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On Sun. February 23, Getsushin Brox was installed as Shuso (Chief Junior) for the next year. Getsushin was ordained as a novice monk in October 2000, after training as a Postulant for two years. Taking on the role of Shuso and completing Shuso Hossen in February 2004 will complete a phase of her training as a Soto Zen Priest. This is the first time a monk ordained at DRZC will enter this position, which further demonstrates our Sangha's deepening maturity and commitment. This is an exciting time and we welcome Getsushin as our Shuso; we will certainly put her to the test! Interestingly, on the same day of the installation, Kenryu Binns entered training as a Postulant, beginning on the path of ordination in our lineage.
The Jukai sesshin was held in March in which thirteen people took the Precepts. Congratulations to: Carlene Orman, Pat Osterman, Eric Johnson, Sam Barnett, Michael Martin, Chris Garnett, Brenda DuBois, Dennis Gemmell, Barbara Young, Beth Lucchi, and Troy Fowler, who took the precepts for the first time and became Buddhists. In addition, Sabra Larsen and Alan Myodo Murdock took the Precepts for the second time, to both renew their vows and to show a committment to this Sangha.
This one-day retreat was an inaugural event for the Men's Group. Attended by 17 men, the retreat followed the normal DRZC retreat format with an additional focus on mondo practice. The group has been studying Bodhidarma's Outline of Practice and Shodo Harada Roshi's commentary on it. From these texts, participants selected and offered a verse for further questioning.
DRZC now has the capability to accept payment for many goods and services on-line through our web site. You can sign up and pay for retreats, subscribe to Still Point, and purchase Zen Center publications. To purchase publications, point your browser to: http://www.dharma-rain.org/StillPoint/pp/pub.html.
There has been a major room shuffle at the Dharma House, part of an effort to meet all relevant building codes by separating public and residential uses of the house. All full-time residents now live in the basement of the Dharma house, or at the Sangha house. This makes the ground and second floor more available for public use. Come by and see what has changed. There are numerous other projects underway that pertain to building codes, including work on the laundry/furnace room, enlarging some basement windows, and many small jobs. The rest of the grounds and buildings are in relatively good shape (excepting the Zendo roof), thanks to a few productive retreats and an increase in volunteer hours.
A new meditation group is forming at the Coffee Creek medium-security women's prison. For some time, Randi Getsushin Brox and Gwen Kisei Martin have been facilitating a group at the minimum-security prison, and they will soon be offering a similar group at the separate medium-security facility. This new group will require its own equipment. Zafus have already been donated, but the group needs zabutons and books. Please consider donating: $200 is needed to purchase materials (donation baskets will be at the Zendo and house, or give donations to Getsushin, Kisei or Domyo); labor is needed to assemble the zabuton materials (Kisei will lead a half-day sewing workshop, talk to her); good Buddhist books are needed for a lending library (bring to the Center, and indicate what they are for). Thanks!
Shintai Dungay left for Amberg, Germany on Tuesday, April 1, for two years and is still in the process of adjusting to her new environment and job. She says she is grateful for her practice, which continues to aid and inform her throughout this transition. Look for an update from Shintai in the next newsletter.
Congratulations go to David Genkaku Tweet and Denise Lee who have announced that they are engaged!
Former member Russ Zachmeyer died February 20th. He left the world a better place than it was when he arrived.
Both houses are full at this time. At the Dharma House, residents include Kakumyo Lowe, Kenryu Binns, Fred Green and Faddah Wolf. At the Sangha House: Domyo Sater, Bess Yuishin and Ellen Clark, Rose Grenelle, and David Choten Robinson. During the month of Ango, four additional members will take on full-time residency at the Dharma House; they are: Anthony Stevens, Alison Shin'ei Brown, David Genkaku Tweet and Todd Fifield.
The newsletter is put together in the first week of every other month. Submissions are very welcome: short or long articles, which can be on any point of practice, including travel, research or personal experience; descriptions of events we've had; the occasional poem or drawing. We don't 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 Jiko, 239-9323.
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.
Begging Bowl
The Center house has been reorganized, so we now have two bright public rooms on the second floor: a library (formerly the dorm) and a sitting/meeting room (formerly the library). We could use a futon couch or some other lightweight (non hide-a-bed) couch for the sitting room, and a couple of "comfy" chairs, to make these rooms comfortable and inviting for all.
Thanks To:Thank you to all who give and thereby ensure the stability and growth of the Center. Gassho to John Rippey for bags of organic cereal; Marta Farris for loaves of bread and cookies; Homitsu White for tomatoes; Mamiko for California rolls; Eric Hongaku Leatha for 9 matching drawer handles and their installation; Shintai for food and miscellaneous items; Sokyo for a bread bag; and Bukkai for cookies and bread. Steve Tai'an Blackwood for a new pond pump.
STILL POINT archive edit of 6 May 2003
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
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