Category: Blog
As spring emerges from a difficult winter, Wednesday work parties are again in full swing. The barn’s interior walls have now been constructed, and we are moving towards getting signed off on the building by the city and setting up our storage more permanently. Everything is out of the rented long-term storage unit, and now… Read more »
Before we turn completely toward spring, it seems useful to pay attention to the winter just past to see what it has taught us. Genko looks back at the challenging weather, illness, and darkness with curiosity, and is also interested in hearing from others what they have learned. This talk was given Sunday, March 12.
Six new lay Buddhists took the Precepts on February 19 this year in a joyous celebration. From left, the Ordinees are Abbey Pacia, Lisa King, Chad Ellis, Sega Kaposi, Marilyn Grisham, and Kate Reinhart. Interspersed with them are jishas Ko’in and Hoka (at each end) and Abbot Gyokuko Carlson in the middle.
Ango has begun again and so the bell rings for zazen. We are all called to intensify our practice and go deeper. How do we answer the call? Dip a toe? Dive in headfirst? Pretend deafness? This talk was given Sunday, March 5.
“DHARMA RAIN WRECKED MY LIFE PLANS LOL. I really didn’t know when Genko asked me to be a precentor that it would lead to all this. This stuff is real. Can’t imagine living without the glorious dharma, must support institution which upholds the same. See you in the zendo…” Membership is the steady foundation that… Read more »
Bukkai says: from the Buddha’s time to our present day, finding examples is simple but following examples is not easy. On this day we also celebrated Nehan Festival, which commemorates the Buddha’s most profound teaching, offered on his deathbed. This talk was given on Sunday, February 26.
Our special gala party is coming up March 4, at McMenamin’s Kennedy School, featuring dinner, dancing, live music, and fun with good friends old and new. The evening will also have an opportunity to donate to our annual operating budget to keep the doors open and programs thriving. A $50 ticket admits you and a… Read more »
Beginning March 1 and ending May 31, we observe an Ango period of intensified practice. (See the wheel of the year for an overview of our liturgical calendar.) Zazen starts earlier on weekday mornings, followed by a somewhat longer morning service, and we add a mid-day hour-long sit. Denkoe Sesshin fits within this spring Ango period,… Read more »
Our annual Jukai retreat is in process this week, and will culminate in the Jukai ceremony on Sunday, when individuals receive the Bodhisattva Precepts and formally become Buddhists. Please come to witness this important event in the growth of the Sangha. We have had three ceremonies so far (Kyojukaimon, Sange, and Ketchimyaku), with two more… Read more »
This coming week, our sangha will launch its first Daijukai in the new Sodo. The community is invited to participate in a series of rare ceremonies throughout the week that express the breadth and depth of Zen path of training. The open retreat culminates in a precept ceremony the following Sunday where several students will… Read more »
Experience reveals just how challenging Zen practice can be. Being awake, rather than dreaming, requires behavioral discipline, gentle vigilance, and a willingness to accept discomfort, as layers of conditioned responses are illuminated. Again and again I have seen the value of sangha, and the teacher-student relationship in particular, for helping to sustain and revitalize practice.… Read more »
From ice to flooding, it’s been quite a winter. Record rainfalls show that our stormwater system (in which the bioswales play a part) is functioning well. The courtyard has taken some hits this winter, but still looks beautiful, even with standing water. The other gardens are not ready for planting, but spring is coming soon.… Read more »
November 20, 2016, Dharma Talk, by Gyoshi Kaplan. This talk was not recorded, and so Gyoshi has written it up as an article. Why am I giving this talk? I experience this stage of life – growing old – as a wonderful, pivotal opportunity to dive deeper into life. And especially, deeper into spiritual practice.… Read more »
Kakumyo offers a preview of one of the themes of the upcoming Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) seminary class. He looks at the core Buddhist teaching that everything is changing, the process of coming to deeper appreciation of this fact, and what it means for navigating the world. This talk was given Sunday, February 5.
Once again, we have glazed sidewalks and cold weather. Still, we have had some movement toward getting the duplexes (residents housing) ready to move on to the property. More ground preparation has happened this week, for example. Metro [facebook link] recently published a Regional Snapshot content package on their brownfield page, and included their profile… Read more »
There is strength in knowledge and strength in numbers! Join with others from around the state in “Raising Diverse Voices of Faith to Strengthen Oregon Communities.” We meet Tuesday, February 7, at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Salem for: keynote speech by Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum briefings on housing, hunger, health care, gun safety,… Read more »