You can find them all here.
You can find all past Summer Series talks on our Buddhist Psychologypage.
Our Thursday evening talks will be devoted to an in depth study of the Yogacara Buddhist model of consciousness. Click to see the full schedule..
SCORE (Search Committee on Real Estate) UPDATE
Deep Bows and Greetings Red Cedar Zen Sangha Members-
Just after we returned from 8 days at Samish with 60 fellow dharma friends and our Guiding Teacher Zoketsu Norman Fischer, a property we just missed making an offer on earlier this year was miraculously re-listed. The 3, 750 sq. ft. commercial office building, located at 2509 Cedarwood in the Birchwood neighborhood (north Bellingham) was back on the market at $799,000.
On Friday, July 1, we offered the seller $800,000 and quite favorable down payment terms. He accepted our offer and countered with a seller-financing proposal with a lower interest rate than current bank charges and no bank loan fees. In an incredibly tight and competitive market with other offers in the wings, we accepted, subject to inspection and other necessary evaluations. We are now in a mutually binding contract with earnest money in escrow. We are scheduled for closing on August 15, all subject to the findings of our due diligence investigations over the next 3 weeks.
This is not yet a done deal. Subject to what we find out, we are not obligated to consummate this transaction. However, it appears to be a quite workable location for a zendo space with associated offices that will generate a steady income stream to help cover our mortgage. The currently leased office on the ground floor offers the opportunity to expand our zendo footprint in the future. Upstairs are two offices totaling 1,500 sq. ft. that will be immediately available for rent.
The largest section of the building (about 1300 sq feet) can work as a good basic zendo providing us with the essentials:
While not in the central part of Bellingham, as stipulated in our original search criteria, the building is on a high-frequency bus line (Route 50) from downtown, has 12 paved parking spaces, and is set back from the road with a large yard. Squalicum Creek and Cornwall Park are nearby, and the Birchwood neighborhood is a focus for City of Bellingham future investment.
As a religious organization, we must receive from the city a Conditional Use permit. During the estimated 6-month review and approval process we can happily continue to practice at BUF. while we carry out any interior modifications.
You can take a virtual tour here:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/2509-Cedarwood-Ave-Bellingham-WA/25754442/
OR you can join us tomorrow (July 7) at 5 PM for a tour of this building. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to Bob Rose @ basilbob1@gmail.com.
With most of our Practice Leaders away at sesshin this will be the schedule for June 19-27:
We'll pick up our One Day Sit schedule after the sesshin. Vegetarian breakfast and lunch will be served to in-person participants, and you can join us in our virtual zendo as well. There is a minimal registration fee to cover our costs.
More information and to register:
July 30th: Beginner's mind
August 27th: Opening to Joy
September 274h: No Gaining Idea
Red Cedar Zen Community's Wilderness Dharma Program emphasizes the practice of mindfulness and compassion through intimacy with a sense of place. Through mindful awareness and ritual enactments on our seasonal hikes and journeys we confirm the wholeness of ourselves, our home here in Pacific Cascadia, and the intrinsic Buddha Nature of all things. We walk in peace with every step.
Our schedule has a full slate of hikes and programs this year that offers something for almost everyone. From full backpacking trips to moderate day hikes, to our new short and easy Opening to Nature Walks in local parks, participants can engage with our travels in whichever format works for them. Red Cedar's Wilderness Dharma Program committee of Bob Penny, Bob Rose, Tim Burnett, Terrill Thompson, and Talus Latona each take turns leading the various programs.
To begin our season we warmly invite the community to join us Saturday, March 26th at Larrabee Beach for our Receiving Water/Hills and Streams hike program. This beachside ritual has become a poignant starting point for our season, and we hope you can attend. We carry the water we receive from the Salish Sea at this ritual with us throughout the season, exchanging it during our other hikes with mountain source water from the three headwaters of the Nooksack River, and return that mountain water to Larrabee Beach in the fall. In this way we follow what Eihei Dogen describes in his Mountains and Rivers Sutra as "the path of water" as our guide to practice being settled in this place. Each of us contributes to the whole season-long ritual by attending any part of it along the way, beginning with the Receiving Water ritual.
