On Saturday, Antoinette, Gordon and Perry led Liz and myself through a ceremony to bless and celebrate the fact that they successfully completed the Buddhist Psychology Advanced Certificate programme.
The ceremony was held in the middle of a large stone circle in Avebury which happened to be in the back garden that belonged to their friend Gordon who is also a Wicken Priest. We dawned our caps and gowns :) for this celebration with and in the elements and were first cleansed with sage and yarro…
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Added by Susthama on November 16, 2009 at 5:00pm —
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As a bombu Buddhist, I have attained nothing that will get me closer to supreme awakening. How can I? I am an ordinary earthly being, proud of so many things and pathetic in so many other ways that compound karmic consequences exponentially. What does all this mean anyway? Where would I be now if I had entered the stream and had a modicum of spiritual accomplishment?
To appreciate and value others is what I've learned from other members of my sangha. Sometimes, it can be hard for bombus to feel…
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Added by Susthama on October 5, 2009 at 9:30am —
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Reading Clark Strand's book together with listening to the recent lectures given in France has been an inspiring experience.
I've not finished reading all of the chapters yet, I find that I am taking delight in reading a chapter and spending time thinking about it while I do something else and then going back over one or two of the pages from an earlier chapter as questions and ideas form in my mind. I've also been very grateful to Strand himself for taking time to answer a couple of questions…
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Added by Susthama on July 25, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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(another song that I've not finished yet)
and when the time comes for me to die
will I be ready to say good-bye
to all my friends
and all my loves
that I have placed on high
For Amida waits for me
in the place where all is free
Amida Buddha
is the one I long to see
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Added by Susthama on May 25, 2009 at 6:57pm —
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Let the world fall apart
Let the system be corrupt
Let the winner take it all
I'll still have Amida in my heart
A song for you
is a song for me
to dance to the beat of the thunder clap
roaring and drumming to Amida's beat
See the sun behind the cloud
watch the fires burn underground
Amida's light lingers all around
this self so stupid and so proud
A song for you
is a song for me
Oh to be a cat in the Buddha's lap
loving and purring to Amida's tune
Watch the thief in the night
hear the liar s…
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Added by Susthama on May 22, 2009 at 10:00pm —
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Last week, I was invited to be part of a panel of women to talk about our faith to a group of theology students at a multi-faith centre held at St.Philip's Church. I talked about Amida and the Quaker talked about the Light and the young Muslim talked about the project that she has started with a friend of hers.
She started by saying that she and her friend were starting to panic as they finished their studies and didn't know what to do after they graduated. They looked around and found many thi…
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Added by Susthama on May 19, 2009 at 4:00pm —
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Added by Susthama on March 14, 2009 at 1:31pm —
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I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of strange
when I look, you look at me
from inside my computer screen
But it sounds very odd
and it sounds very weird
when I listen to you, you listen to me
from somewhere in the sound machine
so there you are, and here I am
with a silent lag in between
from the time I was
to who I am
it wasn't you and it wasn't me
looking and listening through the cyber sea
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Added by Susthama on December 7, 2008 at 11:08pm —
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That stands for back at the Buddhist House. I arrived late Friday night, 3 hours later than I had hoped due to lane closures, accidents, and patches of fog. I'm happy to be back though - sitting by the fire with a hot cup of lemon tea to prevent this head cold from turning into something worse. I can handle three bursts of sneezing an hour, a runny nose, pounding head and achey bones. The 24 hour continuous nembutsu starts tomorrow - we've done the first practice session - bell, tap, chant, bell…
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Added by Susthama on November 30, 2008 at 5:49pm —
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Only a couple of more weeks until I go back to Amida France. This is a great place - nature's beauty abounds, inspiring even the most anti-religious cynic and skeptic to have doubts about the spiritual dimension in life. I've never spent time out there during the autumn nor winter but I have heard from others who have and I imagine the following:
I will stand amongst the tall grass and trees, hear the stags call out for their mates and watch the colours turn into warm earthly tones; brown, yell…
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Added by Susthama on August 30, 2008 at 10:23am —
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Today a few of us from The Buddhist House will be going to the Peace Pagoda in Milton Keynes to commemorate the 1st anniversary of Venerable Handa's death. There is a new monk there - and all seems to be going well for them after the devastating loss of Ven. Handa.
Yesterday I spoke to our good friend Joan Court, aside from heart trouble she is doing as well as to be expected and is still active in providing advocacy to those less fortunate - mainly animals these days. The situation has got a l…
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Added by Susthama on August 17, 2008 at 7:39am —
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I’ve been thinking about stories lately. Normally, I get caught up in my own story, actually to be more precise, I get caught up and carried away by the feelings that some of the scenes trigger. These days I seem to be moved by the stories of those I meet along this path.
I've met two people who have had experiences that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. The details of their stories, the characters involved have been incredible (so you know that they aren't made up) and the way they have come throug…
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Added by Susthama on August 3, 2008 at 9:44pm —
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I am living in Cuckoo land. In Cuckoo land the cuckoo bird sings 'cuckoo cuckoo' non-stop from morning to night. I try and sing Namo Amida Bu but soon get caught singing cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo. It's infectious so I join the other cuckoo birds.
So here in Cuckoo land, I sing cuckoo cuckoo while sitting, standing, walking and lying down, whatever I do is cuckoo cuckoo. And all the while, I feel Amida calling back to me 'cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo.'
One day I hope to catch sight of the cuckoo bird.
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Added by Susthama on May 25, 2008 at 3:00pm —
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