Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple
Tuyết Sơn Thiền Tự, 雪山禅寺
September 2021 Buddhist Newsletter
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Dear Ones,
Well it is September already and Fall is approaching (September 22nd). Our Spring here had 100 degree days, our Summer has had cooler days and nights. Both seasons have had unusual temperatures and very little rain. In the west our forests are burning, our snow and rivers have less water, in the east there is flooding and storms, there is a conflict in Afghanistan, Democrats or Republicans are lying, masks or no mask arguments are raging, vaccinations are approved of or refused, homeless people are everywhere... the list goes on and on...it doesn't seem to end. Amidst all of the troubles - we can be aware of the turmoil yet be at peace with our life.

Sadly, we're canceling OctSoberfest plans for this fall.

Metta In Spanish - may you be well
Que estés bien
Puede que seas feliz
Que sepas amor
Que sepas la paz

There has been an issue of conflict in our temple - the temple's Board of Directors is taking steps to explore & resolve the issues. May there be peace and corrections as needed.
When in doubt, love more becomes my daily mantra.....Thay Kozen









A Way of Freedom from Alcohol/Substance use and Attachments


The Trout Lake Abbey is spiritual 'home' to the monthly Recovery Dharma Inquiry meeting while we are meeting in cyberspace. These monthly meetings (on the second Saturday of each month at 11:00 a.m.) are in addition to the weekly meetings (Sunday and Wednesday Evenings) of the Gorge Recovery Dharma program. We are grateful for the support of the Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple and look forward to a time when we can once again meet in person on the Abbey grounds.
 
Recovery Dharma (RD) is a worldwide program of peer support for persons recovering from substance use disorders and also 'process addictions' such as gambling, overeating, tech addiction, and other harmful or dysfunctional behaviors. RD uses Buddhist principles and practices and draws lessons from other peer support recovery programs including 12-Step fellowships such as AA and Al-Anon.
 
The meeting can be accessed on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/754615114. Participants will be admitted from the waiting room, The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. PST. Meetings last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. The 12 months of the year are used to explore how the Four Noble Truths and each element of the Wise Eightfold Path may help to transform the suffering of addiction and contribute to a path of awakening and service to one another.
 
The book Recovery Dharma can be accessed and downloaded for free at recoverydharma.org. 
 
For more information, contact Richard Withers at richard.withers@att.net. Meetings are also listed at the Facebook group "Gorge Recovery Dharma" and at the web site for Columbia Gorge Mindfulness Meetup.
Thich Minh Thien, (Thay Z) Abbot of Budding Dharma
Arlington, Texas          thayzzen@gmail.com

In the seven decades that I have had this incredible experience called life, I have had many opportunities for growth. Some I have taken advantage of fully, some partially, and some, not at all. The practice of meditation does give us many opportunities to see not only the lessons of the moment, but also the full fabric of life’s experiences. In those moments of small awakenings, I see that many of my sufferings, dissatisfactions and ignorance have been caused by my inability or unwillingness to see how my actions, thoughts and beliefs played such a great part in the outcome.

 In these moments of review, I see my mind went on endlessly with judgments, expectations, worries, resentments, and stories about what should and shouldn’t happen. And sometimes I had overlooked the feelings of fear and uneasiness that can be running beneath the surface almost nonstop. Life was happening, but with a constant inner commentary about how things weren’t quite right.

Part of getting out of my own way meant becoming very familiar with the inner world of thoughts and feelings and meditation became the vehicle to accomplish this. You discover what you do that makes you suffer so you can choose peace instead.
Amazingly, you realize that you can press pause in any moment and step back from the momentum of old, recycled habits. In our meditation practice we have the opportunity to notice the thoughts and feelings that grab our attention. We get to see how we get in the way of happiness. As we shift our attention away from thoughts, we have the opportunity to simply be present and aware. In the teachings of the Buddha, we learn that, “When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”  The Buddha and the Dharma tells us that all that we are, arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

As we get out of the way, we stop resisting life. The focus shifts from what we don’t have to what is here and available now. No longer doubting everything, we receive what life offers us. And rather than living in the mind-created past or future, we are available to the simplicity of this now moment. Unclouded by mental noise, we become more clear about what to do next. We can tell the truth about what is and isn’t working and take practical steps to begin truly living.

Really, it’s true. When you get out of your own way, your life will shine.

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
In their study, published this month in the journal Nature Food, researchers looked at 5,853 foods in the US diet and measured their effects in minutes of healthy life gained or lost. It's based on a study called the Global Burden of Disease, which measures morbidity associated with a person's food choices.
OR
Another reason to eat less meat and more of a vegetarian diet...Thay Kozen
$100,000 Matching Funds Donation
An anonymous donor has offered to match all money we raise up to $100,000. So we're starting our fund raising kick off. We're well started on phase 1 of our building, the open patio. Our patio will have a heated floor and be enclosed by sliding doors. Since it can be fully open and have heat we can use it to meditate safer from the Covid virus (we chose to build the patio first to allow us to practice more safely).
The new temple complex will have a dining room and kitchen at the south end (the right side of the drawing below), a central open patio (in the center - now under construction), and a temple at the northern end (the left side of the drawing below). with a view of Mt Adams. The temple style will be a mixture of American and Asian architecture to celebrate the journey of the Buddha's teaching from Asia to the USA.
Top view of the new temple
Artist's concept of our fully built temple.
Donate by check to Mt Adams Buddhist Temple   46 Stoller Rd., Trout Lake WA 98650
OR, you can donate online at:
(Originally from an area in Vietnam, which is now part of China)


2nd translation

The body is the bodhi tree.
The heart-mind is like a mirror.
Moment by moment wipe and polish it,
Not allowing dust to collect.

2nd translation

Bodhi originally has no tree.
The clear and bright mirror also has no support.
Buddha-nature is constantly purifying and clearing.
Where could there be dust?
The Buddha taught that "this exists because that exists"
Everything is related to all other things. Think of it like a row of dominoes standing in a row on end about 1/2 inch apart. Each tile is separate yet when one falls it starts a chain reaction to cause all others to fall. All of our world is part of a whole. Everything, every act, every word matters and impacts everything.
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 Buddhist Temple   
46 Stoller Rd., Trout Lake WA 98650 509.395.2030    https://www.mtadamsbuddhisttemple.com/
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