Waves and Water Sangha Vancouver

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

Today, Waves and Waters Sangha moved to our new meditation hall at 2016 Wall Street. If you haven’t already, please find the directions and a map on our website: http://wavesandwater.org/site/location/

It was so lovely to work together with Mountain Rain Zen Community – transporting altars and bells and cushions and mats and benches and kettles and cups and books and chairs and tables and . . . .

We will gather there as a Sangha this Thursday evening for our first recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings in this location. As the renovations continue we can see how the Zendo, perfect just as it is, will nourish us in the months ahead – breath by breath.

Before the move, five of us gathered at 6:30 a.m. to sit in peace for two hours with Thich Nhat Hanh and the international Sangha. The following link will take you Trafalgar Square with many photos of the occasion – unfortunately I don’t know if you need a Facebook account in order to see them.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.391323737553788.96991.264304326922397&type=1

Bethan – smiling

DEAR FRIENDS –

THE MAY RETREAT AT RIVENDELL ANNOUNCED BY JEANIE SEWARD-MAGEE WILL NOT BE GOING AHEAD BECAUSE TOO FEW PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND.

CARETAKING COUNCIL AT WAVES AND WATER WILL BE DISCUSSING A NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT IN VANCOUVER IN JUNE. . . . BETHAN

Dear Friends,

On Saturday, March 31, Waves and Water Sangha and friends will be sitting/walking with the global TNH community to coincide with the Trafalgar Square event where Thay will be sitting with the sangha there. http://www.mindfulnessretreats.org.uk/sitinpeace/sit-in-peace-around-the-world/

The sit will be at 6:30 am our time and will take place at  6183 Fraser Street. This will be our last sit at this location (please see under Location for details re. our move).  We will end with a breakfast at 8:30 am.  This is also the moving day for the Mountain Rain Zen Community so those who are  helping will begin work at 9am.

If you are unable to begin at 6:30 am, you are welcome to join us quietly and mindfully whenever you arrive.  Please join us!

Dear Friends, 

The day of mindfulness on April 22 is now full.  Thank you for your interest.  Waves and Water sangha will have another one soon and will post it on this blog.  If you would like to receive a notification of our new blog posts, please subscribe via email on the home page.

Here is a message from our Sangha Sister Kim –

Hello Wonderful Sangha!

I would like to host a Day of Mindfulness at my home on Sunday April 22nd from 10am to 3pm. Gratefully, Bethan will help facilitate. My place can host a max of 15 people comfortably. Please let me know as soon as you can if you would like to come.

My address: 306 – 1484 Charles St (at Woodland)

Please arrive at 9:45am so we can all be settled in to start by 10am. Thank you.
If need be, I will answer the door up until 10:30am. After that, I will not be answering the door.

Please bring:
* your precious self
* a vegetarian dish for our mindful lunch.
Please write up a small label with ingredients listed to place with your dish.
* a cushion or bench (I have some but if it’s easy for you to bring your own, please do).
* a blanket or a shawl (if desired).

We will do outdoor walking meditation outdoors – rain or shine.

Dear Friends,

As you know by now, we are getting ready to move with Mountain Rain Zen Community to 2016 Wall Street! Our last evening of practice in the Fraser Street meditation hall will be March 29. On April 5, we will gather at our new space to sit, walk, drink tea and, as in every moment, Begin Anew. There will be treats!

On Saturday, March 31, we are hoping that some of us can express our gratitude to Mountain Rain Zen Community by assisting them with the final stages of moving. Please send an e-mail or post here if you can offer an hour or two or three so we can work out how to be most useful!

On Saturday, April 28, Mountain Rain is offering an open day of sitting and we are invited to attend all or part of the day. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to meet our extended practice family! Please talk with Bethan if you have any questions and let us know, again by posting or e-mail, if you are planning to attend.

There will be a Sunday Day of Mindfulness in April at Kim’s. Please watch the front page of the website for more information.

Of course, what I have said above is all about plans and at the same time of course there is impermanence – especially when renovations and moving are involved. Any changes to the plans will be posted here and if you are subscribed you will get all updates!

Dear Friends

As some of you already know, Mountain Rain Zen Community is moving to 2016 Wall Street, near Powell and Semlin  – 10 minutes walk north and east from Commercial Drive and Hastings Street. They have been looking for an appropriate new space for more than two years! After 10 years in the Fraser Street location, the Sangha felt they needed a larger space and a space that was both newer and receiving consistent maintenance. They have received their building permits to renovate and they plan to hold their first retreat the last weekend in March.

Mountain Rain have been very generous to Waves and Water Sangha since we began to practice together in August. Now they have invited us to move with them. It is not easy to find suitable and affordable space in Vancouver and it has been so lovely to share an already established meditation hall that carries such beautiful energy. We have the opportunity now to practice deeply as a Sangha while we contemplate impermanence! I know it’s been a bit hard for me to contain my energy of fear around change – I think perhaps we will study the Five Remembrances in March to prepare ourselves for the resistance our minds might construct!

We will continue to meet on Thursdays at 7 p.m.

The new location is in the space developed by the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society. It looks a bit like a mini-mall that is part of a safe, primarily residential area with much less street noise. Mountain Rain is leasing and renovating space on the ground floor. There is parking in the vicinity and the #4 and #7 and #135 buses stop very close to the meditation hall. In the next while, our Caretaking Council will begin to look at ways to accommodate everyone’s transportation needs.

Sometimes, when we change the direction of our practice it takes a while to re-orient ourselves not only in space but in our hearts and mind. Fortunately, our Sangha has grown deep roots that do not depend on location but rather depend on our love and our diligence. We have the chance to Begin Anew! And, I hope we will have the chance to help with the move, as a Sangha, and to join Mountain Rain for a designated period during their first retreat. We will discuss the move at Sangha on Thursday and be truly curious about our practice as we respond! If you have anything you would like to talk about, please come or e-mail the Sangha at wwsangha [at] gmail.com

View Larger Map

Dear Friends

Waves and Water Sangha invites you to our Sangha Dinner on Feb 11, 2012, following our Day of Mindfulness. (See Jan 6 post for details of the DOM). The dinner will be at All India Sweets Restaurant, 6507 Main St. (corner of 49^th) where they serve a wonderful Indian vegetarian buffet. http://www.allindiasweetsrestaurant.com/

All are welcome! If you cannot attend the Day of Mindfulness, please meet us at the restaurant at 4pm. And if you find that 4pm is too early for your dinner, join us anyway for some hot chai and snacks.  We look forward to seeing you!

Please rsvp to Su Su : dharmahand11[at]gmail[dot]com