April 2018 - Happy Spring
cherry-blossom-banner.jpg
Weekly Temple Services 
Monday - Friday 6:30 am and 6:30 pm
Meditation Saturday 9am full service + meditation
Dear Ones,
Well I am off to Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand for the month of April. Thay Z and Thay Vinh Minh will be joining me. Temple members will hold the regular Saturday services and some morning meditation services. May Spring be kind and gentle to you, may your practice be deep and peaceful, and may all beings find peace.
in metta, Thay Kozen
Thich Minh Thien's Column
Thay Z at the ocean
MIND AND MEDITATION
I have been a practitioner of some form of meditation for over 15 years. I got serious about my practice when I saw the teachings of the Buddha as the most useful for me. Without knowing much Dharma, I followed my Teacher’s instructions regarding body posture, breathing and counting breath. It was always a struggle to quiet the mind as I think I had some sort of expectation of what would/should occur during a “good” sit. I did find that counting my breath, one to ten, was most useful. 
A few years after I became serious about my practice, I was about to sit with my Teacher. I don’t recall what brought about the conversation, but I remember a comment from my Teacher to the effect of, …aren’t you glad you don’t have to count anymore… I didn’t say anything, but I was STILL counting breath! At that moment, my ego came into play and I felt like I had just regressed.
Truth be told, there are times even today, when I resort to counting my breath…one to ten…especially when my mind is overly active during meditation. I try mantras like ”just be” … or … “drop off body, drop off mind” and use the visual of thoughts being like clouds and letting them pass through. Counting breath however, seems to be most effective for me. I read recently that peace and quiet can be observed between the thoughts. I like that visual as well.
Now I have meditation students who share the same frustration I felt (and sometimes still feel) when struggling to settle into meditation. I encourage a consistent practice and offer all the techniques given to me. I stress that meditation is the tool to quiet down enough to experience that quiet between the thoughts. If it was good enough for the Buddha, it is good enough for me. If counting breath works, use it.

I will leave you some words offered by Shunryu Suzuki that speaks to mind and meditation. He is purported to have said: “When you are practicing zazen meditation do not try to stop your thinking. Let it stop by itself. If something comes into your mind, let it come in and let it go out. It will not stay long. When you try to stop your thinking, it means you are bothered by it. Do not be bothered by anything. It appears that the something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind and if you not bothered by the waves, gradually they become calmer and calmer … Many sensations come, many thoughts or images arise but they are must waves from your own mind. Nothing comes from outside your mind … if you leave your mind as it is, it will become calm. This mind is called big mind.” 
May we all experience the big mind and the quiet between our thoughts.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa

Yoga Retreat with Laurie VanCott
It is a wonderful spirit filled retreat with amazing body work Yoga
Yoga with Nina Pochna
Tuesdays at 5:30 pm and Thursday at 9am


Right now it is In the Mountain Room
at Trout Lake Abbey

Maybe it will move to The Grange in Trout Lake
so contact Nina

Yoga was one of the foundations of
early Buddhist Practices
Cascade Mountain School Artist Workshop

Come to Cascade Mountain Schools' half-day artist's workshop and engage all five senses in the ancient art of printmaking, Saturday, April 14th from 1:30-4:30 PM at the Cascade Mountain School's Forest Campus in Trout Lake. With guidance from artist and educator, Kelsey Lemon, participants will create individual hand-carved linoleum designs and choose to print a set of prayer flags or nature-inspired greeting cards. This workshop is open to everyone ages 10 & up. Suggested donation: $30

Also here are the relevant links if you want to include them online. 
Facebook Event link:  www.facebook.com/events/159639461418230/  


Spiritual Healing
SilverHorse, a retired Chiropractor, has been developing his holistic shamanic energy healing practice for over 35 years. He brings a unique spiritual presence to his spiritual, physical, emotional healing work.
He is available at The Abbey several days a week and he offers his work by donation. You can contact him for an appointment at 352.284.9588.
Thay Kozen has been seeing him for leg pain for several months and claims Silver's work is wonderful
The Cloister
The trees and plants in our meditation retreat area are starting to bud out and grow. In another month bare tree branches will be covered in leaves and flowers will be in bloom.
Much like our practice; at times we are dormant with still being alive yet not coming into the full bloom of our practice in our daily lives.
Spring is a renewal of vibrancy and life. May all of us enter into the Spring of our practice again and again until it lasts all of our life.
What if your fears stopped you?
This is a picture I took at 14,000ft while standing among the Himalayas at Annapurna base camp.
I've been having a lot of conversations with people about what it is that's really standing in their way of making the changes necessary to truly love their lives when they are feeling overwhelmed and afraid.
 I can't help but ask,
What if fear stopped you?
What would life look like if we never took the leap?  
Always had to know exactly what would happen? Had to have everything in order, perfect, planned, precise before life could ever start?
Last I checked, that wasn't an option.
Life is going to just keep happening, whether you jump on the train or not.
So I wanted to share one of the most transformative experiences of my life with you, my most recent trek in Nepal.
To learn more contact Laurel Marie laurel@laughingtara.com to learn more
2018 Temple Activities - at the temple
April
1-30 Temple closed - Kozen Traveling in Vietnam
Regular Saturday services will be held in April
20-22 NUNM QI Gong Retreat- private
28 Beltane - Druid Event

