The Journal

of the
Order of Buddhist
Contemplatives
Serving Members and Friends
of the Order Worldwide

Volume 30, Number 2

2558 B.E. (Summer 2015)
ISSN 0891-1177

Copyright © 2015 Order of Buddhist Contemplatives

All rights reserved

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 Altar outside the new premises of Sitting Buddha
Hermitage (see full photo)

Summer 2015 issue:

Editor: Rev. Alina Burgess
Assistant Editor: Rev. Berwyn Watson
Journal Assistant USA: Rev. Master Scholastica Hicks
Production: Rev. Berwyn Watson
Proofreading help: Eldridge Buultjens. Chris Hughes,
Deb Smith, Rev. Daigen Weir, Sarah Whiteside

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CONTENTS
Bowing
Rev. Master Myōhō Harris 5
Renounce the World When Young
Rev. Master Oswin Hollenbeck 26

(Re)Born into Buddhism

Rev. Valora Midtdal 29

Seeking a True Refuge

Rev. Vera Giordano 34

Training is the Heart of Training; The Heart of

Training is the Heart
Rev. Allard Kieres 38

News:

Europe 50

The Americas 64

Temples of the Order 78

Further information 81

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Parinirvana scroll found by Rev. Master Jiyu under the
altar of her temple in Japan (see Shasta news)

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 Bowing

Rev. Master Myōhō Harris

—The Place of Peace Dharma House, Aberystwyth–Wales—

This is an assorted collection of reflections on the spirit and

essence of Bowing.

THE SCRIPTURES TELL US THAT WHEN THERE IS NO MORE BOWING

there will be no more Buddhism. That statement makes plain
how significant the heart and spirit of bowing is. Bowing
may begin with a physical gesture but it certainly does not
end there. Whilst we have life in us the meaning of bowing
never ends; as dye permeates cloth so it fans out and
changes, or reclaims, every part of us. We soon come to see
that bowing continues even when there is no physical
movement. And still it is good to make that movement.
When given meditation instruction the first thing we are
shown is how to bow. We bow when we enter the meditation
hall, bow to our seat then turn and bow to the room before
sitting down to meditate.

BOWING: as we enter the room in which we sit.

The physical meditation hall is an external expression of the

womb of the Tathagata, the hara, our internal sitting place. It
is with us wherever we go. There is never a time (whether
we know it or not) when we are not sitting within it. Bowing

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acknowledges the preciousness of this place and it expresses
our wish to knowingly enter it fully, in body, speech and
mind.

BOWING: to our sitting place.

We offer ourselves. The place where we sit is nowhere other

than within this body and this mind. The human realm is our
training ground and the life we have is the specific set of
circumstances that we have been given to work with.
Bowing says please help me, please teach me, I am here and
I am willing to look at anything, address anything and to be
changed by this practice in any way that is good and in
harmony with universal Truth. Bowing says, what is asked
of me? How do I fulfil the potential of this life? It also
expresses a total and unreserved giving of ourselves, we
entrust ourselves to that which flows, we come as one who
wishes to see clearly, to be taught by and to serve the Master
in the Heart. It says ‘I am here to listen’. It says, ‘I am yours.’

BOWING: outwards to the room.

Only we can move our own feet, only we can resolve our
karma and this is done within the context of living and
training with others. We recognise the true wish of all who
are present and show gratitude that there are others of like
mind with whom we can practice. Our bow acknowledges
that this world is a giant melting pot of karma where cause
and effect is working itself out in endlessly different ways.
Also acknowledged is that it is through our daily

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interchanges with others that things we find difficult to look
at may arise, and our bow says we are willing to train with
and be taught by those circumstances; more than that, we
actually ask life to teach us.
We are also bowing to the room, the place that gives us
shelter whilst we meditate. Bricks and mortar, carpet and
furniture are Buddha Nature too and a building can ‘know’
that it is being used as a place of retreat; that it responds with
generosity of spirit is deeply touching. This bow helps us to
take nothing for granted and to sense how all things sit with
us and will help us along the way.
We then turn to face the wall and sit.

FULL BOWS: As done at Morning Service.

This is when we kneel and touch our foreheads to the ground

then, with flat (not half closed) open palms, facing upwards,
we lift our hands above our heads. As a postulant I was told
that we are raising the Buddha's feet above our heads, an
image that has stayed with me. We put the Truth above
thoughts, feelings and emotions, we put the heart (the living
Dharma) above the head (conditioned thought processes).
We are saying I will value the clarity of true insight (the light
that separates the murky from the pure)1 above intellectual
pondering and emotional reactions that come from, and
entangle me more deeply in, painful confusion. This bow
says, ‘I will seek for the Truth in all that I do.’
Buddhism is the path of awakening and, with this bow,
we express our wish to fulfil that potential, and our
willingness to do the work of training that will enable this to

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happen. When we are going to act in harmful ways, our
feelings can be very strong. If we bow to them there is a
relaxed inner strength rather than tension. I see you (the
arising of confusion), I acknowledge you and I respectfully
decline to act upon you. There is no fight. We tame rather
than suppress, face rather than avoid, transform rather than
destroy our stubborn karma and old mental habit patterns.
As Shakyamuni said, “Oh house builder of the house of ego,
thou art seen and thou shalt build no more”. With this bow
we ‘hold up’ (or offer) all that remains unconverted within
us, that it may encounter the light of Truth so that we may
see clearly how to help ourselves.

At Jukai we are asked, “Is it your wish to be a

Buddhist?” the ordinand replies, “It is”. With these bows,
and with every bow, we are reaffirming that wish each day.
______________________________

It is a literal Truth that when there is no more bowing

there is no more Buddhism. In bowing we ask to have our
eyes opened and this unrestricted giving and opening up of
oneself to the Master in the Heart is the seeking of the way
forward and an acknowledgement of the source of the
teaching. This can also be described as taking Refuge in
Buddha (meditation). It invites and enables the calling forth,
the path of awakening, to open up. When we ask for help,
and offer ourselves to be taught, what flows back to us, with
such tenderness and generosity of spirit, is guidance and
insight in how to live our life, how to respond to what life
brings, how to awaken.

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 From Refuge in Buddha, the source of enlightened
insight, comes the activity of meditation within the everyday
thoughts speech and actions of one who is training
themselves in the path of awakening. Bowing in daily life
can be described as ‘Buddha recognises Buddha and Buddha
bows to Buddha’ in ordinary daily interchanges. We bow to
the formless stream of meditation and the spirit and essence
of that bowing is then shown within how we live our life.
Thus our transient human body becomes the embodiment of
the ‘always becoming Buddha’ as each of us seeks to serve
the other (animate or inanimate) and make all a success, each
in their own way.

Bowing unites body and mind, self and other, form and
formless, in a very deep way that is “far beyond all common
consciousness, beyond all thinking”.2 When someone puts
their hands together and, with sincerity and humility, bows,
they are returning body and mind unto the source of all
existence. This may not be immediately obvious but it is
true. What begins as a ceremonial form or as temple etiquette
fans out into every aspect of our lives. Rather than being
something we ‘do’, bowing becomes what we are and opens
up a vista of opportunities that enable training to deepen and
a life to be transformed, as our individual life becomes all
life. For this to be possible we need to be open to the ever
flowing incoming Buddha. When everything has been
stripped away and we stand in that Great Unknown, there is
only the Master in the Heart, the Source of existence, the
Truth endlessly manifesting; the living flow that we call
meditation. It is to this that we bow. Taking Refuge in IT, in

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all Its forms, must come first and it must remain so, if we are
to fulfil our reason for training.

BOWING: as paying homage.

We pay homage to the Buddha by the way in which we live

our life; how we treat and regard all that surrounds us and by
the way we in which view ourselves. Trusting the meditation
and trusting oneself I have found to be one and the same. The
human will, or ability to choose, becomes as a child turning
to its parent. That turning within (which is also a form of
bowing) brings about a meeting in the heart and from that
meeting love (or great purity, Truth...I do not know the
word) comes forth. Recognising and becoming the living
expression of that Truth is to take Refuge in the Dharma.
Through this we unselfconsciously, naturally, become
Dharma, as our everyday thoughts speech and actions pay
homage to the Buddha. Surely this has to be the purpose of
the human Sangha in our world.

RESISTANCE TO BOWING:

Perhaps you resent being asked to bow at a meditation event

because you cannot understand why you should to do it.
Maybe it feels like a strange unfamiliar action, something
that is done in the East but which appears to have little
relevance in our day and age.
If bowing seems like an alien gesture that makes you
feel uncomfortable, yet you still want to practice Buddhism,
you may find it helpful to try it at home, when you are on

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your own and unobserved. In a quiet room, with no
distractions, put your whole being into the bow, really give
yourself to it and see what arises in your mind; can you
understand why you do not want to bow? Within the
resistance to bowing lies the next step in your training, which
is being highlighted by those uncomfortable or resentful
feelings. If you can be open to, and train with them, they will
offer you a valuable insight into how you can help yourself
in a wise and meaningful way.
Bowing will always make some of us feel
uncomfortable or resentful because, like all forms of
ceremonial, it calls forth the koan (the area of inner
confusion and pain that we cannot understand and which still
influences our actions). We do not always appreciate being
reminded of our unresolved issues and can resent being
disturbed by the Truth of what lies within us, but if we are
able to welcome that disturbance, then we find we can learn
much from it that will improve the quality of our life.
Perhaps your exploratory bow will reveal an inner
connection to a deeper awareness that had previously evaded
you and bowing will begin to make sense. Even if it does
not, even if you still resent bowing, you are faced with an
opportunity in the form of a feeling and a choice. Training is
not based upon the transient world of like and dislike; I feel
like doing it so I will, I don't feel like doing it so I won't. This
way of thinking anchors us to, and continues, the world of
suffering. Training is based upon something deeper than
feelings. It is based upon the call in our hearts to come forth
and receive the gift of Truth, and the Serene Reflection
practice is there to help us find that inner freedom and joy.

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 Sooner or later we see that bowing is an entering into;
it is not an act of subjugation. With each bow we recognise
our own potential. It is an offering, an opening up, of
ourselves that makes possible a receiving of Dharma, of
teaching. It expresses a willingness to be changed by the
power of Truth that leads us to freedom, the freedom of not
being bound by inaccurate perception and confused thinking.
This freedom can also be called humility. Humility here
means purity, it comes from knowing what we are and living
from that inherent completeness, which can also be called
our original purity. What prevents us from living from that
pure place? The training will help us to understand and
resolve those issues and this cannot be done without bowing.
What began as being hard-going gradually becomes our
natural way of being; it is what we want to do. Bowing is a
voluntary act, an act of devotion, of offering, done for no
practical purpose other than the giving and opening up of
ourselves, which is what makes it so precious and so
bountiful.
It is understandable that some who are new to practice
may think that bowing and the respectful behaviour that
flows from it are repressive or that people are being asked to
behave in a submissive manner, but this is not so. Bowing is
the very essence of spiritual adulthood, adequacy and inner
freedom. Just as we cannot have self-centred activity and
enlightened action at the same time so one cannot be a
spiritual adult unless one can bow and appreciate the spirit
of bowing, in all its forms; there is never a time when this is
not so. Bowing is not there to repress us but to make clear
the great way of the Buddha’s and Ancestors.

