took her for lunch, to celebrate the end of her University course - results at the end of the month. We discussed the wording I'll use for her ceremony at the beginning of July, when she is becomming a member of the Amida-shu (the Amida School) and taking the Upasika precepts.

When I got home (via buying a gorgeous Monsoon top for granddaughter, a holder for the BlackBerry when I'm driving, and suncream - yay!) I was phoned by the Anglican Chaplain at The Other University to say that, as from 1st August, my appointment as Buddhist Contact person, which was a sort of probationary year, has progressed to me being full Buddhist Chaplain and equal member of the Chaplaincy team. It's been a great day. Namo Amida Bu!

My son started me on this blogging lark, although he's been rather quiet of late. Now his daughter, my eldest granddaughter, Freja, age 11, is a blogger (but I'm not putting a link to that). But we're up and running on something else now - I set up a private family Ning network (like a mini-Facebook) so we can blog, put up photos etc etc and my dad, my son and Freja are all members, so the family age span is 11 up to a few days off 88. Waiting for other family members to join now, although some of them are a bit internet-phobic.

My car was vandalised during the night. I didn't hear anything, although my window was wide open, but someone ripped a wing mirror off at about 1:30 am. The police, it transpires, had apprehended him shortly after, and have my mirror and my next door neighbours'. The kid is 15 and is going to be cautioned later this afternoon. I'm more concerned for him than for us - we're inconvenienced but it seems his parents will pay for the damage and, I hope, pass that cost on to him. I hope it gives him enough of a shock that he won't do something like this again and learns that whatever we do has consequences.

I must say I have to deal with quite a bit of this 'illness dukkha'. I'm down with another gastric flu virus. Now that the sickness and splitting headache phase has passed I'm at the wobbly and weak stage - ha, just an increase of my usual state! It's at times like these that I really appreciate this BlackBerry for emailing - I've had a report of the last year to write for the Amida Trustees meeting tomorrow, my iPod, the Powerbook (although the wifi signal doesn't reach my bedroom, up here in 'the gods', I can watch DVDs) - technology rocks - and I'm so grateful for all the Buddhist magazines and a pile of Saga mags I brought back from my Dad's - just right for my attention span. Glad, too, that we listened to so much k.d. lang last weekend, so that, at my sickest, I had her singing in my head.

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Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device