Author Archives: sangha

Dear friends –

We just completed a wonderful weekend retreat celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 2011 Vancouver retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village monastics. Now, Waves and Water Sangha will celebrate our SANGHA CONTINUATION DAY with an informal tea ceremony on Thursday, August 23. Please bring poems, stories, songs — or simply your silent, smiling practice!

If you check our website at www.wavesandwater.org you will see that there are many practice opportunities in Vancouver and at Mountain Lamp this fall.

PLUM VILLAGE monastics will be here for a retreat at Rivendale (which is full) then for a Day of Mindfulness with the Vietnamese community (Sunday, September 9); a public talk and book signing at Banyen Books (Tuesday, September 11, 6:30); a non-residential retreat at the Centre for Peace (Thursday September 13 to Saturday, September 15: Contact ourbowenhome [at] yahoo.com); and a GATHERING FOR GREATER VANCOUVER SANGHAS at St. James Church 303 Cordova St. E. (Monday, September 17, 6:30).

Dear friends –

We have been practicing “Taking refuge” in all its many forms over the last few months. Today, I received the e-newsletter from Mountain Lamp in Washington State and the front page article was an excerpt from a Dharma talk delivered during the recent three-week retreat. I have included information about Mountain Lamp Community at the end of the excerpt and you may want to contact them to become part of their e-mail list.

Bethan, smiling

Mountain Lamp was conceived as a place of refuge where people come to touch the stillness of nature, and to rest in their body and mind. At Mountain Lamp, we find a place to stop in our bodies. We sit still and pay attention to our breath. We sit still and pay attention to the rising mountains. We sit still and see the ever-changing clouds. We sit still so that we can hear the hermit thrush singing. The stability of place, of sitting still, becomes a reflection of our mind, and we learn to embrace that refuge that is always within us.

When we have touched refuge, we can stay stable and solid in the center of whatever is happening. Our mind might be saying right or wrong, our mind might be saying “I want to be here” or “I want to be there” but we come right to the center where the thrush is singing, the mountains rising, our breath breathing.

When the Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, it is said he was tempted three times by Mara. The first watch of the night, Mara tempted him with lust, desire and wanting in the form of beautiful dancing girls. He smiled at the beautiful dancing girls and came back to his breath and body quietly resting beneath the sheltering branches. He was totally undisturbed, not chasing after anything, and also not pushing anything away. He didn’t see the women as evil temptresses or as objects of desire, but remained unmoved at his core.

At the second watch Mara tempted him with repulsion and disgust. Shakyamuni saw thousands of snakes writhing, biting each other and bloodied, but he was able to look into the heart of what was in front of him without being repelled by the sight.

In the third watch of the night Mara tempted him with self-doubt, and the Buddha reached down and touched the earth. He looked at Mara and said, “I sit here with the purest intention to see through all dualities, and the earth is my witness that I am here as goodness and light.” Mara was defeated and slunk away. The earth was the Buddha’s witness and refuge.

When the morning star rose in the East, the Buddha looked up at the star and immediately knew all beings as none other than himself. All things were reflected in his being, and he reflected all things. He saw into his True Self, One that continues endlessly, even in our day. It is our True Self, as well. Our grandfather in the dharma, Yamada Roshi, called it empty/oneness and drew a large circle in the air when he spoke these words. The circle he drew contained all things. Nothing was left out. All the dualities, all perceptions, all the places our mind gets caught are contained there. Suffering and enlightenment are contained there, and right and wrong are contained as well. The lotus flower and the mud only exist because they are both here together.

It is here that we find our True Home, our true place of refuge. We go to places of refuge to find within the stillness of our heart and mind, our True Refuge is always here, wherever we go. We find it with the great earth, the rising mountains, the drifting clouds and the song of the thrush. It is as close as our body, our breath.

– Excerpt from a Dharma talk, Spring 2012

Mountain Lamp Community

PO Box 512

Deming, Washington 98244

360-592-0600

www.mountainlamp.org

ml-info@mountainlamp.org

Dear friends

This video of events from the 21-day retreat at Plum Village has been posted through the link below. It is lovely! There is also a video of the first Dharma talk offered by Thay in the 21-day retreat.

21 day retreat celebrations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8nN0kHBCu4&feature=youtu.be

talk by Thay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB_n1gXuB3g&feature=related

If there is anyone in the Sangha who can help us by downloading YouTube video so we can play them during Sangha gatherings please let us know at wwsangha[at]gmail.com

Enjoy!

