For more detailed information on an event, including location or registration information, click on the event on the calendar below. To view important dates in our Liturgical Year or for more information, see the quarterly flyer for upcoming dates.
Each year we study a chapter of the Denkoroku as a way of honoring and learning from our ancestors.
Denko-E is a traditional sesshin with more restricted entry times. Free drop-ins are available at the start of the day (5am) until breakfast (not including breakfast) and again at the start of evening meditation (7pm) through vespers. Any participant who stays beyond those times will need to register for the retreat.
Participants who are attending only selected days will need to enter the retreat at 4:45am or 7pm. There is no need to pay the day fee if you are arriving at 7pm. Please email the shuso your arrival time after you register at .
Zoom Link (for early morning program 5-7:20am)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88340653405?pwd=CQESMOfIZCM7opDrMF3XDvJZpITqV3.1
Meeting ID 883 4065 3405
Passcode 316552
Registration is required for meals and overnights, and closes Thursday, April 9 and will be up closer to the event.
Registration has closed.
Sunday Morning Schedule
8:30am Zazen (in-person sanzen only)
9-9:10 Kinhin (slow walking meditation)
9:10 Zazen (sanzen continues)
9:40am Chanting service
10:30am Announcements/Dharma Talk
Note: The schedule sometimes varies. Subscribe to our weekly e-bulletin (see link on the home page) to get up-to-date information about what is happening from week to week. If you’re new, come 10-15 minutes early for orientation from the Greeter.
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83090928041?pwd=j4cxfSWYR5SkZ3aiO79eZm79WBTp30.1
Meeeting ID 830 9092 8041
Passcode 387117
NOTE: There will be NO Avatamsaka chanting on Sunday, September 14.
Ko’in (and sometimes others) lead the ancient, traditional practice of the recitation of the Avatamsaka (Flower Ornament) Sutra.
We chant aloud as a group for approximately 30 minutes each week. No registration required; please attend as you are interested or able. We meet in the office on Sundays after the dharma talk.
We are using Cleary’s translation of the Sutra. Please bring your own copy if you have one. There are a limited number of extra copies available for use in the library.
According to Thomas Cleary, this sutra “is perhaps the richest and most grandiose of all Buddhist sutras, held in high esteem by all schools of Buddhism that are concerned with universal liberation. Its incredible wealth of sensory imagery staggers the imagination and exercised an almost mesmeric effect on the mind as it conveys a wide range of teachings through its complex structure, colorful symbolism, and its mnemonic concentration formulae.”
If you have questions, please contact Fumyo or Ko’in at dharma-rain.org.
On Tuesday mornings the library is open and staffed from 10am to 11:30am for members who wish to check out or return books, or for others to browse if they wish.
Tuesday through Saturday (with some exceptions – check calendar) during Spring Ango (March 1 through May 31) we host a midday sit. There is a posture adjustment bell at noon, and closing bells at 12:25pm. It is open to all. Please come in quietly, and if you leave before the end, leave quietly. When the weather is fine, we sometimes sit outdoors on the engawa (deck). In that case, feel free to bring a zabuton or chair outside.
The Introduction to Zen Meditation workshop is designed for complete beginners, but it is also recommended for anyone who has not received instruction in the Soto Zen style of zazen. No previous experience is necessary.
This meeting is available both in person and online. Advance registration for attendance, whether in person or on Zoom is not required. Clicking the link for Zoom attendance will bring up a form to provide your first name and email before joining the meeting.
Meeting ID 857 4787 4046
Passcode 546447
This is a Seminary Class. See more information about Seminary here.
Instructor: Jyoshin
Objective: The course will expose students to the richness of the Lotus Sutra. Through reading the text, examining art, songs, and commentary, students will gain an understanding of the importance of the Lotus Sutra in Mahayana Buddhism and its relevance in Soto Zen.
Texts: The Lotus Sutra
Students may choose from translations as it will be useful to compare translations and notice the effects of word choices made by the translators. Translations by Bunno Kato, Burton Watson, or Gene Reeves are common.
The instructor will be using The Threefold Lotus Sutra translated by Bunno Kato and Yoshiro Tamura.
Registered students will be provided with the Zoom link.
During the Spring Ango term (May 1 through May 31), we increase our zazen time by starting zazen an hour earlier. The service is modified from Full Morning Service, slightly shorter, and alternates between one chanting the Traditional Ancestral Line and another chanting the Line of Women Dharma Ancestors. Sanzen is offered on most Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
5:30am Zazen
5:55 Posture adjustment bell (optional sanzen Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)
6:20 Kinhin
6:30 Zazen (posture adjustment bell 6:55)
7:20 Ango Morning Service
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88340653405?pwd=CQESMOfIZCM7opDrMF3XDvJZpITqV3.1
Meeting ID 883 4065 3405
Passcode 316552
We welcome volunteers to join us in the garden where we tend to the plants, the soil, and our practice together. Dharma Rain grows fruit, vegetables, and herbs for the temple kitchen, as well as ornamental and native plants to offer on our temple altars and to our ecosystem.
We meet weekly year-round on Wednesdays, and the occasional Saturday, except when the temple is closed or on silent retreat.