January 2020
Happy Gregorian Calendar New Year January 1, 2020
new-year-header5.jpg
Weekly Temple Services 
Monday - Friday 6:30 am
Meditation Saturday 9am full service + meditation
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR - the year of the Rat
Buddhist Year 2644 January 25, 2020
Dear Ones,
Solar calendars, such as the Gregorian calendar, track time using tropical years. A tropical year, also called a solar year, measures the length of time between two vernal equinoxes. That time period is 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Many people refer to a vernal equinox as the first day of spring. While most people use the Gregorian calendar, no U.S. law forces people to observe Gregorian solar calendar dates. The use of that calendar dates back to 1751 when the United Kingdom told its colonies to use the Gregorian calendar.

Lunar New Year's Day
each lunation is approximately ​29  1 2  days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 seconds, or 29.530588 days), it is common for the months of a lunar calendar to alternate between 29 and 30 days. Since the period of twelve such lunations, a lunar year , is only 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes, 34 seconds (354.367056 days), purely lunar calendars lose around 11 days per year relative to the Gregorian calendar . The Lunar New year occurs on 25 January 2020

The New year ,Solar or Lunar, is a time when we can change our current thoughts or behaviors for a new beginning. May your New Year be one of growth, peace, harmony, and health.
in Metta.....Thay Kozen
Thich Minh Thien's Column
Abbot of Budding Dharma, Arlington Texas
Peace on Earth Begins With Me

We just finished a holiday season where the words, …”Peace on Earth”… were heard over and over again. However, as we end a decade and move into 2020, we seem no closer to that admirable goal of “Peace on Earth”. Some might even argue we are farther away than ever. I don’t have a method of measuring that however I do know that factions that hate each other over ethnicity, politics, sexuality or religious persuasion are more evident than ever. The rich are richer and the poor are poorer, the number of homeless and hungry are staggering, and our communal home, this earth and all its’ inhabitants, are in a crisis from which we may not be able to recover.

Yet in this coming year, like in previous years, and probably in years to come, we will use this holiday time to expound on the joy of the season, over spend and consume, and like a sugar high that doesn’t have value or last very long, we will slip back into familiar patterns and again wonder about this elusive “Peace on Earth”.

Much of what I have learned in trying to live the philosophy given to us by the Buddha, is that looking for answers outside of myself often proves to be an exercise that uncovers little that is useful to reduce the unhappiness in life and increase the joy that is already within us, waiting to be discovered. In the book, “Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice” by Thich Thien-An, he speaks of a “pure mind” when writing about the attainment of Buddhahood, He says, “…(there is) an importance in a pure mind; if the mind is pure, then everything becomes pure…” and, “…to practice Zen we must not withdraw from life, but get into life: we must fulfill our duties, do what we can…” and, “…contribute our part to the whole so as to change this world into a better world.”

The message is clear. Looking and waiting for “Peace on Earth” outside of ourselves will never produce the end results we seek. We must find our own roots of hate and prejudice over ethnicity, politics, sexuality, religious affiliations, etc. to understand and then stop the destructive nature of those elements in our world and communities. We must learn what sharing is and knowing when enough is enough to make a shift towards equality between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, so that no one is homeless, hungry or uncared for. We must honor, respect and nurture our environment so that all that share this space now and into the future, may know the miracle of this place that supports us in every moment.

When visiting Plum Village on a trip to Thailand a few years ago, I observed a number of sayings posted throughout the village and created in calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh. Their purpose was clear; to raise mindfulness in any given moment. One that I especially remembered was one that simply stated, “Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World”. The Catholic saint, Francis of Assisi said, “While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart” and our own Teacher, the Buddha stated, “To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.”

As we embark on this new decade, let us strengthen our practice so that we indeed discover peace within and then work together in all ways that we are able, to someday realize “Peace on Earth” for all.

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Ven. Jeff Miles
Fa Hsing 法 行 , Tâm Minh 心 明
I find great refuge
in the Temple of Winter,
in whose quiet embrace
and darkened sanctuary
I can listen to the choir
of the falling rain.
***********************************
Warmed and awakened
by a fresh pot of tea,
I keep quiet watch
over a still dark world
while the sun sleeps in
on this cold winter's morn.
**************************************
The first light
through the temple window
is steady
if you're looking out
but flickers
if you're looking in.
Autumn of Our Lives
 
As the winds of age blow through our bones
The leaves of our twisted karma and wisdom
Fall to the ground
To compost and feed the next cycle of life.
Peace,

Bob Davis
Tibet Aid

Each year our temple sends money to 2 Tibetan Children who are refugees living in India, and another girl who is in Nursing School. We also send money to 1 refugee Tibetan monk living in India. Private donations help us some with these costs.

