Buddhamas Decorations at Trout Lake Abbey.
This is a long Newsletter. Please click "View Entire Message" and read to the "Bonus Click" at the end!
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Thầy Kozen và Thầy Vĩnh Minh sẽ đi hành hương về Đài Loan và Việt Nam từ ngày 31, tháng 12, năm 2023 đến ngày 20, tháng 1, năm 2024. Quý Phật Tử nào muốn tham gia chuyến hành hương này thì vui lòng liên lạc số điện thoại này để đăng ký (360) 980 – 0904 hoặc Giaithoat@gmail.com
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Please join us in person for Buddha's Enlightenment Day (Bodhi Day)
Kính Mời Quý Phật Tử Về Chùa Tham Dự Lễ Phật Thành Đạo.
Saturday 9 December 2023 at 9AM
Both on Zoom and in person at the temple.
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RECURRING SERVICES - FALL/WINTER 2023 SCHEDULE
all times are Pacific time
SERVICES & STUDY In Person and on Zoom
MONDAY - FRIDAY Morning Sangha + Meditation at 6:30 a.m.
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY - Evening Sangha + Meditation at 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY Sangha, Service + Meditation 8:30 a.m. check-in, 9 a.m. service
all above at 46 Stoller Rd., Trout Lake WA and at Zoom link below
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TUESDAY Sanga + Meditaion 12 noon IN PERSON ONLY
1412 13th Street, Suite 200. Hood River, OR 97031
2nd & 4th WEDNESDAY Thich Naht Hanh Study Group 6:30 p.m.
LAST SUNDAY OF MONTH Meditation + Dharma Talk 2:00 p.m. IN PERSON ONLY
Buu Hung Buddhist Temple 17808 NE 18th St, Vancouver WA
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Dear Ones,
At this time of ending the year and starting a new one, my thoughts return to the early teachings of the Buddha. After his awakening, his first Dharma sermon was to children in the forest. His first recorded sermon to adults was the Sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath, the Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra. (In Pali:The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta). (The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma) is considered to be a record of the first teaching given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment.
According to the Buddhist tradition, the Buddha gave this teaching in Sarnath, India, to the five ascetics (his former companions with whom he had spent six years practicing austerities). The main topic of this sutra is the Four Noble Truths, which are the central teachings of Buddhism that provide a unifying theme, or conceptual framework, for all of Buddhist thought. This sutra also introduces the Buddhist concepts of the middle way, impermanence, and dependent origination.
At times of holidays for our brothers and sisters of all faiths, let us wish them all well and join in the spirit of their joy and practices. May this season for brothers and sisters of any faith - may we all find peace with each other and in our own hearts.
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An ancient proverb says, "A person approaches the meaning of life when they plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit". Such is our karma - all of the consequences of our actions swirl around and touch many whom we will never know of.
Let us cultivate our hearts well. May we turn our hearts and well wishing to our brothers and sisters who are distressed and to those in Ukraine & Russia as well as Israel & Palestine, as they experience the sufferings of war.
Buddha teaches us that Anger, Desire, and Ignorance are the cause of suffering.
May we all find peace.......Thay Kozen
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Welcome Thay Vinh Minh!
Thay Vinh Minh has joined Mt Adams Buddhist Temple "for good." We are very grateful to have his winning smile and helpful hands to help Thay Kozen. He's been a frequent visitor for the last eight years, since he met Kozen in Vietnam. Thay Minh was born in southern Vietnam, has studied and practiced Buddhism in Vietnam, Thailand, and the U.S., most recently in Texas. He is a great cook. Make sure to talk to him next time you visit the Temple!
Thay Minh was in Texas last month taking care of some business. He stayed at a small monastery while he was there. During the night, the Temple where he slept was firebombed (Molotov Cocktail)! He and another monk were able to put out the fire with quick thinking, a rug, and a fire extinguisher. Thank goodness they were sleeping there that night or the whole building would have been lost.
The nun who founded the Texas monatery no longer feels safe there. We are seeking a donation of a travel trailer for the nun to live in temporarily at Mt Adams Buddhist Temple after she returns from Vietnam and the Lunar New Year in February. Our hope is to eventually give her long term living space here.
