About Me:

A very alone person. Bright and creative. I need something to do. But I've been repeating that mantra for a long time. In decent shape. That's valuable as age 70 is visible from here. I'm 69. On January 6, 2009, I'm going to be 68. It's all in my attitude.

Faith Background & Affiliation

Buddhist practice ... vipassana and Tibetan B and Pure Land. I enter the first two doors because that is what is accessible. I'd explore a Pure Land path if we had a PL sangha in this area. On a parallel plane, several years ago there was a TNH sangha in this area.

Occupation or Primary Activity

Volunteering in ESL and reading with kids. I live in a Creekside Commons Cohousing. Intense. A lot of meetings. A lot of parallels with a spiritual community. For more info see www.creeksidecommons.ca

Involvement in Spirituality/Religion

Primary focus. A lot of healing of old Catholic stuff. In some respect my first big dive into Buddhist practice occurred when I joined a sangha that met weekly. 1996. There were several lesser dives before that. First residential retreat in 1991. First attempts a meditation, prompted by a work chum, 1979.
Embodied spirituality ... yoga.
Intense work with Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. In the midst of a 9-month, 1x/month, group working through The Book: Zindel Segal and company with a transpersonal psychiatrist and shaman teacher.
Plan to work intensively in 2009 with Reggie Ray's new 2-volume (= 20 CD's) Your Breathing Body.
December 10 was the 40th anniversary of Thomas Merton's bizarre death in Bangkok. I read him a lot when I was a teenager. Never quite got to his monastery for a retreat, although it wasn't all the far away. I felt I was too much of a sinner. GUILT can't be that far away. February I hear. I'll have to do a sequel on CATHOLIC GUILT. The Dalai Lama just wouldn't believe it.

What is your interest in Amida Trust

Pure Land + engaged Buddhism + service + Buddhist psych

Have attended 3-4 years of retreats, workshops, etc. presented annually by Caroline and David in Vancouver.

How did you find this web site?

I don't remember. About five years ago.

What country are you living in?

Canada

What is the nearest town to where you live? If in UK, please give first half of your postcode. Thank you.

(city) Courtenay, B.C. or (CITY) VANCOUVER

Are you a member of an Amida group/Congregation

not at the moment

Have you visited

None of these

What other interests do you have, eg Arts, Gardening and so on.

Writing, clay sculpture, mark making, gardening. Several different chapters of palliative care Hospice work, including in the Downtown East Side in Vancouver. Lots of ESL work and adult literacy and teaching creative writing courses. Utterly fascinated with witnessing kids growing into language.
L'Arche work also invites me to come closer. Memories of a talk in Victoria in 1983 by Jean Vanier still vibrate warmly. His charisma and the depth of his love for people with mental handicaps have planted seeds flowering all over the world. A global community. Learning to "walk each other home."
Travel + photo + journal. I'm going to Bali in January 2009.
Animals. Gardens.
Walking along the shore and in the forest, both of which are about two miles away. Stillness.