Dear Friends

We are passing along a notice of an upcoming retreat opportunity sent out by our dharma brother Dzung Vo.  Apologies for cross-posting…

The retreat is on the theme of “Cooking and Nourishment,” and will be facilitated by Brother Phap Hai (from Deer Park Monastery), and resident dharma teachers Eileen Kiera and Jack Duffy. It should be a lot of fun.

The dates are Aug 29 – Sep 2. Location is Mountain Lamp community, a lovely small practice centre near Bellingham, Washington, about two hour drive from Vancouver.

Please visit www.mountainlamp.org for details.  For questions or more information, please contact Tracey Pickup directly (the caretaker of Mountain Lamp): ml-info[at] mountainlamp.org, 360-592-0600.

Dear friends –

Waves and Water Sangha is offering a non-residential retreat on Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday morning, August 10, 11 and 12. This is the anniversary of the Vancouver retreat offered by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Sangha in August 2011. So many of us were there and received the Five Mindfulness Trainings! We will celebrate Stillness – Silence – Sangha together!

Registration is open until July 31st if space permits. For more information and registration form, please click HERE.
We encourage you to send in your registration form and deposit or fees as soon as possible. (Part-time attendance is possible.)

On Friday evening, we will gather at the Wall Street Meditation Hall to sit and walk in meditation, chant and drink tea. We will meet old and new friends as we ground ourselves in practice. On Saturday morning, we will gather again at the meditation hall to practice sitting and walking meditation, watch a Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh and drink tea together before Dharma discussion. There will be a silent lunch. Saturday afternoon we will practice sitting and walking meditation and the Recitation Ceremony for the Five Mindfulness Trainings. There will be tea and cookies during Dharma discussion, followed by outdoor walking and a silent supper. Saturday evening we will practice sitting and walking meditation, enjoy Deep Relaxation and circumambulate, chanting “May the day be well.”

On Sunday, we will be gathering at Mountain View Cemetery for sitting and walking in the area around the fountain and the still pool. We will offer our stillness, our silence and our Sangha body to ancestors, known and unknown. Aware of each other’s presence, we will also offer gratitude for this peaceful space in the midst of the city. At the still pond, we will Touch the Earth. We will then have a longer walking period followed by Dharma sharing. After a gassho circle, we will give gratitude for our food and after 10 minutes silence, eat together picnic style!

Please let us know if you have any questions – All are welcome.

Waves and Water Sangha Caretaking Council (wwsangha[at]gmail.com)

Dear Friends

August 10-12, 2012, there will be a non-residential retreat in Vancouver organized by Waves and Water Sangha to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Sangha. We will have sitting and walking meditation, mindful meals, a videotape Dharma Talk by Thay, chanting, singing and sharing of our practice. There will be Touching the Earth and Deep Relaxation practice. We will also have a Recitation Ceremony for the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Everyone is welcome to attend – you do not have to have attended the 2011 retreat or even practiced in this tradition before. You may register for the full retreat from Friday at 7:00 p.m. to Sunday at 1:30 or for any of the shorter blocks of time!

Detailed schedule and registration form are available HERE.
Please register as soon as possible to help us plan the retreat.
Please pass the information to others who may be interested.

Dear Waves and Waters Sangha,

We’d like to thank you for making Thursday evening May 17 available so that we can celebrate Mountain Rain’s 10th anniversary with our guiding teacher Zoketsu Norman Fischer. (Don’t worry, we won’t make a habit of asking.) And we’d like to invite you to come and join us.

Celebrating Mountain Rain’s Tenth Anniversary: An Evening of Readings and Music and Refreshments with poet Norman Fischer, novelist Ruth Ozeki and more. Guest musicians: Colin MacDonald on saxophone, Takeo Yamashiro on shakuhachi, and more

In dharma friendship,
Myoshin Kate McCandless
Shinmon Michael Newton
for the Mountain Rain Sangha

Good evening dear friends –

Here is some Waves and Waters Sangha news we have collected over the last while! Most of you have subscribed to the website blog (http://wavesandwater.org) to receive our relatively infrequent e-mails, but with this update we are including a few more folk. If you NEVER want to receive e-mail from us, please let us know!

