Month: December 2014

On November 6, 2014, we held a 49-Day Memorial for Kyogen Carlson. More than 300 people, including out-of-state special guest teachers, attended this event in downtown Portland at the First Unitarian Church. A table in the front showed some of Kyogen’s Dharma Implements. Left, Kakumyo began the ceremony with a brief talk. Senior disciples formed a… Read more »

Work has slowed down a bit, but there are still processes moving forward. The big excitement of the week we were gone for Rohatsu was that the road got paved. A lot of the work that has been done isn’t going to be so visible in the finished product. Still, very important, especially this time… Read more »

Every December, we close the temple for two weeks so that staff can go out of town, visit family, and in general get a break. Consequently, there are no services at Jason Lee Elementary December 21 and 28. Similarly, there are no evening or morning programs at all until January 2, 2015. The one exception… Read more »

The World-Honored One ascended the seat and Manjusri announces, “Clearly observe the Dharma of the King of Dharma; the Dharma of the King of Dharma is thus.” Then the World Honored One descended from the seat.” What is this mysterious and unspoken wisdom? How do we find it? Dogen called it “brightness,” and said we… Read more »

Buddhists around the world have been celebrating the Buddha’s enlightenment this past week. This week’s talk is a reflection on the Buddha’s life and how so many elements of his story serve as a support for all of us today who walk the spiritual path. This talk was given December 14, 2014.

by Carol Fields I love the metaphor Of Zendo on wild and neglected Landfill Reclaiming Our usual samsara collection Of tendencies and fears Misdirected certainties And lack of appreciation Oh, thank you! For raising the simple chants Of glorious love and freedom On sacred land Still cherished by flowers, medicinal weeds, Coyotes, hawks, and stray… Read more »

This is a summary describing the month’s work of the temple’s three major decision-making bodies. A governance notebook with approved minutes is filed in the temple office. A list of current Council members and areas of concern, individual charges to leadership and temple job positions are listed on the temple website. The Intercouncil Mandala Review… Read more »

Genko has been working with a new Buddhist approach to recovery from addiction, called Refuge Recovery. Using the Three Refuges, Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path, the approach takes the strengths of the 12-step movement, replaces the Steps with the Path, and increases the emphasis on meditation as a tool for recovery. Through… Read more »

Dharma Rain Newsletter Signup

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter that keeps you informed on what's going on at Dharma Rain Zen Center.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact