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
We are slowing opening our practices and events to in-person attendance. See the Home Page for current information.
When attending practices and events in our sangha space at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (BUF), please adhere to the following safety protocols to help keep our members safe during the Covid pandemic.
Please send a photo of your vaccination card showing a completed vaccine series and one booster to registrar@redcedarzen.org.
Please stay home if you have any Covid symptoms, even if a home test is negative.
Please stay home if you have tested positive for Covid and refer to CDC Guidelines https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html
Please stay home if you have a known CoVid exposure and refer to CDC Guidelines https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html.
Please stay home if you have not completed a vaccine series, including one booster.
Mask up before you enter the building.
Sign in with the registrar and show the vaccination record if you have not already sent her a photo of your vax record.
Proceed to the hand-washing station.
N 94 or N 95 (not cloth!) masks are required and there will be a small supply at the door.
Maintain social distancing of 6 feet when sitting, walking, in restrooms, on stairways and anywhere we tend to cluster.
Wear masks continually during service.
Chanting while masked is acceptable.
Wipe down chairs and other hard surfaces.
Congregate outdoors for socializing.
Please let the registrar know at registrar@redcedarzen.org.
Using the registrar’s check-in list, we will follow best practices to notify individuals who may have been exposed. You will remain anonymous.
If you have been exposed please refer to the CDC website:
Update from the SCORE Committee
Dear Sangha, Your generous practice of dana paramita has given RCZC's search for a practice home a breath of life. We will be able to make a down payment exceeding $500,000 when a suitable property is found. Your SCORE committee (Bob Rose, Richard Eggemeyer, Nomon Tim, and Mary Durbrow) with Bob Penny's help with construction and design feasibility continues to browse the commercial and residential listings daily and physically visit anything that meets our criteria of: 2000-3000 ft sq Bellingham city limits, preferably downtown core Accessible by multiple modes of transportation ADA accessible Walking distance to amenities like coffee shop and greenspace Manageable mortgage for sangha now and in the future To date we have toured ten properties - none so far has been suitable. Our exploration has revealed that this is a fast-growing real estate market, and according to a real estate broker we are working with, we are competing with buyers from all over the world who are making cash offers on residential and commercial properties, sometimes sight unseen. The Bellingham market feels very expensive to us locals, but investors from other cities see Bellingham as a bargain. We are ready to take the leap off the 100-foot pole if the right property presents itself, thanks to funds that are now available and which will make a handsome down payment. We are meeting with lending institutions this week to prequalify for a loan, a step that will help us move more quickly when the time comes to present an offer. As no suitable property has presented itself in the past year, we are beginning to consider another alternative such as investing the sangha treasure in an interim property with a positive rental income stream, whose value will grow with the market, and whose positive income stream will make the mortgage payments for us. If we find a desirable property that meets these new criteria, we could remodel and move in in two years, or resell. Meanwhile, we will meet at BUF, as planned, and as Congregation Beth Israel did, while their new synagogue was being built. Our initial investment will have grown at the current real estate growth rate of 15%, far beyond what it would earn in a money market or savings account. Not investing the money we have, whether in a permanent or interim property, will leave us farther behind as the market continues to grow. This requires great patience paramita practice on all our parts, dear sangha. It seems fair to say that whatever we do, it could be two years or more before we settle into our new home. Even if we found the perfect property tomorrow, we will need to go through a conditional use permitting process, design and permitting for a remodel, then the actual remodel. That alone can take two years. We are so fortunate that BUF has welcomed us to their beautiful practice hall for as long as we need to be there, at a very fair price. Let's all take a couple of deep breaths, one in gratitude for BUF and the sangha's generosity and another to help us practice patience with so much uncertainty. Your SCORE team will continue to work relentlessly until our beloved sangha is settled together once again. With Gratitude, Mary Durbrow On behalf of the SCORE team
Your generous practice of dana paramita has given RCZC's search for a practice home a breath of life. We will be able to make a down payment exceeding $500,000 when a suitable property is found. Your SCORE committee (Bob Rose, Richard Eggemeyer, Nomon Tim, and Mary Durbrow) with Bob Penny's help with construction and design feasibility continues to browse the commercial and residential listings daily and physically visit anything that meets our criteria of:
2000-3000 ft sq Bellingham city limits, preferably downtown core Accessible by multiple modes of transportation ADA accessible Walking distance to amenities like coffee shop and greenspace Manageable mortgage for sangha now and in the future
To date we have toured ten properties - none so far has been suitable. Our exploration has revealed that this is a fast-growing real estate market, and according to a real estate broker we are working with, we are competing with buyers from all over the world who are making cash offers on residential and commercial properties, sometimes sight unseen. The Bellingham market feels very expensive to us locals, but investors from other cities see Bellingham as a bargain.