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A PITFALL: trying to fill a need.

Maybe you want to be the one who is bowed to. This is as

much of a problem area as not wanting to bow. Needing to
be important, the one who is in charge, in control and who is
respected. If we look into this then, like any area of
confusion, it contains insights that will help to resolve inner
distress. My experience has been that we grasp at self-
identification and the need for recognition for a reason and
there is usually much grief and fear behind it. Whilst we need
recognition of our worth, we are still suffering and remain
vulnerable; this is because we doubt our inherent worth, our
completeness. When we bow to our unresolved painful
issues, by returning them unto the heart of stillness, what
flows back to us is a response that is filled with tenderness
and love, a love that melts the fear and sense of aloneness
that gave birth to that confusion. Bowing turns the gaze
gently within and we see how behaviour (desire for respect)
that once filled a need within us, a need fuelled by
unresolved sorrow, has become as a thief in the night that
robs us of knowing that inner purity.3
Whilst we act upon desire for praise, fear of criticism
or wanting to get something for ourselves, our actions are
not pure and the physical fabric of our bodies is distressed
because we are looking in the wrong direction, trying to
satisfy an inner need by external means. Bowing (in the form
of offering our thought processes) helps us to free ourselves
from choices that cause us distress by highlighting them.
By ‘not pure’ I mean that we are still governed by inner
confusion. Bowing to our suffering (in whatever form it

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takes) enables it to open up and reveal its secrets. Bowing,
standing up straight and humility are one and the same. The
heart of bowing (please teach me, please help me with this)
receives those insights and from them comes a clarity of
understanding that dissolves the clouds of doubt and fear that
have saddened us for so long, revealing the vastness and
freedom that was always there, waiting for us to be able to
see it.

BOWING IS NOT RESTRICTED TO ANY ONE FORM:

GIVING: Bowing is giving and receiving at the same time;

it is one action with two aspects.

We give our life back to its source so that we can fulfil our
purpose on this planet. We give by being willing to undergo
the training that will enable us to be one who can receive
what flows towards us from within that deep mystery. We
give our bodies and minds so that the incoming Buddha can
have form and voice in this world. We give through living a
life of faith, through our unrestricted willingness to be taught
by universal Truth. We give by being willing to resolve our
karma, no matter how long it takes or how much it asks of
us. We give by never turning away, by keeping training, no
matter what happens. We give by being willing to blossom,
willing to be all that we can be. These are all aspects of
bowing.

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RECEIVING:

Bowing prepares the mind to receive; when we bow we open

(give) ourselves to the great mystery of life, and as our
offering flows out, so much flows in. As we inhale oxygen
that maintains our physical life so a quality of being enters
into us on the spiritual breath. In recent years I have come to
see how important the aspect of receiving is. Everything we
need is there within us from the start; some of it confuses us,
some frightens us, some things remain hidden and unknown
to us for many years. We have no more Buddha Nature after
three decades of training than we did on day one, what
changes is our ability to sit still and receive the Truth of what
it is we are; to receive the unfolding of karma and the
unfolding of the Buddha's teaching, knowing that both are
Dharma; allowing whatever may need to reveal itself to enter
our mind and welcoming it, is a form of bowing.

THE SILENT PARTNER: “form is only pure, pure is all

form.” 4

We should not forget our flesh and blood body in all of this.
If mind is the forerunner of all activity then the physical body
is its silent partner. The scriptures say that we must make the
teaching our blood bones and marrow. I used to think that
this meant we had to really, really understand things, now I
know that there is more to it. When the spirit of bowing
permeates our life, spirit and matter merge as one. This
enables our ordinary human body and mind to undergo a

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spiritual change or transformation. The body is limited by a
certain lifespan, it needs food and water and will die if
conditions are too hot or too cold. The eternal vastness of
meditation, which is the true essence of both our body and
mind, is not dependent upon anything, which is why it is the
Refuge. Buddhism shows us how to accept our ordinary
humanity, with its attendant limitations (another aspect of
bowing). When we bow to the Truth the Truth enters into us
and the silent partner is no longer restricted by any
limitation. Our physical form will still age and die, we can
still get a headache or feel tired, but rather than being a
restriction or limitation it becomes part of existence, time,
flow.5
Understanding that the human form we now have is
transient and ever changing inspires us to use our time well
by not losing sight of ‘the important thing’. Through many
years of dedicated training the space our physical form
occupies becomes the Pure Land as our inner organs, and the
cells of our body, are freed from the confusion that saddened
and weighed them down, and obscured their natural purity.
Thus we pay homage by remaining true to our wish and our
body fulfils its purpose by becoming the vessel within which
conversion and blossoming takes place. It is no longer a
karmic body but a body of Truth, of transformation. Through
it we are able “to cherish the longing deep”6 within us; we
are able to love and care for this precious being we are, on
every level of existence.

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BOWING THROUGH CONTEMPLATION:7

Doing nothing, in the right way, is to do a great deal.8 It is

the purest form of contemplation and is an aspect of bowing
which offers body and mind in a total, unrestricted way with
no thought of personal gain. The physical act of bowing lasts
for a few seconds, the heart and life of bowing are ever
increasing. With the physical bow we return body and mind
unto the source of all existence, and this is exactly what we
do when we contemplate. In contemplation all the transient,
impermanent aspects of our individuality (preferences,
personality, gender, opinions) fade within our original purity
as we entrust ourselves to that inner abiding, for no reason
other than that we want to, because it is the most natural of
activities; it is where we belong.

BOWING: beginners mind.

It is said that the trainee should keep beginners mind

(sometimes expressed as our initial humility) to the end.
When we came to training we knew we needed help, as time
goes on that knowing increases and it becomes easier and
easier to not fill that space with our own thoughts and
opinions. Nothing we create or imagine can ever match what
meditation brings, it just gets in the way. Bowing helps us to
not get stuck with what we think we know. The highest
Precept is always the Dharma of this moment and bowing
keeps us open and fully receptive to that inflowing teaching.
It tunes our ability to hear the more subtle promptings and
increases our trust in all that meditation offers.

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 ___________________________

EXTRACTS FROM A PERSONAL JOURNAL: The tender

human aspect of bowing.

Bowing through and as the daily activities of a

contemplative life:

When I first came to The Place of Peace my one thought was

to take Refuge, to live from the refuge at all times, that
everything I do would be done in the same way from the
same source. Only the externals would change. I would (still
do) regularly contemplate, giving myself to that abiding.
This may be done walking by the sea, or relaxing in an
armchair. What does life ask of me? Am I responding fully?
Asked not in words but by the giving of myself (which is the
spirit of bowing) to contemplative reflection. Releasing
myself into that vast living stillness, turning to the Master in
the Heart. I am yours. A longing to do the work of this
lifetime, to make full use of all that has been given, to follow
my Master all the way. It opened up a quality of being
wherein I sense the true monk lies. Kind eyes rest upon me
and I am as a traveller walking into an unknown...and yet it
is known in the depths of my being. I feel that this ‘non-
being’ and the contentment that accompanies it, is the heart
of the temple. IT responds to needs, manifests as required by
circumstances whilst having no fixed form. Perhaps I would
call it the tender, human aspect of bowing. When there is no
more bowing there is no more Buddhism. Bowing is the
always becoming, and that always becoming is the fruition

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of life in this moment and this moment and this moment and
I feel it is the fulfilment of my vows. Reverend Master Jiyu
told us to “hold out your faith for others to see.” I am filled
with deep ease as this great mystery moves through me and
this ordinary body and mind gives It form and voice. It is
hard to put into words, and all the time I am learning, but I
feel it is what I am meant to be doing here. Every day is
different, and every day is the same as this tiny new being
who I call me bows and listens, asking to be taught.

GIFTS OF GRACE:

There is so much more to Buddhist training than just dealing

with suffering. One of the invocations says, “Our birthright
to restore”.9 Through bowing we surrender, allowing that
which was closed to open up; we empty ourselves out, so
that a new and better way of being, of living, can flow in.
When bowing permeates to our core, the quality of our
breathing changes. A stillness that has lightness and life (the
life that is increasing in brilliance) settles within us, infusing
our being. This quietens us, and draws us deeper into Its
great mystery; we realise how small and temporary we are,
how profound and generous is the help we receive. If we do
our absolute best the meditation will do the rest. When we
are not tampering with our mind, asking...forcing it, to go
against its source, it soaks in this new living stillness, this
expansiveness of being. We feel our senses merge within a
completeness so exquisite that our only thought is to bow in
gratitude and service. As life-giving oxygen is carried
around our body through the lungs so the spiritual breath of

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meditation permeates our entirety with the life of the great
mystery. It changes us from within. Our commitment, our
wish to serve the Truth of existence, deepens, the wish to let
go and be absorbed into It fills us. This letting go is a joy, a
setting free, an entering into life on a deeper level. At this
point it is not a struggle, there is no resistance or uncertainty,
just a YES. A giving of oneself that is a leap beyond all that
is our consciously known world. The mind we once had
becomes as an old coat that no longer fits or as a skin that
sheds itself, quietly falling away, graciously knowing that its
time is over.

BOWING TO LIFE: comes in many different ways.

Beginning the day with a bow.

If you have no time for morning meditation, if your day is

filled with activity yet you take a quiet moment (maybe in
the bathroom if privacy is in short supply) to put your hands
together, palm to palm, feet firmly set upon the ground, and
you say, with reverence and sincerity, “I come for Refuge”,
then bow with all your being, you are paying homage to
Buddha. You are inviting the path to open up before you,
you are entrusting yourself to the Great Mystery, the Master
in the Heart, and asking to be taught. Bowing like this is a
ceremony and a meditation period rolled into one. A sincere
bow can change a person’s life.

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STANDING UP STRAIGHT: bowing to error.

When we have done something regrettable, rather than

hiding behind excuses or self-judgement, we can ‘stand up
straight in the presence of the Buddha’s and Ancestors’,
which is another form of bowing, and say, “I did this, I am
sorry, what can I learn from it, how can I understand myself
more fully and, through that understanding, make my life
better?” In standing up straight there will be no judgement.
From within the great mystery, there is no condemnation,
just helpful insight and an opening up of the way forward.

BOWING IS SEEKING THE WAY FORWARD: enabling

life to teach us.

