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Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple

 We are a small Thien (Zen) Buddhist Temple practicing  "laughing farmer zen" - living our practice, sitting zazen, being here - right now!
January Happenings -
1 - Midnight service -ringing the bell 108 times
2
- UU Church Sermon

3 - Prison Ministry CRCC
24 - Prison Ministry CRCC

NewsletterJanuary  2011
Dear Dharma Friend,
The New Year is upon us and we are again reminded that life is short, precious, sometimes difficult, and filled with choices.  Many of us will plan New Year's resolutions to make changes in our life.  Let us all be respectfully reminded to not waste our life.  May we all "jump off the cliff of limitations and fly free, filled with peace and harmony with life and each other."  May our lives be filled with health, joy, and prosperity in 2011.

In joy and peace, Minh Tinh

Our Daily Mantra,
The Prayer of Blessing

We surround all forms of life with infinite love and compassion.

Especially do we send out compassionate thoughts to those in suffering and sorrow, to those in doubt and ignorance, to all who are striving to attain truth and to those whose feet stand close to the great change called death, we send forth all wisdom, mercy , and love.  

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.


Dogen Zenji's Corner

"As I study both the exoteric and the esoteric schools of Buddhism, they maintain that human beings are endowed with Dharma-nature by birth. If this is the case, why did the Buddhas of all ages-undoubtedly in possession of enlightenment-find it necessary to seek enlightenment and engage in spiritual practice?"
Dogen Zenji


Mind Is Without Form

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocaine during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication. (ouch! laughing)

Words!

The Way is beyond language,

for in it there is

no yesterday

no tomorrow

no today.


Empty  Mind sayings
 All the time I pray to Buddha I keep on Killing mosquitoes. -Issa


To the mind that is still the whole universe surrenders. -Taoist ideal.


Meditation is not a means to an end. It is both the means and the end. -Krishnamurti


Keep your heart clear and transparent And you will never be bound. A single disturbed thought, though, Creates ten thousand distractions. Let myriad things captivate you And you'll go further and further astray. How painful to see people All wrapped up in themselves. -Ryokan

Northwest Buddhist Resources
Who Are We?

Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple
at Trout Lake Abbey
(Part of the Arizona Soto Zen Centers a 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization)

46 Stoller Road
Trout Lake, WA 98650 
   
e-mail:  sokozen@azszc.org
509.395.2030
website http://www.mtadamszen.org/


Temple Services: 
Monday - Friday       6:30 AM
Thursday & Friday    6:30 PM
Saturday                   9:00 AM
Sunday Closed

We are affiliated with the Arizona Soto Zen Centers and the Desert Zen Center
 We are of Soto (from Japan) and Rinzai (from Vietnam & Japan) Zen traditions in the teaching of Rev. Soyu Matsuoka Roshi, Saito Seiwa Roshi, Venerable Thich Anh  Giao, and Most Venerable H.T. Th�ch Thi�n �n. 

Monk receiving dana
Monk receiving dana
Dana
   The temple currently has no outstanding debts.

   Thank you to the many individuals who support our efforts.  We're saving up our money for a new foundation underneath the temple.

    The custom of Dana, or generosity, set forth by the Buddha, is a com- passionate, ethical practice based in the realization of interconnectedness, and a way that you can support a teacher and community of practice in sustaining the realization of Truth.

   The exquisite paradox in Buddhism is that the more we give - and the more we give without seeking something in return - the wealthier (in the broadest sense of the word) we will become. By giving we destroy those acquisitive impulses that ultimately lead to further suffering.


   We are a 501(c) (3) tax exempt religious organi-zation. Donations made to us can be credited by the IRS as a donation and you may receive a deduction in your taxes.  We have sent out our tax deductible letters for those of you who have made donations to the temple.  If you have not received your letter by 10 January 2011 - let us know.

G
Dechen Youdon and Sonam Choetso
Good Works

  Due to wonderful Dana we have been able to support two Tibetan girls through Tibet Aid. As a welcome holiday gift, we sent them some coloring and other books, some candy, and other assorted items. These were well received, and the smiles on their faces are a gift to us. Many thanks to all who have joined us in this effort!

  These 2 girls are sisters.  Their parents are simple farmers living in Markham Tibet.  They have never been to school while living in Tibet, as their parents could not afford the expenses.  Seeing no future for their daughters without education, the parents made the heart wrenching decision to send the girls to India to be in close proximity to his holiness the Dalai Lama.   They arrived in India along with other escapees after a long and treacherous journey.


SufferingThe Third Noble Truth: The Cessation of Suffering
Thich Tam Tri (Denise)

In the last few months we talked about suffering, and how it's cause is attachment. The Buddha's Third Noble Truth says that the cessation of suffering is attainable. This month let's look at how this works.

Have you ever used one of those GPS navigation systems in a car? A woman's voice gives you directions step-by-step on how to get somewhere. It used to be that when you missed a turn, her voice would say (in a irritated tone) "You MISSED your TURN. Please make the next LEGAL u-turn and proceed on the correct route". You could almost hear her saying "You IDIOT! Turn around and get it RIGHT!" Now they've changed the program. When you find yourself going the wrong way, the voice says "Recalculating" (with a nearly audible sigh), and comes up with a new route to get you to your destination.

