‘The Promise of a Sacred World: Shinran’s Teaching of Other Power’ by Nagapriya. Register by 12th March 2023.
FULL with Mat and Kaspa on Zoom Wednesdays 12.30pm – 1.30pm UK time for 16 weeks. First session, 29th March, with a break on 31st May, last session 19th July.
FOUR SPACES LEFT facilitated by Angie & Kaspa at the temple. Meetings on Sundays 7:30 – 8:30pm UK time from 2nd April until 30th July. With breaks on 28th May and 23rd July
FOUR SPACES LEFT facilitated by Dayamay & Satya on Zoom (note new day – Saturdays). Meetings on Saturdays 6pm – 7pm UK time for 16 weeks with a week’s break (tbc) – starting 1st April.
Shinran (1173–1263) is one of the most important thinkers of Japanese Buddhist history and is regarded as the founder of its largest sect, the True Pure Land School (Jodo Shinshu). Nagapriya brings alive for a contemporary audience Shinran’s perspective on ‘Other Power’ as embodied in the myth of Amida Buddha and the Pure Land scriptures.
“Nagapriya not only accurately captures the heart of Shinran’s spirituality and teachings, but conveys it in ways that are novel and easy to understand.” –Kenneth K. Tanaka, Professor Emeritus, Musashino University, Tokyo; Past President, International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies; author of The Dawn of Chinese Pure Land Buddhist Doctrine
“An astonishing, highly poetic, magical, mystical, personal, emotional, and even confessional encounter with Shinran, which strikes a brilliantly fresh note.” –Galen Amstutz, Adjunct Instructor, Institute of Buddhist Studies/Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, USA
“This is a remarkable book that presents a clear overview of the core points in Shinran’s teaching, well grounded in original sources and in the broader context of Pure Land Buddhism.” –Caroline Brazier is a priest in the Jodo Shinshu tradition, a psychotherapist, and the author of seven books on Buddhism and therapy.
Nagapriya was born in the UK in 1969. While studying for a philosophy degree, he began practising with the Triratna Buddhist Community and was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1992. He later studied for a master’s degree in the history of religions. Since 2013 Nagapriya has been living in Mexico, where he is chair of the Cuernavaca Buddhist Centre.