Tag: Ceremony

Buddhists around the world traditionally celebrate the birth of the Buddha in the spring. Our celebration here at Dharma Rain this year is this coming Sunday. The children’s sangha decorates a bower for the baby Buddha to stand in, and then during morning service we all process together and pour sweet tea over the Buddha’s… Read more »

20 new Buddhists took the Precepts to become Lay Buddhists on March 17 after a week-long sesshin. It was the largest group in several years, and is indicative of a growing sense of vitality and stability in the sangha. Congratulations to all new ordinees.

This Sunday culminates several weeks of study and one week of retreat for those taking the Precepts in our annual Jukai Ceremony. The retreat is in full swing, leading up to the ceremony on Sunday, when individuals receive the Bodhisattva Precepts and formally become Buddhists. Please come to witness this important event in the growth… Read more »

More than 150 people showed up to wish Gyokuko (in gold kesa, center) well on her retirement. The group photo shows a portion of those who gathered for a photo after the ceremony. The ceremony was brief and dignified, and after that everyone in the hall got to say thanks in whatever way they wished… Read more »

Ko’in explores Dogen’s Komyo (Brightness), Koun Ejo’s Komyozo Zanmai (Treasury of Luminosity) and how she has been practicing with brightness and these teachings in this student talk. This Sunday is the end of Rohatsu, and the end of fall Ango. We’re flashing back to an earlier time, when we traditionally ended Rohatsu with a special… Read more »

This Sunday, Jyoshin spoke about honoring lineage and tradition and at the same time exploring the tension between valuing and connecting with what we’ve done before while also responding to current conditions. This talk was given Sunday, November 4.

Our annual Segaki ceremony, presided over by Jyoshin, was a huge success. Here the daimosho offering at the Segaki altar shows Gemmon, Jyoshin, and Renso, with Shin’yu, Annen, and Kaishin in the background. During the procession as we chanted the “Universal Gateway Chapter,” the sacristan read the list of names of those who have died… Read more »

Every fall, we hold a weekend Segaki retreat, focused on cleansing karma and releasing attachments to the past, including honoring those who have died. The retreat is vigil-style, which means that people can come in and leave as they need to. We begin the retreat at 7pm on Friday and continue through Sunday evening. Zazen… Read more »

Buddhists around the world traditionally celebrate the birth of the Buddha in the spring. Our celebration here at Dharma Rain this year is this coming Sunday. The children’s sangha decorates a bower for the baby Buddha to stand in, and then during morning service we all process together and pour sweet tea over the Buddha’s… Read more »

On Sunday, February 18, 14 people took the Precepts at Dharma Rain, the largest cohort in several years. Now that we are settling into our new space, we are moving forward as a Sangha into new growth. Shown from left to right (all rows) are Renso (Jisha), Wayne Elowyn Lowe, Anne Harper, Donna McGeein, Rachael… Read more »

On December 10, Kaishin had her Shuso Hossen ceremony, where she was tested on a verse from the “Precious Mirror Samadhi”: Function secretly, like a fool, like an idiot. Just to do this continuously is called the host within the host. Eric Marcoux, another teacher of Kaishin’s, attended and participated in asking questions, along with… Read more »

On September 5, 2017, three new lay disciples were ordained. Jiko took Renso as a disciple, and Genko took her first two disciples, Kakuon and Ko’e. From left, Jyoshin (jisha), Jean Renso Bond, Jiko, J Kakuon Christian, Genko, Ruben Ko’e Rivera, and Gemmon (jikko).

On Sunday, October 29, celebrated our annual Segaki Festival. This festival invites the hungry ghosts in and offers them the kindness of food that may appeal to them – sweets, salty snacks, and especially donuts. During the Festival we read a list of names of those who have died in the last year, or those… Read more »

On December 18, 2016, Kakumyo ended his kessei term with a Jodo ceremony. It began with a procession from Uji to the Sodo.     Once at the Sodo, Kakumyo took off his regular gold kesa, and put on a new brown one. The hall was filled with sangha members, lay disciples, DRZC lay and… Read more »

This Sunday marks the end of Kakumyo’s Kessei term, the year of “abbot-with-training-wheels.” As with the shuso term, it ends with a testing ceremony, like Ko’in did last week. He will present several verses, and then those in attendance have an opportunity to ask a question. If Kakumyo passes, he is then qualified to become… Read more »

On February 7, 2016, Kakumyo Lowe-Charde was installed as Co-Abbot Pro Tem. This begins his kessei term, where he serves as co-abbot, training his own shuso, for a period of 11 months, when he will be tested. More than 80 people witnessed at least some part of this ceremony, many participating in it in various… Read more »

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