Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple
Tuyết Sơn Thiền Tự, 雪山禅寺
September 2020
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Dear Ones, I saw this mantra and thought you would enjoy it. The Catholic Saint, Francis, was a kind and loving man who taught great compassion. May this offering from Steven Goodheart be a reminder of our goal in following the Buddha's path.
A Buddhist’s Mantra (based on the Prayer of St. Francis)
May I be an agent of love in this world.
Where there is hatred, let me bring loving-kindness;
Where there is injury, forgiveness;
Where there is doubt, insight;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
May I console as well as be consoled.
May I understand as well as be understood;
May I love as well as be loved;
For in giving we receive;
In forgiving, we are forgiven;
In dying to self-centeredness, we are born to the deathless.

In this time of great turmoil, may we be emissaries of peace and loving kindness to people of all colors, political affiliations, religions, ethnicity, and sexuality. Let us practice Loving Kindness (the first brahmavihārā) in all of our actions and thoughts. in metta, Thay Kozen
One Day Retreat via ZOOM Saturday, September 26
Sign up on our website https://mtadamszen.org/. 7:30am - 5pm.
You can attend all or part of the retreat via zoom.
Topics: Meal Chant, METTA, Walking Meditation, Temple Service, Ethics - guns and Buddhism,
Dharma Talks, 14 Movement Meditation, and Dharma sharing,

Saturday Morning ZOOM Meditation Meeting
The below screenshot was taken during the meeting
Join us Saturday mornings at 9:00AM at 89185285652
5Rhythms
is a movement meditation practice devised by Gabrielle Roth in the late 1970s.[2] It draws from indigenous and world traditions using tenets of shamanistic, ecstatic, mystical and eastern philosophy. It also draws from Gestalt therapy, the human potential movement and transpersonal psychology. Fundamental to the practice is the idea that everything is energy, and moves in waves, patterns and rhythms.

Join Sara Mains for 5Rhythms® on the outdoor dance floor at the Abbey! 
5Rhythms Moving meditation is a dynamic practice of embodiment. 
Each rhythm is interpreted by individuals in a uniquely personal way, opening them to a new sense of freedom and possibility that is both surprising and healing, exhilarating as well as deeply restorative. It is, in essence, “exercise for the right brain.”

"Put your psyche in motion and it will heal itself" Gabrielle Roth 
 No experience needed to participate, just bring your water bottle and willingness to move!

There are 2 offerings in September, pre - registration is required.
CONTACT SARA at: gorge5rhythms@gmail.com

9/13, 10:30am - Noon ~ Sweat Your Prayers 9/26, 10am - 1pm ~ 5Rhythms Retreat
Social Distancing Enforced
A Way of Freedom from Alcohol/Substance use and Attachments

We are a peer-led movement and community that is unified by our trust in the potential of each of us to recover and find freedom from the suffering of addiction. We believe that recovery means empowerment, and we support each other as partners walking the path of recovery together.
Our program uses the Buddhist practices of meditation, self-inquiry, wisdom, compassion, and community as tools for recovery and healing. We believe that recovery is about finding our own inner wisdom and our own path. Click here to read more https://recoverydharma.org/
LifeRing Secular Recovery is an organization of people who share practical experiences and sobriety support. There are as many ways to live free of drugs and alcohol as there are stories of successful sober people. Many LifeRing members attend other kinds of meetings or recovery programs, and we honor those decisions. Some have had negative experiences in attempting to find help elsewhere, but most people soon find that LifeRing’s emphasis on the positive, practical present-day can turn anger and despair into hope and resolve. LifeRing respectfully embraces what works for each individual. Click here to read more https://www.lifering.org/about
Hood River meeting: Friday night at 7:00pm St. Marks Church
Online @ LifeRing.org / online meetings. For more information call Kevin M. 651-329-7947 or
Thich Minh Thien, Thay Z
Abbot of Budding Dharma
Arlington, Texas

GOODNESS IN - GOODNESS OUT

In the time before a wide use of computers was a fact of life, and yes I am old enough to remember that time, things were different in many ways. As a matter of fact, back then, we were considered high tech if we had a calculator and a slide rule. I can still recall in my business life those mad programming people trying to create and install computer applications which would streamline and make more efficient our manual processes. As these programs came rolling out, and in some cases, failed to accomplish what we thought they would, a frequent response that users would hear from the programmers was …”Garbage In; Garbage Out…”. It was such a simple concept really, but one that had to be tested over and over again until what we wanted was actually what we got.

