Rain graphic

Dharma Rain Zen Center zafu
Zen Center News

Shuso Installation

On Sun., February 29, Domyo Dawn Sater was installed as Shuso (Chief Junior) for the next year. Domyo was ordained as a novice monk on March 2, 2001, after training as a postulant for one and one half years. Taking on the role of Shuso, which concludes with the Shuso Hossen ceremony in February 2005, will complete an important phase of her training as a Soto Zen Priest.

Jukai

The Jukai sesshin was held in March. The following are some photos that were taken of that event. To see a larger view of any picture, click on the picture.

Below: Catherine Clay makes gassho as she promises to take the precepts. Kyogen Carlson (right) was the celebrant.

 

Above: The asperge, incense, fan and ordination service lie on the altar in readiness for the Jukai Ceremony.

Left: Rick Mackin bows for the asperging by Kyogen.

Below: Todd Fifield receives his certificate of lay ordination.

The following people took the Precepts and became Buddhists. Congratulations to: Rich Mackin, Lisa Melyan, Todd Fifield, Steve Morgan, Julie Glass, Kimberly Deckman, Jeff Woolvier, Catherine Clay, Sally Schoolmaster, Emilie Cartoun, Chuck Washburn, Thomas Bruner, Shannon Reagan, John Urbanowski, Bill von Schade, Maiya Hall.

 

Left: Group picture of the new Buddhists modeling their raksus.

 

From Tom Zenkyo Howard and Mark Bellis

 

We would like to share with you, our loving community, the joy we are experiencing at this very momentous time in our lives. We have been together for almost 22 years, and we never thought we would see the day when we could be legally married. After all our years together, waiting in line for five hours to get our license was an awesome experience. All the love of so many hopeful couples will ultimately touch all of our lives.

 

On March 13th we were married in the Dharma House zendo by Gyokuko. The ceremony was majestic, and more powerful than we can describe. There is a line in the wedding service that says, "May your greater family be the family of mankind." So, may our love and commitment be an inspiration and source of happiness for you and all beings.

Top: Zenkyo and Mark light the candle.

Right: The wedding party: Yuishin, Kyogen, Zenkyo, Tom, Gyokuko, and Domyo.

Below Right and Left: More photos of the wedding - Zenkyo and Tom exchange rings, Gyokuko solemnizes their union.

(To see a larger view of any photo, click on picture.)

Twenty-two years has offered a lot of practice in learning to see the larger picture, and the selfless nature of love. While there have been good and bad times, a line from one of our favorite old movies says it all, "It's being together in the end that matters." The honeymoon's just getting started. We sit holding hands and our rings remind us that each is wearing the other's vow. No temporal authority or state can ever take away that love. -- Mark and Zenkyo

.

 

 

Operations Corner

There was a lot of work finished in the last two months, primarily due to the Jukai sesshin, which provided both time and focused help from sesshin participants. The Dharma and Sangha houses underwent additional landscaping and planting, as well as general maintenance and improvements. New benches were constructed for the bookstore. A great deal of framing and drywall came out of the basement laundry room, merging the basement hallway and laundry room projects. We also cleaned and sharpened our tools! Looking ahead, we plan to move the basement stairs to meet city code, while extending the small mudroom at the west basement entrance of the Dharma House. The intention is to make the space as efficient as possible while meeting code. Other projects include securing the house to the foundation and the chimneys to the roof


Member News

There will be a naming ceremony for member Jerome Madden's son - Heinrich Madden - on Sun., May 30. Faddah Yuetsu Wolf has sold his father's house and will be traveling to distant and exciting places for a few months before returning to Portland permanently. Jody Shintai Dungay, another world-traveling member, continues to live and work in Amberg, Germany, where she moved one year ago. The Center often receives postcards from various European capitals and seaports, where Shintai frequently meets and practices with established Zen sanghas (these postcards are posted on the bulletin board at the Dharma House). Imagine doing Oryioki while reciting the meal chant in German!

If you have news you would like to share with the sangha, please email Newsletter@Dharma-Rain.Org, Attn: Member News. .


On-Line Purchases

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.


Newsletter Submissions

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 503/234.3813.

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


Electronic Pledges

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

A small, portable CD player; a sprinkler; a garden hose spray nozzle; and a chain saw



 

Thanks To:

Thank you to all who give and thereby ensure the stability and growth of the Center. Gassho to Anne Suiho Jensen for vanilla; Matthew Stewart for glasses and cookies; Rich Mackin for lettuce, bread, juice and asparagus; Nancy Gonzalez for veggies; Marta Farris for cookies; Sara and Tom Kosho for broccoli; Bob and Carlene Orman for cookies, cheese, CD cases, flowers and a Jizo book; and to anyone we may have missed.

 

Photo taken at the exhibit of the Buddha's Relics.

 

to Still Point home    
To Dharma Rain home
 


STILL POINT edit of 1 May 2004

Edited for archive on June 30, 2004.
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
Dharma Rain Logo
Copyright Northwest Zen Sangha.
No portion of this publication
may be reproduced in any form
without permission.
This Web page may be linked
to other Web pages provided
its contents is not altered in any way.
email to Staff@Dharma-Rain.Org

Save a tree



If there are broken links or other problems with this page, contact the Still Point Web Manager, Jeanette Ryan, at jryan@ipns.com