Services via ZOOM - FALL & WINTER SCHEDULE
TEMPLE SERVICES Via ZOOM
MONDAY - FRIDAY at 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. via ZOOM
MONDAY at 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. via ZOOM
SATURDAY 8:30 a.m. - service + meditation via ZOOM & in person
SUNDAY LGBTQ+ Group 7:30 pm
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IN PERSON MEETINGS - most on ZOOM
SATURDAY MORNING SERVICE at 8:30am
M-F AM Meditation 6:30am - 7:30am
M-F PM Meditation 5:30pm - 6:30pm
46 Stoller Rd. Trout Lake WA
TUESDAY at 11:30am - 12:30pm IN PERSON - not on ZOOM
1412 13th Street, Suite 200. Hood River, OR 97031
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Thich Nhat Hanh study group on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 6:30pm
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UPCOMING IN-PERSON CLASSES (some on zoom) at our temple
DECEMBER
Dec 3 Taking Refuge Ceremony (+ZOOM)
Dec 31 Midnight Meditation (ring the great bell 108 times) 11:30 pm - 12:30 am
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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 next recorded sermon was to adults in the the Sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath, the Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra.
(In Pali:The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta)
The main topic of this sutra is the Four Noble Truths, which refer to and express the basis of Buddha's awakening; setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma, Promulgation of the Law Sutra, The First Turning of the Wheel, The Four Noble Truths Sutra.
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May we turn our hearts and well wishing to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine & Russia, as they experience suffering. And also to Iran where the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old woman, after being detained by the country’s morality police, has triggered nationwide protests.
Merry Christmas to our Christian brothers and sisters, Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Happy Gita Jayanti to our Hindu brothers and sisters, and here at our temple we wish all a Happy Buddhamas!
Buddha teaches us that Anger, Desire, and Ignorance are the cause of suffering.
May we all find peace.......Thay Kozen
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Old Path White Clouds
This book by the most venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh is one of the best books to read to learn about our historical teacher, Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha, and his teachings.
I highly recommend this book.....Thay Kozen
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Some of Special Days in December
1. Rosa Parks Day (Civil Rights)
2. Special Education Day, World Pollution Prevention Day
3. International Day of People with Disabilities, Feast of St. Francis (Catholic), Gita Jayanti (Hindu)
4. World Wildlife Conservation Day
5. International Volunteer Day
7. National Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance
8. Bodhi Day (Buddhist)
10. Nobel Prize Day
13. National Violin Day (C. Danner Day)
16.Dhanu Sankranti (Hindu)
18-26. Hanukkah (Jewish)
21. Winter Solstice
23. Festivus
24. Christmas Eve
25. Christmas
26. Boxing Day
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Kṣitigarbha or Địa Tạng Bồ Tát (地藏, Jizō, Jijang, , sa yi snying po) This Bodhisattva is known as Earth Treasury, "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb" |
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Budai or Bố Đại (布袋, Bùdài, Podae, Hotei) was a Chinese monk who is often identified with and venerated as Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism. Also known as Phật Di Lặc in Vietnamese.
Our historical teacher, The Buddha, taught that there would come a time on earth when life was very difficult and all knowledge of the original Buddha's teachings would be forgotten. At that time another Buddha would arise and teach the same Dharma as our historical teacher.
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Our new statues covered in snow |
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Many people made donations for our statues. Their hope and mine is that by seeing these great teachers that people would find peace in the Buddha's Dharma.
May our small temple be a source of light and peace in times of darkness and sorrows.,,,Thay Kozen
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Mrs. Dieu Tinh, who organized the Kisitigharba statue donations, carving, and shipping, joined her family and friends to welcome this wonderful Bodhisattva statue. |
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Thich Minh Thien, (Thay Z) Abbot of Budding Dharma
Ho-Ho Hope
Here we are in December 2022 and Christmas is right around the corner. I was reading an article that said, “No matter what challenges you face, Christmas offers powerful symbols of Hope.” That expression of hope for this seasonality isn’t necessarily strange but it made me wonder what this element of hope really is and how it can play such a strong part in many of our lives. It isn’t just Christmas where hope plays a big role in a person’s outlook on life. You might remember, the slogan for former President Barak Obama’s first campaign, “Hope and Change” and how it helped to move a nation to a new vision of our political landscape. It was a nice idea but didn’t seem to have much staying power. Or if you have been influenced by Christianity at any point in your life, you have probably been taught that, “Along with faith and love, hope is an enduring virtue of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13) and.”… Love springs from hope eternal…” (Colossians 1:4-5). And so it might cause one to wonder, what does Buddhism say about this concept of Hope.
Looking at different articles on the web, I noticed that one author put it this way:
“Hope can sometimes be a waiting state based on external circumstance, an unforeseeable future date, or potential ‘something’ that may or may not ever happen, and is not very helpful.” I understand that to mean not to dwell in the past for we cannot change what has already occurred, nor to have great expectations of a future that has not yet come to be. And it certainly fits nicely with the second Noble Truth that suffering is directly connected to our attachments for wanting things to be different from how they are. Thinking that we would be truly happy if we could go back to some point in time or waiting to be happy until something occurs in the future is a disappointing recipe for reducing suffering. Thich Nhat Hanh seems to suggest that being connected to a Mindfulness Practice will be more effective to achieving the happiness we seek. This means to be in the present moment, accept what is, without judgment. Acceptance doesn’t mean liking, wanting, resigning, or giving up. It just means acknowledging what is. By resisting and rejecting a current situation, we most likely create unnecessary suffering.
It is possible to live in hope but also to live in the present, in a state of acceptance. Incorporating mindfulness with hope allows us to create visions and desires that inspire action. It allows us to see things clearly for what they are and to accept and propel us forward to become a better version of ourselves. From this perspective we can see that Hope is a beautiful thing as long as it’s helping us take action and not just keeping us stuck in a waiting state. From this subtle shift, we are empowered. We have clarity, we can make choices, we can act, we can choose—we accept the situation as it is right now, giving it permission to exist instead of wishing for it to be different. This reduces our resistance, minimizes our suffering, and allows us to operate from a mindful place of clarity.
Understanding the nature of hope and living in mindfulness makes complete sense to me. It will never just be the expression of wishing on or waiting for something that reduces suffering. As Zen teacher Joan Halifax says, “Hope is not seeing things unrealistically but rather seeing things as they are, including the truth of suffering—both its’ existence and our capacity to transform it.”
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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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
I read a great article about Living and Dying by His Holiness The 14th 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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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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Dog River Pet Supplies
1118 12h St, Hood River OR 97031
https://www.dogriverpetsupplies.com/
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The Triratna Buddhist Community
The Triratna Buddhist Community is an international fellowship of Buddhists, and others who aspire to its path of mindfulness. It was founded by Sangharakshita in the UK in 1967, and describes itself as "an international network dedicated to communicating Buddhist truths in ways appropriate to the modern world"
Neal and Steve from The Seattle Triratna Buddhist Community visited our temple for a 3 day retreat in October.
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Vimalakirti & the Awakened Heart:
A Commentary on The Sutra that Vimalakirti Speaks
A Commentary on The Sutra that Vimalakirti Speaks by Zen teacher Joan Sutherland, Roshi is a timeless meditation on developing a peaceful and generous heart in a world of sorrows, and on how the awakening of each of us is an inextricable part of the awakening of the world.
This is a wonderful book by a most amazing woman....in metta, Thay
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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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Dragonfly Preschool Halloween
Our small preschool hosted a Halloween party for the students. It was a great and joyful time.
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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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