Tag: StillPoint
Even though the Sodo is “finished,” and we are pausing to sit still and enjoy the beauty of the building and grounds, there are still some pieces being worked on. One of those pieces is the three folding doors that will help divide our spaces and reduce the sound spillover from kitchen and dining room… Read more »
Last month, Maitripa held an event that featured Thubten Chodron (a Tibetan teacher) and Bhante Seelawimala (a Theravadin teacher). A dialogue on Sunday morning was facilitated by Kakumyo Lowe-Charde (our very own Zen teacher). It was videotaped, and, as Kakumyo says, “this portion contains the juicy parts.” Check out the video.
This last week, Friends of Trees and Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors (ECO) teamed up with our sangha to plant 400 native shrubs and trees along the pathway in the oak savanna area. Six different classrooms of fourth- and fifth-graders came to the site to take part in habitat restoration and nature/science exploration activities. ECO… Read more »
During last week’s retreat, we were able to sit in Uji, the portable double-wide on the land. It was sweet to sit with the frogs’ chorus after dark and in the early morning. The photo shows the building, and in the foreground the lamp poles for the street lights. The concrete mounting posts for those… Read more »
More than 70 people enthusiastically welcomed 5 new lay Buddhists as we celebrated our first Sunday services in the new Sodo. The building is unfinished with no electricity or water yet, but it is wheelchair accessible, and it’s ours. Preceptees (back row, left to right) are Randall Filbert, Sally Tomlinson, Kelly Klooster-McCombs, Arjuna James Badgley,… Read more »
Our annual Jukai retreat is in process this week, and will culminate in the Jukai ceremony on Sunday, when individuals receive the Bodhisattva Precepts and formally become Buddhists. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this open retreat full- or part-time. See the schedule. Please note a change, though. On Sunday after the Jukai Ceremony,… Read more »
As part of the Jukai sesshin, we have been able to do a lot of work on the property. Some of the work on the Sodo has been to get it ready for Jukai ceremony on Sunday. Painting the subfloor should make it easier to clean so we can spread mats and cushions for zazen.… Read more »
The Daoren met in mid-February for a workshop and painted Bodhidharma images. Here’s what they ended up with. Pictured are Linda Hoka Bebernes, Thomas Koshin Bruner, Jonathan Crighton, Ole Chisho Riise, Kevin Geoffrey, Jennifer Jiteki Freda-Cowie, and Kimberly Woods-Saldana.
Karen Sokyo Swallow has a show up at the Walters Gallery, 527 East Main Street in Hillsboro. The show will remain until March 23. This collection of scrolls explores the thematic symbol of the waterfall through the media of sumi ink, rice paper, beeswax encaustic, and calligraphy. Sokyo’s work reflects the significant influence of eastern… Read more »
Yesterday’s work party produced multiple benefits from the work of more than 15 wonderful volunteers. We are clearing out Short-Term storage and beginning to set up spaces in the portable building. Above, you can see shelves and boxes ready to set up the library so you can have access to all those wonderful Dharma books… Read more »
Doug Fir, the Dharma School high school group, spent the night in a cabin on Mt Hood last Saturday. We hiked, played games, watched a movie, ate as much as we possibly could and had a lively discussion on happiness on Sunday morning. We had a great time!
Yesterday’s work party accomplished a lot. Workers on the Oak Savannah created a spiral walkway around a central outdoor classroom area. If you look closely at the center of the photo above, you can see Gyokuko (wearing a blue-green jacket) giving a tour to a visitor. At right you see some of the wonderful sangha… Read more »
Our resident handyman extraordinaire, Doug Hull, is in the process of building stairs, a deck, and a ramp in front of the new portable building, which will make it easier for everyone to come in to the construction trailer, which will soon house the office and other events. He hopes to have these finished by… Read more »
A lot of work has been going on at Siskiyou, showing dramatic results for all of the many generous donations from sangha members. Dharma Rain’s new construction trailer, a large double-wide, was delivered and put together this week. Wednesday evening sitting and classes, as well as other meetings and events, will soon have ample space.… Read more »
This is a summary describing the month’s work of the temple’s three major decision-making bodies. A governance notebook with approved minutes is filed in the temple office. A list of current Council members and areas of concern, individual charges to leadership and temple job positions are listed on the temple website. Previous summaries are listed… Read more »
The north side of the roof is almost finished, except for the skylights. Siding is also going up on the exterior, over a moisture barrier that will be painted. The photo at left is of the front door of the Sodo. The photo at right was taken from Siskiyou St looking north to the front… Read more »