The Function of Arts in Amida

[Dharmavidya]

Over the past year or so there has been an increasing focus upon arts activities within Amida. This has, in part, come out of the development of the Maitri Project with its accompanying series of day workshops. One of these was entitled Archedrama and we have continued doing Pandramatics ever since every week. We now, in fact, have the rights on the term "Pandramatics" as a trademark. If we consider this activity alone we can see that it functions at several levels
a) it is a valuable creative activity in its own right that helps participants, whether members of TBH or visitors, to shed inhibitions and learn to be more inventive and spontaneous.
b) it brings participants to TBH and, no doubt, could develop further in this respect.
c) it has become a basis from which we are developing our thinking about the theory of creativity and spontaneity - whether there is the making of a book in this we shall see, but there will certainly be some written material flowing from the work.
d) any one art form tends to stimulate others.

Similar remarks could no doubt be made about any other form of art ativity. We do now have an art room at TBH. As yet it appears to me to be under-used, but maybe it is early days. We have had poetry days.

All this makes me wonder if we are developing in some degree toward becoming a kind of "Growth Centre". I would have no objection to this kind of development if people have enthusiasm for it. I think, however, that it is important that we see this kind of activity as an integrated par of our practice rather than a leisure pursuit and escape. This is one reason why I am also keen for us to discuss and talk about these matters so that we have some clarity about what we are about.

[Dharmavidya]

Yesterday evening, as part of the Fifth Living Buddhism Conference, we had an open discussion about arts and spirituality. The four panelists included a poet, a song writer, and two theatre people. Each spoke about their experience with their own kind of art and then we had discussion involving the audience. I found myself intersted in the different styles of creativity - some involving much repetitative effort, some mysteriously seeming to emerge from nowhere, some working in media which offer high resistance to the effots of the artist and some more fluid - and also in the patterns of experience - sometimes in the flow, sometimes barren, sometimes working something through with perseverence, sometimes feeling compelled. There was a good deal about emptying oneself, discovery, and trusting the process. There was discussion of bringing an artistic attitude into everyday life - gardening, cooking a meal, tidying and arranging a room - the poem of everyday and the altruistic spirit of making something beautiful. There was also concern about the celebrification of performance and the need to bring participation back to ordinary people doing things together. All these themes were stimulating and I found it a very good evening.

[caroline brazier]

I think another important development which is still in process at TBH is the development of an art room. This adds to the fantastic facilities which we are amassing there. I'd love to see more people staying in the house and using these. We can now offer an art room, a large library,a computer room as well as the large shrine room. We have private guest rooms and a beautiful garden. All makes for a facility where people can undertake their own study programme, personal retreat or therapeutic journey with interaction with the community in practice periods, seminars, pandramatics and so on. What an amazing holiday possibiity. Where is everyone????

Also, might I add, we have our arts in France period in the summer (August)

[Dharmavidya]

no still point in this dancing flux
except when we decide it so
and this then will become the crux
around which we all go
yet others may have other thoughts and make
a different middle
with other music to concatenate
upon their drum and fiddle
so will you dance, oh, will you dance,
and will you dance with me?
as we spin and dive and prance
what miracles we'll see,
what contradictions live and flourish
in complex fields of grace
that flow in richness so to nourish
all the peril one dare face,
steps perilous and unrelenting -
each must join the reel
risking joy or long repenting
while not made of steel
but only of sweet flesh and blood and all
that's soft and tender
responsive to love's endless call
take refuge in its sender.

[Dharmavidya]

Namo Amida Bu

[Steve Durham]

Please forgive what no doubt is a premature reply ("premature" because I have only just today, 3 June 2008, joined Ning and joined this particular group. In fact, my reply actually is a question, preceded by background:

BACKGROUND: I am about to enter a 3-6 month "sabbatical," although at the end I will not be returning to my current work (I serve a Presbyterian congregation in Chicago, Illinois). During that sabbatical, I intend to do a lot of "creative writing." That will include finishing some research on a historical novel I am about to rewrite (at a publisher's suggestion, ultimately for resubmission) ... but also a lot of "experimental" fiction writing. By "experimental" I mean most likely short story writing, a format with which I'm actually fairly unfamiliar and inexperienced.

QUESTION: in light of Dharmavidya's 4th point above ("d) any one art form tends to stimulate others"), would it be appropriate to submit short stories as well as poetry to this site? I can't be more specific than that, other than to say they would be "explorations" of Buddhist themes in the form of short fiction (or, less likely in my case, poetry).

namu amida bu
steve durham

[Dharmavidya]

Yes. Do. - I'll put a point on the main forum.

[Steve Durham]

Great! I'm 6+ weeks away from the actual beginning of the "sabbatical" and do not yet know how much time I'll have to write during those 6 weeks ... but this encourages me to give it a try, and definitely beginning in 6 weeks or so.