More good news: we recently received another grant – our 12th – for the environmental restoration component of Planting Zen in Siskiyou Square. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has awarded Dharma Rain $30,000. This brings the total of grant funds awarded to our project to $732,662 – far exceeding our original goal of $500,000.… Read more »
Work practice for last week’s sesshin included putting irrigation pipes into the trenches dug the previous weekend. These connect with new standpipes that will make it much easier to water the gardens. Yesterday’s work party saw 20 people from Great Vow Zen Monastery come out to tour and then contribute labor to the property. One… Read more »
The Eihei Shingi, rules for the monastery at Eiheiji formulated by Dogen centuries ago, outlines six temple officers. We follow Dogen’s example, with some modifications. Gyokuko emphasizes the interconnected web of respect and responsibility that makes it all work here for us. Come and find out something about Dharma Rain’s unique flavor. This talk was… Read more »
The Buddha encouraged his followers to choose wholesome companionship, and to stay away from unwholesome people. What does this mean? The people with whom we spend our time will always have an influence on us – but we can’t always choose them. How do we navigate family and work environments? How do we bow to… Read more »
This week has seen the arrival our new power pole, which will deliver electricity to our property very soon (we hope!). The Wednesday work project this week brought in Groundwork again to work on completing the ravine path. They’ve even put some rocks artistically on the borders of the path in places, and it looks… Read more »
It is a frequent modern lament that our lives feel packed with competing demands and are complicated to the point of overwhelm. For lay Buddhists, this can seem like far cry from Buddha’s example of living with only a robe and a begging bowl. Zen rituals distill teachings down to their essence and focus the… Read more »
We all endure many things small and large, from summer heat to the death of loved ones. Kshanti, a Sanskrit term sometimes translated as Patience, is one of the six Paramitas, or Perfections in Buddhism. Sometimes patience gets a bad rap for being passive. How can it lead us to perfection? How does it relate… Read more »
About 50 people showed up on a very hot 4th of July for our neighborhood picnic – DRZC members, neighbors, family members and friends. Lots of good grilled food and potluck items, cold drinks, and good conversation made it a big success. Bits and pieces of work continue inside the Sodo. The latest is a… Read more »
While Lotus Blooming – our fundraising campaign to Plant Zen in Siskiyou Square – is about money, our vision and aspiration for Siskiyou Square is about the Dharma. So, why does Lotus Blooming matter? “Dharma Rain’ on SE Madison was cozy and warm. To me, our new temple is effort and sacrifice – and I… Read more »
We all share a yearning to feel harmony within ourselves, with our relations, and with the situation around us. We find as we try to express this yearning that the sense of congruence and alignment comes and goes. Stepping onto this path of practice we notice and gradually shift behaviors so that that congruence happens… Read more »
Jiko talked about the 10,000-year clock, the problem of nuclear waste, why we plant trees and what it means to let go of goals in this talk about time, effort, and the future. This talk was on Sunday, June 28.
Many Zen masters speak of “Don’t Know Mind.” What is this Don’t Know? What do we know, how do we know it, and does it matter? This talk was given Sunday, June 21.
While Lotus Blooming – our fundraising campaign to Plant Zen in Siskiyou Square – is about money, our vision and aspiration for Siskiyou Square is about the Dharma. So, why does Lotus Blooming matter? “Dharma Rain has been a fundamental part of who I have become, or at least many of the aspects I am… Read more »
Today they are cutting down trees along Siskiyou Street in preparation for the eventual street widening. Kakumyo and Fujaku work together on cutting trees. North West Tree Specialists donated a chipper and crew to take care of the remains. After all the trees we’ve been planting, it’s sad to lose trees this way, but it… Read more »
On Sunday, June 14, Kyri Kengan Treiman presented a verse to be examined on as a culmination of her year as shuso for the Hood River Sangha. The Hossen was held at the grange in White Salmon Washington, as the regular Hood River space was too small to accommodate all of the visiting teachers and… Read more »
Every year, Buddhists get together at Colonel Summers Park to show Portland a little bit about what Buddhism is about here. This year was no exception. On June 13, Dharma Rain Zen Center hosted a booth as always, though this year we added information about Frog Song Montessori Preschool to the information about where we… Read more »