The Hills and Streams hike which immediately follows is optional. Talus Latona will lead the hike, which features a landscape level recitation of Dogen's Genjo Koan, in a ritual we call "sutra mapping" - the Hills and Streams hike being a mini day hike version of our full Mountains and Rivers backpack ritual.
A full description of the Wilderness Dharma Program can be found here.
The first two hikes for the season are ready for registration - the Receiving Water/ Hills and Streams hike, and next month's popular annual Mt. Eire Circumambulation hike led by Bob Rose. The other programs will come online for registration shortly, and announcements will also be in upcoming editions of Bending Bough, the Red Cedar Zen Community's monthly newsletter. A full list of the season's programs can be found below. Registration for all events is at redcedarzen.org.
We hope to see you at Larrabee Beach on March 26th to help with our beachside ritual of Receiving Water, or at another Wilderness Dharma Program event this season.
In Wildness, Bob Penny Wilderness Dharma Program Coordinator Red Cedar Zen Community
March 26th with Talus Latona and Bob Penny Receiving Water Ceremony – Larrabee Park Hills and Streams Hike/Genjo Koan – Lost Lake or Fragrance Lake
April 9th (Buddha’s Birthday) with Bob Rose Meeting the Mountain/Poet’s Tree Ritual – Mt. Erie Circumambulation
May 7th with Bob Penny Opening to Nature Walk – Tennant Lake
May 14th-15th with Bob Penny and Talus Latona Hidden Mountain Spring Retreat – Hidden Mountain Zendo
June 4th with Terrill Thompson Opening to Nature Walk – Stimpson Forest Reserve
July 2nd with Tim Burnett Opening to Nature Walk – 100 Acre Woods
July 16th with Bob Penny Opening the Mountains Hike/Dividing Water Ritual – Skyline Divide
July 31st with Bob Penny Sacred Earth Fair/sponsored by Multifaith Network for Climate Justice – Center for Spiritual Living
August 6th with Bob Penny Opening to Nature Walk - Old Growth Ceremony
August 22st-27th with Bob Penny, Terrill Thompson, Tim Burnett, and Talus Latona Mountains and Rivers Backpack/Exchanging Water Rituals – Hidden Mountain Zendo/Mt. Baker
September 3rdwith Bob Penny Opening to Nature Walk – Cornwall Park
September 10th with Terrill Thompson, Tim Burnett, and Bob Penny Sauk Mountain Full Moonrise Hike
September 24th (Fall Equinox) with Terrill Thompson Journey to the Source/Exchanging Water Ritual – Nooksack Cirque
October 1st with Bob Rose Heart Sutra Walk – Heart Lake
October 15th with Bob Penny Closing the Mountains/Returning Water Ceremony – Oyster Dome/ Larrabee State Park
Responding Gate
Words from our Guiding Teacher
Dear Sangha, Like many of us, I've really appreciated our Shuso Seiu Hannah's leadership in exploring the Diamond Sutra this Practice Period. It was especially moving to read and share Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings around the sutra as he passed from this world after so many years of teaching and sharing this wisdom. The odd repeated logic of prajna paramita emptiness teachings in the sutra do feel strange at first. "It exists, but it doesn't exist in the way you think it is does, and that's why we call it what it is." The sutra reminds us of the power of our minds to define and create the world. It reminds of the power of perspective. That all views are narrow and that a bigger more inclusive understanding is always right here. Right here. These teachings remind of us of the absolute necessity of radical flexibility, deep acceptance, and compassion. But, this world. Glancing at the news just now: Russian tanks roll towards Kyiv, Ukraine; another dire climate change report coming out while, and meanwhile the Supreme Court is hearing a legal challenge that might undermine the EPA's ability to regulate the emissions that contribute to climate change. Yet again that Joni Mitchell line rolls through the mind, "I read the news today and it all looked bad, they won't give peace a chance, it was just an idea a few of us had." And yet there is love; there is family; there is community. There is practice. There is this life with support of sangha. Every tiny shift towards more awareness, more clarity, and more kindness is significant. It helps me so much to remember that everyday throughout the world billions of people wake up, have breakfast with their families, go to work, take care of things, take care of each other, feel joy along with the sorrows, and are willing to keep going. That's this world too. This gift of practice we've received - a line from one of our chants: "now you have it so keep