Here is a link to a news report about the incident, which was caught on security cameras:
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Upcoming Events & Retreats
DECEMBER 31 - 108 bell ring in the New Year 2024
JANUARY 2024 - Buddhist pilgrimage to Vietnam & Cambodia
I encourage everyone to do a minimum of a 1 week retreat and 2 additional 1-2 day retreats every every year. Recommended retreat centers are Deer Park in Escondido, CA, Great Vow in Clatskanie, OR, Cloud Mountain in Castle Rock WA.
...Thay Kozen
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Cloud Mountain Retreat Crt
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Thich Minh Thien, (Thay Z) Abbot of Budding Dharma
Arlington, Texas thayzzen@gmail.com
Reincarnation and Buddhist Beliefs
I think one of the most frequent questions I get from new people who visit the Budding Dharma Temple is what do I think happens to us after death. If you are like me, that thought may have crossed your mind a time or two in your own pondering. Is it heaven or hell or rebirth back into this or other worlds or merely a biological recycle of our human remains. Maybe it is conceptually a combination of all three of those possibilities. I usually start my response to this question that my Teacher leans towards the concepts of Reincarnation, and therefore, I take that seriously. I was also however a practicing Catholic for 62 years and heaven and hell concepts were seriously intertwined in my spiritual development. So the opinion I share with others is that what I do know, is nobody knows for sure beyond their own personal beliefs. Like it is stated in the Five Remembrances, “…I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death…”.
Buddhism rejects the idea of a permanent, unchanging self or soul that transmigrates from one body to another. Instead, the Buddhist understanding of reincarnation emphasizes the continuity of consciousness rather than the perpetuation of an individual identity. It does not assert a personal identity that remains intact through different lives; rather, it offers a more fluid understanding of the self and consciousness. The specific conditions of our rebirth are determined by various factors, such as the moral quality of our actions (karma), our level of wisdom, and the attachment or aversion we hold towards certain desires. For instance, a person who consistently performs actions that are harmful or unskillful will likely experience negative consequences in their next rebirth. Conversely, someone who cultivates positive virtues and acts compassionately will reap the benefits of their efforts in future existences.
So one might conclude that the Buddhist belief is that the cycle of reincarnation continues until one attains enlightenment, a state of complete liberation from suffering and ignorance. This liberation, known as nirvana, transcends the cycle of birth and death, and marks the end of the individual's journey through samsara which means suffering.
Reincarnation also plays a significant role in a Buddhist understanding of compassion and connectedness. The continuous cycle of life and death fosters a sense of shared spiritual journey among all beings, promoting empathy and compassion toward others. Buddhists emphasize that all living beings have been interconnected in one way or another throughout countless lifetimes, and one's actions affect not only oneself but also those around them.
So, rolling all of this together, the concept of reincarnation embodies the belief in a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by the law of karma. It emphasizes the importance of moral actions, wisdom, and the cultivation of positive qualities to shape future rebirths. Reincarnation serves as a way for individuals to learn from past experiences, overcome karmic imprints, and ultimately strive for liberation from the cycle of samsara. It fosters compassion and connectedness among beings, highlighting the shared spiritual journey and interconnectedness of all living entities. Understanding and contemplating the concept of reincarnation is regarded as a valuable practice in Buddhism, nurturing profound insights into the impermanent nature of existence and the illusory nature of self. What is important is that all we really have is this present moment. May we all live our best lives now and not be overly concerned with tomorrow.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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The Service of Making Apple Butter |
A great time was had by all and lots of apple butter was made for Temple fundraising the weekend of Nov 11-12. Thanks to Tracey, Phil, Dave, Peggy, Blue, Julia, Theresa, Mary Ellen, Sonia, Sean, Ema, and Ren for their work picking, washing, cutting, baking, milling, seasoning, reducing, and canning. They made 52 jars of certified organic apple butter. Thanks to Thay Minh and Julia for providing lunch. And we can't forget Mary Ellen, Bill, Valerie, and Norman who came up on earlier days to process apples. And Donald and Thay Minh who dried hundreds of pounds of apples for sale.