As young monks at Shasta Abbey we were encouraged to

take everything that happens to us as being for our own good.
At first I found this hard to understand because some things
in life had caused me pain and distress. I had felt betrayed
by the actions of others. What was good about that? When I
cannot understand something, rather than dismiss it as being
wrong, I just let it ‘be’, resting within my mind, and come
back to it from time to time. How successfully we respond
to situations is dependent upon our ability to bow to them. If
I allow every situation to teach me then, no matter whether I
see something as enjoyable, indifferent or very difficult, the
way forward is always presenting itself; I just need to be able
to see what life is asking of me in that situation, what
opportunity is presenting itself. This is how it is good for me;

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the Truth is always revealing Itself and so life is always
teaching us.
Bowing to a situation, be it internal (as in troubled
feelings) or external, enables us to 'enter into it', to see below
the surface appearance of circumstances and emotions, and,
eventually, to the very root of the matter. This is because we
seek the truth. Rather than escape or avoidance we are
looking for genuine understanding, and so there is no
conflict. All conditions are working towards a common goal.
This brings a freedom of inner movement and sense of
purpose. Even if it is just ‘sit still with this, be patient’ we
know our spiritual journey continues and no matter what
feelings may be coursing through us, or how much work
remains to be done, the way forward is wide open.
Sometimes we may feel stuck or that we are going in
circles and do not know what to do. Perhaps we are afraid to
look within, cannot keep our mind from wandering or just
feel lost. Doing sets of three or six full bows two or three
times a day, as we can manage, will be invaluable, especially
if you feel unable to sit in formal meditation. Through these
bows we are actively seeking the way forward, which
demonstrates trust, faith and willingness. Bowing steadies us
and gives clear direction and reassurance to all the confusion
within us as our distress mingles with the ever present light
of Truth. By bowing we are placing ourselves within that
light. There is something very innocent and noble about
saying “I don't know which way is up right now, but I know
that if I bow, help will come.” If I continue, patiently, day by
day, then the way forward will beckon to me because I am

22
beckoning to it. One calls and one answers. Our bows say, ‘I
need help and I am ready to listen’.
_____________________________

When we put our hands together and bow, the bending

forward of the torso is a returning, the flowing of all that we
are—flesh bones and marrow, thoughts and feelings, karmic
history (all the conditions that have gone into making us the
being we are)—unto to the great formless mystery of life, to
the place from whence it came. When I complete the bow by
raising my torso to the standing position, the formless is seen
within and as the shape of a human being. Many conditions
have come together to create the temporary form and figure
we now have. These conditions are constantly changing.
Training shows us how to work within the transient nature
of a human life so that we can find the Truth of what it is we
are, and in finding become that Truth.

How we bow shows our understanding of Buddhism

and what it is that we are doing when we train. It is an act of
devotion, of love and reverence, of offering all that we are,
of recognising what we are; it is the most natural expression
of gratitude and respect. Bowing is ceaseless practice. It is a
giving and receiving as the truth of meditation enters into us
and we enter into that truth. We bow publicly, as part of
ceremonial, yet it is always, at heart, a private and intimate
act. Through and within the essence of bowing we are
constantly renewing our vow to live the Buddhist life. The
scriptures say to “kindle light in the blessed country, ever
close at hand”10…that land is the hara, the womb of the

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Tathagata, wherein the heart of a bow merges with our
humanity as Buddha recognises Buddha and there is nothing
left to call either self or other.

At night I stand alone before the altar here at The Place

of Peace and bow, quietly, gladly, offering myself to That
Which Is; I am yours. There is tenderness to this; it is a
beautiful thing to do. The walls of this little meditation hall
fall away, as the limited reveals the limitless and the great
mystery of life opens up. I feel so small, so new, so blessed.
Bowing says thank you, it says ‘Yes’. Barriers fall away,
differences merge within the eternal heartbeat of IT. I do not
know where I am going, just that I am in safe hands, willing
and wanting to be called forth. A living stillness settles and
infuses my being. This tiny little person knows she is but a
novice in this vast and wondrous unknown....and bows.

Notes.
1. The Scripture of Great Wisdom, The Litany of the Order of Buddhist
Contemplatives for the Laity, (Shasta Abbey Press, 1990) p.73. This
Scripture is part of our daily morning service.
2. The Most Excellent Mirror Samadhi, The Litany of the Order of
Buddhist Contemplatives for the Laity, (Shasta Abbey Press, 1990)
p.61. (Also part of our daily morning service.)
3. For some of us, the need for recognition of our worth from our fellow
humans will be one of the steps along the way. This is not a fault any
more than it is a place to stay. It is part of what makes the ‘going on’
possible and I would like to say more about this in a future article.
4. From The Scripture of Great Wisdom, The Liturgy of the Order of
Buddhist Contemplatives for the Laity, (Shasta Abbey Press, 1990)
p.73.
5. You can read more about ‘Existence Time Flow’ in the Uji section of
Zen is Eternal Life, 1st Ed (Mt. Shasta, CA: Shasta Abbey Press,
1987) p. 198.

24
6. The Scripture of Avalokiteshwara, The Liturgy of the Order of
Buddhist Contemplatives for the Laity (Shasta Abbey Press, 1990)
p.48. This Scripture is sung in our daily services.
7. Contemplation is a Refuge taking activity that is as a bridge between
meditation and daily life. I have written about it in detail in two
previous Journal articles, Contemplation and the Mind that Seeks the
Way, Part 1 (Summer issue 2009) and Part 2. (Winter issue
2009/2010). These are on our website, should anyone wish to read
them. http://www.placeofpeacewales.org/
8. If anyone finds this confusing please contact me directly, I shall be
pleased to hear from you.
9. This is a line from a Wesak invocation, Awake, all Buddhist people,
The Liturgy of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives for the Laity,
(Shasta Abbey Press, 1990) p. 239.
10. Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett, How To Grow a Lotus Blossom 1st
Ed. (Mt. Shasta, CA: Shasta Abbey Press, 1977) p. 232.

25
 Renounce the World When Young

Renunciation Stories from Shasta Abbey

Novices: Introduction

Rev. Master Oswin Hollenbeck

—Shasta Abbey, CA–USA—

A SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN THE LIFE STORY OF THE BUDDHA IS HIS

renunciation of ‘the world.’ On one level this refers to
renouncing his family and kingdom; on another level it
means turning away from one’s karmic inheritance and
committing oneself to the search for Truth. The catalyst for
Shakyamuni was the sight of a mendicant, a wandering
renunciate, who was the last of the Four Guardian Kings in
disguise. His earlier encounters with the other three ‘divine
messengers’—old age, disease, and death—had primed him
for this momentous and dramatic meeting. Seeing a
renunciate sparked in him the fire-seed of compassion and
knowledge that there is a way to resolve the suffering—our
own, that of those we love, and by extension that of all
beings.
I seem to remember the words of the title of this article
being spoken by some great Buddhist master encouraging
people to renounce the world—enter monastic life—while
they are still young. Not only does one have more years of
one’s life to give and train in this way, it can also be easier

26
to relinquish habits, views, opinions, and ideas more readily.
A core principle of serene reflection meditation found within
the formal meditation itself is letting go of craving,
attachment, and aversion. This is essential, whether we
practice as monk or lay, young or old, ‘brightly alive or
dying.’ I think it is simply human nature that as we age, it
feels more comfortable and secure to rely on and cling to our
many years of reinforcement and habit. Therefore,
regardless of our circumstances, are we not blessed with the
Buddha’s teaching on impermanence and non-attachment?
It may be a struggle, but what else is worth doing?
I was inspired to assemble these stories after reading a
similar published collection from young Buddhists. In the
book I was impressed by the sincerity in every account of
how these young people had encountered the Dharma and
began to practice the Buddha Way. Some were monks,
others were lay people; what they had in common was the
motivation to engage in practice. In the Mahayana branch of
Buddhism we sometimes call that Bodhichitta, the aspiration
to train for the benefit of all beings.
So I thought, why not let this new generation of OBC
monks at Shasta Abbey—those on the younger side (near
30)—tell their stories? Why not let these ‘millennials’ be
seen or heard and perhaps be the ‘divine messenger’ for
someone else in turn? In response to my request three
agreed. I am grateful to them for their articles (which follow)
and to their respective Masters who blessed this endeavor.

27
 The five novices at Shasta in 2014, Rev. Valora, Rev.
Trahearn, Rev. Vera, Rev Dilys and Rev. Allard
(Rev. Valora has since become a Transmitted disciple of
Rev. Master Meian)

28
 (Re)Born into Buddhism

Rev. Valora Midtdal

—Shasta Abbey, CA–USA—

IN DECEMBER [2013] I CELEBRATED THREE YEARS AS A MONK.

Knowing a little about my life, you might think the road to
monasticism was pretty straightforward. 1.) Born into a
Buddhist family. 2.) Raised at a local Priory. 3.) Throw in a
little suffering and voila, the arising of monastic aspiration.
True on all accounts, but the road to becoming a monk was
not as straightforward as it might seem. It took many years,
a moment of great desperation, and a trip to Shasta Abbey to
drag me out of a thick fog into the arms of something much
greater.
Growing up, the place of Buddhism in our lives was
very strong. There were always statues of the Buddha or
Kanzeon around the house. My mother and sister meditated
regularly, and as a family, we always said the ‘five thoughts’
together. It was common to have Sangha gatherings at our
house and when travelling priests would come to Vancouver
for retreats, they would often stay with us. In 1986 when
Rev. Master Kōten moved to Vancouver and started Lions
Gate Buddhist Priory, I began regularly attending the Priory
with my mother on Sundays. As a child, I remember very
strongly wanting to go to the Priory. My mother always gave
us a choice though, (as to whether we wanted to come to the
Priory) we were never required to attend. On Sundays after

29
morning service, my sister and I would do the Jizo
ceremony. We would recite the following prayer: “Oh Lord
Buddha, we pray that all that may perish throughout the day
as a result of our breathing, walking, sitting, and lying down
may be reborn to a higher life so that all may reach Nirvana”.
Walking to the bus each morning, my sister and I would
regularly stop and move aside snails and other creatures that
might be crushed by pedestrians. I often couldn’t understand
the Dharma talks given at the Priory, but the seed of Jizo’s
prayer had nevertheless been planted.
Buddhism played an important role in my life as a child,
and at the same time, for the most part life at home was
chaotic. I was an extremely sad and angry child. I fought
often with my siblings. My father drank heavily and was
abusive. I learned very quickly how to anesthetize myself
from the deep suffering I was experiencing. Distraction in
any form, namely television, books and food became my
means of coping. While I was turning outward to deal with
my pain, my sisters and mother turned towards Buddhism in
search of answers. I could see my family members working
diligently on their training, and yet as I grew older I drifted
further away from the Priory. By my teenage years, the fog
of despair was deeply entrenched and would not shift even
slightly until the age of 24.
The summer of 2004, I found myself in Portugal with
my best friend. Things were not going well at all. At my very
lowest moment, in complete despair, sobbing uncontrollably
in a hotel room in Lisbon, it occurred to me that there had to
be more to life than just this suffering. I knew there had to
be something greater, another way. Reflecting back on this,

30
it was a pivotal moment in my life. I can see now that this
moment was the conversion of the heart, the turning towards
a true refuge. The key factor here was that I had to come to
this decision on my own, I had to turn towards this greater
refuge by myself. When I returned to Vancouver, I asked to
take the Precepts and was given them in November of that
year at Lions Gate Buddhist Priory.
After taking the Precepts, many good things started
happening in my life. I received my teaching credentials and
got a job almost immediately at a French school. Things
were going much better in my life. I was living on my own,
I had a good job and a measure of stability, and yet
underneath it all the unsatisfactoriness remained.
The summer of 2006, my mother asked if I’d like to go
Shasta Abbey for a short visit. I agreed rather apprehensively
to attend a young adult’s retreat. After a two day trip to the
monastery, I was struck by how kind and welcoming
everyone was. During the course of the retreat, during a
Dharma discussion, I noticed myself sitting up much
straighter in the presence of one monk in particular. Her
words poked at something deep within. A peculiar thing
happened. I went from being a brand new convert to
recognizing almost immediately that I wanted to train with
one of the monks. I came back to the Abbey two more times
that year, and by November I had become a lay disciple.
From that point on, I could see a real purpose in my life, the
cultivation of my religious aspiration and practice. The
desire to train in a formal setting was so strong that each
summer I had off from teaching, I spent increasing amounts
of time at the monastery. Over the course of several