Private Donations
$480 for Dechen Youdon 08-10876-10
$60 for Dechen Youdon 08-10876-10 spending money - via private Donation
$100 for Tibet Aid
$100 for TCV School Gopalpur, Village Darati
$740 total
 
Temple pays
$480 Lobsang Legden (monk)
$120 ($10 month spending for Lobsang Legden
$480 Sonam Choetso 08-10875-10 via 1/2 from private donation
$60 Sonam Choetso 08-10875-10 Spending money via private donation
$1140 total

Children's savings for college
We have committed to sending our two young girls $1000 each per year for 4 years of college. We have over $6,000 saved up so far - A most wonderful start of a new life for both girls.
Please Donate to


(877) 842-3824‬

info@tibetaid.org
By lending as little as $25, we can help people around the world create opportunity for themselves
and their communities.

temple's personal 2019 record
"in 2019, you lent $475.00 to borrowers around the world."
" Loans you made - 14, Countries you impacted - 10, Borrowers you supported - 24"
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." - African Proverb
The collective impact in 2019 of ALL lenders:
Total amount lent - $140+ million, Countries impacted - 67, Borrowers supported - 375,000+

M eat Production = Global Warming ???? Yikes!

We published this story in 2018 and 2019 and it is just as true 2 years later

The boom in demand has been driven to some extent by the availability of new and better alternatives like plant-based burgers, but also the championing of more plant-based diets by chefs and celebrities. Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio made headlines in the fall when his investment in Beyond Meat was announced. 
 
There are also ethical concerns. Major changes in livestock production, including the spread of so-called mega-farms where large numbers of animals are reared in close confinement, has led to criticisms over what some see as unacceptable levels of animal welfare.
 
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown told HuffPost he believes health concerns are the main motivation for reducing meat consumption. The World Health Organization has said  eating processed red meat like burgers and sausages is linked to cancer, with 50 grams (about 1.7 ounces) of processed meat a day ― less than two slices of bacon ― increasing the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
The environmental impact of meat production is also huge. Meat and dairy production is said to account for 14.5 percent of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions ― slightly more than the emissions produced by every car, train, aircraft and ship on the planet. 
 
Without cutting the over consumption of meat, it will be almost impossible to prevent global warming from passing the danger level of 2 degrees Celsius, according to international affairs think tank Chatham House.
 
Likewise, meat production is resource intense. Producing 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of fresh beef may need about 29 pounds of grain and 66 pounds of hay, research suggests, which in turn requires more than 26,000 gallons of water to produce.
Then there’s the fact that feeding crops to animals to produce food is just not very efficient. Globally, one-third of the calories produced by the world’s crops are used for animal feed, but only 12 percent of those feed calories contribute to the human diet, in the form of meat and other animal products.
 
It is these types of planetary costs, as well as potential human health risks such as antibiotic use in livestock operations, that have prompted calls for meat products to be taxed and the ” true costs ” of meat production to be accounted for.

Avalokiteshvara, Guānshìyīn Púsà, Quán Tự Tại Bồ Tát in the snow
2020 Temple Event Calendar
this list is still under development, it may change
Join us on 31 December at 11:30 pm for 2 meditation sessions and a midnight bell ringing
JANUARY
25 TET - Lunar new year 9 am service
 
FEBRUARY

MARCH
14 - Quan Yin's Birth & Metta Day of Practice daylong
9am holiday service, 10am-3pm retreat
APRIL
12 - Women & Dharma daylong retreat w/ Kaye Jones
   TBD - Tea is Zen, Zen is Tea class with Ven. Fa Hsing

MAY
2 - Buddha's Birthday/Vesak 9 am holiday service
Vipassana + Metta Retreat otions for 5- or 10-day intensive

JUNE
6-7 - In the Footprints of Rumi w/ Pouria Montezeri
15 - Impermanence & Death Awareness daylong workshop w/ Tamara Thiel 
25-28 - Mindfulness in Daily Life w/ Rev. August Jensen

JULY
3-7 - Zikr Retreat with Bodhi & Leilah
11-12 - Buu Hung Monastery Precepts Retreat
17-19 - Mandala Family Camp

AUGUST
8 - Quan Yin Enlightenment Day & Walking/Moving Mediation Daylong
9am holiday service, 10am-3pm retreat 
 
SEPTEMBER
2 - Parent's Day (Ullambana) 9am holiday service
27- OctSOBERfest

OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
1 - Women & Dharma daylong retreat w/ Kaye Jones
14 - Quan Yin Renunciation Day & Living with Grief daylong
9am holiday service, 10am-3pm retreat

DECEMBER
5 - Buddha's Birth/Death & Enlightenment Day - midnight meditation
31 - Midnight Meditation and ringing the great bell 108 times at midnight
to welcome in the new year
Many other groups and activities will attend meetings at The Abbey. Look at the calendar on www.TLAbbey.com
A great book that Ven. Jeff shared with us at out Spring Retreat last year. The author wants us to reclaim the Swastika from the evil of Hitler to the peace of the Dharma. Available on Amazon.
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