We are ready to take the leap off the 100-foot pole if the right property presents itself, thanks to funds that are now available and which will make a handsome down payment. We are meeting with lending institutions this week to prequalify for a loan, a step that will help us move more quickly when the time comes to present an offer.
As no suitable property has presented itself in the past year, we are beginning to consider another alternative such as investing the sangha treasure in an interim property with a positive rental income stream, whose value will grow with the market, and whose positive income stream will make the mortgage payments for us. If we find a desirable property that meets these new criteria, we could remodel and move in in two years, or resell. Meanwhile, we will meet at BUF, as planned, and as Congregation Beth Israel did, while their new synagogue was being built. Our initial investment will have grown at the current real estate growth rate of 15%, far beyond what it would earn in a money market or savings account. Not investing the money we have, whether in a permanent or interim property, will leave us farther behind as the market continues to grow.
This requires great patience paramita practice on all our parts, dear sangha. It seems fair to say that whatever we do, it could be two years or more before we settle into our new home. Even if we found the perfect property tomorrow, we will need to go through a conditional use permitting process, design and permitting for a remodel, then the actual remodel. That alone can take two years.
We are so fortunate that BUF has welcomed us to their beautiful practice hall for as long as we need to be there, at a very fair price. Let's all take a couple of deep breaths, one in gratitude for BUF and the sangha's generosity and another to help us practice patience with so much uncertainty.
Your SCORE team will continue to work relentlessly until our beloved sangha is settled together once again.
With Gratitude,
Mary Durbrow
On behalf of the SCORE team
Buddhist Folk Painting, Free to a Good Home
Dear Red Cedar Zen Community Folks, Happy New Year of the Water Tiger! Two years after moving into a new (for us) home in Bellingham, my wife and I have decided that we do not have a suitable spot to hang a large Korean folk painting which we brought home with us after living several decades in Seoul. Measuring 51" wide and 41" high, the painting features an array of prominent Buddhist, Confucian and other personages from various Asian spiritual traditions. It was acquired by a fellow former Peace Corps volunteer in Korea in the 1970s, and handed down to us. Our Asian art connection cannot accept it, and we do not want to cast the fate of this special work to the fickle winds of E-Bay or Craig's List. We wonder, however, whether Red Cedar, or anyone associated with your Center, might have an interest in, or a place for, this painting. We would be delighted just to know that it has found an appreciative new home. Thank you for considering, and best wishes for a healthy, happy, and safe 2022! Ken Kaliher and Mary-Lee Mooney 430 S. Garden St., Bellingham, WA 98225-6117 (360) 734-2096 If a problem can be solved, why be unhappy? And if it cannot be solved, what is the use of being unhappy? - The Abbott, in Khyentse Norbu’s 1999 film, "The Cup"
Dear Red Cedar Zen Community Folks,
Happy New Year of the Water Tiger!
Two years after moving into a new (for us) home in Bellingham, my wife and I have decided that we do not have a suitable spot to hang a large Korean folk painting which we brought home with us after living several decades in Seoul. Measuring 51" wide and 41" high, the painting features an array of prominent Buddhist, Confucian and other personages from various Asian spiritual traditions. It was acquired by a fellow former Peace Corps volunteer in Korea in the 1970s, and handed down to us.
Our Asian art connection cannot accept it, and we do not want to cast the fate of this special work to the fickle winds of E-Bay or Craig's List. We wonder, however, whether Red Cedar, or anyone associated with your Center, might have an interest in, or a place for, this painting. We would be delighted just to know that it has found an appreciative new home.
Thank you for considering, and best wishes for a healthy, happy, and safe 2022!
Ken Kaliher and Mary-Lee Mooney 430 S. Garden St., Bellingham, WA 98225-6117
Ken Kaliher and Mary-Lee Mooney
430 S. Garden St., Bellingham, WA 98225-6117
(360) 734-2096
If a problem can be solved, why be unhappy? And if it cannot be solved, what is the use of being unhappy?
