Year: 2016

Twice a year, the sangha has an opportunity to hear from our governing bodies, to ask questions and give feedback. The spring forum is primarily sponsored by the Dharma Council. Some topics we covered were the Succession Plan, the May Sit, the Heart of Work retreat this fall, Liturgical year changes, and Sangha-building activities. The… Read more »

Our fancy new trash / recycling building is coming along. These photos were taken last Saturday, and the roof is still in process. Eventually there will be gates so that we won’t be staring at trash containers from the Sodo and the courtyard. This building is required as part of our Certificate of Occupancy, so… Read more »

How do we live with the universality of suffering? Genko follows Kyogen’s path in working with the Buddhacarita, a mythical retelling of the Buddha’s life story and enlightenment. We’ll talk about myth and read some of the story and explore how we work with the facts of sickness, old age, and death. This talk was… Read more »

This last Saturday, April 2, something like 100 people showed up for a good old-fashioned barnraising, as we worked on the new workshop. The weather was perfect, and though we had more trouble than anticipated getting up the first arch and keeping it up, we recovered on the second by getting a scissorlift to provide… Read more »

For more than a thousand years, Zen temples have been administered in particular ways. How do the rules and guidelines put in place so long ago translate to today? What does it mean to step up to leadership at Dharma Rain? Jiko will talk about the temple governance as an essential practical matter, and an… Read more »

Ikuo and Sherman worked on the steps at the east end of the Sodo, providing egress directly from the zendo. Fujaku continues to work on trim inside the Sodo, as well as other things. The mop sink got hooked up on Wednesday. We now have rods indoors for hanging up coats, robes, etc. Lots of… Read more »

Come celebrate the completion of our beautiful new Sodo and Phase I of our new campus in typical Zen style …by sitting very still for 31 days. During the month of May, the Sodo will be open and staffed every day from 5:30am to 9:30pm (except Sundays, which start at 8:30am). We will hold our… Read more »

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 »

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