Month: November 2018
Fall’s beauty invites photographs. Between Rocky Butte to the east of us, and the beautiful trees and shrubs all around us, we are blessed in this land. We are moving toward Rohatsu next week, and looking forward to sharing silence, sharing space, sharing beauty. Ember happily puts lids on packages of pumpkin pie filling donated… Read more »
Prajnaparamita, Perfect Wisdom, completes the series of talks on the Six Perfections. Wisdom has been an integral part of each of the other five we’ve discussed, and is one of the key wings of practice we cultivate (along with Compassion). It can be difficult to talk about, but we will provide some pointers at least.… Read more »
Kakumyo gave this talk on Sunday, November 25.
We hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. We had a few friends over at the Sodo, had lots of food that couldn’t be beat, lots of laughter and conversation, music, games, etc. Now that the holidays have officially arrived, here are some upcoming events to keep in mind. Rohatsu is coming up in a week.… Read more »
It’s easy to get the idea that certain thoughts and feelings are not part of Zen practice. We may think that to be a good student of Zen is to be free of strong emotions or points of view. What is the relationship between powerful and even overwhelming emotions and our practice? What does it… Read more »
On Saturday, students in the Blueprint Foundation came to work on the property, and helped move a greenhouse from Gyokuko’s house to our garden. This is one of many community organizations that Dharma Rain Zen Center partners with. Another partner is Madison High School’s urban agriculture program. Several students came on Wednesday with their teacher… Read more »
For this fifth out of a series of six talks on the Paramitas, we look at Zen’s core practice. “Meditation and Wisdom, the final two Buddhist Perfections, … [are] the culmination of the sequence … upon which the entire structure is founded” (from The Six Perfections, by Dale Wright). This talk was given Sunday, November… 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 »