4th Living Buddhism Conference

Programme information

Mike Fitter — 2006-03-02T08:55:09+01:00

4^th Living Buddhism Conference

27th – 30th April 2006

. LEARNING FREEDOM .
A conference on Liberative and Transformative Experience

On our tenth anniversary, Amida Trust is delighted to be hosting the 4^th Living Buddhism Conference in our home village of Narborough, Leicestershire, England. The conference starts on Thursday 27^th April from 5.00pm and ends on Sunday 30^th April at 3.30pm. Registration and all plenary events will be in the Parish Centre, Desford Rd, two minutes walk from The Buddhist House. You can attend the full conference or come on a day basis. Thursday and Fridays evening talks can be attended separately

In addition to plenary sessions, each of which will consist of a keynote speaker with respondent, there will be more than 20 workshop sessions on a wide variety of topics, including St. Francis and the Buddha; Education as a tool for social change; Campaigning for animal rights; Building community through the arts. We can also look forward to evening entertainment on Saturday and excellent vegetarian food.

Speakers and topics include:

The community and the individual – whose liberation?

Dharmavidya (David Brazier) on Meta-community and Metta community

Mary Midgley - respondent

Liberation - working inside and outside formal education systems

Maitrisara on Liberate the Teacher: Stories of a Feral Educator

Prasada (Caroline Brazier) – respondent

Freedom to draw from different wells – experiences of Interfaith Dialogue

Elizabeth Harris on Drawing from Different Wells: a Buddhist-Christian Exploration

Sundari (Gina Clayton) – respondent

Thursday evening panel: Modgala Duguid (India project) John Zulu (Zambia project) and others.

Friday evening public lecture: Mary Midgley on Does Gaia Take Revenge?

The plenary speakers

Dharmavidya, David Brazier is head of the Amida School and Order, author of several books on Buddhism.

Elizabeth Harris is National Secretary for inter-faith relations in the Methodist Church and author of books on Buddhism and Buddhist–Christian relations.

Maitrisara is an FWBO order member and facilitator of Reflect-Action, an internationally used approach to adult education and social change inspired by the work of Paulo Freire.

Mary Midgley is “a philosopher who likes to try and find connections between science and the life of the spirit”. She is the author of many books on moral philosophy.

Prasada, Caroline Brazier is the head of educational work in Amida Trust and author of Buddhist Psychology.

Sundari, Gina Clayton is a chaplain in the Amida Order and a human rights law teacher. Her ministry is developing work with faith groups and refugees.

More details can be found at: http://www.buddhistpsychology.info/conference.html

To book: Email: conference@amidatrust.com Phone: +44 (0)116 2867476

Write to: The 4th Living Buddhism Conference, The Buddhist House, 12 Coventry Road, Narborough, Leicestershire LE19 2GR UK

Preparations in Full Swing

David Brazier — 2006-02-23T22:32:06+01:00

Preparations for the Conference are now well advanced. The planning team is currently allocating workshop slots. It looks as though we are going to have an immensely stimulating time with a wide variety of presentations. Major themes emerging are Education inside and outside of formal systems, the tension between liberating communities and liberating individuals, and the role of faith and spiritual practice. There will be a substantial inter-faith dimension to the conference with Elizabeth Harris as one of the keynote speakers. We are also pleased that Mary Midgley will play a significant part in the proceedings. The programme will be finalized soon, so if you want to offer a workshop and have not yet reserved a slot, please do contact us. And... we are still taking bookings.

Leaflet

David Brazier — 2005-11-27T22:10:35+01:00

You can now view or download the conference leaflet from here.

Siddhartha & Francis

David Brazier — 2005-10-31T15:51:54+01:00

Dennis Oliver will present a workshop on Buddha and St Francis.

The Reflect Action Cycle

David Brazier — 2005-10-30T17:55:18+01:00

Maitrisara will be presenting a workshop at the Conference on this approach to education and community development. Maitrisara made a very valuable presentation on this same theme as part of the training of Amida volunteers during this autumn's programme of preparation before their departure for the Amida-UMF project in Delhi. Maitrisara is a member of the Western Buddhist Order.