In our practice, our attachments arise and take us off course, onto a course of suffering. We want to be somewhere other than where we are. We think we should be doing something differently. We want things to be different than the way they are. What we think is supposed to be doesn't match what reality is. The discrepancies cause us anger, sadness, or anxiety. In other words, suffering. At times we take the scenic route with our attachments, and go for a nice, long drive, holding onto those attachments like a lump of burning coal. We know we're suffering, but are unwilling to let them go.

As we meditate, we watch our thoughts arise, and then return to the moment again and again. We don't have to fight these thoughts. We simply come back to the present and let the thoughts pass by. In the same manner, we can take note of our attachments, and then let them go, returning to the moment. They will always arise - it's our nature. We don't have to try to abolish them. We don't have to say to ourselves "You IDIOT! You MISSED your TURN!" We can simply say "Oh, having an attachment to (fill in the blank), OK". The cessation
of suffering comes when we allow ourselves to fully be in the now, and allow ourselves to say with a sigh...
"Recalculating".

Green Living
Co-Op America
www.coopamerica.org
Coop America is an organization dedicated to preserving our natural resources.  It has a wonderful pocket reference guide listing what products to buy local, organic, and what to avoid.  These guides are available free on their website and make a practical and handy reference for living as green as we can.

Part of our Buddhist Practice includes living well with the earth and all the creatures that abide here.  Our Certified Organic Farm and mindful practice of Loving Kindness includes a sustainable and harm free life style.  May we all find peace.

MINDFULLNESS AS GOOD AS ANTIDEPRESSANT

From www.CNN.com : (http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/06/mindfulness-as-good-as-antidepressant-drugs-study-says/?hpt=T2)

Mindfulness as good as antidepressant drugs, study says

Mindfullness is gaining a respected place in many areas of psychology, and now there's more evidence to back up its effectiveness.

  A new study published the Archives of General Psychiatry finds that depression patients in remission who underwent mindfulness therapy did as well as those who took an antidepressant, and better than those who took a placebo. That means that mindfulness therapy was as effective as antidepressants in protecting against a relapse of depression.

Mindfulness generally refers to the concept of being present and in the moment, and comes from the Buddhist meditation tradition. In the context of this study, mindfulness therapy incorporates meditation and focuses on helping patients watch their feelings and thoughts in a way that lets them work with them differently, said Zindel Segal of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in Toronto, Ontario.

  Participants who received mindfulness therapy learned how to meditate on their own for 40 minutes a day, in addition to going to a session with a therapist.

  "It's kind of like going like going to the gym and working a muscle, except in this case you're not working a muscle in your body, you're working the muscles in your brain that help you understand and control your emotions," Segal said.

  Having this alternative to psychotropic medications is crucial because up to 40 percent of people who come out of depression do not take their prescribed antidepressants to prevent relapse, defying doctors' recommendations. Pregnant women, for example, may be concerned about the effect of the drugs on the baby. Mindfulness seems to be an effective, non-pharmaceutical alternative, Segal said.

  One drawback with mindfulness is that it can be a struggle to find time for it, Segal said. You have to carve out 30 to 40 minutes per day to do the meditations on your own, according to this particular regimen. But it can become part of a plan to take care of yourself, he said.

  The next step is making mindfulness therapy practice available to more people, he said. There may be ways of delivering it online, for example. Right now there are few people trained with it, and about 14.8 million American adults have major depressive disorder, according to the National Institute of Health.



The Maitreya (Loving Kindness) Buddha

is also known as the Buddha of Perfect Wisdom, and an incarnation of Hotei (the fat laughing Buddha).  The Prophecy is that the Matreya Buddha will arise after all of the Buddha's teachings have been forgotten and life has become very difficult on this earth.

  Maitreya is spoken of in the Sanskrit text, the Maitreyavyākaraa (The Prophecy of Maitreya). It implies that he is a teacher of meditative trance (sadhana) and states that "gods, men, women, and other beings: will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of chastity under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into serene meditation, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance." (Trans. in Conze 1959:241)

     Denise and Kozen had the privilege to attend the Maitreya Project's tour in Tucson Arizona in December.  We joined many Buddhist clergy and thousands of lay people in a weekend long ceremony of  Loving Kindness and blessings by the relics of the Buddha and many great teachers.  You can find out more information at http://www.maitreyaproject.org/

M
Maitreya Monastics: Ven. Kozen (Thich Minh Tinh), Ven. Denise (Thich Tam Tri), Ven. Fern McGuire, Ven. Ken McGuire, and
Ven. Lhundub Tendron




S
Avalokiteshvara greets Pato (Mt. Adams) and the sunrise

Words of Wisdom:
The Five Remembrances 
Adaptation by Thich Nhat Hanh (www.plumvillage.com)
1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
2. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape this.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.