If a problem can be solved, why be unhappy?
And if it cannot be solved, what is the use of being unhappy?
- The Abbott, in Khyentse Norbu’s 1999 film, "The Cup"
Board Forms New Financial Future Committee
As you all know, we are entering into new financial territory and some uncertainty as we prepare to purchase a future home for the sangha. Our finances have remained quite stable and predictable for a very long time. Right now we have a robust financial position. But as the Board of Directors bears fiduciary responsibility for RCZC we need to assure we keep it as such. So, we are inviting 2-3 sangha members to look into the future with a couple of board members (John and Mary for now). Some data we might look at would be: How is the gain/loss of members trending? How do our membership dues and registration fees compare with other sangha's our size? What new income streams can we imagine, given our limited human resources? How can we keep our fees low and be financially sustainable in the future? What grants are out there that might be a good fit? What ideas do YOU have? This will be an ad hoc committee, hopefully winding up with a report with recommendations to the Board in a few months, maybe in time for the Annual meeting with Board and Sangha in April. If this sounds interesting to you, please contact Mary (mdurbrow1@gmail.com) or John (Johnmw47@gmail.com). Deep bows, John and Mary
As you all know, we are entering into new financial territory and some uncertainty as we prepare to purchase a future home for the sangha. Our finances have remained quite stable and predictable for a very long time. Right now we have a robust financial position. But as the Board of Directors bears fiduciary responsibility for RCZC we need to assure we keep it as such.
So, we are inviting 2-3 sangha members to look into the future with a couple of board members (John and Mary for now). Some data we might look at would be: How is the gain/loss of members trending? How do our membership dues and registration fees compare with other sangha's our size? What new income streams can we imagine, given our limited human resources? How can we keep our fees low and be financially sustainable in the future? What grants are out there that might be a good fit? What ideas do YOU have?
This will be an ad hoc committee, hopefully winding up with a report with recommendations to the Board in a few months, maybe in time for the Annual meeting with Board and Sangha in April.
If this sounds interesting to you, please contact Mary (mdurbrow1@gmail.com) or John (Johnmw47@gmail.com).
Deep bows,
John and Mary
November Sangha Conversation
In November we shifted our monthly conversation away from the theoretical, and discussed a local effort Red Cedar is currently involved in – the Multifaith Network for Climate Justice (MNCJ). Julie Johnson, Outreach person for the MNCJ, and Red Cedar’s representative to the MNCJ Reizan Bob Penny presented the current activities of this recently formed group. A lively conversation was had exploring how our practice can inform MNCJ’s efforts of “spiritual activism” to protect this planet and all beings.
Members with access to Ananda, our online document repository, can read the full meeting notes there. To request access, please email tech@redcedarzen.org
New Program Administrator Position Offered
The RCZC Program Administrator (PA) will provide essential administrative support for the smooth running of Red Cedar events. The Program Administrator will work closely with volunteer Registrars, Retreat Managers, and Inos, and will take direction from the Guiding Teacher.
Red Cedar Zen Community is an equal opportunity employer. We consider applicants for all positions, without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, differential abilities, political affiliation, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.
Responsibilities will include:
Adding events to the website on request, this includes setting up registration types, levels, and deadlines as needed for each event.
Proofread submitted event descriptions and provide feedback about readability, inconsistencies or errors
Verify through active testing that new events and registration options are working smoothly for registrants
Manage ZOOM or facility availability, scheduling, and resolve scheduling conflicts
Manage master program calendars online and resolve scheduling conflicts
Assure that online program offerings are consistent in language, format, and accuracy.
Use events system to produce flyers and other simple promotional materials
Working with our bookkeeper to insure event registration payments are made and refunds processed, closing out invoices and resolving any payment issues in Wild Apricot.
Assisting the Guiding Teacher and with other program and website related tasks on request.
A successful candidate must:
Have strong technology skills and be comfortable learning new software systems such as our event management system (Wild Apricot)
Have excellent organizational, communication, and writing skills
Have proficiency with Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, Forms, etc)
Have basic web design skills including some knowledge of html and css
Be able to work independently and also discern when to ask for guidance, input, or help.
Desirable additional skills and knowledge:
Familiarity with Red Cedar Zen programs and Board and Sangha policies
Prior experience with event management.