31
summers, it became quite apparent that the place I really
wanted to be was the Abbey.
Back at work teaching during the 2007-2008 school
year, I thought a lot about the monastery. I enjoyed teaching,
especially working closely with my students, but I kept
having this strong sense that my life still wasn’t what I
wanted it to be. Practicing the Dharma, keeping to the
Precepts as best I could, and meditating when possible (even
if it was just five minutes) were all helping me; however, I
slept so poorly so often that when I’d get home from work,
I’d nap for several hours at a time and the entire evening
would be gone. Though the aspiration was there, I was not
devoting the time I wanted to my practice, and I was feeling
the effects of it.
That year, all year long, I looked forward to the practice
period I planned for the following summer at the monastery.
Upon my return to the Abbey, I admitted to myself that what
I really wanted to do with the rest of my life was to become
a monk. It was both a difficult decision and an obvious one
for me, one I cried a lot over. The decision seemed like such
a frightening one for me because it meant giving up my
family, my country, essentially everything. Growing up in
an abusive situation had left me with a tremendous amount
of fear and a kind of inertia born out of despair—a difficulty
making and enacting decisions. Being around the monks,
especially my teacher, helped me to see that by giving up
‘everything’, we gain something much greater. The proof
was before my very eyes.
Twenty-nine years of sadness and despair in my life
showed me over and over that I needed to look deeper for an

32
answer to my suffering. In truth, this was Great Compassion.
Looking outwards for answers could never bring me the
peace of heart I longed for. My life is proof that you can
come through hard times if you are truly willing to look at
yourself. For me, it was only by taking the medicine of the
Dharma and a willingness to do something about myself that
a path out of despair was found. Nobody could do this for
me. When you are in the midst of despair, it can seem
endless, that there is no way out. Suffering doesn’t disappear
overnight, it is something that continues to arise and pass in
my life. However, I can honestly say that I have found more
peace now, through the Dharma, than at any other time in
my life.
On December 28th, 2010 I was ordained into the
Buddhist priesthood by Rev. Master Meian. I am grateful for
every day I have as a monk.

33
 Seeking a True Refuge

Rev. Vera Giordano

—Shasta Abbey, CA–USA—

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG ADULT, I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO LIVE MY

life and came upon the idea that helping other people could
give my life meaning. After college, I went to Ghana for a
year to do volunteer work. My approach of helping other
people did not go well at all, because I was using other
people to give my life meaning. And, when I couldn’t help
people in the way I wanted (which was usually the case), I
felt that my life had no meaning.
Since childhood, I had had an aspiration not to look
good from the outside, but to really be good inside—an
aspiration that had become twisted into a desire to be perfect.
My life seemed fine from the outside; I was doing well in the
graduate social work program I was attending, and I had lots
of friends. But while I wanted to be compassionate, instead
I found myself being selfish, angry, and judgmental. I had
no idea either how to deal with the discrepancy between how
I was and how I wanted to be, or how to cultivate the
qualities I wanted to have. I fell into self-hatred and despair.
I got into a romantic relationship, thinking that even
though I hated myself, maybe I could be okay if my
girlfriend loved me. My girlfriend did love me; but when I
tried to fill the emptiness inside me with her love, the
emptiness just got bigger. I knew it wasn’t good to be in this

34
relationship, since I was using my girlfriend to try to make
myself happy. Eventually, I broke up with her and then was
filled with guilt about the pain I had caused her.
Still at a loss about how to live, it seemed to me that life
was constant suffering with no purpose, and jumping off a
bridge appeared to be the best option. Contemplating this, it
occurred to me how selfish I was being, and I realized that I
couldn’t do that to my family. I made a vow that I would find
a way to live my life.
I started seeing a psychotherapist and took an
antidepressant for a while; both were helpful up to a point
but could not help with my real questions. Then I
remembered that, a couple years before, I had read a book
about meditation. I thought I would try meditating and soon
found a nearby Buddhist center. From the first time I heard
the Dharma, I knew it was my path. I started meditating
regularly. I began to see how doing my best in each moment
had meaning, and how this effort could actually be of benefit
to others. I began to realize that what I was looking for could
not be found in anything external and was already within
myself. I began to see that there was something underneath
the thoughts and feelings that had seemed so real and all-
consuming. At the same time, my practice was more of a
self-help program in a way, since I chose aspects of training
that seemed helpful and turned away from some of the
Precepts that would have challenged me too much.
Having finished graduate school, I came to Shasta
Abbey and stayed for a year as a lay resident. I started to see
how I was approaching training in a self-centered way, and
began to embrace the Precepts more deeply. In the few years

35
since I had begun training, it had gradually become clear that
it was my path to be celibate. I started to glimpse how, the
more I let go of wanting something from another person, the
more I could love them in a pure way. This pure love did not
ask the person to be how I thought they should be, but was
willing to be still with them however they were.
After my period of lay residency, I knew that I wanted
to come back to live at the Abbey. Being attached to my
parents and twin sister, I wasn't ready at the time to see the
aspiration to be a monk, although it was there. I had to go to
work to pay off my student loans. At this point, I could see
how confused my initial motivation to do social work had
been. A lot of inadequacy was arising about my ability to do
this work, along with fear that I would inadvertently do
harm. Social work, though, was my only job skill and so
really my only option.
I found a job working with a program that houses
homeless people. The work was very challenging and gave
me the opportunity to face my fear and inadequacy on a daily
basis. I did sometimes cause harm (in one instance even the
death of one of my clients, which might have been avoided
if I had made a different decision). Although the harm I
caused was deeply painful, I found that I could work on
accepting it and even forgiving myself. When I got out of the
way, there was a place within me (which was definitely not
me) where compassion flowed and that knew how to
respond. It has become clear to me over time that training is
the only thing that matters—which doesn’t mean that it has
been easy. I am often asked to step off into the unknown,
with no certainty that there will be any ground beneath my

36
feet. I spend much of my time being afraid to let go and, yet,
when I do, it is clear that there is nothing to be afraid of, and
that there is something much deeper than the self to which I
cling.
During the time I was working, I came to the Abbey
once or twice a year for retreats. During one of these retreats,
I was finally ready to see my aspiration to be a monk. It was
not a decision that I made; I just knew it was what I had to
do. Monastic training is a path through which I can realize
my deepest potential as a human being. This path of
wholehearted training—for which I am profoundly
grateful—is open to all of us, both lay and monastic. I pray
that all beings may find a true refuge and quickly realize
Buddhahood.

37
 Training is the Heart of Training; The Heart
of Training is the Heart

Rev. Allard Kieres

—Shasta Abbey, CA–USA—

ONCE UPON A TIME, I WAS A JUNIOR IN COLLEGE, SITTING

alone in a quiet part of the University of Oregon art library,
trying to cram for an up-coming Japanese art history final
without much success. I have never been a good student, let
alone a studier for tests. I had been trying throughout the
term to keep up with the material. But not only did I find it
confusing, art history is about memorization; and being a
‘stoner’ did not help my memory.
To complicate matters further, during that spring term,
a severely wounded 3 ½ year long relationship with a girl
finally died. The prolonged back and forth breakup
culminated one evening in a furious screaming crying
throwing match between the two of us, where everything
we’d ever tried to sweep under the carpet in the previous few
years was revealed for the mess it truly was. Although I
didn’t realize it at the time, I was really traumatized by this
event because I am not a ‘screamy-throwy’ kind of person.
Because I also didn’t know anything about true healing, I
just drank and smoked away the pain without really looking
at it. This had taken place two weeks previous to finals.
So in my sincere and hopeless attempt at studying, I
flipped through my flash cards; one side a photocopy of the

38
art piece, and the back containing the who’s and what’s.
Many of the pieces we were studying in this particular class
were Buddhist statues and paintings, because Buddhism and
Japanese culture have been intertwined for a good thousand
years. And so it happened that I flipped to a picture of a
statue called “Miroku, the future Buddha to come”: and I
paused. The first real pause I’d taken in a long time.
The statue is of a person sitting on a seat with one leg
resting across the knee of the other, its right hand in a
pondering gesture at its chin and the most sublime and subtle
smile I have ever seen. It was the smile that shot a vibration
through my Heart. It is a smile that knows. It is a smile that
holds the ‘what happened, is happening, and will happen’
with perfect equanimity and love; silently testifying to the
Truth that there is something more than just our turbid lives.
So without knowing any of this except the simple fact that
there was something about that smile, I abandoned all
attempts at studying, put on my headphones, set Daft Punk’s
song ‘Heroes’ from their Discovery album on repeat, and
just sat and stared at that smile believing that yes there has
to be something more.
I have always considered myself to be a ‘Truth seeker’.
When I was thirteen or so, my parents divorced, leaving me
and my two younger siblings to live with my mom. Since she
was more relaxed about rules and bedtimes than dad, I
encountered a new life of previously unknown freedom. I
discovered drugs about a year later with the start of high
school. Not the really hard drugs, which I’ve never gotten
into, but drinking, smoking pot and taking psychedelics; and
I entered into my philosophizing years.

39
 During high school I developed strong friendships with
a crew of guys who shared my trippy adventures and with
whom I pondered the universe. We would talk about chaos
theory, fractals, outer space, and everything scientific that
felt like it pointed towards some hidden truth or was at least
an interesting topic of discussion. Speaking for myself, I
yearned to know what was True in a fundamental sense, even
though I didn’t really comprehend what I was looking for.
Why am I here? What is here? What am I? Somehow, for
me, there has always been this quiet pulse whispering, ‘look
deeper, look deeper, look deeper’.
Eventually we all went to the same college where we
continued to exercise our minds with philosophy and drugs.
At our best the drug use was a vehicle for the exploration of
‘just what is this thing we call reality?’ But increasingly
more often as time went by, it was just to take the edge off.
Sometimes I had experiences beyond just tripping out. Both
during high school and college, I experienced things that I
thought must be True. I felt like I was breaking through into
these incredible insights as to what the universe really was,
but it would all eventually fade in the mind’s fog. I could
never maintain any clarity with regard to the nameless
puzzle I felt in my Heart or how to address it.
But when I met Miroku in the library—that was the
point when things were able to start changing, and the puzzle
pieces began to fit together.
After my moment of stillness in the art library, I went
to Los Angeles for a summer internship as a production
assistant, during which time I began to actively look into
Buddhism. Out of that pause had come a strong sense that I

40
needed to change something in myself, and what came up
was to be a more honest and good person. To my amazement,
as a result of putting this into practice, I began encountering
really interesting coincidences that helped move my life in a
positive direction; and two very important things shifted for
me that summer.
First, I began to trust that there is a flow to this
seemingly chaotic unordered world. I opened up to the
possibility that the universe was actually trying to get my
attention—it was pointing to Buddhism. Second, I knew that
the universe was cyclical and that karma existed. I learned
this because, coincidentally, the apartment I rented just
happened to be in the hometown of that girl. So of course, as
is natural with someone we’ve been in a serious long term
relationship with, when we found this out, we had to see each
other. It was the first time I had seen her since our breakup,
and I began to slip backwards toward the abyss; 3 ½ years of
habit, confused further with broken love and a good helping
of my own lonely neediness, were strongly pulling me
towards her. But somehow I saw that I had a choice. Toeing
the edge, and looking over that cliff, intending to jump; it hit
me like a ton of bricks: this will only lead you to suffering. I
was able to walk away and never go back. And because I
was able to walk away and turn towards the Unknown that I
was beginning to hear calling quietly in my Heart, I saw
something that I had done to her during our relationship that
was cause for much suffering; and I knew that the conditions
of our break up were the karmic consequence of my own
previous actions coming back at me.
The man I was renting the apartment from was a

