Date Title & Details Speaker Listen Download
09/02/2018
Beginnings and Endings

With the shift towards cooler weather and the return of rain, the mind naturally turns towards fall practice. The beginning of Ango, with a Term Opening Ceremony and the Daoren Entering Ceremony, mark a starting point for particular sets of vows or intentions. (During the Term Opening Ceremony, each of us will have the opportunity to express a vow of practice for the term.) However, Buddhism has an intriguing way of looking at beginnings and endings. This Sunday, Jyoshin, will explore this theme and how zen holds these ideas.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Jyoshin Clay
08/26/2018
Chapter Headings

Kakumyo speaks about Dharma Rain’s path as a sangha and institution. What does our trajectory look like, and what are the values and context that are shaping it?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
08/19/2018
When the Ordinary Is Just…Ordinary

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?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Sallie Jiko Tisdale
08/12/2018
Perfect Morality

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 sense of self-worth? Genko talks about how we work with the Precepts to create a state of mind that lends itself to taking moral action naturally.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Genko Rainwater
08/05/2018
Buddha Nature

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.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Gyokuko Carlson
07/29/2018
The Spectrum of Presence

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.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
07/22/2018
Cold and Heat

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.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Jyoshin Clay
07/15/2018
Perfect Generosity

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.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Genko Rainwater
07/08/2018
Musings on Time

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.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Gyokuko Carlson
07/01/2018
Orienting Towards Buddhahood

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.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
06/17/2018
Twigs, Vines, and Blackberry

Gyokuko has been working in her yard, like a lot of other people. In this Dharma talk, she talks about finding the right tool for the right job.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Gyokuko Carlson
06/10/2018
Pride: Sin or Virtue?

We are entering into Portland Pride season. “Pride” turns up on both Christian and Buddhist lists as one of the seven deadly sins or one of the five poisons, respectively. In what ways is it negative? How can it be seen as positive? How does it relate to Shame (which is generally listed as a positive in Buddhist thought)? Genko explores some of these confusing ideas.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Genko Rainwater
05/27/2018
Varieties of Attentiveness

This Sunday we’ll explore qualities like concentration, focus and receptivity with a Buddhist lens. How do these qualities affect our life, and what contributes to reliably accessing them, both within and beyond formal meditation.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
05/20/2018
The Suffering Outside

The story of the historical Buddha is often used as a lens to examine our own practice and path. This talk touches on the point where he escapes the confines of his privileged life and affluent shelter and begins to examine the suffering outside. A key figure is his father the king, who tried to keep his son out of the way of old age, disease, death and even the path of the wise.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Mark Sosetsu Stauffer
05/13/2018
Dharma Expression

Happy Mother’s Day! For some, Mother’s Day can bring up memories of crayon drawings on refrigerators, sharing space with brightly colored magnetic letters of the alphabet. This is part of how small children investigate their environment and learn about themselves and the world around them. Mothers (and those who take on the role of mother) help guide the process, teaching both explicitly and implicitly. This Sunday, Jyoshin will explore the role of creative expression in dharma practice and the many ways we can share with others what we learn through our time on the cushion.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Jyoshin Clay
04/29/2018
How to Be Alone

Why do we feel different when we are alone? The self alone changes when it meets others. Is one self more authentic than the other? How do we resolve the tension between solitude and relationship? We will consider the ways that we protect ourselves around other people as well as the ways we fall into habits when we are alone.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Sallie Jiko Tisdale
04/22/2018
The Virtue of Practicing with Sangha

This week we have been on Denkoe Sesshin, with up to 25 people practicing in the zendo in the evenings. Kakumyo explores the value of this in his talk on Sunday.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
04/15/2018
Sangha Forum (Spring 2018)

Spring Sangha Forum will be this Sunday, in place of the dharma talk. The forum includes about 30 minutes of presentations by the Dharma Council, Board, Mandala Council, and Dharma Garden council. These will be followed by a 30-minute discussion period so the councils can hear what curiosities, concerns, questions, and suggestions you have.