Strengthening the Multi-faith Dimension

David Brazier — 2005-05-24T23:55:46+02:00

We have just heard that Alan Race, editor of the excellent journal Intereligious Insight , and a Christian minister, will give a presentation at the conference on the question whether multi-faith dialogue is a pathway to learning freedom. Does it generate liberation or confusion? How are we liberated by understanding another faith perspective? With the development of Interlog Buddhist-Christian dialogue has come to the forefront of our attention and multifaith awareness now promises to be an important strand in the 4th Living Buddhism Conference.

Madeleine Chappell

David Brazier — 2005-05-05T11:00:12+02:00

We have just heard that Madeleine Chappell, Alexander practitioner and long time supporter of engaged Buddhist movements, is going to offer a workshop on creative presence and mindfulness.

Dharma School is Coming

David Brazier — 2005-04-26T22:12:44+02:00

Norma and Anne-Marie from the Dharma School in Brighton will make a presentation at the Conference. The Dharma School is the only Buddhist school for children in Western Europe. It has nursery and primary school sections.

Ahimsa

David Brazier — 2005-04-04T14:07:44+02:00

Paul Norman from Lotus Lake Buddhist Centre in Tallahassee, Florida is coming to the Conference and will lead a workshop on Ahimsa: The Healing Power of Non-violence. We are also hoping his wife will come and give us an offering related to her work with prisoners on death row.

Prevalence of the Feminine

David Brazier — 2005-03-31T23:48:31+02:00

Announcement: A Conference workshop to be led collectively by Sr. Susthama Kim, John Nugent, Yaakov Matri and Lynn Grounds on "The Prevalence of the Feminine"
All of us have feminine and masculine qualities but to what extent does the feminine one prevail in today's society? For some, this aspect may be hidden or locked up and needs to be freed in order to bring balance and peace to the world around us.

Masking Freedom

David Brazier — 2005-03-30T08:17:36+02:00

Mary Archibald will present a workshop at the Conference using masks. What mask are you wearing today?

Yaakov Matri

David Brazier — 2005-03-27T16:43:54+02:00

Announcement: Yaakov Matri, psychoanalyst, Pureland Buddhist, and author of a major book in Hebrew about the work of D.W.Winnicott, will participate in the 4th Living Buddhism Conference.

OD Post-Conference Group Meeting

David Brazier — 2005-03-26T06:43:09+01:00

The "Organisations Applications" special interest group now has its own weblog at Buddha on the Board. They are concerned with the application of Buddhist principles in the development of organisations in the broadest sense. This group will hold a post-conference gathering 1st-2nd May 2006. If you would be interested in joining this event or in convening a special interest group on another theme at that time, please contact the conference organisers.

A Conference Newspaper?

David Brazier — 2005-03-24T22:50:04+01:00

We are discussing the possibility of a "conference newspaper" to be run by a Leicester multi-faith youth group.

Running Tide 6

David Brazier — 2005-03-24T22:47:32+01:00

The latest issue of Running Tide is just coming off the press. This will advertise the Conference and include an invitation for papers. The rate at which the speaker list is growing is already impressive. The Conference has struck a chord.

First Speakers Listed

David Brazier — 2005-03-23T13:06:38+01:00

This new weblog has been created so that you can keep track of the next Living Buddhism Conference as it develops. We are very excited about this event. There are 25 speakers on the list already and we have not advertised yet!

Buddhist authors Jim Pym (You Don't Have to Sit on the Floor), David Brazier (Zen Therapy, The Feeling Buddha, The New Buddhism), Caroline Brazier (Buddhist Psychology/Buddhism on the Couch) will be with us.

Warwick Fox has recently completed his big book, Ethics and the Built Environment and Isis Brook is an enthusiast for the Life Sciences Trust. They will both contribute on philosophy and environmentalism. Colin McDougall will talk about the Irene Brazier Garden Project.

Joan Court's campaigning work for animals is well known and Ken Jones is author of The New Social Face of Buddhism and many other writings on socially engaged Dharma. Other well known engaged Buddhists presenting include Akuppa, one of the founder of Buddhists for Peace in the North East, and Maitrisara of the Network of Engaged Buddhists and Keith Motherson. Modgala Duguid and Joy Marston will talk on their work in India.

The conference will have a strong inter-faith presence with Sandra Herbert and Elizabeth Harris,national Secretary for Inter-faith Relations to the Methodist Church and author of several books including A Journey into Buddhism.