December 2017
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Weekly Temple Services 
Meditation Monday - Friday 6:30 am and 6:30 pm
Saturday 9am full service + meditation
see www.mtadamszen.org/events/ for a complete schedule
Dear ones,
"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you - is the only prayer you need" per Ms. Oprah Winfrey. I think that may be a real truth.

I am going to visit a sick friend from now until Dec. 7th. While I am sad at his illness, I celebrate the life that he has now and what little health he has. I also celebrate my own life and health as well. If we are able to look at everything in gratitude, each thing, each moment, we approach the great happiness in life. May we all be well and happy, and may we all know love and peace. May you holidays be filled with joy. Thay Kozen
Thich Minh Thien's Column
Thay Z at the ocean
THANKSGIVING AND GRATITUDE
We are rapidly heading toward another national holiday while just having completed one. I began to wonder whether culturally, we grasp the true nature of the holiday we just celebrated and call,” Thanksgiving”. I say this because we immediately rush into a 30-day mad dash to what millions of people celebrate and call “Christmas”. To Christians everywhere, it symbolizes the birth of Jesus. And yet Christians and non-Christians alike heavily indulge in massive commercialism and a mania about giving and receiving gifts that seems to overwhelm the intention of commemorating the birth of Christ.
One might conclude that the intention of Thanksgiving is blurred as well by a focus on preparing a holiday feast where overindulgence might come out ahead of reflection about what we are truly thankful for. How do we forget the intentions of what should be very mindful holiday celebrations for us all? I suspect that understanding and focusing first on Gratitude might be helpful in more clearly seeing the meanings behind these holidays.
As Buddhists, we find that our practice of Mindfulness brings Gratitude to the forefront of our lives. Practicing mindfulness of gratitude leads to a direct experience of being connected to life and the realization that there is a larger context in which our personal story is unfolding.   Being relieved of the endless wants and worries of our life’s drama, even temporarily, is liberating. Cultivating gratitude for being part of life blossoms into a feeling of being blessed; not in the sense of winning the lottery, but in a more refined appreciation for the interdependent nature of life. It elicits feeling of generosity, which create further joy. The understanding we gain from practicing gratitude frees us from being lost or identified with either the negative or the positive aspects of life, letting us simply meet life in each moment as it rises.
The Buddha’s teachings consistently point us towards understanding that every human birth is precious and worthy of gratitude. In one of his well-known analogies, he said that receiving a human birth is rarer than the chance that a blind turtle floating in the ocean would stick its head through a small hoop. He would often instruct a disciple to take his ground cloth into the forest, sit at the base of a tree, and begin “gladdening the heart” by reflecting on the series of fortunate circumstances that had given the disciple the motivation and ability to seek freedom through understanding and gratitude. This is our mindfulness practice.
As we move towards this next holiday, may our practice of mindful gratitude lead the way. Through our practice, may we see the world as it is without judgments. May we respond to the world rather than reacting to it. Our practice of mindful gratitude helps us be fully present and attentive to our surroundings and that precious thing we call life. So as this next holiday rushes towards us, may we, through our practice, see clearly what is important and beneficial. May we find ways in which our celebrations truly begin and end with reflections of Gratitude. And may the merit of this penetrate into each thing in all places, so that we and every sentient being together, can realize the Buddha’s way. 
 
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Donate today!

WE ARE BUILDING A TEMPLE 

We have over $60,000 in savings for the new temple.

We have started on our plans to build a temple on our 23 acre farm. Our temple proposal has been approved for up to 4000 sq. ft by the Klickitat Planning Commission, now all we need is the money to start building. Please help us by donating to our building fund.

1. Donate directly to the temple (Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple PO Box 487, Trout Lake WA 98650

2. You can donate on line at www.gofundme.com/ywdqkc . 
 
3. Buy on Amazon through Smile at  http://smile.amazon.com/ch/30-0468937
Whenever you order from Amazon.com use this link and your regular passwords and the temple will receive a small amount of the purchase price. 
We just got this from Amazon Smile!
"This email is to notify you that Mount Adams Zen Buddhist Temple (EIN: 30-0468937) has been issued a $46.73 donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation as a result of AmazonSmile program activity between July 1 and September 30, 2017. The donation was deposited to your organization's bank account on or before November 15, 2017. Thank you to all of us who used Amazon Smile!"
MAMA Mount Adams Ministerial Association's
annual multi-faith Thanksgiving service
Our local ministerial association provides social service like support for those who slip through the cracks in our social welfare system. From a night's lodging, a month's rent, to gas money, MAMA attempts to ease the suffering of those in real need. Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Sufi, Druid, Unitarian, and Buddhist clergy join in a celebration of Thankfulness and fellowship.
Dharma Realization by Dave Sheppard

One of the things that drew me to Buddhism was the realization that, with practice, I could chose what I thought about. 
 
If I was happy it was because I judged the present moment as pleasurable and I chose to be happy. If I was sad or afraid it was because I judged the present moment to be threatening. I could remain happy or sad as long as I chose to feel that way, or until something else came along to distract me. 
 
Gradually I came to realize that if I was sad I could escape the suffering by turning my thoughts to a new topic. I found that if I took up a subject that lead me to a lineal pattern of mental involvement I could leave the sadness behind. Somehow, thinking about planning my garden lay out and the things I wanted to grow would take up the space in my head that had been filled with the sadness. 
 
