Last week’s Jukai sesshin was a great success. Here is the group of those taking the Precepts, along with the preceptor, shuso, jisha, and jikko. We jumped into using the new kitchen, even though it’s not quite complete. Still, it is functional, and we are enjoying its many features. The Sodo continues to move towards… Read more »
Frog Song, Dharma Rain’s Montessori preschool, is having a wonderful first year! Our 15 students have grown and thrived, explored their interests and possibilities, and created a close and caring community. Frog Song is now accepting applications for fall for children between the ages of 3 and 5. School hours are 8:30am-12:30pm, Monday through Friday.… Read more »
On March 16, Gyokuko and Jyoshin went to Grande Ronde to pick up a check for $20,000 from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund to be used in partial payment for the Workshop.
This week, we are on Jukai Sesshin, and are practicing in the Sodo, thanks to all the good work done on the Sodo as a result of your donations and practice. The kitchen crew begins each work period with a chant. As the weather begins to warm up and the sun to come out, we… Read more »
Starting Monday evening, the Zen Center enters into a week-long retreat in preparation for our Jukai ceremony next Sunday. Is there a way to be part of this retreat even if you are not able to participate at the Zen center in person? For this week’s Dharma talk, Shintai offers suggestions and encouragement for deepening… Read more »
Because of your gifts and pledges, we have been able to move the kitchen into the Sodo. It’s not quite complete, but as you can see, the pantry has most of our food, and Tenzo Shin’yu is scrubbing vegetables at one of the working sinks. We are now eating all communal meals in the Sodo,… Read more »
Last week we celebrated that through your generosity, the Lotus Blooming capital campaign raised more money in less time than we expected. Hurray! People have been asking what that means. So, here you go: It means we’ll have enough to finish the Sodo and the workshop, and get our certificate of occupancy. This chart also… Read more »
The word courage comes from the Latin coeur, which means ‘heart’ – it originally meant to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. Shin’ei speaks to fully inhabiting our lives, seeing things all the way through. Who is it you think you are and whose story is it anyway? This talk… Read more »
Save the date for a celebratory event the first Saturday of April. On April 2nd we will put up the workshop building. We’re going to make it a festive afternoon and evening, with a barbecue dinner and a band with a caller and dancing. The event doubles as our annual fundraiser, raising funds to help… Read more »
As a result of your gifts and pledges, we are moving forward to complete the kitchen. Appliances (refrigerator, dishwashers, microwave) were delivered today. Tiles for the kitchen backsplash (graciously donated by Ann Sachs) were completed and grouted, and they look beautiful with the cabinets and the countertops. The new trash and recycling building is up,… Read more »
We had a very successful fall, and raised the funds needed to finish the Sodo and the workshop. You helped us pass our stated goals for the Indiegogo crowdfunding, the August-December Matching Challenge, and the three-year Lotus Blooming Campaign as a whole (see chart). Even better, we did so faster than planned: Lotus Blooming was… Read more »
Sometimes the troubles of the world overwhelm us, and we sink into despair. We may feel depressed or angry as we see the suffering around us. Despair is actually a crucial experience in practice. How do we work with this state and the accompanying emotions? How do we move forward with compassion to ease suffering… Read more »
This Sunday we will celebrate Nehan, a festival that commemorates the death of Shakyamuni Buddha. It celebrates the transmission of the Dharma (teaching) throughout the ages – a transmission that is not dependent on the physical presence of the original teacher. After the Nehan ceremony, Bukkai’s talk will be based on the Buddha’s last words… Read more »
As a result of your gifts, work continues full speed ahead in the kitchen. We installed the cabinets last week so they could be templated for counter tops. This week, they are being moved to allow for plumbers and electricians to work toward installation of sinks and appliances. Sherman and Jiko help Fujaku with this.… Read more »
In Dogen’s chapter Kajo he says that the thoughts and words of the ancestors are “everyday tea and rice.” Having just returned from a sesshin in which this fascicle, which translates as “Everyday Activity,” was studied, Seido offers some reflections on Dogen’s meaning within the context of our lineage tradition. On Valentines Day, this talk… Read more »
As a result of your gifts, work continues on the kitchen, with the cabinets in the process of being installed. The convection oven has come in. Countertops are planned, and will take a while. We are hoping to cook in the kitchen for Jukai. Once we have a working kitchen, the building will feel more… Read more »