it well." And we keep it together. Thich Nhat Hanh reminding us again and again in his teachings of the importance of practicing together as sangha. As the Omicron wave fades and living with Covid shifts again we're returning to in-person practice. I'm grateful for Zoom - it's really helped us stay connected and broadened the field of practice - and I'm looking forward to feeling again, in the body, the value of being together in space. We're starting modestly with weekly Thursday evening practice. Saturday morning to follow as we get our routine down at the Unitarian church. Some programs (weekday morning, Sunday Zen Alive) are staying just on Zoom. And I'm thrilled that we'll be able to return to Samish Island for our week-long sesshin with Norman in June. Many friends join us from near and far for this retreat, Samish has become a sangha of it's own over the years and I'd love for you to be a part of that. As you'll see we're opening registration first to Red Cedar members. It's likely to fill so please consider if you can come. Another joy is this year's Wilderness Dharma program is in the works and will include more accessible close-by walks and gentle hikes along with the usual day hikes and the classic Mountains and Rivers backpack in August. Lastly I want to add a thank you to all of our supporters as we seek our ultimate home. Thank you not only for the generous donations but also, now, for trusting the Board and our real estate advisors as we take the unexpected step of buying into the market initially with a building that we probably won't turn into a zendo. This took me a minute to get my mind around, but it makes sense. It should lead to a good outcome. And wow, also another opportunity to practice flexibility and letting go as plans, predictions, and ideas meet the rapidly changing world. Thank you for all of it. May we heal and grow together. And may our practice of awareness and compassion benefit this world. Nomon Tim
Dear Sangha,
Like many of us, I've really appreciated our Shuso Seiu Hannah's leadership in exploring the Diamond Sutra this Practice Period. It was especially moving to read and share Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings around the sutra as he passed from this world after so many years of teaching and sharing this wisdom. The odd repeated logic of prajna paramita emptiness teachings in the sutra do feel strange at first. "It exists, but it doesn't exist in the way you think it is does, and that's why we call it what it is." The sutra reminds us of the power of our minds to define and create the world. It reminds of the power of perspective. That all views are narrow and that a bigger more inclusive understanding is always right here. Right here. These teachings remind of us of the absolute necessity of radical flexibility, deep acceptance, and compassion.
But, this world. Glancing at the news just now: Russian tanks roll towards Kyiv, Ukraine; another dire climate change report coming out while, and meanwhile the Supreme Court is hearing a legal challenge that might undermine the EPA's ability to regulate the emissions that contribute to climate change. Yet again that Joni Mitchell line rolls through the mind, "I read the news today and it all looked bad, they won't give peace a chance, it was just an idea a few of us had."
And yet there is love; there is family; there is community. There is practice. There is this life with support of sangha. Every tiny shift towards more awareness, more clarity, and more kindness is significant. It helps me so much to remember that everyday throughout the world billions of people wake up, have breakfast with their families, go to work, take care of things, take care of each other, feel joy along with the sorrows, and are willing to keep going. That's this world too.
This gift of practice we've received - a line from one of our chants: "now you have it so keep it well." And we keep it together. Thich Nhat Hanh reminding us again and again in his teachings of the importance of practicing together as sangha.
As the Omicron wave fades and living with Covid shifts again we're returning to in-person practice. I'm grateful for Zoom - it's really helped us stay connected and broadened the field of practice - and I'm looking forward to feeling again, in the body, the value of being together in space. We're starting modestly with weekly Thursday evening practice. Saturday morning to follow as we get our routine down at the Unitarian church. Some programs (weekday morning, Sunday Zen Alive) are staying just on Zoom.