41
spiritual old hippie and was a huge help in encouraging me
to go deeper into this flowering new awareness. He lent me
the autobiography of the 14th Dalai Lama, and reading this,
I felt the same sort of thing I had felt when looking at
Miroku’s smile. Buddhism was beginning to feel like the
way, and I now found that my search had a label:
Enlightenment.
On paper these things can make a nice concise story,
but this was a long and labored process. Though I was
beginning to think about spirituality and the universe in new
ways, I was still a drunk, I was still a heart-broken needy
boy, and I still caused trouble. So, stagnant with the
unknowing of how to proceed, I started my senior year and
my insights faded to the backburner: but they didn’t
disappear.
That October I got a little help when the Universe
banged me on the head. Two of my friends and I took an
unintentionally strong dose of LSD and I experienced
something I was not ready for. Alone, I innocently wandered
off away from the house, having entered into some sort of
mind state in which I had no discrimination. I drank muddy
gritty water out of a sewer gutter and I felt no disgust: it was
just muddy gritty water.
Turning around from that gutter, I was startled to see a
dazzlingly bright white light about ten feet in front of me. As
I experienced it, looking into the light felt like looking into
awareness. But an awareness unlike anything I had ever
dreamed of. It had a radiant, vibrating presence that was not
necessarily physical or seen or even felt; though it was, too,
all those things, but rather more like being known and

42
experienced on a level beyond anything I’d ever imagined
possible. It was vast and boundless. The feeling of depth it
had, along with this incredible ‘knowing’ that it emanated,
made me think for sure—but again not in a calculated or
intellectual way—that I was seeing the ‘Source of all the
Knowledge and Wisdom in the Universe’: Enlightenment. It
was so profound and precious, I cannot explain how intense
and joyous it was to look at it; it felt like being complete. I
couldn’t believe It. Imagine the joy of being a crazy
searching wandering ‘puzzle-head’ and then actually
encountering the very thing you’ve been looking for, which
you didn’t really know you were looking for or even fully
believe existed in the first place. I was compelled to run to
it, jump into it, and become one with it. Imagine my
confusion and despair when I realized that my sober friends
were bandaging my gushing forehead and putting me into an
ambulance bound for the hospital and stitches! I had run at
full speed and leaped head first into a lamppost in a
neighbor’s front yard.
The danger and delusion with taking drugs, especially
in an effort to investigate reality, I had now finally learned,
is that I hadn’t done the work. I had not earned the treasure:
I was stealing It. What I experienced was so far beyond my
untrained context that I just wound up banging my head on
It. I thought certainly there has to be a better way to reach
Enlightenment. I was finally fed up enough with drugs to
open up to the idea that they were not the way to do it; and I
never used psychedelics again.
I was deeply changed by this experience and was in
total shock. I felt that I had experienced something really

43
important, but I never talked about it because I thought
people were just going to think I was high and crazy.
Thankfully though I didn’t need to; a seed had been planted
that only now can I reflect back upon and see. I knew from
then on that Enlightenment was real; it wasn’t something
that people were making up. But what was It? Where had It
gone? Why couldn’t I get It back? How then does one
become enlightened? I needed to learn how to practice.
I eventually got the idea that maybe if I looked closer
at Buddhism it might help illuminate my way. For Christmas
I had received a $25 dollar gift card which I took to a book
store and bought ‘Buddha-Dharma: The Way to
Enlightenment’1, and it was exactly what I was looking for.
It was the Buddha’s teachings, starting with His birth and
going all the way through to His death in chronological
order. I read this slowly for the next few months.
Then sometime in March of ’07, I got to the story where
Ananda asked the Buddha if women could be admitted into
the Sangha as ordained monks, to which the Buddha replied,
“No”. I thought, what!? The Four Noble Truths, the
Eightfold Path, meditation: it all made so much sense, it all
felt so right! Why would he say no? It was obvious to me
that there is no spiritual, universal, fundamental difference
between male and female. How could something so
biological and earthly have anything to do with the Universal
Quest?
But this question was meritorious. It caused me to think
that I must be misunderstanding something, and to seek
advice. Something so new and bright in me was beginning
to take root. I looked up ‘Buddhism in Eugene, Oregon’ on

44
the internet and found Eugene Buddhist Priory, which had a
Buddhist monk in residence; and I thought, “Ah, maybe this
monk can answer my question.” So I emailed the monk who
suggested I do an introductory morning at the temple first
and then get back in touch with him.
So, having long forgotten that Saturday mornings
existed, I attended an 8:45am Intro to Buddhism and practice
at the Temple. A lay practitioner gave us meditation
instruction and talked about the practice of Sōtō Zen, or
‘Serene Reflection Meditation’. I enjoyed the class, but I was
more interested in tea with that monk, which I had later that
week. His name was Rev. Master Oswin, and he quietly and
politely cut straight through my question about women and
the Sangha. He definitely answered it, but I won’t even quote
it, because what was really going on was his, unbeknownst
to me, addressing of my True question. It is said that a good
Zen master looks straight past the student’s spoken question,
and the question beneath the question, going straight to the
third question that lies beyond the first two which the student
doesn’t even know they’re asking. All I know is, whatever
he said to me that day worked: because I came back—I
immediately became a biweekly regular.
I felt such a strong connection with the practice. I knew
it was what I had been looking for. It was like remembering
an old friend. But I still had my old habits too, I certainly
didn’t drop them overnight. I don’t remember meditating
that much at home, but I definitely put whatever stillness I
attained at the Priory into my daily life. My natural tendency
towards pondering now had a container with which to hold
it; in that now I would think about the Dharma talks and try

45
to understand them; to prove the teachings true for myself.
Most importantly, my Heart was saying ‘Yes!’
One Sunday morning at the beginning of June, after a
couple of months of practicing at the Priory, a novice monk
from Shasta Abbey visited. He had trained for a few years in
Eugene at the Priory with Rev. Master Oswin and was back
to say hello for the first time since his ordination. He seemed
very nice to me and during tea the congregation was asking
him questions about his new life as a monk and how he liked
it at Shasta Abbey. Someone asked him the very natural
question of why he had wanted to become a monk? He said
that he couldn’t say why, he just felt it. He knew it was right.
When he said that, it was like a bell sounded within my
Heart. For the first time in my life I became aware that being
a monk was an option. My Heart smiled and very quietly
said, ‘Yes. We should become a monk.’
Over the next few years this calling slowly increased as
my roots in the Dharma grew stronger—but this meant I had
to give up my fast and distracted lifestyle. The important
thing to know about my journey from here on was how I
learned to let go.
During those years, I spent time living as a layperson at
the Monastery in Mt. Shasta, and in Eugene at the Priory,
and the peace and purpose I experienced was so fulfilling.
Every day my Heart leapt for joy even though I was never
really doing anything. Morning meditation, breakfast,
working, evening meditation; whenever anyone from home
asked me what I liked about it, I couldn’t ever say. I just
knew. But then I’d go back out to work in the world, the fast
lifestyle would be there waiting for me, and I was a slave to

46
it. I kept getting stuck, wandering nowhere. I kept smoking
and drinking away my dis-ease rather than looking at it. My
problem was that I wasn’t meditating. I was not looking
within. I wasn’t doing the work that it takes to go deeper into
this practice, to let go. Since then I have learned for myself
that meditation is essential; like water for a flower. It takes
as long as it takes for an individual to let go; and, we have a
direct influence on that length of time. It is always a choice.
Eventually I left home for good and moved
permanently to the Eugene Priory. I had decided that if I was
going to be a monk, I’d like to study with Rev. Master
Oswin, who had all along been a kind and helpful teacher to
me. Finally, having removed myself from the endless
distraction of home, I could take a good look at myself and
there was nowhere to escape. I finally had the quiet
environment I needed to sit and do the work. There was
nothing to numb the dullness, the agitation, the greed, the
self. When I sat and meditated, the self would panic like a
bat trapped in a shed in which I had turned on the light.
Everything passed through my mind trying to take on form,
to become. And so I sat and sat and sat. This is a sitting on
the cushion and off the cushion. Every breath, every heart-
beat, dedicated to the effort of letting go this thing we call
the self. To let go, to let go, what a seemingly simple act.
How can so much greed, hatred and delusion come forth
from something that doesn’t even exist? But this self is
precious to us. It is something we’ve carried for so long we
have forgotten what it is like without it. We believe we need
it. The longing I felt for it was so great; to go and be that boy,
to go and do those things. The self feels so real. The Heart

47
just sat quietly, smiling patiently; and one evening it finally
clicked.
On a Wednesday night, seven months into my lay
residency, Rev. Master Oswin gave a Dharma talk in which
he said that the ‘puzzle’ was actually three dimensional, and
that ‘training’, the practice, was the center piece, ‘The piece
that holds the whole puzzle together’. Boom! Not flashy
white light, not blissful samadhi, not profound infinite
wisdom: just the quiet every moment training. The training
is the Enlightenment! Enlightenment is the training! I saw
with my whole Heart that the practice is the gravitational
center around which the entire Universe revolves. I was
suffering and searching because I was looking outside
myself for peace and happiness. I was looking to things for
my peace of mind. I was beginning to see how, as Buddhism
teaches, all things are fundamentally Empty. There is no
inherent suffering in any external condition. I was creating
the suffering when I placed external things as this
gravitational center. Anything I place at the center of the
Heart is bound to fade away and disappear, because all
things are bound to fade away and disappear. Realizing this,
I opened the doors of my Heart, which was billowing over
with junk, and finally made an Empty space on the shelf: and
didn’t fill it back in.
Training is the Heart of training; the Heart of training is
the Heart. Let the Heart reside within the chamber of the
Heart. For that Empty center contains and is the whole
Universe. This is the Heart’s True Nature. The Heart is
Buddha. Though we might keep ignoring It, the Heart simply
waits and waits and waits. Anyone at any time can let go,

48
turn towards, and listen to this Heart, this Light. All our
suffering comes from this ignoring. I have personally proven
this true for myself by doing the practice and listening to my
Heart. From this placing the Heart at center and listening to
It, I have found a profound peace, joy and gratitude. The rest
of my days since, have been spent doing my best to put this
into practice, go deeper into Its meaning, and pick myself up
when I fall down. Getting up in the morning with palms
together, lying down at night upon my right side: I pray that
all may quickly prove this true for themselves.

Notes

1. Numata Center for Buddhist Translation, Buddha-Dharma: The Way

to Enlightenment, (Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and
Research, 2nd Ed., 2004).