Work Schedule and Salary Details:
Hours: Maximum of 22 hours/month (need will vary from week to week) and may be flexed as needed within a two week period. There is no assurance at this time that this position will be expanded
Pay rate: $25 / hour
This is a non-benefited position.
How to apply:
Please email your cover letter and resume to tim@redcedarzen.org
Words From Our Guiding Teacher
“…After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little…” - Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
“…After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little…”
- Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Several sangha members have told me they really appreciated a recent talk I gave based on an essay by Norman Fischer called Stages of Monastic Life and this got me thinking about what we're trying to do here at Red Cedar and with Zen practice in this midst of our busy modern lives.
There's a lot to our practice that's practical and makes sense. It does help us stay on the beam. Sitting down for zazen in particular can be such a valuable pause in the action. And even if we're in a period of life that isn't as externally busy there's always a lot of action in the mind. What a blessing to have received a way to stop for a time and just be. Even your mind happens to be racing around during a given zazen period, there's something magical to that time of pause. Something healing....
There's a lot to our practice that's practical and makes sense. It does help us stay on the beam. Sitting down for zazen in particular can be such a valuable pause in the action. And even if we're in a period of life that isn't as externally busy there's always a lot of action in the mind. What a blessing to have received a way to stop for a time and just be. Even your mind happens to be racing around during a given zazen period, there's something magical to that time of pause. Something healing.
And practice in sangha pulls us together with others. With community. With others who are also seeking something. In some ways they are like-minded others, but we're also an eclectic crew aren't we? Isn't there a movie or TV show that opens with the narrator talking about the protagonists as a "rag-tag band of adventurers"? We humans do have a deep need to connect with others! Wonderful, inspiring, and, yes, at times a bit challenging. But there's something to a life of practice that doesn't make sense in a way you can put your finger on, too. And being in the middle of it all, it's hard to feel into what this is. But there's something else about a life of practice, something that's deep in the core of our being, something vital, something deeply essential in a human life, that we're nurturing and living into through our practice.
Take a moment now to pause if you would. Feel into your gut. Into your heart. Breathe gently but deeply. What do you feel? What do you notice? Of course we have all of these Zen stories and Buddhist texts that talk about awakening, enlightenment, realization. Being stories they are often dramatic. And sometimes people do experience big shifts and changes that seem to arise from practice. But actually I think the vast majority of us don't have dramatic spiritual experiences. For most of us it's more like Suzuki Roshi's famous metaphor of walking through the fog.
"After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little. It is not like going out in a shower in which you know when you get wet. In a fog, you do not know you are getting wet, but as you keep walking you get wet little by little.
If your mind has ideas of progress, you may say, “Oh, this pace is terrible!” But actually it is not. When you get wet in a fog it is very difficult to dry yourself. So there is no need to worry about progress." - Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
If your mind has ideas of progress, you may say, “Oh, this pace is terrible!” But actually it is not. When you get wet in a fog it is very difficult to dry yourself. So there is no need to worry about progress."
And as the practice gradually seeps in to our bones, we don't stop being ourselves. In some ways we settle more fully into ourselves - Suzuki Roshi also said, "When you are you, Zen is Zen." I'll always be some version of me and you'll always be some version of you. And we'll always be human with our joys and confusions.
Lately I've actually been agitated and lost in my own confusion more than usual! But when one of those waves of consternation drops me on the beach again and recedes, I think the difference that practice makes is it's more natural to get up again. To stand and breathe and appreciate the return of clarity and ease. And little by little I have more confidence that everything works out just as it is. In these busy times for many of us in sangha life - fundraising, sorting out temporary zendos, adjusting and changing as we go - and not to mention the confusing and rapidly changing times we're all living in - I want to keep encouraging myself, and all of us, to keep turning back towards this subtle core of our life. A life of practice.
Thank you for supporting my life of practice. I know I'm far from perfect but I'll keep doing my best to support your life of practice, too. We support each other. We do this each in our own way and we do this together.
Announcements
November Sangha Conversation - Our next Sangha Conversation will be Wednesday, November 24th (meditation at 7pm, meeting at 8pm). Our guest speaker will be Julie Johnson from The Multi-faith Network for Climate Justice (MNCJ), along with Bob Penny, Red Cedar’s representative to the MNCJ. This meeting marks moving our ongoing discussions from the visioning towards the applied, and is in response to the sangha’s stated interests in exploring ways to be involved with multi-cultural, multi-faith, justice, environmental, and community work – all concerns of the MNCJ. The meeting will serve:• To provide a brief update about MNCJ activities in the last year.• To discuss and offer different ways a community may participate, for example, hosting the Net of Interconnection, participate in the Green Resource Fair planned for Earth Day 2022, and other ways to be involved.• To learn more about any social/environmental activities in your community, and get some feedback about MNCJ's direction.