1/         We have gathered in our new meditation hall three different times now. It is so beautiful and we are so grateful to Mountain Rain Zen Centre for the work they have done in this transition. We have helped a bit, but this is their space and a great gift to the community. If you even need to rent space for an event, there is a kitchen, washrooms and a large space usually set up as a Zendo that holds 32 easily and more if you are using chairs.

LOCATION: 2016 Wall Street. Our website (above) has the directions and a map under LOCATION.

2/         We continue to practice on Thursday evenings from 6:50 to 9:00 p.m. If you have not attended Waves and Water Sangha before and are interested in an orientation to practice please go to the website and CONTACT us. In May, we will continue to take refuge – in happiness and joy and in the spring renewal of yellow sunshine and the green green buds on trees.

3/         A Caretaking Council has come together and we thank the following for their offering of SERVICE DANA: Donna Forscutt, Connie Kadota, Bethan Lloyd, Jody Longford, Susu Myint, Alda Nga, and Tom Purgas have taken on specific responsibilities concerning the meditation hall, membership and finances, our practice leadership, bells, chants, tea, and greeting. Please feel free to address questions to any of us! We flow as a river. . . .

4/         We are looking forward to developing chant books and doing some outreach. With the move, our rent has also increased. We appreciate the FINANCIAL DANA that is offered for each of our events. We ask for a donation of $7.00 to $10.00 each evening. Of course, if you feel moved to offer more we will accept that as well! No one is turned away because of an inability to offer financial dana and we also need your support in order to continue. Cheques can be made out to “Waves and Water Sangha Vancouver”

5/         ON SATURDAY AUGUST 11 there will be a celebration of the one year continuation of our practice since the Thich Nhat Hanh retreat in Vancouver. We will have a full day of mindfulness with the option of Friday evening and Sunday morning practice to provide a non-residential retreat. Please CONTACT us ASAP if you are interested!

6/         ON SATURDAY JUNE 2 there will be a Day of Mindfulness with Sisters from Deer Park Monastery at Mountain Lamp Community in Washington State. It is for one-day and car pools will be leaving Vancouver at 7:00 a.m. and leaving Mountain Lamp at 4:00 p.m. It takes at least two hours plus the border! Passports required! Please contact us through the CONTACT information on the website if you are interested in being part of this practice. YOU NEED TO REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE through www.mountainlamp.org

7/         ON THURSDAY MAY 17 Mountain Rain Zen Community will be celebrating their 10^th anniversary. Their Teacher – Norman Fischer – as well as Ruth Ozeki will offer readings of their work. This will replace regular practice that evening.

8/         Our Sangha sister Jennifer has been in the United Kingdom and sends us this message of her experience with Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Sangha in London:

Dear Waves and Water Sangha,
I thought of you all when I was at Trafalgar Square – it was wonderful (and freezing!!). I hope the move went well! Sending the loving, gentle and amazing energy of the retreat to you all. See you in May, Love, peace, and joy, Jennifer

May all be peaceful, happy and safe – Bethan

This is from Kate and Michael – Bethan will be attending for the day and other Sangha members have indicated they will attend part of the day. The schedule is below. This is a lovely lovely Sangha who practice in the Soto Zen tradition.

Dear dharma friends,

As you may know, Mountain Rain Zen Community has moved to a new space, after a long search and months of preparation. We would like to invite your Sangha to our Open-House Zendo-Warming, Saturday, April 28, and our Zendo dedication ceremony Sunday, April 29. The Open-House will not be a formal Zen retreat, but a way to sit together and imbue our new space with the warmth and generosity of the Buddha-Way we share.

In gassho,
Myoshin Kate McCandless and Shinmon Michael Newton
and the Mountain Rain Zen Community Council

Saturday, April 28
Help us warm our new Zendo with your whole-hearted practice. You can come for all or part of the day. No registration required. No fees – donations gratefully accepted. Please call 604-462-0604 if you have any questions.

9:00-12:00 Zazen (sitting) and Kinhin (walking)
Service followed by Lunch
2:00-5:00 Zazen (sitting) and Kinhin (walking)
Tea and Cookies served midway
Service followed by Dinner
7:00-9:00 Zazen (sitting) and Kinhin (walking)
Pali Refuges

A light informal meal will be served for lunch and dinner. First ten minutes in silence, then time to visit with Sangha friends. Cushions, benches and chairs will be available.

Sunday, April 29
10:00-12:00 Zendo Dedication Ceremony and Reception