There are many stories of awakened life as that of the “everyday,” when our ordinary experiences and the objects we meet take on a luminous quality. But what happens when we look around and find that our ordinary lives are just…ordinary? This talk was given Sunday, August 19.
Genko continues to look at the Six Perfections, with the second of the Perfections: sila, usually translated “morality” or “ethics.” The problem with focusing on morality is that we sometimes get into judgments of good and bad, which is not so helpful. How can we live an ethical life and still find contentment and a… Read more »
A wonderful time was had by all at our summer party on August 4. Croquet, cornhole, competitive oryoki, and a bounce house were some of the entertainment that kept everyone happy during an afternoon of perfect weather. Gyokuko is shown rallying the troops when we were about 2/3 to our goal, as shown by the… Read more »
The teachings of Zen tell us that all living beings have Buddha Nature. We do our practices to uncover that which always there. Gyokuko explores some of what we experience in the practice of uncovering and discovering our true nature. This talk was given Sunday, August 5.
Top news this week is that the duplexes have passed the final inspections, and are now certified for occupancy. As a result, our residents can officially move in, and we have flexibility to arrange these spaces for our use. This comes out of a lot of hard work on the part of many volunteers, and… Read more »
A new way to make donations or payments to DRZC is now available through a free app. GivePlus is designed for smart phones, and is compatible with Apple and Android devices. After downloading the app, you can either enter Dharma Rain Zen Center or tap the Find Churches Near Me link. You can do a… Read more »
We recognize that instances of giving and receiving attention are not all equivalent. Sometimes it can feel profound,other times trivial. We’ll explore this range, what it means, and our ability to affect where our behavior lands. This talk was given Sunday, July 29.
Kakumyo and two more volunteers worked on the playground structure Wednesday afternoon. More volunteers worked in the morning, and the structure is coming along nicely. Continuing to work in the afternoon in the current heat is difficult at best, requiring both dedication and making good decisions about when to stop. Wednesday Work Parties We have… Read more »
While we do not engage in formal koan study at Dharma Rain, many koans are held in our collective mind as valuable teaching stories. Jyoshin explores Dongshan’s “Cold and Heat”, a particularly apt study for our current summer weather patterns. This talk was given on Sunday, July 22.
Every Saturday morning, a happy group of immigrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea come to work in the community gardens next to the barn on Siskiyou property. This is a partnership with the Oregon Food Bank’s Seed to Supper program and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural Resource Center. The garden has also received some financial support… Read more »
A new book – The Six Perfections by Dale Wright – inspires this talk. He writes about how to cultivate character using the Buddhist teachings on the paramitas. Genko reports on this and then goes on to explore the first paramita – dana, generosity. This talk was given Sunday, July 15.
Frog Song is in the midst of their first week of summer camp – studying all about bugs! Otherwise, this week is very quiet, because many of the staff are at Dharma Camp, and so most programs here on the Siskiyou campus are on hiatus. First reports from camp are that it is mellow this… Read more »
Shinshu Roberts recently blessed us with readings from her book, Being-Time, and shared some important points about understanding Dogen’s chapter on Being-Time. In this talk Gyokuko shares some of her personal musings on the practice of being one with time. This talk was given Sunday, July 8.
This last Sunday, Kakumyo enlisted help from sangha members to move the canopy that has been in the Frog Song playground the last few years to back behind the barn. Frog Song has a new structure in the works that will replace the canopy as a covered area for the playground. Wednesday Work Parties The… Read more »
Kakumyo talked about some of the lessons of the last two weeks, pulling threads from the “Juki” chapter of the Shobogenzo, which we studied at Genzoe sesshin last week, and weaving those with themes from the three day pastoral care workshop that happened this week. This talk was given Sunday, July 1.
This last Sunday, Annen ended her 6-month term as shuso by presenting a verse from Genjokoan by Dogen. Dharma Rain and visiting teachers, as well as sangha members, questioned her, testing her understanding of the verse. She passed the test, according to her teacher Jiko, and received congratulations. This coming Sunday Yoan will be installed… Read more »