Zazen is widely recognized as our core practice, but a small percentage of available teaching minutes are allocated to how-to instruction. Why is that, how do we answer the questions we have about meditation, and what questions do we need to have about meditation? Come Sunday to find out. This talk was given Sunday, September… Read more »
About 60 people turned out to view the Not-Necessarily-Talented-Show on Saturday, September 10. The show didn’t live up to its name, as almost all of the acts displayed plenty of talent. The first half was various acts by several people. Karen Howard performed two dances that were mesmerizing. The second half was the surprise production… Read more »
Fujaku and Joel work on moving forward with the Barn (workshop). There are various administrative and planning tasks to do, but the plan is to have the building done this fall. Much of the volunteer work is moving ward the Barn. The Oregon Tradeswomen plan to come back later to continue work as well. Hakugyu… Read more »
Why membership is important to me: I joined Dharma Rain as a member fairly soon after discovering it. Once I got my feet wet, I recognized that this was a practice, and a community, that would lead to good in my life. Becoming a member allowed me to express my commitment to the prosperity of… Read more »
Please join us for the newly resurrected monthly Sangha Movie Night to view For the Next 7 Generations. This tells the story of how thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of Mother Earth, the atrocities of war, the global scourge of poverty, the prevailing culture of materialism, the epidemics that threaten the… Read more »
Zazen teaches us to let go of thoughts feelings and distractions that interfere with being present and aware of this very moment. Some of the commitments we make in our everyday lives – marriage, children, jobs, friendships – require us to stay engaged focused and even tenacious. What does zazen teach us about dealing with… Read more »
Fujaku holds a large bundle of basil from the gardens to be made into pesto. We are also harvesting the results of lots of hard work and money from our many donors and benefactors in having a beautiful functional building. For the first time in a few years, we have a hearth, a home base… Read more »
All are invited to attend Dharma Rain’s spectacular and much-anticipated Not Necessarily Talented Show on Saturday, September 10 at 7pm. The show will feature a wide variety of wonderful acts, including an acroyoga trio, belly dancing, ukulele, hard shoe Irish dancing, kazoo, and bamboo flute. Then there will be a hilarious surprise play by Tiny… Read more »
Fall Ango will begin by recognizing old women in zen’s timeless koan heritage, the challenges and opportunities they offered then and even now. Bukkai’s talk is inspired by “The Old Woman of Mount Wutai,” a koan from ninth century China, and her own experiences of many years. This talk was Sunday, September 4.
This year’s annual late-summer retreat at the Empty Field west of Eugene was well-represented by Dharma Rain. This unique event, Cultivating the Way, is held on DRZC teacher Seido’s organic farm, and allows for a special kind of awareness of the natural world within Zen practice. The sweet little zendo is actually similar, though smaller… Read more »
We continue to do finish work in the Sodo. Here, Ikuo re-installs a shelf under the new bulletin board. You can also see the new curtains for the hallway leading to the bathrooms. The shelves that were previously hung in the entry way, by the sanzen room, and above the beverage table are now being… Read more »
Science can explain how a flower opens, but watching a flower open is an entirely different experience. Jyoshin looks at aspects of Buddhism that came from Asia to the western world, and how the western mind works with these. One example is invocations to deities. What is the usefulness of considering such invocations as a… Read more »
The large slab of wood in front of the Sodo is destined to become a beautiful sign, including the tomoe and our name, Dharma Rain Zen Center. These have been traced on to the board, and will be carved and painted during the next few months. Can you see the faintly-traced tomoe in the photograph?… Read more »
Dharma Rain has many programs and many ways to serve and be served, but ultimately, Dharma Rain is a Zen temple. The strength of Zen is that it brings zazen and other practices and tools to help us transform the obstacles in our own minds. Gyokuko will talk about the significance of Zen and the… Read more »
Frog Song Montessori Preschool is finishing up its last week of summer camp. For the last five weeks, the children have been exploring the natural world. Through exploration and experimentation they’ve learned about birds, water, plants, trees, and the earth that supports us. Here Gyokuko is taking some children on a bird walk. They’ve been… Read more »
Summer’s bounty is coming on, with this donation gracing our counter top this morning. In addition, fresh tomatoes, basil, mint and other herbs, potatoes, beets, plums and berries have been coming from our own gardens. Yesterday the Oregon Tradeswomen were back for their fourth and last round of framing in the workshop/barn. Our own trusty… Read more »