We welcome your participation in these monthly Sangha Conversations to help shape our collective direction as we move towards our new home.
Board of Directors Pledges 15% of Our Journey Home Goal
In our practice, we are reminded that paying attention and following what others are doing in the zendo encourages embodying the spirit and teachings of our Buddhist ancestors. We also learn that the first perfection is generosity or dana -- recognizing that giver, receiver and gift are one; not 3 separate entities but a seamless joining together in a virtuous circle. Our gift supports the sangha, the sangha supports us, and we live together fully in the Buddha way.
When we began our campaign last month, the Red Cedar Zen Community board of directors (Bob Rose, Mary Durbrow, Hannah Sullivan, John Wiley, Valerie Davenport, Terrill Thompson, and Nomon Tim Burnett) vowed to set an example -- to model dana for our good friends in the sangha. By “stretching” a bit out of our comfort zone we set out to exemplify the depth of our personal commitment to finding a new home.
I am pleased to let you know that your 7 board members have collectively pledged $86,000 toward our goal of $550,000. Even more impressive is that most of those funds will be available in the next few months for the 40% down payment required by our bank (WECU).
Your generous individual support has been the key to already nearly reaching our initial goal. No gift is too large, no gift is too small. Each will be recognized equally (or remain anonymous if you choose). We all have good reason to celebrate ---getting so far, so soon, by appealing only to our sangha membership. Now it’s time to reach out together to friends and family to help surpass that goal. That will allow more flexibility in our property search, make additional funds available to build or remodel, and/or have a lower mortgage burden for future sangha members.
Your Board of Directors is committed to finding the best possible location and situation for our Red Cedar Zen Community. Your deep and firm support make that possible. Please join us is meeting (and exceeding) our goal to find and finance our new home.
Three Bows in Ten Directions for helping to create a Dharma legacy in Bellingham.
Joden Bob Rose, Board President
Sangha Conversation - Sixteen sangha members attended our most recent Sangha Conversation on Wednesday, September 29. This open dialogue centered on a substantive discussion of the qualities and locations of the sort of place we are seeking for our new home.
Meeting notes are available on Ananda. If you need access to Ananda, you can request it here.
Here are some slides presented at the meeting, which summarize themes about these qualities which emerged from the visioning exercise, as well as the primary location criteria the SCORE committee have collected.
Upcoming Sangha Conversation - All current members are encouraged and warmly invited to participate in the next Sangha Conversation on Wednesday, September 29th. We follow last month’s very successful community dialogue with the next session in our renewed monthly engagement of sangha voices. This month will we gain valuable information, and be able to offer feedback, about the launch of our fundraising campaign in mid-September. In addition, to help our search committee in its process, we will explore as a community the question of “location”, and the perspectives that we imagine or hold towards various neighborhoods and sectors throughout the city, as potential places to find our new home. August Sangha Conversation Recap - Our Sangha Conversation on August 25th was attended by 23 members. Reports were made by the Campaign, Search, and Communications Committees. Board President Joden Bob Rose facilitated several breakout sessions where members engaged in a variety of discussions. It was an information rich evening, as there was much to share in preparation for the launch of our fund-raising campaign. Notes from the meeting can be found on Ananda, and here are screen captures of some slides presented:
Upcoming Sangha Conversation - All current members are encouraged and warmly invited to participate in the next Sangha Conversation on Wednesday, September 29th. We follow last month’s very successful community dialogue with the next session in our renewed monthly engagement of sangha voices. This month will we gain valuable information, and be able to offer feedback, about the launch of our fundraising campaign in mid-September. In addition, to help our search committee in its process, we will explore as a community the question of “location”, and the perspectives that we imagine or hold towards various neighborhoods and sectors throughout the city, as potential places to find our new home.