And I'm thrilled that we'll be able to return to Samish Island for our week-long sesshin with Norman in June. Many friends join us from near and far for this retreat, Samish has become a sangha of it's own over the years and I'd love for you to be a part of that. As you'll see we're opening registration first to Red Cedar members. It's likely to fill so please consider if you can come.
Another joy is this year's Wilderness Dharma program is in the works and will include more accessible close-by walks and gentle hikes along with the usual day hikes and the classic Mountains and Rivers backpack in August.
Lastly I want to add a thank you to all of our supporters as we seek our ultimate home. Thank you not only for the generous donations but also, now, for trusting the Board and our real estate advisors as we take the unexpected step of buying into the market initially with a building that we probably won't turn into a zendo. This took me a minute to get my mind around, but it makes sense. It should lead to a good outcome. And wow, also another opportunity to practice flexibility and letting go as plans, predictions, and ideas meet the rapidly changing world.
Thank you for all of it. May we heal and grow together. And may our practice of awareness and compassion benefit this world.
Nomon Tim
Our in-person sesshin this week at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship where they are not yet allowing meals has several impacts on our usual schedule and there are also special end of Practice Period events. It’s a little complicated!
Here’s the run down:
For the rest of March:
Looking forward to practicing with you soon, Nomon Tim, Shudo Chris and your sangha practice leaders.
p.s. Our Samish Island 7-day Sesshin with Norman Fischer is on (in person only) with registration opening to members on March 12 and the rest of our friends on March 19.
Dear Sangha Friends,
We want to thank you for your continued support throughout Our Journey Home Campaign and now into our Search for a New Home. This Journey is centered on our three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It has always been about how our Red Cedar Zen practice can serve our greater community. A building is a means to that end.
The process has not unfolded as we initially expected. We set out with the intention that money raised would be sufficient to purchase a building that we could remodel and occupy. Unfortunately, during the past two years, the Bellingham real estate market has become, like many small cities, quite attractive. Numerous outside investors are making full price and above, cash offers for unseen properties. In these circumstances, our money simply won’t go as far as we had envisioned. But as our teachings show, expectations should be held lightly and to embrace the opportunities that arise.
In our search for a future zendo, we investigated multiple properties and found an ideal commercial building that meets most of our search criteria, 3 blocks from the Mt. Baker Theatre. It is in excellent condition, well outfitted, and used as healing arts treatment space. It is available to purchase and would be a prudent and wise investment in this challenging market.
However, to be a successful buyer, we must offer a multi-year lease to the current owner/tenant. With a substantial down payment from our successful campaign, the monthly lease payments more than cover our projected mortgage. Investing in this building now provides us with a safe place for our sangha treasure and allows that treasure to grow while providing great stability to respond to future opportunities.
This will be a temporary holding space so that we can calmly take the time to find our future home while building equity with the money all of you have so generously offered. We can take deep breaths and not feel pressured or rushed. When we do find the proper home for Red Cedar sangha, we will be able to sell this building, if we choose, and purchase a new space that will fit our growing sangha's needs.
We are still looking for our home and will continue that search. There are many opportunities your Board of Directors’ Special Committee on Real Estate (SCORE) can see on the horizon. In the interim, we will meet at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (BUF) and be able practice, in person, as a community, sitting together after two years of almost constant virtual practice.
Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us in his commentary on the Diamond Sutra (p.68) that establishing a “serene and beautiful Buddha field” is done in the “spirit of formlessness.” His cautionary words ring true: “Do not allow yourself to be burnt out in the process of setting up a practice center.”
We want to thank you all for your continued support and patience as we join together to take our practice from our cushions into our lives and into our community. We deeply appreciate each and every one of you and your heartfelt generosity. You are what makes Red Cedar Zen a living sanctuary.
We will have an all-sangha conversation about the next steps on our path for a permanent zendo home on Thursday, March 17 at 7 pm. Please feel free to call me or other members of the SCORE committee (Mary Durbrow, Nomon Tim Burnett or Richard Eggemeyer) if you have questions, concerns, or other issues we should consider.
Deep Bows.
On behalf of the SCORE Committee
Bob Rose, Board President
Red Cedar Zen Community is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
