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Mount
Adams Zen Buddhist Temple
On
Saturday, November 14, we’ll have a ceremony to remember
those who have passed and celebrate our respect and love
for them and to offer merit to them.
Please bring very small offerings of food and/or drink (2-4
ounces) if you would like to. We will place the items on
a table. Then we’ll offer it in tribute to the dead
and all of us will partake of a small bite of food. This
is not intended to be a meal. The service is open to all
and will be followed by the usual Saturday morning meditation.
The Japanese Buddhist festival of Obon is celebrated on
July 15th or August 15th in most of Japan.
This annual festival is where we honor the dead and offer
them the merit of our training period, a tradition that
originated in the time of the Buddha. We offer food and
drink to all the hungry spirits and our ancestors, which
seems to tie in with the western tradition of Halloween.
Obon is a shortened form of Ullambana. It is Sanskrit for
"hanging upside down" and implies great suffering.
The Japanese believe they should lessen or nullify the suffering
of the "Urabanna".
In Mexico there is a similar festival, el Día de
los Muertos, The Day of the Dead.
Bon Odori traces its origins from the story of Mokuren,
a Buddhist disciple, who used magic powers to look upon
his deceased mother. After death, she had gone into the
Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering. Seeing this caused
Mokuren such great distress that he went to the Buddha with
his pain and requested Buddha’s help to release his
mother from such suffering. Buddha’s instructions
included several things. One of the required actions was
to make food and clothes offerings to the Buddhist monks
who had just completed their retreat. The disciple did as
the Buddha had instructed and through his actions assured
his mother's release. The disciple was so overwhelmed at
freeing his mother from such suffering began to dance a
spontaneous dance of joy. The first Bon Odori or "Bon
Dance" was performed. Since then the dance has become
a yearly ceremony. It is a time in of remembrance of our
ancestors and family that have died. Their good character
is remembered and appreciated and we offer thanks and blessings
for all that they have done, and ask that they have peace.
This story is based upon the Ullambana Sutra. It is a Mahayana
sutra of a brief talk given by the Gautama Buddha to Mokuren
on the practice of respecting the family.
In the Ullambana Sutra, the Buddha instructs his disciple
Mokuren on how liberation could be obtained for his mother,
who had been reborn into a realm of suffering. The making
food offerings to the sangha (Buddhist Priesthood) on the
fifteenth day of the seventh month has become a custom.
This practice is the basis of the Obon ceremony in honor
of one's ancestors which is still observed widely in Japan.
We are not in Japan so our time of holiday will differ a
bit. We've chosen a date between Halloween and Thanksgiving
to have our day of remembrance and appreciation for our
departed loved ones.
Projects
-
Building
3 shrines on the property. Would you like to assist in
the building of a shrine on the property? The shrines
will be located out in the fields and be roofed. We will
have one for Buddha, Kannon Bosatsu, and Jizo Bosatsu.
Building starts in the spring – volunteer now!
-
We
need help in locating a special needs family to assist
during the holidays. Please help identify such a family
or individual. Call the temple to discuss whom we can
help.
-
Food
Bank gardens. We plan to plant 1-3 acres in gardens for
the food bank in the spring. Please plan on helping plow,
seed, weed, water, or deliver the produce from the efforts.
Tucson
7620
N. Hartman Lane, Suite 112, Tucson, AZ
Going
strong under the leadership of Ron Sensei (phone 520.904.9474)
and Ed Reis (phone 520.991.8108). The group meets every
Sunday Morning at 9AM. Please give them your support by
attending.
Phoenix
The
Phoenix center has closed. Rev. Johndennis Govert is still
available for those who wish to have a priest’s direction
and guidance (phone 480.213.8979)
Trout
Lake
PO
Box 487, Trout Lake WA 98650
(phone 509.395.2030) 46 Stoller Rd. Trout Lake
Temple
Hours: Our regular meditation services hours
are Monday - Friday mornings at 6:30 am, Tuesday and Thursday
evenings at 6:30pm and Saturday morning at 9am.
Farm
and Organic Garden Activities: We will have
Certified Organic Brown Eggs for sale as of 1 December.