August Sangha Conversation Recap - Our Sangha Conversation on August 25th was attended by 23 members. Reports were made by the Campaign, Search, and Communications Committees. Board President Joden Bob Rose facilitated several breakout sessions where members engaged in a variety of discussions. It was an information rich evening, as there was much to share in preparation for the launch of our fund-raising campaign. Notes from the meeting can be found on Ananda, and here are screen captures of some slides presented:
Sitting at Shambala Suspended - Through community discussion at the last Sangha Conversation it became evident that the sangha has too much current trepidation and concern to go ahead with in-person practice at this time. The plans for in-person practice at the Shambala center have therefore been suspended for the moment, as we continue to monitor the Covid situation. Concern was also voiced that the Shambala center is not ADA accessible, and would therefore perhaps not be an ideal location for long. And yet, it was recognized that the center has the necessary cushions and gear to make a drop-in situation very workable. Multi Faith Network for Climate Justice (MCNJ) Event - Red Cedar Zen Community has been active in the past with the Multi Faith Network for Climate Justice (MCNJ). Reverend Dr. Andrea Asebado of MCNJ member organization The Center for Spiritual Living will host Greening With Integrity, September 24th, 6:30-8pm. Rev. Dr. Asebado will talk about her spiritual community’s successful effort to green their carbon footprint. The presentation is part of Bellingham’s “ALL IN - Climate Action Week” events. Asebado will be joined by Emily Larson-Kubiak, Energy Efficiency and Renewables Program Manager at Sustainable Connections, and Mark Schofield, Community Energy Challenge Manager for the Opportunity Council. Nomon Tim Burnett has been invited to give the closing practice. This is a live in-person, and live streaming, event. For more information visit the City of Bellingham's event page.
Sitting at Shambala Suspended - Through community discussion at the last Sangha Conversation it became evident that the sangha has too much current trepidation and concern to go ahead with in-person practice at this time. The plans for in-person practice at the Shambala center have therefore been suspended for the moment, as we continue to monitor the Covid situation. Concern was also voiced that the Shambala center is not ADA accessible, and would therefore perhaps not be an ideal location for long. And yet, it was recognized that the center has the necessary cushions and gear to make a drop-in situation very workable.
Multi Faith Network for Climate Justice (MCNJ) Event - Red Cedar Zen Community has been active in the past with the Multi Faith Network for Climate Justice (MCNJ). Reverend Dr. Andrea Asebado of MCNJ member organization The Center for Spiritual Living will host Greening With Integrity, September 24th, 6:30-8pm. Rev. Dr. Asebado will talk about her spiritual community’s successful effort to green their carbon footprint. The presentation is part of Bellingham’s “ALL IN - Climate Action Week” events. Asebado will be joined by Emily Larson-Kubiak, Energy Efficiency and Renewables Program Manager at Sustainable Connections, and Mark Schofield, Community Energy Challenge Manager for the Opportunity Council. Nomon Tim Burnett has been invited to give the closing practice. This is a live in-person, and live streaming, event. For more information visit the City of Bellingham's event page.
Dear Sangha, I'm noticing that I’m "cycling" a bit lately. Getting a bit revved up, getting a bit over involved with things, and then settling back down again: re-opening to trust and acceptance that everything works out. Finding again my breath in my hara. The feeling of the earth beneath my feet. It's a "big" time for us as a sangha: preparing to do our first ever big capital campaign, a committee starting to look at properties to purchase, numbers like $1 million dollars and more being bandied about. Seeing visions of us in this place or that place setting up a zendo and opening our doors wide to the community. And all of this happening against the confusing background of another round with Covid. And it's also just another day, another moment, another breath. Everything just as it is. There is so much to do and there's also nothing to do. I visited a center here in Sonoma County, California, and had an interview with the Zen teacher there who reminded me to rest deeply in zazen practice and the tradition. That zazen dissolves the ego and shows us our true face. In terms of fundraising, here's a nice bit of Zen historical context: including this wonderful quote from Dogen himself:
I'm noticing that I’m "cycling" a bit lately. Getting a bit revved up, getting a bit over involved with things, and then settling back down again: re-opening to trust and acceptance that everything works out. Finding again my breath in my hara. The feeling of the earth beneath my feet.
It's a "big" time for us as a sangha: preparing to do our first ever big capital campaign, a committee starting to look at properties to purchase, numbers like $1 million dollars and more being bandied about. Seeing visions of us in this place or that place setting up a zendo and opening our doors wide to the community. And all of this happening against the confusing background of another round with Covid.
