The Newsletter of the “NO PEARL WITHOUT GRIT: ITZI Conference The psychology of suffering February 2019 Issue and awakening” BOOK NOW: e-mail your details to [email protected] Soesterberg, Netherlands in to receive full registration details. September 2019.

INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERIENTAL DAVID BRAZIER CONFERENCE

Interviewer: Thank you. Perhaps we can start The conference will be experiential as well as by asking how or why you set up ITZI? informative. The plenary presenters will additionally offer experiential workshops and David: Well, yes, it is true that originally I set there will be participatory sessions with up ITZI pretty much on my own. It was initially animation by facilitators from USA, Russia, just going to be a vehicle for my own work in Israel, Canada, France, Spain, Belgium, Buddhist psychology. Having written books on Netherlands, and Germany at least, and the subject I was getting invitations from many probably plenty more. This, therefore, will be a part of the world and it seemed like a good idea conference in which delagates will be actively to have a basis for establishing a network of involved, will get an inside view of the methods interested people. Since then it has become a and principles, will be exposed to a wide range means for facilitating the spread of knowledge of approaches, and will learn as much by doing about Buddhist Psychology and has attracted as by listening. This will mean that the some very talented practitioners as well as those conference will additionally serve as a network who come basically just to learn or to use the building forum where new co-operations, approach to enrich their lives. connections and friendships will grow. The Interviewer: It's not just , right? international ITZI community is a lot more than just a professional resource, being a David: That's true. ITZI covers and is open to heart to heart as well as mind to mind all dimensions of work strongly influenced by connection and meeting. By becoming involved Buddhist Psychology. Zen methods are just one in ITZI participants connect with the people who, among many. internationally, are working at the cutting edge of Interviewer: So what is Buddhist Psychology? the introduction of Buddhist related therapeutic methods. Come and help actualise the enormous David: Buddha clearly had a deep grasp of potential in this new opening to spiritual and human psychology and operated a system of psychological liberation, inner and outer peace thought that included a model of the mind, for body, heart and mind. explanations of human suffering, attachment, obsession and even madness, ideas about mental conditioning and about how to become liberated from it. today we call this psychology. Interviewer: Many people are interested in techniques originating from ... , , affirmation, meditation... David: Yes, widely popular. But this is not just a matter of taking Buddhist techniques and grafting them onto modern theories. The theories implicit and often explicit in the early Buddhist material are a complete system - as complete as that of Freud or Rogers - perhaps more so, in fact. Buddhist Psychology provides us with a “map” on which all the modern approaches have places, but in the Buddhist CONFERENCE model they are all integrated into a single system. PLENARY Interviewer: So is Buddhist Psychology the same or different from modern psychology? PRESENTERS David: Many of the best ideas of modern psychology are anticipated in the Buddhist KEYNOTE: approach, but there are also some important "The Sound differences. that Heals the Mind and Interviewer: Tell me. World" ~ David: Buddhist Psychology is not really trying Myokei Caine to return people to ordinary normality - it sees Barrett, the normal, average condition of most people as at least mildly deluded - so we can say that it is not a normative psychology. Again, Buddhism is not trying to enhance the self. Modern psychology is much concerned with self-esteem, KEYNOTE: self-entitlement, self-worth, self-love and so on. "The Evolving Buddhism is not. Buddhism sees self- Psychology of consciousness as, substantially, one of the main Chan” problems that impedes effectiveness and ~ Caifang Zhu liberation. Interviewer: So not a normative psychology, not a self psychology... does this mean that there is a specific form of Buddhist therapy that is different from modern psychotherapy? David: Many. Using the Buddhist model, one can invent new therapies. Buddha’s response to people who came to him with what we would recognise as psychological problems was not stereotyped - it was not a protocol – it was very KEYNOTE: human, but distinctively so! It relied on a special “Addiction, understanding of how human nature functions. Obsession You know, in a certain sense, one needs a and different therapy for every client, but those Liberation” therapies need to be grounded in a clear ~ David understanding of how the mind works. So, we Brazier can say that Buddhist Psychology is an approach, not just a technique, an approach that can give rise to many techniques. ______Interviewer: So is that what ITZI is about? David: Yes, exactly. ITZI is now a forum in ITZI SUPPORT which many different people can put forward their ways of applying Buddhist thinking in & ZOOM therapeutic activity – or other forms of helping - For those who wish to be more involved in be it talking therapy, action therapy, body work, Buddhist Psychology and can't wait for the drama therapy, team building, or whatever. This conference, we have a network called ITZI is very creative… Support. This is an information exchange. It also organises on-line meetings using Zoom Interviewer: Which is what makes you excited technology for case presentations, discussion of about it… professional issues and peer review. If you are interested, contact us. David: Yes, yes. There is a wonderful creative potential here. Interviewer: ...because of the diversity? David: Yes, it cuts across different , different schools of modern psychology, different modes of therapeutic intervention. Around these profound ancient ideas - as a fulcrum, you could say - people with diverse talents and approaches can learn from one another and develop further new ways forward. There is a danger in the Buddhist world of people becoming isolated in sectarian groups and there is a danger in the psychology world, these days, of stagnation and loss of direction or The conference organising team includes: Karin creativity. Buddhist Psychology - Zen Therapy, Verhaest (Belgium), Nati Menendez Gonzales if you like - cuts through all that and opens a (Spain), Iris Dotan Katz (Israel), and Floor way forward. Nijman (Netherlands). Interviewer: So tell me about the conferences. To reserve one of the limited number of places David: Well, for this to happen, we have to (80), you can find all details on the conference meet, communicate, listen to each other, take website at http://www.itziconference.eu/ or part in each other’s schemes, projects and e-mail at [email protected] methods. So – conferences! Bring people from to receive full registration details. Asia, America, Europe, from all over, who have ______different backgrounds and different things to offer, who can all come together around this NEWSLETTER LIST theme. We had very rich meetings in Spain and If you wish to receive this newsletter but are not in Belgium and the next one is later this year in yet subscribed, please e-mail Netherlands. [email protected] or sign up on the sign up box on the front page of the Eleusis site Interviewer: Any final word? www.eleusis.ning.com

David: We are all learning. Even the most Newsletter 5 ~ February 2019 experienced and skilled amongst us is on a path, Copyright © 2019 International Zen Therapy Institute, All rights reserved. both toward our own liberation and that of our You are receiving this as either you have been involved in ITZI Conference in clients. I like to be where the action is and the the past or shown an interest in Conference 2019 ITZI conference is it. [email protected] Website: http://www.itziconference.eu/ Interviewer: Thank you. Our mailing address is: International Zen Therapy Institute Abdisstraat 8, Gent 9000, Belgium