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DRZC offers intensive training periods, or Ango, twice a year - one in the fall and one in the spring. Fall Ango began with the all-night Founder's Vigil on Sat., Oct. 30 and ended with Rohatsu Sesshin (see below). Anthony Stevens was in residency for Ango, and there were often a dozen people in the Zendo for 6am zazen. There were an average of 8-10 people at the communal breakfasts and dinners, and the atmosphere of practice around the Dharma House was busy, full and warm..
Rohatsu Sesshin took place at Great Vow Zen Monastery December 5-12. Most of the 65 participants are shown here. Five teachers shared the Teisho duties, including Gyokuko, Chozen Bays, and Kyogen, shown center_front. Not shown are Hogen Bays and Ejo McMullen of the Eugene Zendo. All five offered sanzen as well. Kakumyo Lowe acted as Tenzo, with Anthony Stevens assisting, and Susho duties were shared between DRZCs Domyo Sater and GVZMs Yuko Kreiger. The joint Rohatsu Sesshin has become a high point of the year. Click on picture to see a larger image.
The mid-term retreat was for held term students on Fri., Nov. 19. This "mini-retreat" introduced many newer students to the practice of Mondo, often referred to as "Dharma Combat," and focused on Shitou's poem, Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage.
In November, the large yellow house at 2111 S.E. Madison was purchased by Faddah Yuetsu Wolf. By early January it will be home to Yuetsu and fellow DRZC members Yuishin and Ellen Clark, Rich Mackin, and Blair Vail.
Nicknamed "The Light House," this intentional community will host a number of artistic, cultural, and spiritual events such as poetry readings, salons, non-violent communication workshops, yoga classes and post-Dharma talk Sunday brunches. Several rooms are open and are available for rent. Another option is to "buy in" as co-op members. Suggestions for events are being taken. Anyone interested should email lighthousepdx@yahoo.com or speak to one of the aforementioned people.
Childcare is available at the Dharma House during Sunday morning zazen and service from 8:30am to 10am, on Dharma School Sundays only. This permits parents to participate in services at the zendo before Dharma School begins. Children not enrolled in Dharma School can also attend child-care, but parents need to pick up their kids immediately after service, as the child-care attendants miraculously transform into Dharma School teachers or high school students.
Operations has been in high gear recently. Over and above the perennial building permit work, we have been remodeling the Abbot's apartment, wiring in lights on three floors, doing general winterizing of the grounds, as well as numerous smaller repairs and organizing projects. We have also been preparing for an inspection and planning the remainder of the basement ceiling, stairs, and side door projects. Thanks to those who have helped in the last month, especially several Segaki retreatants and Eric Hongaku Leatha and Anthony Stevens. If you are interested in community work practice of any sort, please come by; there are projects to match any skill and activity level.
There are several openings for residency at the Center. Dharma Rain Zen Center residents commit to becoming an intimate part of the residential community as well as deepening their relationship to the larger DRZC Sangha. They commit to spending more time and energy doing formal practice, within the context of Sangha, than is usually possible outside of residency. During their term of residency they seek out and accept guidance from the Center teachers, Soto Zen teachings, and the dharma inherent in the Center's training matrix and traditions. As work outside the temple and personal commitments allow, residents attend daily zazen, communal meals, Wednesday evening and Sunday morning programs, work practice days, monthly Fusatsu and in-town retreats. They have sanzen with the Center teachers at least once a month and participate in the Term Student program. They also hold regular temple jobs and make themselves available for temple work projects.
DRZC members who have been actively involved in the Center for at least 6 months to a year are eligible for residency. Practitioners associated with other teachers and Buddhist groups may be considered for residency, but only if they and the residential review committee determine that a full commitment to DRZC residency is compatible with any obligations and involvements they already have. For a booklet describing residency and an application, call the Center at 503-239-4846.
DRZC continues to grow as more guests and regular attendees become supporting members. Thank you to all who have made a commitment to practice, share and grow with Dharma Rain. If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact Kakumyo Lowe at staff@dharma-rain.org or 503/239.4846.
The following is a list of those who have recently become new members; please join us in welcoming them: Masumi Hayashi-Smith, Carol Armstrong, Ross Egan, Charlotte Kemp, Dun Gifford, Ray Downing and Thomas Oleary.
The newsletter is assembled and edited during the first week of every other month. Submissions are very welcome: short or long articles, which can focus on any point of practice, including travel, research or personal experience; descriptions of events we've had; the occasional poem or drawing. We do not print anonymous articles. Please submit typed submissions if at all possible, and by e-mail if you can, to: newsletter@Dharma-Rain.org. (This saves the newsletter staff from having to re-type the work.) If you have questions, contact Choten at the above e-mail address.
Deadlines and possible topics:
January-February (New Year's eve, precepts study, Hossen): December 1
March-April (Jukai, spring term): February 1
May-June (Denkoe, end of term, summer): April 1
July-August (summer practice): June 1
September-October (fall term, term student program, Segaki): August 1
November-December (Founder's Day, Rohatsu, Christmas): October 1
Please consider having your monthly pledges to DRZC automatically withdrawn from your personal checking account. DRZC has entered into an agreement with an accounting service to process the monthly withdrawals from the checking accounts of participating members and deposit them in our account for a monthly maintenance fee charged to DRZC. In additional to saving everyone paper, this process will save time for our treasurer and will conveniently reduce each participating members monthly "To Do" list by one item.
Sign-up forms are available at the Center; just ask one of the priests or Board members, or call or drop us a line. When you complete the form, just return it to the Center with a voided personal check and sit back and relax; well take it from there.
Thanks To:
Thank you to all who give and support the stability and growth of the Center. Gassho to Joan Mack for grapes; Rich Mackin and Blair Vail for pasta and bread; Tsarra Berger for rhubarb; Bill Frazier for veggies; Geoff Gass for apples and figs; Seido Martin for veggies galore; Kisei Martin for eggplants; Kat Streiby for carpets; Yuetsu Wolf for bread, pears and other fruits; Robert Flory for fruit and squash; and Peter Knysak for the much needed vita mixer.
STILL POINT edit of 27 December 2004
edited for archives on 7 July 2005
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
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