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Tuyết Sơn Thiền Tự
Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple
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May we all have a happy and peaceful New Year
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Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple is now on Facebook. Want to become a friend?
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Dear Dharma Friends
The New Year, with all its potential is here, and I hope you are celebrating it well. The Buddha taught us that everything changes - planned or unplanned - wanted or unwanted - everything changes. Because this is the nature of things, nothing is inherently fixed, not even our own identity. No matter the situation, anything is possible. We can do what we want to do, create whatever world we want to live in, and become whatever we want to be - the Buddha tells us, "What you think you become". In our practice of meditation we can realize the oneness of all things. A place of emptiness so full that there is no place for "I, me, my".
May the infinite light of wisdom and compassion so shine within us that the errors and vanities of self will be dispelled; so shall we come to understand the changing nature of existence and awaken into spiritual peace.
May 2013 be filled with health, happiness, love, and prosperity for us all.
May all beings find peace,
Ven. Kozen
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Meditation Intensives
Starting in 2013 we will have a full day of meditation or a multi-day retreat every month. During these times we'll have sitting, walking, and guided meditation along with a vegetarian lunch (or meals for the longer retreats). These intensives are a good way to focus on our personal meditation practice and to join with others who are also seeking peace. Our first 2013 retreat day is on Saturday 19 January from 7:30am - 3:30 pm. Meditation is a solitary practice done well with others. For more information please see our website: www.mtadamszen.org. We ask for a $30.00 donation for the 1-day meditation intensives, but we'd rather have you than your money, so don't let financial concerns stop you from attending. The longer retreats are live-in and vary in costs; please see our website.
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Plum Mountain Buddhist Community, a sister zen center Venerable Kobai Scott Whitney runs the Plum Mountain Refuge in Aberdeen Washington. He has a special Bodhisattva Practice of working with marginalized people who do not feel comfortable in other spiritual communities: people in 12-Step programs, those recovering from prison or homelessness, domestic violence or loss of a loved one. You can find out more about his Sangha at www.PlumMountain.org
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Mt Adams Zen Buddhist Temple Calendar for 2013
Date Holiday
31 Dec - 1 Jan MIDNIGHT MEDITATION, Ending the old year and starting the new with meditation 11pm - 1am
19 Jan, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive (7:30 am - 3:30 pm)
26 Jan, Saturday Amitabha Buddha Day
9 Feb, Friday Parinirvana - Nirvana day.Mahayana Buddhist festival marking the anniversary of Buddha's death. Pure Land Buddhists call the festival "Nirvana Day". Parinirvana is celebrated by some Buddhists on February 8th. but not all. Services at 6:30 am
and 6:30 pm (Chinese New Year - 4711 the year of the snake on 10 Feb, Sunday,
Nguyen Dan) (Buddhist New Year 2556 BE)
16 Feb, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive, Nirvana Day (7:30 am - 3:30 pm)
23 Feb, Saturday Magha Puja Fourfold Assembly (or Sangha Day). Marks the day Buddha
addressed a meeting of 1250 arahants.
23 March, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive (7:30 am - 3:30 pm)
6 April, Saturday Buddha's Birthday
19 - 21 April Earth Day Retreat Save this date
Venerable Kobai and Ven. Kozen will lead this 4 day Eco-centered retreat
18 May, Saturday Chinese Celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death
25 May, Saturday Wesak or Buddha Day - One of the most important of the Buddhist festivals. It
celebrates the Buddha's birthday, and, for some Buddhists, also marks his
enlightenment and death.
13 - 18 June Retreat - Opening to Experience: The Process of Awakening in Each Moment Save this date Abby Layton will lead this 4 day retreat
13 July, Saturday Ulambana (Obon) remembrance of our ancestors and honoring the Sangha
20 July, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive, Asala - Dharma Day The anniversary of the start of Buddha's teaching - his first sermon ,"The Wheel of Truth", after his
enlightenment.
24 Aug, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive, celebrating our temple's four-year anniversary (7:30 am - 3:30 pm)
14 Sept, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive (7:30 am - 3:30 pm)
5 Oct Bodhidharma Day. Celebrating the monk who brought Buddhism to China from
India
18 - 20 Oct, Fri - Sunday Metta Retreat focusing on compassion and Quan Yin Save this date
16 Nov, Saturday One-day Meditation Intensive (7:30 am - 3:30 pm)
7 Dec - 8 Dec MIDNIGHT MEDITATION, Bodhi Day Our temple celebrates Gautama's
11 pm - 1 am attainment of enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodgaya, India
31 Dec - 1 Jan MIDNIGHT MEDITATION, Ending the old year and starting the new with
11 pm - 1 am meditation,
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We are a small Thien (Zen) Buddhist Temple practicing "laughing farmer zen" - living our practice, sitting zazen, being here - right now!
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JANUARY
4-13 Ven. Kobai here
5 Saturday Service 9am
7 Vens. Kozen & Kobai
to CRCC Prison
12 Saturday Service 9am
19 Meditation Intensive
7:30 am - 3:30pm
19 Sound Meditation
19 Saturday Service 9am
19 MLK Day
26 Saturday Service 9am
FEBRUARY2 Saturday Service 9am 9 Saturday Service 9am 8 Nirvana Day (Parinirvana) 6:30pm 10 Chinese year of the Snake 16 Saturday Service 9am 16 Meditation Intensive 7:30 am - 3:30pm 23 Saturday Service 9am 23 NWDA Annual Meeting
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Words of Wisdom
Thich Nhat Hanh
"It is my conviction that there is no way to peace - peace is the way."