And it's also just another day, another moment, another breath. Everything just as it is. There is so much to do and there's also nothing to do. I visited a center here in Sonoma County, California, and had an interview with the Zen teacher there who reminded me to rest deeply in zazen practice and the tradition. That zazen dissolves the ego and shows us our true face.
In terms of fundraising, here's a nice bit of Zen historical context: including this wonderful quote from Dogen himself:
“It might be possible to build the hall with a donation from one patron, but I would like to encourage many people in the ten directions to make a donation in order to allow a wider range of people to form a good affinity with the Buddha Dharma.” Keep sitting! Nomon Tim
“It might be possible to build the hall with a donation from one patron, but I would like to encourage many people in the ten directions to make a donation in order to allow a wider range of people to form a good affinity with the Buddha Dharma.”
Keep sitting!
Dear Red Cedar Zen Community members, Our next All-Sangha conversation will take place at 8 PM, Wednesday, September 29, following regular services. We will focus on two critical aspects of “Our Journey Home: the Capital Campaign”; a funding raising update, and where we establish that sanctuary. We will open with a status report on the capital campaign, which will be transmitting its first mailing the previous week. This will be your opportunity to ask questions, offer additional ideas, and to benefit from other sangha members’ thoughts on engaging our colleagues, friends, family, and other supporters in this legacy-building effort. We’ve heard repeatedly of the desire to be an open and engaging community that offers the opportunity for Zen practice to all. We’ve also heard of the desire for a facility open to other students of the Buddha’s teachings, as well as to the creative and healing arts, which would be in keeping with the long tradition of a multi-purpose Dharma Hall in Bellingham. A key question for the board-designated Search Committee on Real Estate (SCORE) is where these community offerings could best be located. The campaign goal of $550,000 was set to raise adequate funds for the down payment on a $1 million property, as well as pay for initial modifications. As a community non-profit, our bank (WECU) tells us we must come up with a 40% down payment. Our calculations show that the remaining mortgage could be funded by about the same amount we previously paid in rent at Forest Street. Where would we prefer our new sanctuary be located; near the city center, in a neighborhood, or on the outskirts of town/in the county??? Each choice has financial and access implications. Some choices may be precluded, depending on budget and available property. The search committee would benefit greatly from having a better sense of what sangha members envision. Meeting that vision will depend, in large part, on the success of our campaign. Sangha leaders need to hear your voices as we set out on Our Journey Home. Please join us for next month’s Sangha Conversation. With deepest gratitude for your practice and generosity- Joden Bob Rose, President Red Cedar Zen Community Board of Directors
Dear Red Cedar Zen Community members,
Our next All-Sangha conversation will take place at 8 PM, Wednesday, September 29, following regular services. We will focus on two critical aspects of “Our Journey Home: the Capital Campaign”; a funding raising update, and where we establish that sanctuary.
We will open with a status report on the capital campaign, which will be transmitting its first mailing the previous week. This will be your opportunity to ask questions, offer additional ideas, and to benefit from other sangha members’ thoughts on engaging our colleagues, friends, family, and other supporters in this legacy-building effort.
We’ve heard repeatedly of the desire to be an open and engaging community that offers the opportunity for Zen practice to all. We’ve also heard of the desire for a facility open to other students of the Buddha’s teachings, as well as to the creative and healing arts, which would be in keeping with the long tradition of a multi-purpose Dharma Hall in Bellingham. A key question for the board-designated Search Committee on Real Estate (SCORE) is where these community offerings could best be located.
The campaign goal of $550,000 was set to raise adequate funds for the down payment on a $1 million property, as well as pay for initial modifications. As a community non-profit, our bank (WECU) tells us we must come up with a 40% down payment. Our calculations show that the remaining mortgage could be funded by about the same amount we previously paid in rent at Forest Street.
Where would we prefer our new sanctuary be located; near the city center, in a neighborhood, or on the outskirts of town/in the county??? Each choice has financial and access implications. Some choices may be precluded, depending on budget and available property. The search committee would benefit greatly from having a better sense of what sangha members envision. Meeting that vision will depend, in large part, on the success of our campaign.
Sangha leaders need to hear your voices as we set out on Our Journey Home. Please join us for next month’s Sangha Conversation.
With deepest gratitude for your practice and generosity-
Joden Bob Rose, President
Red Cedar Zen Community Board of Directors
Red Cedar Zen Community is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
