Year: 2013

New Lay Disciples On Saturday November 30, five sangha members took discipleship precepts, stepping up their commitment to practice and to the Dharma Rain sangha. Debra Gant and Suzanne Ragsdale became disciples of Gyokuko Carlson, with Deb receiving the name Keido Ryotan (Bright Hall, Noble Abyss), and Suzanne receiving the name Keido Shushin (Bright Hall, Jewel… Read more »

October, 2013 This summary describing the work of the temple’s three major decision-making bodies is published regularly. Each of the three major bodies of the temple mandala, the Board of Directors, the Dharma Council and the Mandala Council meets monthly and provides notes to be consolidated for a report to the general sangha. A governance… Read more »

For Buddhists all over the world, Sunday December 8th marks the annual celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment under the bodhi tree. For our community, it also marks the end of our weeklong Rohatsu retreat during which each of us take up the Buddha’s koan of the meaning of human suffering. Through his deep resolve to… Read more »

From our Still Point Archives, February 1996 – by Gyokuko  Carlson I wanted to share with you this morning a phrase that I picked up earlier this month.  A very small phrase:  ‘A person of practice.’  It just hit my ear, and I wanted to bring it here, and give you some of my thoughts.  Of course, as… Read more »

Sunday Dharma Talk – Alison Shin’ei Brown Shin’ei traces the lives of three enigmatic Zen Masters to explore the nature of freedom, dedication and authority. She also speaks to the imagination through the voice of her own life and practice. This talk was Sunday, December 1. Listen to this talk online.

Kyogen Carlson I realized the other day that Thanksgiving this year is also the 18th anniversary of my mother’s passing. It’s odd that I don’t recall that she died so close to Thanksgiving. The holiday had been five days before that year, and I have no memory of it at all. In looking for old… Read more »

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, many of us plan meals, plan for preparing and eating food. Bukkai talked about how the simple repetitive aspects of our lives having to do with food can become serious spiritual practice. Listen to this talk, which was on Sunday, November 24.

Several planting events are coming up as part of Dharma Rain’s restoration of Siskiyou Square. We plan to plant almost 4,000 trees and shrubs in the next three months, as well as seed an acre with native grasses. Last Saturday, November 16, we planted orchard trees on the south slope with DharmaGarden parents and children. Tomorrow,… Read more »

What is it that we can trust and rely upon during our most difficult times in life? How does practice support us when we inevitably face challenges? This talk is about how the path of practice can be viewed as a process of cultivating increasing confidence and trust in our own Buddha Nature. Listen to… Read more »

By Genko Rainwater (from August 28, 2010) On Saturday afternoon of the Cultivating the Way sesshin I went to sit in the Zendo before the scheduled evening sitting, and was rewarded this way. dancing leaves shadows play a symphony in light on bare zendo floor Seido lighting lamps weaving in and out around provides counterpoint… Read more »

Lotus Blooming update Our capital campaign to Plant Zen in Siskiyou Square continues. This fall and winter we are asking our membership to lead the way by making pledges. In the spring we will start looking farther afield. In the past six weeks, the following people have made donations or pledges totaling $70,050! Anonymous; Thomas… Read more »

Part of our regular Sunday morning chanting service, “The Precious Mirror Samadhi” by Dongshan Liangjie (Tozan Ryokai) is compelling, beautiful, and most find it utterly mysterious. With imagery like “a silver bowl filled with snow,” and references to “the Illumination hexagram,” it is an utterly Chinese expression of Dharma. Related to and developed from the… Read more »

On Sunday November 3rd, our Founders’ Day Festival, Kakumyo Lowe-Charde spoke about the three figures honored on our Founder’s shrine, exploring the particular juxtaposition of confidence and humility in their lives and practice as well as in our relation to them as individuals and archetypes. Those three are Keido Chisan Koho Zenji, Houn Jiyu Kennet Roshi, and Nyogen… Read more »

DRZC member and Lay Disciple Michael Gyoshi Kaplan has been in Nepal and other part of Asia on an extended trip as he begins his retirement from a career in engineering. He recently sent this email to his teacher, Kyogen, and to Getsushin Brox, with whom he works in the prison program. It is published here with permission.… Read more »

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