49
 NEWS OF THE ORDER

Europe

Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey

—Northumberland, England–UK—
Monastic news:
We are delighted that Rev. Master Daishin has come back
to the community more frequently from the Hermitage in Wales
where he has been staying. He was here for both Wesak weekend
(see below) and for monks’ sesshin, giving teaching on both
occasions.
We are fortunate to also have Rev. Master Mugō resident
with us at present. She is conducting her lay ministry work from
here and joining in community life.
Manjusri Festival:
Rev. Gareth led our Manjusri Festival at the beginning of
March. His talk afterwards, ‘The Wisdom of Silence’ is now
available to listen to or download on our website
http://www.throssel.org.uk/dharmatalks/wisdomofsilence.
Memorial for Rev. Master Daizui:
On 3rd April, Rev. Master Hugh offered a small memorial
for Rev. Master Daizui on the 12th anniversary of his death. Rev.
Master Daizui began his monastic life at Shasta Abbey in 1973,
was a monk for 30 years and became Head of our Order on Rev.
Master Jiyu’s death in 1996.
Lay Ministry Retreat:
In mid-March Rev. Master Mugō, who returned from North
America earlier in the month, and Rev. Master Saidō, from

50
Telford Buddhist Priory, lead the lay ministers’ retreat. Upwards
of a dozen people came for the three day retreat of informal
meetings, meditation and catching up with each other. It was a
relaxed and sustaining retreat and appreciated by all who attended.
Hebden Bridge Retreat:
In March Rev. Leandra travelled to the Huddersfield area
in response to an invitation from the Hebden Bridge Zen Group
(Dancing Mountains Sangha) to a day retreat. She was warmly
welcomed and responded to questions, and in return, invited the
group to come up to Throssel.
Jukai week:
We had a wonderful week of mild sunny weather for our
annual Taking the Ten Precepts retreat (Jukai). This year, eleven
people took this step of commitment in training, being ordained
as Buddhists and expressing their wish for the ongoing process of
finding how to live a preceptual life. We congratulate Neil
Ambrose, Steve Asling, Catherine Burns, Joshua Darby, Naomi
Engelkamp, Will Dee, Karan Fairley, Christele Geuffroy, Val
Lilof, Thomas Martin and Louise McDermott; all our good wishes
go with them as they continue their training.
Rev. Master Leandra was the main celebrant for the
ceremonies, joined by Rev. Master Hugh and Rev. Finnán, and the
whole community worked together with the retreatants to make
this an inspiring week.

51
 This year’s Jukai retreatants, with Rev. Master Leandra
and Rev. Berwyn and Rev. Elinore
Wesak:
A small number of families came on Saturday of our family
weekend, and the young people helped decorate the altar and made
and iced cookies for the Wesak gifts on Sunday. We were joined
by a large group for the festival day on Sunday, a full hall for the
celebration of the Buddha’s birth and life. Rev. Master Daishin
was celebrant for the ceremony, afterwards giving cookies in
colourful paper lotuses to the young people before ringing the bell.
We all gathered in the Ceremony Hall for his talk ‘Selflessness
and the Middle Way’ which is now on our website:
http://www.throssel.org.uk/dharma-talks/selflessness

52
 Rev. Master Olwen with young helper set up a canopy
above the baby Buddha

Garden news:
This spring we held a ‘garden weekend’ for which we were
joined by Julia who organised the event with Rev. Berwyn and a
small team who came to help. The weather remained dry as work
progressed through Saturday to complete the job, digging a
drainage trench in the lower part of the garden and installing a
porous pipe and gravel to help drain away the excess water which
has waterlogged the ground. It was successful and with the turf
relayed, there was remarkably little sign of the work having been
done. By the end of May the garden is fresh green and blossoming
and we have had our first two crops of rhubarb already.

53
 A corner of the public garden at the end of May
—Rev. Alina

Norwich Zen Buddhist Priory

— Norwich, England–UK—
The highlight for the Priory in recent months was the day
retreat that we held in April. We hired a hall in the nearby town of
Wymondham, in order to accommodate more people than can
comfortably fit into the Priory. It was lovely to see so many people
coming together as a Sangha, to meditate, share the Dharma and
get to know each other better. It was particularly good to welcome
congregation from beyond Norwich, with several members of the
Cambridge meditation group making the journey.
A big thank you to everyone who helped with organising
the day and enabled it to run so smoothly. The plan is to hold a
large retreat like this a couple of times a year.

54
 Evening Service at the Retreat
The Priory Sangha is growing steadily. We are now offering
meetings on three evenings each week, as well as events every
Saturday and on Sunday mornings. More informally, we enjoy
coming together for a Cooking Morning once a month.
My thanks to all who support the Priory, whether
financially or in other ways, such as offering time and expertise
with tasks that need doing. I am particularly grateful for the
following help in recent weeks: looking after the Priory when I am
away; making a bowing seat for use at funeral ceremonies;
production of the Priory's Wesak card; ongoing work on the
Priory's book-keeping and accounts; help with cleaning and
housework; garden maintenance; and stripping and varnishing a
set of tables. Thank you also for the generous donations of food
and plants.
—Rev. Leoma

55
 The Place of Peace Dharma House
—Aberystwyth, Wales–UK—
April marked the 14th anniversary of The Place of Peace.
Thank you to all who have helped us, in so many different ways,
during those years.
Gratitude was offered to Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett,
who is the Founder of the temple and of our Order. Her example
stands as a beacon of light. Offerings were also made to the late
Dilys Harris, whose generosity made it possible for us to have our
own property.
On an anniversary issue of the regular monthly Dharma
Reflections CD, Rev. Master Myōhō offered talks on how the vow
to train rises up from the depths of our being and calls us forth,
and on how The Place of Peace acquired its name. She also spoke
of how a small temple comes into existence because the time is
right for a monk to start such a venture and there are sufficient lay
people who wish to support them. A monk ‘spreads’ their mat,
entering into the contemplative life in that location, and those
inclined to take refuge and train there, do so. The history of a
temple is not about facts, figures and dates; it is about ceaseless
practice, and all that comes forth, as the roots of the temple grow
stronger and its heart increases in brilliance.
The Dharma Reflections project began in 2001. These CDs,
which offer insights into the life of faith within a small
contemplative temple, are now taken by groups, temples and
individuals, in four different countries.
In April, guests from Talybont and Huddersfield came to
take part in the Avalokiteshwara Spring Festival retreat. Many
images and statues of the Bodhisattva were placed throughout the
temple. During the ceremony we processed around, in a clockwise
direction, bowing to each in turn, whilst singing the ‘Oh Hail to
Kanzeon’ chant. Traditional Welsh cakes, from the local bakery,
were offered at the altar, and finds from the beach, along with

56
potted plants from our garden, were added to the sacristy
decorations, enabling all that surrounds us to be included.

The Spring Festival Ceremony of Avalokiteshwara at The

Place of Peace Dharma House
—Rev. Master Myōhō

Portobello Buddhist Priory

—Edinburgh, Scotland–UK—
There is not much news to report form the Priory this time,
though good to mention our enjoyable Wesak day celebration at
the Priory. The photo below shows the sangha gathered in the
meditation hall along with the Prior.

57
 —Rev. Master Favian

Sitting Buddha Hermitage

—Cromford, Derbyshire–UK—
On March 10, the Hermitage moved to its new location in
Cromford. We were blessed with the only dry and sunny day that
week and the move went very smoothly. Huge thanks go to Rev.
Master Saidō, Rev. Aiden and Kevin Commons who actually did
all the hiring of a transit van and lifting of boxes and furniture for
me.

58
 The main altar
Local Sangha now meet here for meditation on Wednesday
evenings, and the Hermitage is also open for meditation on other
weekday evenings and offers introductory sessions on Saturday
afternoons. The guest accommodation in the annex has already
been made use of by retreat guests. Cromford is a friendly,
neighbourly village and I was quickly accepted as part of the
community here.
Sitting Buddha Hermitage is little more than an hour’s drive
from Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple in Leicester, and on May
9th I joined Rev. Aiden there to celebrate Wesak along with 20
Sangha members and friends.

59
 The altar in the courtyard
Early spring is a good time for moving to a new place, with
the days getting longer and lighter and gardens blossoming and
trees leafing out. Thank you so much to everyone who supports
the Hermitage, giving time, expertise, donations of money and
needed items, coming to sit, coming to visit and generally
cheering us on!
—Rev. Alicia

Sōtō Zen Riga

—Riga–Latvia—
There are a total of 6 ordained Buddhist monks in Latvia
and five met of us met on April 23 to get acquainted at the
Potolaka Center (unaffiliated) in Riga. We shared tea and cake and
felt very much at home with each other. We decided to organize a
monks retreat in August where each of us will take responsibility
for planning a day's practice according to our tradition. I am the

60
lone Zen monk in the midst of various Tibetan lineages. We are
looking for ways to help each other, and plan to hold one festival
a year when all the sanghas come together for practice.
The temple is continuing to grow slowly. May saw the
weekly schedule extended to include morning meditation on
Saturday and a one day retreat. On our May 9 retreat, we held a
small Wesak ceremony, where each participant brought a small
potted flower for the altar, and we chanted The Scripture of Great
Wisdom and ‘May All Beings Be Happy’ in Latvian. Translation
work on scriptures and verse is proceeding slowly, and I am still
working on improving my language skills before I schedule
formal Dharma Talks. I have been giving small talks during
retreats to get more comfortable in speaking about the Dharma.
I was interviewed for a major magazine here, “IR”
(translated “Is” or “To Be”). The journalist conducting the
interviewer was interested in how people find the courage to make
big changes in their lives. The other female monk, Margarita
Putnina, was also interviewed for this article. Anyone interested
in reading this is welcome to email me and I will be happy to
forward an English translation.
I offer my gratitude to all the sangha who have been giving
me moral support in this new endeavor. I appreciate it very much.
—Rev. Bridin

Turrning Wheel Buddhist Temple

— East Midlands–UK—
The temple is gradually establishing itself here in Leicester,
and we are continuing to develop our programme of regular
Dharma Evenings, festivals and day retreats. We have also started
to have Basic Buddhism Evenings on Thursdays each week,
which so far have been well attended.
In mid-April it was a great pleasure to welcome to the
temple three Sri Lankan monks from the nearby Leicester

61
Buddhist Vihara. Four of their lay supporters also came along, and
very generously provided a wonderful meal for all of us.
A couple of days later we had a gardening day, as with the
arrival of some warmer weather the weeds in the garden were
beginning to take over. We started with a meditation period, and
then spent most of the morning working in the garden. We
managed to clear the weeds from all of the flower beds, trim the
edges of the lawn, and also cut back many of the small bushes
which had been blocking the paths. The garden is now looking
much smarter as a result.

On the 9th of May we held our Wesak Festival jointly with

Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage. There were 21 of us
altogether from across the region, including Sangha members
from Leeds, Lincolnshire, Chesterfield, Loughborough and
Nottingham, as well as several from Leicester. Rev. Alicia was
celebrant for the ceremony, and Rev. Aiden gave a Dharma Talk
afterwards. Following this we had a bring-and-share vegetarian
feast, and it was nice to be able to catch up with friends old and
new. Unfortunately the weather was quite chilly and windy, so we
weren't able to use the garden, which was a shame. Thank you to

62
all those who made the journey to the temple to help us celebrate
this joyful occasion.
—Rev. Aiden

63
 The Americas

Shasta Abbey
—Mt. Shasta, California–USA—
Birth and death have inspired a number of ceremonies at
Shasta Abbey in recent months. On April 12 we celebrated the
Festival of the Buddha's Birth. Shakyamuni Buddha was born and
died as a human being to show us that we can all awaken as he
did, and we bow in gratitude for this great offering.
February 15 marked the Festival of the Buddha's
Parinirvana. The community gathered to read The Scripture of the
Buddha's Last Teaching over the course of two evenings. The
festival ceremony altar was graced by the beautiful Parinirvana
scroll that Rev. Master Jiyu found in disrepair under the altar of
her small temple in Japan and saved from ruin.