May
3 National Day of Prayer (National Holiday) - please do metta practice
5 Avalokiteshvara – one thousand eyes and arms - morning service
5 – Shamanic Healing – Dr. Sylver and Rev. Kirk Thomas
11-13 Yoga Laurie Van Cott Tel- 541 490-7420 Email- gorgeyoga@gmail.com OPEN TO PUBLIC
13 Mother’s Day (National Holiday)
1 8-20 NUNM Qi Gong - private
19 Morning retreat - Tea and Zen – Thich Tam Minh (Ven Jeff Miles) - please sign up
19 Manjushri Day - morning Service
22-28 Vipassana Retreat with Burmese meditation master Ven. Sayadaw U Indaka
(See above section) sign up at retreats.kd@gmail.com
28 Memorial Day (National Holiday)
26 Buddha BD Morning Service
29 Vesak
2018 Other Faiths, Days of Respect, and National Holidays

April  
1 Easter (Christian Holiday)
5-11 Advanced Chinese medicine – Ed Neal
20-22 NUNM
28 Beltane 7pm 
30 Theravada New Year 

May
16 Ramadan to June 15 (Muslim Holiday)
3 National Day of Prayer (National Holiday) 
6 National Nurses Day (National Holiday) 
11-13 Yoga Laurie Van Cott  
13 Mother’s Day (National Holiday) 
13-18 Cascade Mountain School  
25 Missing children’s day (National Holiday) 
18-20 NUNM Qi Gong   
22-28 Theravada Retreat 
28 Memorial Day (National Holiday) 
29 Vesak
 
June
3-8 Cascade Mountain School
14 Flag Day (National Holiday)
15 Eid al-Fitr end of Ramadan (Muslim Holiday)
17 Father’s Day (National Holiday)
23 Summer Solstice 6:30 pm  
28- 3 July Zikr (Sufi Muslim)

July
28 June – 3 July Zikr Retreat (Sufi – Muslim)
4 Independence Day (National Holiday)
6 HH Dalai Lama BD
22 Parent’s Day (National Holiday)
 
August
4 Lughnasa 7pm
19-24 Hajj (Muslim Holiday)
 
September
9 Grandparent’s Day (National Holiday)
10-11 Rosh Hashanah, New Year
(Jewish Holiday)
11 Patriot Day (National Holiday) 
12 Hijra New Year (Muslim Holiday) 
19 Yom Kippur Day of Atonement (Jewish Holiday) 
22 Autumn Equinox 6pm
 
October
4 St Francis Day (Christian Holiday) 
8 Native American Day (National Holiday) 
18 Dasera, Dussehra or Vijyadashmi (Hindu Holiday) 
28 Samhain (Druid Event) 5pm 
31 Halloween (National Holiday)

November
4 Daylight Savings time ends
6 Election Day (National Holiday) 
6-10 Diwali Festival of Lights (Hindu Holiday
11 Veteran’s Day (National Holiday)
21 Mohamed’s Birthday, Mawlid al-Nabi (Muslim Holiday)
 
December
2 Advent (Christian Holiday)
3-10 Hanukkah (Jewish Holiday)
7 Pearl Harbor Day (National Holiday) 
18 Feast of Epona 4pm (Druid Event)
22 Winter Solstice 3:30 pm 
25 Christmas (Christian Holiday)
26-Jan 1 Kwanzaa (Religious Holiday)
31 New Year's Eve
We will be visiting Chua Viet Nam in Japan
Our dear friend Thay An is the new abbot of this temple and we will be visiting him and Suco Bao there during our stay in Japan. You can write to Ven. Thay Nhuan An or Ven. Suco Gioi Bao at
VIET NAM TEMPLE,   243-0307   KANAGAWAKEN, AIKOGUN, AIKAWAMACHI,
HANBARA 4889-1 – JAPAN. 
Mt. Adams Zen - Outside Of Our Temple
Every Monday - Trinity Sangha, at Trinity Natural Medicine at 12 noon
1808 Belmont Ave, Hood River, OR 97031
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Every Wednesday - Trinity Sangha, at Trinity Natural Medicine at 12 noon
1808 Belmont Ave, Hood River, OR 97031
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1st and 3rd Wednesday Evenings - Trinity Sangha Stu dy Group Time 6:30-8:00pm
Where: at Withers residence, 1829 5th St., Hood River (Sieverkropp Development behind Rosauer's)
Book to be studied: Peace in Every Breath by Thich Nhat Hanh
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11th Step Recovery Meeting #1 - A Fresh Step Forward in Recovery Sunday evenings 6:00 pm at Bethel UCC Church in White Salmon, WA. Contact Dick Withers: Richard.withers@att.net ; 414-587-4065
Beginning April 1, the Sunday 11th Step meetings will start at 6:00 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. (changing from our winter start time of 4:30).


11th Step Recovery Meeting #2 - A Fresh Step Forward in Recovery in Hood River, OR. Contact Dick Withers: Richard.withers@att.net ; 414-587-4065

Other Meditation Groups in the Gorge


Pacific Hermitage Meditation and Dhamma talk with Thai Forest Monks 6:30-8 pm every Tuesday evening at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon, WA. http://pacifichermitage.org 

Hood River Zen Sunday afternoon walking and sitting meditation 2nd and 4th" Sundays in the Bamboo Room of Cascade Acupuncture, located at 104 5th St. Hood River, Oregon. http://www.hoodriverzen.org. Contact Kyri Treiman: (kjtreiman@yahoo.com)

Monday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30 pm , at Bethel Congregational Church in White Salmon
Contact Kyri Treiman: (kjtreiman@yahoo.com)

White Salmon Dharma Practice Group every other Sunday evenings at Atlan (near Northwestern Park outside of White Salmon). Contact: Scott Cushman: (rscottcush@gmail.com; 925-708-5652)

 Scott Rower, PhD scott@scottrowerphd.com has mindfulness classes - please contact him for details and to join the gorge facebook page - Mindfulness in the Gorge:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/179582775875524/
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