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand."
"If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love."
"In true love, you attain freedom."
"We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize."
"The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth."
"Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible."
"Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment."
"Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world."
"Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world."
"The fact is that when you make the other suffer, he will try to find relief by making you suffer more. The result is an escalation of suffering on both sides."
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HEART OF GREAT PERFECT WISDOM SUTRA (also know as the Heart Sutra)
This sutra is one of the most beloved of all the Mahayana Sutras. It is the story of a monk, Avalokiteshvara, who has realized the great awakening. He turns to his fellow monk, Shariputra, and explains the great emptiness. |
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva when deeply practicing prajna paramita
clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty and thus relieved all suffering.
Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not
differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself form. Sensations, perceptions, formations, and consciousness are also like this.
Shariputra, all dharmas are marked by emptiness; they neither arise nor
cease, are neither defiled nor pure, neither increase nor decrease.
Therefore, given emptiness, there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no formation, or consciousness; no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind; no realm of sight...no realm of mind consciousness.
There is neither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance...neither old age and death, nor extinction of old age and death; no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path; no knowledge and no attainment.
With nothing to attain a bodhisattva relies on prajna paramita and thus
the mind is without hindrance. Without hindrance, there is no fear. Far
beyond all inverted views, one realizes nirvana. All buddhas of past, present, and future rely on prajna paramita and thereby attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.
Therefore, know the prajna paramita as the great miraculous mantra, the
great bright mantra, the supreme mantra, the incomparable mantra, which removes all suffering and is true, not false. Therefore we proclaim the prajna paramita mantra, the mantra that says:
"Gate gate paragate parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!"
There are several different translations of Gate Gate.., my favorite is:
"Gone, Gone, Gone beyond Gone beyond
Oh Yes!"
Gate means gone or going. (One translator describes it as Gone from suffering to the liberation of suffering. Gone from forgetfulness to mindfulness. Gone from duality into non-duality).
Gate gate means gone, gone or going going.
Paragate means gone all the way to the other shore. So this mantra is said in a very strong way. Gone, gone, gone all the way over to the other shore.
In Parasamgate, sam means the sangha, the entire community of beings. Everyone gone over to the other shore.
Bodhi is the enlightenment, or awakening. You see it and the vision of reality liberates you.
And svaha is a cry of joy or excitement, like "Hallelujah!" "Gone, gone, gone all the way over, everyone gone to the other shore, enlightenment, svaha!
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Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Youth visit our temple
The youth group attended our temple service and brought a lot of joy to our lives. They were a lively group and many of them had been here before. |
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Looking for Buddhas We are seeking Buddha statues for our newly created Retreat Cloister. We would like to see 1,000 Buddhas surrounding the retreat area at the fence line (these Buddhas will be outside year-round). The Buddhas must be able to endure cold weather and lots of snow, so they must be made out of stone or cement. The Buddhas made of cast resin, wood, and ceramic have broken down within a year so we cannot use them for our outside cloister area. |
The Buddha statue above is about two feet tall and was purchased at Cargo, a store in Portland. In addition to folks donating stone Buddhas, we hope to find someone who knows how to make a mold so we can pour cement Buddha statues here.
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Is your group part of the Northwest Dharma Association?
If not, it is time to join! If you are a solitary practitioner or without a sangha you can still offer dana (financial support). They are a clearing house for Buddhist activity in the Northwest and need our support. Read more about the NWDA at
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The Abbey has about 2.3 feet of snow on the ground right now. It is wonderfully beautiful and you can hear the silence. Everything is quieter and more crisp, the sun's reflections are intense, and life here becomes very basic and close to nature. Our Lion cabin lies half-buried in the snow on 4 January 2013.
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Sound Meditation & Healing Circle
11am - 1:00pm January 19, 2013
Trout Lake Abbey, 46 Stoller Rd, Trout Lake, WA 98650
You are invited to experience the power of sound vibration and focused intention to relax, release and be connected to divine wholeness. We will do sound play and toning as a group and then use the singing bowls and inspired imagination for the health of our bodies, minds and energy.
Come feel renewed.
For questions contact Beth, 503-680-5810, [email protected]
www.vibrant-living.com also for more info.
$10-$25 sliding scale to support this work and the Trout Lake Abbey.
Please RSVP to [email protected] or 503-680-5810.
When registering let us know if you may want to carpool.
(need a ride or want to share a ride)
If there is an issue with weather that would make it difficult to get here we will contact each person registered.
Facilitated by Beth Welton-Miller, MS, LMT
For over 30 years, Beth has lived her passion for personal and relational transformation helping people connect with their core essence. Her professional experience includes teaching workshops and working individually with people using body centered and energetic healing practices. She is inspired to be awake to the wholeness of all. She lives in Trout Lake, WA.
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PO Box 487, Trout Lake WA 98650 www.MtAdamsZen.org
509.395.2030 (e-mail -put in the @ sign) kozen1 at embarqmail.com
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