If you would like to try an experiment with me, try this. Please think of anexperience you judge as unpleasant. (I realize this is somewhat un-Buddha, bare with me, for the sake of research). Notice the changes in how you feel.Notice you start running the thoughts over and over in your head. This is self induced suffering.
 
Everyone stop and just breathe. 
 
Now everyone picture a memory you judge as a happy moment. Feel the good that you felt an that time. This too is a type of suffering. We are living in the past for the sake of comfort and security. 
 
Everyone leave this thought. Start to breathe. Count your breaths. Be here now. Come to the present moment.
 
All the experiences we have ever had were neither “good” or “bad”. They are just experiences. Our “stored consciousness” selected classifications forthem based on how they affected our ego. For the sake of this discussion lets say the ego is the imagined, even fantasized picture of ourselves created by the “monkey mind”. It is who we think we are or should be. Fear, anxiety, jealousy, anger are tools the sub conscious uses for protection and vindication. Theses memories and emotions are self induced and controllable.
 
We cannot erase the memories we have. We inherit our actions. What made them positive or negative is a value that our ego placed on them. 
 
When a perceived negative memories come forward we must remove the label we have placed upon it. We can do this by not letting the narrative grow in our consciousness. We must not nurture or entertain     these negative thoughts. To paraphrase Thich Nhat Hanh, we must not water the seeds of negative thought.  We must counter this memory by remembering we are the ones that labeled it and acknowledge there may have been some good that came from the experience. We may have learned something from it. Those experiences are in the past. We are beyond them. 
 
Smile and enjoy your life. 
 
Each of us carry these negative “memory seeds” and each of us suffers as they sprout and invade our consciousness. Each of us has the potential to change how we think of our experiences. Each of us has the potential to choose what we are thinking about. Our thoughts and memories need not lead us to suffering. 
 
May you all be well.
Healing Touch Classes
 Kozen attended a 2 day class on Healing Touch. This ( www.Healingtouchprogram.com ) was a wonderful time of practice and education about healing. Per their website: "Healing Touch is an energy therapy in which practitioners consciously use their hands in a heart-centered and intentional way. Healing Touch is for the person who wants to enhance wellness in themselves and the lives of people they care about by using the gift of energetic touch."
Rev. Constance Hammond was the instructor for the class I took and I highly recommend her. Her e-mail is revcah@comcast.com . Do contact her for local class dates and times.
We appreciate the ongoing wisdom, compassion, and teaching of this Buddhist leader.
Wisdom from His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Health 
1.  Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that’s manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in last year.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/Her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22... Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. - Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.  
Look on line at www.mtadamszen.org/events/ for our complete schedule

2017 Calendar
December
28 Nov - 7 Dec Kozen on Retreat - Temple Closed
2 Intermediate computer and internet 10:30- 1:30pm
9 Bodhi Day - meditation 11:30 pm - 12:30 am Midnight Meditation
16 Winter Solstice (Druid)
25 Christmas Day - Temple Closed
31 meditation 11:30 pm - 12:30 am Midnight Meditation

 2018 Calendar
January
1 New year
6-epiphany (Christian Holiday)
15 MLK Jr Day (National Holiday)
19-21 NUNM private
26-28 NUNM QI GONG private

February
2 Ground hog day (National Holiday)
3 Imbolic (Druid Event) 4:30 pm
4 Rosa Parks Day (National Holiday)
10 Parinirvana(one day meditation retreat)
14 Ash Wednesday (Christian Holiday)
16 Lunar New Year
17 Maitreya (Di Lac) Day -
23-25 NUNM Qi Gong private
17 Advanced Computer and Internet (10:30 – 1:00pm class)
Local Meditation Groups:
Mt. Adams Zen Buddhist Temple morning meditation Monday-Friday at 6:30 am and 6:30 pm and Saturday at 9 am at the Trout Lake Abbey located at 46 Stoller Road, Trout Lake, WA. http://www.mtadamszen.org.  Contact: Kozen Sampson 509-395-2030) (thaykozen@mtadamszen.org;

Trinity Sangha , Noon to 1 pm every Monday at Trinity Natural Medicine located at 1808 Belmont Road in Hood River. Sitting meditation and loving kindness meditation. www.trinitynaturalmedicine.org. Contact: Emily Martin 503-358-1949) (Emily@trinitynaturalmedicine.org

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

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)

11th Step Meditation #1: A Fresh Step Forward in Recovery, Sunday evenings 5:30 pm at Bethel UCC Church in White Salmon, WA. Contact Dick Withers: (Richard.withers@att.net ; 414-587-4065)

11th Step Meditation #2 Thursday afternoon format will accommodate those who must arrive late or who need to leave early. There will be two 20-minute "sits" (beginning at 4:30 and at 5:30) with a half hour in between for tea, sharing and discussion. Good Medicine Healing Arts, 1029 May Street Hood River, OR 97031

Trinity Sangha Study Group 1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings 
Time 6:30-8:00pm 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
 
Scott Rower, PhD - Scott is a local psychologist that offers 8-week mindfulness meditation courses. He also shares a monthly email newsletter, Mindfulness in the Gorge, that details one-time & on-going meditation opportunities in our community. You can sign up here - tiny.cc/gorgemindful. Scott's website is ScottRowerPhD.com
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