Categories: Sangha Forum

Dharma Council
04/08/2018
The Liturgical Calendar

At this week’s Dharma Talk, we played a recording of a talk given by Kyogen. He discussed our liturgical calendar, and the seasons and teachings associated with each part of it. He then focused specifically on the upcoming Denkoe retreat, and the study of the Denkoroku. This very special Dharma Talk allowed us to hear the voice of one of our founders in our hall. Gyokuko answered questions after the talk.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Gyokuko Carlson, Kyogen Carlson
04/01/2018
When is Good Enough Just Perfect?

We all have high expectations. In the workplace, in our social lives, in our Zen practice. The idea that we ourselves or others in whom we are invested can meet those expectations often creates anxiety when the idea comes up against reality. Come share your thoughts as Gyokuko shares some of hers.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Gyokuko Carlson
03/25/2018
Tisarana – Three Refuges

Genko looks at how the Three Refuges (also called the Three Jewels or Three Treasures) can provide a place of safety and support for us in our practice. What is refuge? What is safety? How do we work with these in our lives?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Genko Rainwater
03/18/2018
Willingness to Change

Kakumyo looks at how we work with well-established karma and confusion. He consults the Samanaphala Sutra for help.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
03/11/2018
Thorough Study

What is the role of study in Zen? We have inherited a tradition “without dependence on words and letters,” and yet books and stories are key parts of our life of practice. How do we balance intellectual work and learning with a focus on meditation and daily activity?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Sallie Jiko Tisdale
02/25/2018
A Safe Foundation for Practice

Western psychology tells us that our personal needs for safety must be met before we can do much with our instinct towards spiritual transformation. This seems to be true, but that ‘seems’ encompasses a lot of territory that’s worth exploring: What is the source of the sense of danger that often arises as we push against our edges of practice? How does a sense of danger interfere with our practice? How can we discern between real and imagined danger? Can fear even assist our spiritual journey? How do the three refuges help? How can we practice with this? We will explore these and other questions together. Please bring your aspiration and fear.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Mike Gyoshi Kaplan
02/11/2018
Awe, Insight, Immediacy

As the stream of life flows through awareness, some moments stand out as being more meaningful, impactful, or important. We may assume that it’s because of the content of what we’re aware of, but usually, it’s not. How do we cultivate experiences of awe, insight and immediacy in our daily life?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
02/04/2018
Nehan

On Sunday, February 4, we celebrated our annual Nehan ceremony, commemorating the Buddha’s passing into parinirvana. Jyoshin’s talk reflected on the teachings of the death of the Buddha and explored its significance for those of us practicing the Buddha’s path 2600 years later. How do we relate to these teachings? What is applicable for modern Zen students in a culture where death is often hidden away out of sight?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Jyoshin Clay
01/28/2018
Past the Mirror

Beyond the karmic mirror, we find that enlightenment is communal. Kakumyo speaks of preference and renunciation in a spiritual community

Categories: Dharma Talks

Kakumyo Lowe-Charde
01/21/2018
The Unexamined Life

As he swallowed the cup of poison hemlock, Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Our practice encourages us to know the self, but also to drop the self. When is self-examination self-indulgence? When is dropping the self avoiding the facts?

Categories: Dharma Talks

Gyokuko Carlson
01/14/2018
Justice and Mercy

What is Justice, and how does it relate to Mercy? Both are kind of old-fashioned words, old-fashioned virtues, and both are interpreted in a variety of ways. Genko talks about Dharma Rain’s prison program, social justice, and how all of this relates to the Dharma.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Genko Rainwater
01/07/2018
The Assembly’s Heart

How we engage in the tasks before us is both a spur for and a measure of our path. As we install a new shuso and enter a new term of practice, we consider what it means to work with the mind of practice.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Sallie Jiko Tisdale
12/17/2017
I Have Kept My Wish

In the ordination ceremony, we say, ‘I have changed my form, but kept my wish.’ What does this mean? We carry many wishes into our practice, and the innermost wish is revealed only over time. We each have a gift as well as a wish, and central to our practice is finding a way for these to meet.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Sallie Jiko Tisdale
12/03/2017
Rohatsu and Sesshin

As we prepare to begin Rohatsu sesshin, Jyoshin examines what we are celebrating this week and why we do what we do.

Categories: Dharma Talks

Jyoshin Clay
Date Title & Details Speaker Listen Download

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