Right now the eggs are still a little small (pullet eggs).
We do not have a rooster. Our hens are fed a certified organic
vegetarian diet plus Certified Organic greens, fruits, and
vegetables. We do not kill any chicken for food. We do not
use hormones or routine antibiotics.
We have had our fall harvest and this year we were able
to dry a small amount of fruit and vegetables. We have some
for sale at Heavenly Grounds in Trout Lake.
Currently we have the following permits and licenses: temple/religious
retreat, B&B, Food Service, Certified Organic, Certified
Egg Handlers, and awaiting our Food Processing license.
All of this to be able provide for us being self sustaining.
Financial News:
We are doing OK financially. We’re very pleased to
announce our ability to offer Dana to our community.
The Mt. Adams Zen Center Dana offerings we were able to
give:
-
A
gallon bag each of dried apples and plums to Shasta Abbey
in California, a wonderful training monastery.
-
$170.00
also to Shasta Abbey for books they donated to our center.
-
$700
to the SOTO Zen Buddhism International Center as an ongoing
$100.00 a month donation. This office supports the ongoing
growth of Soto Zen Buddhism in America.
The
Abbey made the following contributions:
Sept
– Nov donations = $237.00
Cash on hand = $560.00 (plus Saito San’s travel fund
& our Yule Fund)
Liabilities = $ none. We are planning some advertising but
less than $100.00
Miscellaneous
News
Join
us for a special Yule family project. We are looking for
a family or individual who needs some special support this
season. Please talk with Kozen if you know such a person
or family. Also we are encouraging donations to the Yule
fund to pass on to this family – please help if you
can.
Kozen’s travels: Kozen hopes to attend a Soto Shu
training monastery from December 15. 2009 – March
15, 2010 if it is offered in the US. Still no word from
Soto Shu yet!
Welcome to Jennifer Silapie ND, a Naturopath Physician,
who has opened her practice in White Salmon. She is a warm
hearted and caring individual. 251 N. Main Ave, White Salmon
509.493.3300
Welcome to Dave Martin, a new graduate from an oriental
school of medicine, who has moved to the area. He will be
taking his board exams shortly and hopes to open a practice
in White Salmon. He is also a martial Arts teacher.
There are 2 wonderful churches in our local area that are
worth attending if you have time.
They
teach and practice an embracing, kind, and loving faith.
The
Ten Cardinal Precepts
also known as the ten precepts for lay people
-
I
resolve not to kill, but to cherish all life.
-
I
resolve not to take what is not given, but to respect
the things of others.
-
I
resolve not to engage in improper sexuality, but to lead
a life of purity and self-restraint.
-
I
resolve not to lie, but to speak the truth.
-
I
resolve not to cause others to take substances that impair
the mind—nor to do so myself, but to keep the mind
clear.
-
I
resolve not to speak of the faults of others, but to be
understanding and sympathetic.
-
I
resolve not to praise myself and disparage others, but
to overcome my own shortcomings.
-
I
resolve not to withhold spiritual or material aid, but
to give them freely where needed.
-
I
resolve not to indulge in anger, but to exercise restraint.
-
I
resolve not to revile the three treasures (Buddha Dharma
and Sangha), but to cherish and uphold them.
The
10 Cardinal Precepts are guideposts for Buddhist life. The
original vows stated, “I resolve to begin the process
of not killing.” Over the years it has been simplified
by the above “I resolve not to…”. Regardless,
it all involves a commitment to making ourselves better
than we are currently. The precepts are simple appearing.
When we look more closely at them there are levels upon
levels of meanings and thoughts. These levels become more
apparent as we begin to live the precepts and embrace them
in our daily life.
As your practice grows - evaluate your own behavior –
How am I doing? Am I mostly following the precepts or breaking
them? Can I do better?
All the Buddhas in all the worlds guide our every step as
we reach towards our deepening practice.
May the Gentle One’s Teachings bless and guide us
all.
GASHO!
Kozen Sampson
Arizona Soto Zen Centers
PO Box 487
Trout Lake, WA 98650
509.637.5995 cell
509.395.2030 home
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