64
 Last year it was restored with care by an expert in the Bay
Area, who obtained from Japan some new silk to frame the
picture. The scroll depicts celestial beings, disciples and animals
gathered to pay their last respects around a golden reclining
Buddha, who is ready to enter Parinirvnana.
Rev. Master Jishō Perry was the celebrant at funeral
ceremonies for Anna Lucas, who died at peace on March 2 after
years of illness. Rev. Masters Meian Elbert and Kōdō Kay and
Revs. Amanda Robertson and Valora Midtdal traveled to
Madrone Hospice in Yreka for the private funeral. Rev. Master
Jishō also celebrated Anna's public funeral at Shasta Abbey on
March 20. Many of our local congregation who had known Anna
over the years were present in addition to neighbors, friends and
caregivers, including the arborist who had cared for Anna's trees.
Rev. Master Jishō celebrated the final memorial ceremony on the
49th day after Anna's death, followed by a memorial meal. We
extend our heartfelt thanks to Rev. Master Jishō for ministering to
Anna during her long illness and at the time of her death, and for
his weeks of painstaking work in clearing and selling the house
which Anna had kindly bequeathed to the Abbey, and in wrapping
up the business of her estate.
Rev. Master Kōdō was the celebrant for memorial
ceremonies in honor of two members of Rev. Vera Giordano's
family who had died earlier in the year. Rev. Vera's aunt, Virginia
Giordano, died in January after a sudden, brief illness and her
grandmother, Lois Clack, died in early April after a stroke. We
were pleased to welcome Rev. Vera's mother, father and sister for
the ceremonies and tea afterwards, where we enjoyed a heart-
shaped cake baked from her grandmother's recipe.
Monastic Retreat and Ceremonies:
In the night of April 17, Rev. Valora Midtdal received
Dharma Transmission from Rev. Master Meian. Dharma
Transmission occurs when the Master recognizes that the disciple
has grown sufficiently mature in training to take spiritual

65
responsibility for herself. Congratulations to Rev. Master Meian
and to Rev. Valora on this joyous occasion.

Rev. Valora with Rev. Master Meian

The monastic community closed its doors to the public and
sat in an intensive weeklong meditation retreat from April 22-29.
In her first Dharma talk of the retreat, Rev. Master Meian
reminded us that the spring retreat was traditionally a time to study
the Denkōrōku, in which Great Master Keizan relates the
Transmission of the teaching of our tradition from Shakyamuni
Buddha through Keizan's own Grand-Master Koun Ejō. Retreat
talks pointed to ways in which our training resonates with that of
the ancient Masters and how we can use their examples to inspire
and enrich our daily practice.
We are grateful to our congregation and donors for
providing the support necessary to sustain these monastic retreats
so that we may deepen our training for the benefit of all beings.

66
 Head Novice Ceremonies: During our monastic retreat,
Rev. Dilys Cromack completed her term as Head Novice by
offering her Presentation of a Fundamental Doctrine in the
meditation hall and by responding to questions from the place of
meditation during the Head Novice's Dharma Ceremony later that
day. Rev. Dilys chose to answer questions on a teaching of
Bodhidharma:
The wise wake up.
They fix their minds on the sublime
and let their bodies change with the seasons.
All phenomena are empty.
They contain nothing worth desiring.
Those who understand this
detach themselves from all that exists
and stop imagining or seeking anything.
We are grateful for Rev. Dilys’ patience and compassion in
leading all trainees during the term just ended, and to Rev.
Veronica Snedaker, her Advisor and Rev. Allard Kieres, Head
Novice’s Assistant. We offer congratulations and best wishes to
Rev. Dilys as she continues on in her monastic life.

67
 Rev. Dilys and Rev. Master Meian in front of Rev Master
Jiyu’s Stupa.
Retreats: It was our pleasure to welcome a total of more
than 50 guests to Introductory retreats in February and April this
year. Also in February, some two dozen guests joined us for a
Continuing Practice Retreat. These retreats have been added to our
schedule in order to offer an opportunity for those who have at
least the experience of an Introductory Retreat as well as long-
time lay trainees to explore ways of taking further steps in their
training, and they are proving to be well attended and of benefit.
Participants in this retreat met with Rev. Master Haryo Young for
a fruitful Sunday morning question-and-answer discussion that
helped them widen their perspectives on practice within the Order.
Our three-day Silent Meditation Retreats continue to draw
experienced trainees who wish to join the monastic community in
an intensive period of meditation and silence, hearing recorded
Dharma talks and participating in community meal preparation.

68
We will be adding a weekend retreat of this type in the coming
year.
March brought the Keeping of the Ten Precepts Retreat, the
most joyous and solemn occasion in the life of lay Buddhists in
our tradition.

Rev. Master Meian leads the Ketchimyaku procession

during the Jukai Retreat
During this year's retreat, Nona De Rosario Refi, Diana
Holt, Kate Mehler, Colette O'Keeffe, and Maria Van Gool
committed themselves to the Precepts for the first time. Four of
the new ordinees were from the Berkeley Buddhist Priory, and
another had a connection to our lay sangha through a friend, which
added to the familial feeling of the occasion. An additional sixteen

69
retreatants came to renew their commitment to the Precepts, and
we are grateful for their assistance in the preparation which makes
the beautiful ceremonial possible, and for the support of their
presence. We are happy to offer congratulations to the new
ordinees and welcome them to the family of the Buddhas.
Monastic Visitors:
Springtime has brought us the pleasure of visits from monks
of our Order and from other Buddhist traditions. Rev. Oriana
LaChance, Prior of the Eugene Buddhist Priory, visited for a few
days in mid-April, and Rev. Master Meikō Jones traveled from the
Portland Buddhist Priory to join us for the April monastic retreat.
Venerable Hyung Jeon and Venerable Kem Sun of
Mountain Spirit Temple (Korean Zen tradition) in Tehachapi,
California paid us an overnight visit in March, bringing a gift of
paper lanterns at the request of Ven. Sun Moon, who stayed with
us for a few months last year.
Venerable Vinh Minh, a monk in the Vietnamese tradition
who is pursuing a degree in Buddhist Studies at a university in
Thailand, visited for a tour and lunch in early May with three lay
friends. While in the United States, Ven. Minh is staying at the
Mt. Adams Zen Buddhist Temple at Trout Lake Abbey in
southwest Washington State.
Brother Troi Tai Sinh of the Order of Interbeing arrived in
mid-April, in time to join in our monastic retreat. Br. Tai Sinh has
trained in the Vietnamese Zen tradition of Ven. Thich Nat Hanh
at Plum Village in France and Deer Park Monastery in southern
California. He will be with us for three months before undertaking
a course in hospital chaplaincy at St. Francis Hospital in San
Francisco.
Eido Carney, Roshi, Abbess of the Olympia Zen Center in
Washington State made an overnight stop while traveling in April.
We enjoyed a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion with her
over tea that evening and the following morning at breakfast.

70
 We are grateful for visits from priests and monks from other
temples in our own Order as well as those who train in other
traditions, as they offer insight into differences and similarities in
the various forms of Buddhist practice.
Classes and Retreats:
Rev. Master Kōdō and Rev. Amanda accepted an invitation
to give a day retreat in Klamath Falls, Oregon on May 2. They
offered meditation and a Dharma talk and discussion on the topic
of ‘Sorrow, Loss and Grief’ to 24 people, many of whom had
experienced recent multiple losses of loved ones. They also shared
a delicious potluck meal as the discussion continued.
Rev. Master Astor Douglas spoke to the World Religions
class at Rogue Community College at the invitation of teacher
Marty Zottola, and she commented that the students engaged in a
lively discussion with many thoughtful questions after her
presentation.
—Rev. Margaret

Berkeley Buddhist Priory

—Berkeley, California—USA—
Four members of the Priory Sangha, Kate Mehler, Nona
Refi, Diana Holt and Colette O’Keeffe took the Buddhist Precepts
and became lay Buddhists at this March’s Keeping of the Ten
Precepts Retreat at Shasta Abbey. A deep commitment to follow
the Buddha is the lifeblood of the Sangha and we rejoice and are
grateful for all who have vowed to seek the Way and be part of
the Buddhist Sangha.

71
Diana, Kate, Nona and Colette of Berkeley Priory in front
of Rev. Master Jiyu’s stupa at Shasta Abbey

Eugene Buddhist Priory

— Eugene, Oregon–USA—
In early spring the priory had a lovely visit with Rev. Master
Mugo, who was on her way up to Canada and then back to the
UK. Rev. Mugo was here four days and used the time to visit with
lay friends and Rev. Oriana.
Retreats and Festivals: In March we had one of our day
retreats which begin at 7:00am with meditation and end after
lunch. We manage to fit in 3 meditation periods, short morning
service, a dharma talk, some work on the priory grounds and a
formal lunch. It is a good opportunity for the congregation to work
and meditate together in a way that is a bit different from our usual
weekly schedule.

72
 On April 5th the priory celebrated our Manjusri Festival
followed by watching A Zen Life, an excellent documentary on
D.T. Suzuki. In late April, Rev. Oriana, Nancy Fletcher, Martha
Welches, Ernie Rimerman and John Henry took part in a
celebration of the Buddha's Birth at the Unitarian Church that was
organized by Zen West. This gathering was an opportunity to meet
people from some of the other Buddhist groups in Eugene. We
celebrated Wesak at the temple on May 3rd with a potluck
following the festival.

Wesak festival gathering

Teaching at the Local High School: Several times a year
we are asked to come to Thurston High School to speak with
students about the practice of Buddhism. This is for a sociology
class on comparative religion. In April, Doug Carnine gave the
teaching—a somewhat difficult task as the students haven't yet
had any exposure to Buddhism. We have an hour and a half to
give the ‘broad strokes.’

73
 A Special Work Day: In early April we had a special work
day to clean the priory's stupa for our founder, Rev. Master Jiyu.
As the climate in Eugene can be cold and damp, the stupa needs a
good clean each year. We also cleaned the stone area around the
stupa and cut back the plants that border it. The stupa and
surrounding area looks wonderful after the clean-up and we will
be having a memorial festival for Rev. Master Jiyu at the stupa
later in May.

