Month: March 2016
Gyokuko explores the sacred and the mundane, and pays homage to Spring in this Sunday’s talk. This talk was given on Sunday, March 27, 2016.
Please join us next Saturday, April 2nd, for a good old fashioned barnraising. It’s a family-friendly event and all are welcome, whether you come to watch, to work, to cheer us on, or just meet some of our new neighbors. If you are new to Dharma Rain, its a great way to get to know… Read more »
Last week’s Jukai sesshin was a great success. Here is the group of those taking the Precepts, along with the preceptor, shuso, jisha, and jikko. We jumped into using the new kitchen, even though it’s not quite complete. Still, it is functional, and we are enjoying its many features. The Sodo continues to move towards… Read more »
Frog Song, Dharma Rain’s Montessori preschool, is having a wonderful first year! Our 15 students have grown and thrived, explored their interests and possibilities, and created a close and caring community. Frog Song is now accepting applications for fall for children between the ages of 3 and 5. School hours are 8:30am-12:30pm, Monday through Friday.… Read more »
On March 16, Gyokuko and Jyoshin went to Grande Ronde to pick up a check for $20,000 from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund to be used in partial payment for the Workshop.
This week, we are on Jukai Sesshin, and are practicing in the Sodo, thanks to all the good work done on the Sodo as a result of your donations and practice. The kitchen crew begins each work period with a chant. As the weather begins to warm up and the sun to come out, we… Read more »
Starting Monday evening, the Zen Center enters into a week-long retreat in preparation for our Jukai ceremony next Sunday. Is there a way to be part of this retreat even if you are not able to participate at the Zen center in person? For this week’s Dharma talk, Shintai offers suggestions and encouragement for deepening… Read more »
Because of your gifts and pledges, we have been able to move the kitchen into the Sodo. It’s not quite complete, but as you can see, the pantry has most of our food, and Tenzo Shin’yu is scrubbing vegetables at one of the working sinks. We are now eating all communal meals in the Sodo,… Read more »
Last week we celebrated that through your generosity, the Lotus Blooming capital campaign raised more money in less time than we expected. Hurray! People have been asking what that means. So, here you go: It means we’ll have enough to finish the Sodo and the workshop, and get our certificate of occupancy. This chart also… Read more »
The word courage comes from the Latin coeur, which means ‘heart’ – it originally meant to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. Shin’ei speaks to fully inhabiting our lives, seeing things all the way through. Who is it you think you are and whose story is it anyway? This talk… Read more »
Save the date for a celebratory event the first Saturday of April. On April 2nd we will put up the workshop building. We’re going to make it a festive afternoon and evening, with a barbecue dinner and a band with a caller and dancing. The event doubles as our annual fundraiser, raising funds to help… Read more »
As a result of your gifts and pledges, we are moving forward to complete the kitchen. Appliances (refrigerator, dishwashers, microwave) were delivered today. Tiles for the kitchen backsplash (graciously donated by Ann Sachs) were completed and grouted, and they look beautiful with the cabinets and the countertops. The new trash and recycling building is up,… Read more »
We had a very successful fall, and raised the funds needed to finish the Sodo and the workshop. You helped us pass our stated goals for the Indiegogo crowdfunding, the August-December Matching Challenge, and the three-year Lotus Blooming Campaign as a whole (see chart). Even better, we did so faster than planned: Lotus Blooming was… Read more »