Products will be available at the Trout Lake General Store and at Treebird in Hood River. All proceeds will help keep the lights on and the monks fed at the Abbey.
We hope to plan more opportunities for service and fellowship in the upcoming months! If you have any ideas about this, please email the editor at gvljohnsons4@gmail.com
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Here are links to two of the recipes we had for lunch, as requested by participants. |
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After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or nut per day, Siddhartha collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. A village girl named Sujata offered him some rice pudding, saving his life. |
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Dana
“Our actions are our only true possessions. They are the ground on which we stand.”
Giving (dana) is an essential Buddhist practice. It is about generosity, openness, and our capacity to embrace others with compassion and love. When we truly see ourselves as others and others as ourselves, we naturally want to do everything we can to secure their happiness and well-being, because we know that it is also our own well-being and happiness.
Click below to learn more about the practice of offering DANA from Thich Nhat hahn.
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Ways to Offer Dana Donations to theTemple
Donate by mail - Mt Adams Buddhist Temple PO Box 487, Trout Lake WA 98650
Donate from your IRA - A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a distribution of funds from your IRA (other than a SEP or SIMPLE IRA) directly to a qualified charitable organization, such as the American Red Cross. Because the gift goes directly to the charity without passing through your hands, the dollar amount of the gift may be excluded from your taxable income up to a maximum of $100,000 annually, with some exceptions. Please consult your tax advisor for information regarding your specific exceptions.
Donate Stock - By making a gift of stock to the temple, you are providing funding for our foundation to keep the temple operational for generations.
Donate Tribute - Tribute Giving is a way to recognize, honor, and celebrate people and events that are important to you by giving back to others.
Donate in Memory- Tribute given in memory of individuals or family members who have died.
Matching Gifts - Your gift to the temple could be matched dollar for dollar by your employer! Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions or volunteer hours made by their employees, retirees and/or employees’ spouses. Please check with your place of employment. (Currently there is a $100,000 matching grant)
Legacy Giving - also known as planned giving - is done by leaving a gift to the temple in your will or estate plan. A legacy gift is given after the donor’s lifetime. A legacy gift often allows people to make a larger gift than they were able to during their lifetime. We can never die. We are a continuous manifestation. A Legacy Gift is Dana for stable and long-term support.
Donate Online on our website - click button below
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This is a long Newsletter. Please click "View Entire Message" and read to the "Bonus Click" at the end!
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Change & Change & Change - Impermanence
I am getting on in years, my mid 70s have been a time of change in my abilities and my capabilities. I found myself wanting to climb around on Mt Adams and other things that I could easily do 10 years ago but now am not as able, Laughing - the concept of impermanence & change became prominent. As I chatted with other people my age I became aware of the health and physical changes that many of us focused on. Rather than being present with the "now", I had somehow gotten stuck in a younger time and was living with the past. I found myself grieving the "once was" rather than being in the present awareness that all "caused phenomena" is subject to continual change.. My hope is to live a "meaningful life" in the present, adding to but not confined by my past. I had "Great Fun" as I sat with past and present and charted my course to live my best current meaningful life as changing each moment.
in metta...Thay Kozen
Living and Dying by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
"Over the years, our bodies have changed. Generally speaking, even spirituality or meditation cannot stop that from happening. We are impermanent, always changing, changing from moment to moment; and that is part of nature. Time is always moving; no force can stop that. So the real question is whether we are utilizing time properly or not. Do we use time to create more problems for others, which also ultimately makes us ourselves feel unhappy deep inside? I think that’s a wrong way to utilize time."
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Women & Buddhism
A Mother's Love vs Universal Love
A mother's unconditional love for her child is held up as an example for metta. Not all women have children, and not all mother's love is unconditional. Read more in this story about a mother in the time of the Buddha. It still resonates in our world.
"Just as a mother would protect her only child with her own life, even so, let him cultivate boundless thoughts of loving kindness towards all beings." -- Metta Sutra
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Kindness is Contagious!
Sanga member Phil Johnson was featured in a local news article about his volunteer work with Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity. Phil is a former engineer, plant manager, and house fixer. All his hobbies involve power tools. The Temple is lucky to have his expertise available when he has time!