I believe there is a basic goodness and humanity in all of us. Yet over and over again, the directions we personally take, and those taken by segments of this human society, produce outcomes that are less than desirable. In striving to live up to the philosophy of our ancestral teacher, the Buddha, this understanding of how our thoughts influence our actions becomes paramount. It is clear that through mindful living and our meditation practice, we are supported as we work towards better outcomes; both personally and in our overall society.

Our thoughts are the programming that moves us along this path of life. Our thoughts become our words, our words become our actions, our actions become our habits and those habits become the pattern of our lives. The nature of those thoughts have consequences which may not be immediately evident. When anger slips into our thoughts before compassion and loving kindness, there is the possibility that our actions may not be what we hoped they would be; hence, Garbage In; Garbage Out. The programming that can counteract the “garbage” is our inherent “goodness”. Through the practice of mindfulness and recognizing the reality of our thoughts and actions and what drives them, we have the opportunity to correct our thought programs to reflect our better angels. And as we do so, we will begin to see this increasing ”Goodness In” factor can support more “Goodness Out” results.

In the practice of front loading our actions with the better thoughts we always have available to us, we become less brittle to the incidents that occur in life. Through this softening of thoughts, actions and attitudes, our suffering is lessened and our actions will have better outcomes for ourselves, for those around us, and to the world in general.

So take those garbage emotions and thoughts and practice replacing them with emotions or actions that the dharma offers to us. Take that dislike of certain individuals and replace that with more loving kindness and understanding. Take that sadness and depression about our lives and the world we live in, and replace that with compassionate thoughts and actions. Take those selfish and greedy tendencies and replace them with a giving nature. Change our perspective of seeing the glass half empty, to seeing it half full.

In our meditation practice, we take the time and opportunity to see our lives more clearly. Through practicing mindful living, we can reinforce the reality of our lives in this world to one that reflects our gratitude, respect, and loving actions. We get to change our programming and the effects it has on how we live and feel. “Goodness In” has the great potential to result in finding happiness and joy in our own lives and will result in “Goodness Out” to benefit our society and our world.

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
The River
by Dave Sheppard

The river is in flood.
Angry, fast water, ever rushing
 
A few wet, muddy stones show above the torrent
I must dance over these stones to cross. 
 
In the mighty ocean there are fewer stones and mighty storms.
There is a crossing I wish to make. 
 
A magician might fly over its breadth.
A prophet might simply walk over the waves
 
I am a simple man
I must build a boat.
Poetry from Venerable Fa Sing
(Thich Tâm Minh)
awakened by an august rain,
awakened by an august rain,
the flowers outside the window
refresh my tired spirit.

********************************************

Above the river that runs
through the valley below

lies a river of fog
that quietly flows

beneath a river of stars
and their timeless white glow.

********************************************

a crow knocks on the rooftop
of this solitary hut
but when I look within
there's no one to be found

West Coast PPE
A local company in Hood River, Oregon provides face masks, face shields, hand sanitizer solution and dispensers, N95 masks and much more. It is a local company with many USA made products. Our temple has an automatic hand sanitizer machine on a stand that dispenses organic alcohol hand sanitizer from this company.
contact information Kirk@cscdistribution.com WestcoastPPE.com
Here are our local meditation groups. Please help us update our poster - send updates etc. to Business@tlabbey.com. Also - print out a poster and post it!
May the Infinite Light of Wisdom and Compassion so shine within us
that the errors and vanities of self may be dispelled; 
so shall we understand the changing nature of existence and awaken into spiritual peace.
Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple   46 Stoller Rd., Trout Lake WA 98650 509.395.2030    www.Mtadamszen.org
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