Author: Genko Rainwater

This Sunday, August 6, at 10:30am, you are cordially invited to witness as Kakumyo is officially installed as co-abbot in an Ascending the Mountain ceremony. All are invited to witness and participate in this exciting and significant step in the growth of our temple. Note that there will be NO Regular Sunday morning program that… Read more »

Memory is unpredictable. Certain events remain vivid; others fade away. Many of us will lose memories as we age. What is it in our practice that is remembered, no matter what? How do we retain wisdom even in forgetfulness? This talk was given Sunday, July 30.

We are in high summer, and this time of year, morning and evening light comes from the north, bathing the north side of the Sodo in a beautiful glow. This week work continues on the duplexes, getting them ready to lower on to the foundations soon. Tai’an shows one aspect of “exploratory demo.” The garden… Read more »

We have a sacristy team that works hard to keep our altars looking beautiful and clean. Here Sarah arranges flowers she has found on the property in different arrangements for different places.

Genko tackles the topic of Time: what is it? how do we work with it? some of the many aspects of time as something that exists, or maybe not. Are we moving forward? What about developmental stages? What about how much time we’ve had in practice? And of course, Dogen’s fascicle, “Uji,” addressing existence-time, has… Read more »

This week work continues on the duplexes, getting them ready to lower on to the foundations next week. We have finished underfloor framing and done a fair amount of necessary demolition as well as some preliminary utilities preparation. As of today, we’ve also cleaned out almost all of the debris from inside the units and… Read more »

Drawing upon Dogen’s “Teachings of the Inanimate,” Seido talked about Buddhism’s approach to our conflicted relationship with the natural world and how the nondual leaps beyond false divisions. Where does nature begin and end? Where does sentience begin and end? This subject welcomes our direct experience in the natural world, our heartfelt concern for the… Read more »

Three of the aspects of the Enlightened Mind are not achieved through will, intention and rational thought, and yet they are not achieved without good will, good intentions and clear reasoning. Gyokuko will play with the interplay during her Dharma Talk this Sunday. This talk was given Sunday, July 9.

Work continues on the duplexes. Gary is tearing out parts of a wall. Phyllis and Nancy are sweeping up the debris. In the process, they discovered an apparently-abandoned nest inside a light fixture. We don’t know for sure what kind of bird left it there. In addition, the garden is beginning to produce food for… Read more »

A question we often get asked is “what is enlightenment,” followed closely by “how do I get it?” Kakumyo explores this realm in his Sunday talk. Come see whether he actually answers these perennial questions. This talk was given Sunday, July 2.

The concrete foundations got poured for both duplexes Wednesday and Thursday this week. We are still working underneath the two houses, framing and removing old wood and insulation. Tai’an is shown underneath the house while a contractor levels concrete. Will was one of many who sorted and loaded wood. By August we expect that both… Read more »

What happens when Indra, King of the Gods, sees a line of ants marching across the floor? A little storytelling about Indra leads us to contemplation of how we all fit together in the big scheme of things. This talk was given Sunday, June 25.

This week we are on Genzo-e sesshin. Registration for meals and overnights is closed, but all are welcome to join us during meditation and services. Both duplexes are now on the property, situated where they will end up, though up on blocks so that work can go on underneath them. Much of the Genzo-e work… Read more »

While many sangha members headed out to the Pride Parade, Jyoshin presented a talk on manifesting fearlessness in life and in practice. In Buddhism, the gift of fearlessness is one of the highest gifts. She unpacks this idea to see where it shows up in our lives and in the lives of those around us.… Read more »

Every year we say we will put together something for Pride, and every year we get too busy. This year is no exception. Last year (photo), we marched at the last minute with the Community of Welcoming Congregations (CWC), who welcomes all. We will be doing so again this year, on Sunday, June 18, though… Read more »

Chapters One Through Five with a Different Lens by Carrie Schulz ONE: The person, the woman, was walking and looking at cracks and lichen in the sidewalk, near Benson high school, not far from the Lloyd center and See See’s coffee. There were birds singing and fluttering, people driving cars, the occasional darting squirrel, and… Read more »

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