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Laurie Van Cott of Gorge Yoga holds two very popular Wellnes & Yoga retreats at Trout Lake Abbey each year. The first one in 2024 will be held April 12-14th. Visit Laurie's website and find out more now! They fill up fast.... |
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Using Buddhist Practices and Principles to Recover from Addiction
Recovery Dharma is a peer led movement and a community that is unified by the potential in each of us to recover and find freedom from the suffering of addiction. This book uses the Buddhist practices of meditation, self inquiry, wisdom, compassion, and community as tools for recovery and healing. We welcome anyone who is looking to find freedom from suffering, whether it’s caused by substance use or process addictions like codependency, sex, gambling, eating disorders, shopping, work, technology, or any obsessive or habitual pattern. We approach recovery from a place of individual and collective empowerment and we support each other as we walk this path of recovery
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And Yet Another Sangha Member in the News!
The Rev. Emily Martin was published in the Columbia Gorge News this week. She teaches a "Mind-Body Connection" class to high schoolers to give them tools to reduce their stress and improve their wellness. Read about her class and her wonderful teachings here:
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Trinity Body Arts Offers Gifting Opportunities for Workshops and Classes
Our good friends at Trinity Body Arts are offering an easy and charming way to give the gift of their services this season. Purchase a Trinity Gift Coin for services at Trinity Natural Medicine, classes and workshops at the Trinity Body Arts Studio, and products from Conscious Nectar. Contact them through their web site to purchase.
Trinity offers modalities in...
- Acupuncture
- Chinese Herbal Formula Science
- Cranial Sacral Therapy
- Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage)
- Garshana/Abhyanga - Ayurvedic Massage
- TRE: Tensions & Trauma Releasing Exercises
- Reiki (starting in January 2024)
- Movement Therapy, including qi gong and yoga
- Classes in martial arts, yoga, and meditation
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Health & Science
The Science of Gratitude/How To Build a
Gratitude Practice
Rev. Emily recently shared some wisdom about the scientific evidence that gratitude is good for our health. For those of you who don't find science boring, investigate further with this YouTube video/Podcast from Dr. Andrew Huberman, a well-respected wellness & neuroscience researcher at Stanford University.
This podcast talks about how gratitude affects your brain, and which gratitude practices produce measurable improvement in health.
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Our temple sponsors 2 young Tibetan girls in Northern India, and 2 monks. Please consider sponsoring a monk, nun, Tibetan child or a Tibetan school in India. |
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"Hundreds of thousands of Tibetan people live in exile around the world, providing models of courageous work for freedom and peace. Let us stand with them proudly!
We are looking for sponsors for two older Tibetan students in Dharamsala, one pursuing a Masters degree, in addition to our regular sponsorships for Tibetan monks, nuns, children and elders.
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Dog River Pet Supplies
1118 12h St, Hood River OR (541) 490 0646
https://www.dogriverpetsupplies.com/
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FACING DEATH NOURISHING LIFE
January 15 - February 29, 2024
Doorway Into Light's Spring 2024 online training is 7 weeks long and meets on Zoom two times each week for 2 hours MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS 10AM - 12PM HAWAII TIME
The teachings of the 3 hearts encompasses the logistical/physical, the emotional/psychological and the spiritual skills and understandings to:
Prepare for one’s death,
Care for the dying, and
Build our willingness and capacity to meet what is dying in the world.
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I highly recommend this program for all of us. We will all die someday, we will all be separated from
the people and things we love (Buddha's 5 Remembrances).
This class will help us learn how we can help others and ourselves....in metta,Thay Kozen
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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
If you've read this far, thank you! We've been trying different formatting and content presentation in the newsletter the last few months. If you have ANY comments, complaints, or suggestions, please email the newsletter editor at gvljohnsons4@gmail.com. We also enjoy including poetry and other art from our community, so if you've got something Buddhist-themed to share, send it! You may see it featured in a future newsletter!
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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.
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Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple 46 Stoller Rd., Trout Lake WA 98650 509.395.2030 www.mtadamszen.org
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