Lions Gate Buddhist Priory

—Lytton, British Columbia–Canada—
We have enjoyed an early, warm and sunny spring here on
the mountain. Flowers and leaves appeared a month earlier than
usual. As the seasons turn, we have increased our activities, and
visitors have come from near and far.
In May we welcomed Andrew, a young man from Ontario
who has come for an extended visit, and we said goodbye to Herb,
who has been with us for a year and is headed for Ontario. We
have also had visitors from other parts of Canada. “What joy it is
to welcome friends from afar!”
In late March we held our Spring Monastic Retreat. We’re
grateful to everyone for allowing us to have this time to deepen
our meditation practice and training. Shortly after the retreat, we
were welcomed Rev. Master Kōten back. He had been away for
several months.
At the time of this writing we are holding our annual May
week-long retreat. We are happy to welcome guests who have put
aside their worldly concerns for the week in order to deepen their
practice and training.
We have initiated a number of small projects around
Bodhidharma Hall (our residence) and on the land, such as placing
and replacing outdoor statues, repairing and constructing steps,

74
getting and splitting firewood, planting flower beds, etc. We are
really grateful for all the help we have received for these projects.
On Saturday, May 16 we held our Annual General Meeting
for the registered society which incorporates and supports the
Priory. Financial statements for 2014 were presented, discussed
and accepted, and new Board Members were elected. (The
financial documents are a matter of public record and are available
to view upon request to the Priory).
From the 1880's until 1928 the village of Lytton had a ‘Joss
House,’ i.e. Chinese temple, to serve the Chinese immigrant
community who came for the gold rush and to work on the
construction of the Trans-Canada railroad. These joss houses were
found in many of the pioneer communities throughout Canada and
the U.S. The one in Lytton was unusual in that it contained an
image of Kwan Yin (Skt: Avalokiteshwara J:Kanzeon), the
Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. There has been increasing
interest lately in this and other Joss Houses. The present owner of
the site is intending to build a replica of the temple as a museum
dedicated to the Chinese presence in the area. The Vancouver-
based Chinese-language daily newspaper Ming Pao recently did a
two-part article on the site, and because our Prior, Rev. Master
Kōten, has been involved in researching the history of the temple,
he was interviewed and figures prominently in the article. The
Priory holds a Kanzeon Festival ceremony every year in June at
the Joss House site.
—Rev. Master Aurelian and Rev. Valeria

Wallowa Buddhist Temple

—Joseph, Oregon–USA—
During an unusually early and lovely mountain springtime
this year, we welcomed five different guests for individual retreats
of varying lengths. Two were local people, one was from La
Grande, one from Walla Walla, Washington, and one was lay
minister Helmut Schatz from the Bay Area. It was a joy to train

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with these retreat guests and heartening to discover the many ways
in which our new retreat accommodations make it possible to meet
the different needs of our guests. Several more have already made
arrangements to come this summer from around the Pacific
Northwest, California, Canada, and the U.K.
During times between retreat guests, the monks continue to
work away on the finer points of finish work in the new guest
house. Together with help from a neighbor who is a retired cabinet
maker, Rev. Clairissa designed and installed shelving in the
kitchenette. Our neighbor also built a corner mirrored medicine
cabinet to match one of the three custom cabinets he created for
us last year. We are replacing temporary spring-loaded curtain
rods with more permanent ones, and have refinished some used
furniture for the rooms. Heavy exterior doormats and snow-and-
water-proof interior ones are now in place at the three entrances
to the guest house.
In March we celebrated Rev. Master Meidō’s 35th monastic
ordination anniversary together with the congregation during a
Sunday morning retreat, with a homemade ginger pound cake and
a Dharma talk by Rev. Clairissa on “The Alms Bowl of Pure
Compassion.” On March 28th, we held a simple memorial for
Mamie, a congregation member’s young tricolor corgi, who died
after ingesting chewing gum which contained Xylitol, an artificial
sweetener which can be fatal for dogs.
During the Sunday morning retreat on Mother’s Day, May
10th, Rev. Meidō offered merit for the benefit of all mothers,
including the recently deceased elderly mothers of three friends of
the temple.
We are now in the process of researching how best to
provide for the temple’s water needs while ensuring the long-term
viability of the temple’s well. Currently, a well manager system is
being considered which would both provide ample water for daily
uses throughout the year and allow us to adjust the frequency and

76
rate of harvesting water from the well in accord with seasons and
the number of guests.
One of the temple’s main purposes is to offer a place where
both congregation and monks of our wider Sangha can come for
individual retreats. Those interested in arranging such a retreat are
welcome to call or write for more information.
—Rev. Master Meidō and Rev. Clairissa

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TEMPLES OF THE ORDER—THE AMERICAS

Shasta Abbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess Portland Buddhist Priory
3724 Summit Drive Rev. Master Meikō Jones
Mt. Shasta, CA 96067-9102 3642 SE Milwaukie Avenue
Ph: (530) 926-4208 [Fax: -0428] Portland, OR 97202
shastaabbey@shastaabbey.org Ph: (503) 238-1123
prior1@portlandbuddhistpriory.org
www.shastaabbey.org www.portlandbuddhistpriory.org

Berkeley Buddhist Priory Wallowa Buddhist Temple

Rev. Master Kinrei Bassis Rev. Master Meidō Tuttle
1358 Marin Ave. 62916 Hurricane Creek Road
Albany, CA 94706 Joseph, OR 97846
Ph: (510) 528-1876 [Fax: -2139] Ph: (541) 432-6129
prior@berkeleybuddhistpriory.org temple@wallowabuddhisttemple.org
www.berkeleybuddhistpriory.org www.wallowabuddhisttemple.org

Columbia Zen Buddhist Priory

Rev. Master Rokuzan Kroenke CANADA
426 Arrowwood Road
Columbia, SC 29210-7508 Lions Gate Buddhist Priory
Ph: (803) 772-7552 Rev. Master Kōten Benson
P. O. Box 701
www.columbiazen.org Lytton, B.C. V0K 1Z0
Ph: 250-455-0344
Eugene Buddhist Priory lionsgatebuddhistpriory@lyttonbc.net
Rev. Oriana LaChance www.lionsgatebuddhistpriory.ca
85415 Teague Loop
Eugene, OR 97405-9536
Ph: (541) 344-7377
info@eugenebuddhistpriory.org Affiliated Meditation Groups
www.eugenebuddhistpriory.org CA: Auburn, Chico, Fresno,
Morro Bay, Ventura, San Jose
Idaho Panhandle area and ID: Sandpoint
Sandpoint Meditation Group MT: Whitefish
Rev. Master Zensho Roberson WA: Bainbridge Island
P. O. Box 74 CANADA: Edmonton
Saint Maries, ID 83861
Ph: (208) 245-4950
RevZenshoR@gmail.com
Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple
Rev. Master Phoebe van Woerden
941 Lockwood Valley Road
Maricopa, CA 93252
Ph: (254) 241-6102
pmbt@pinemtnbuddhisttemple.org
www.pinemtnbuddhisttemple.org

78
 TEMPLES OF THE ORDER—EUROPE

UK 176 Cressingham Road

READING RG2 7LW
Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey Ph/Fax: 0118 986 0750
Rev. Master Daishin Morgan, rpriory@yahoo.co.uk
Abbot www.readingbuddhistpriory.org.uk
Carrshield, HEXHAM
Northumberland NE47 8AL Rochdale Zen Retreat
Ph: 01434 345 204 Rev. Master Peter Bonati
gd@throssel.org.uk The Briars, Grange Lane
www.throssel.org.uk Hutton
PRESTON
Dragon Bell Temple PR4 5JE
Rev. Master Myfanwy McCorry Ph: 01772 612 112
78 Queens Rd,
EXETER EX2 9EW. Sitting Buddha Hermitage
Ph: 01392 479 648 Rev. Alicia Rowe
dragonbelltemple@gmail.com CROMFORD
www.dragonbelltemple.org.uk Derbyshire
Ph: 01629 821813.
Great Ocean Dharma Refuge alicia@fieldofmerit.org
Rev. Master Mokugen Kublicki www.sittingbuddhahermitage.field
Penwern ofmerit.org
Felindre Farchog
CRYMYCH, Pembrokeshire Telford Buddhist Priory
SA41 3XF 49 The Rock
Ph: 01239 891 360 TELFORD TF3 5BH
Ph/Fax: 01952 615 574
Norwich Zen Buddhist Priory www.tbpriory.org.uk
Rev. Leoma Hague
NORWICH,
Ph: 01603 457933 Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple
info@norwichzen.org.uk Rev. Aiden Hall,
www.norwichzen.org.uk 51 Lamborne Road, Leicester
LE2 6HQ
0116 210 3870
The Place of Peace Dharma www.turningwheel.org.uk
House
Rev. Master Myōhō Harris
P. O. Box 207
ABERYSTWYTH Affiliated Meditation Groups
SY23 1WY UK: Aberdeen, Aberfeldy,
Ph: 01970 625402 Birmingham, Cambridge,
www.placeofpeacewales.org Carmarthen, Chichester,
Cirencester, Cornwall, Dundee,
Portobello Buddhist Priory Galloway, Hexham, Huddersfield,
Rev. Master Favian Straughan Hull, Inverness, Jersey, Lancaster,
27 Brighton Place, Portobello Leeds, Leicester, London, Matlock,
EDINBURGH EH15 1LL Milton Keynes, Newcastle-upon-
Ph: 0131 669 9622 Tyne, North Lakes, Norwich,
favian.straughan@homecall.co.uk Nottingham, Preston, Sheffield,.
www.portobellobuddhist.org.uk Teesside

Reading Buddhist Priory

79
GERMANY

Dharmazuflucht Schwarzwald
Rev. Master Fuden Nessi
Wonnenbach 4
77793 Gutach
Phone: +49 (0)7833 - 96 56 408
www.dharmazuflucht.info

THE NETHERLANDS

De Dharmatoevlucht (Dharma Wolk-en-Water Hermitage

Refuge) Rev. Master Hakuun Barnhard
Rev. Baldwin Schreurs Kievitslaan 14,
De Heze 51 3645 KL VINKEVEN.
7335 BB, APELDOORN Ph nr: 00 31 297 261812;
Ph: +31 55 542 0038
info@dharmatoevlucht.nl www.unsui.eu.
www.dharmatoevlucht.nl

LATVIA
Sōtō Zen Riga
Rev. Bridin Rusins (Elga )
Baznicas Street 13-29
RIGA LV1010
Latvia
phone: +371 259 563 40
email: elgarusins@gmail .com

Affiliated Meditation Groups:

The Netherlands:
Groningen, Utrecht.
For details of meditation groups in Europe, please contact your nearest priory,
or the Guestmaster at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey.
For details of meditation groups in the US and Canada, please contact your
nearest priory, or the Guestmaster at Shasta Abbey

80
 Further Information

This Journal is published quarterly by the Order of Buddhist

Contemplatives, which was founded by the late Rev. Master
Jiyu-Kennett. The Order is dedicated to following the tradition
of Serene Reflection Meditation. The main offices of the OBC
are at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in England and Shasta
Abbey in the US.
As Buddhism grows in the West, we wish to share the
Buddha’s Teaching through our Journal; we also share our
experience of practicing the Buddha’s Way, thus encouraging
and supporting each other’s training. Lastly, the Journal helps
to keep friends and members informed of activities and
events.
The views expressed in these pages are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Order as a
whole.
The Journal of the OBC is administered through the
Order of Buddhist Contemplatives Activities Trust (reg. No
1105634 in the UK), and the Order of Buddhist
Contemplatives, a non-profit corporation, in the USA.
Information on the OBC generally is available on the
website: http://obcon.org/

To subscribe to the OBC Journal newsletter for a

quarterly update on when the Journal is available to
download go to: http://journal.obcon.org/e-newsletter-sign-
up/

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