This article was first published in the original hard copy postal distributed PLN Journal in 1995. The author informs us that it was written in the summer of that year. You will only find this sort of thing here! A real gem, almost a historic document and a fitting inclusion in our unique archive.

The Amida Centre is a non-sectarian Buddhist retreat in the valley of the river Cher in central France. It is a quiet spot off the beaten track amid rolling countryside, oak forests and villages with medieval features. Three years ago the property was acquired by Caroline Beech and myself and since then a non-profit association called Amida Quannon has come into existence to handle the day to day administration. The whole project remains very hand to mouth, however. We simply proceed in faith. The campus consists of about 16 acres of fields and woodland with a small farmhouse and two large barns, one of which is a ruin.

This latter we knew immediately had to become the ceremony hall. An Italian visitor this summer, knowing nothing of our pians for the building, took one look and said, 'This is the chapel!' This despite the large holes in the roof, rotting timbers, absence of doors, and the presence of decades worth of rotting manure.

This summer we have had a series of delightful visitors who have combined dharma practice with work and/or a peaceful holiday. With our limited skills but copious enthusiasm we worked hard at taking down and storing old terracotta tiles and huge oak timbers, removing tons of rubble and shifting tons of manure to compost heaps in the garden. Others worked on the gardens themselves, or making meditation walks in the forest. We have made good relations with the local French people, and one farmer has given us important advice on the management of our woodlands. Eating outdoors, practising and working to-gether, we became a harmonious if temporary, dharma community.

By the end of the summer we had removed the whole of the roof. The white walls now open to the sky give the site a very special quality. This winter we hope to have a now roof put on by a local builder since this will require equipment and skills beyond what we have presently available ourselves. Even with doing so much of the work ourselves the total cost of the project is likely to rise to well in excess of £20,000. Once there is a roof on the building, the basic structure will not deteriorate. We will then be able to start filling the building out at a pace that matches the availability of person-power and finance.

For me personally, spending the summer doing work much of which was intrinsically dangerous, working at a height of more than 7 metres above the ground, was a challenge from which I learned a lot. So much of spiritual practice is a matter of overcoming fear, and this was a very direct test. It is also a great satisfaction. It feels very good to be building a Buddha hall - what better thing could one be doing? Namo Amida Butsu.

David is the author of a book, Zen Therapy, which outlines some of the work being done at Amida Quannon, It shows how Zen has a therapeutic dimension which blends with its religious practice. Citing numerous examples of its effectiveness in psychotherapeutic practice, it shows how Zen derives from the Buddhist theory of mind, and throws new light on the Buddhist attitude to relations and conditions.

The book contains much new material on therapy, and looks at Buddhist psychology in a new light. Seeing the relationship between Western psychotherapy and Eastern spirituality, it shows that Zen is essentially a practical pathway to mental and spiritual harmony. Buddhists have developed ideas about psychology over 2000 years, together with the practices to reinforce them, to help people to become free of mental suffering. But the author is not only a Zen Buddhist and therapist; he is also very much aware of the influence of the Compassionate Other Power in our lives, and while this is not emphasised in the book, it does show through from time to time. "The Bodhisattva, then, is the rapist for the world" is one sentence that stood out for me.

This book is a significant contribution to the blending of Eastern and Western thought, and can be appreciated as much by Pure Land Buddhists as by followers of Zen.

A multitude of doctrines have been established and left behind by the many wise masters, but they are all merely temporary statements made in response to different confusions. The nembutsu practicer, then should discard even these and simply say the Nembutsu.

Ippen Shonin - quoted from 'No Abode'by Dents Hirota.