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Please see list below for ongoing and upcoming Red Cedar events.
Upcoming Events Note: Our offerings are a bit lighter than usual as we work to remodel our building at 2509 Cedarwood in Bellingham into Sansui-ji Mountains and Waters Temple, expected to open in the middle of 2025.
Note that our annual 8-week Practice Period will be in the Fall in 2025: from September 24 - November 23.
Recently, Raizelah and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Buddha Eye Zen Community Temple in Eugene, Oregon. I'd been hoping to visit for a while and now with Sansui-ji's opening around the corner, it felt especially helpful.
Founder and abbot Ejo McMullen is an American teacher who trained extensively in Japan, so I was very curious to see how he implemented what he learned there on American soil.
And, at the same time, I've been studying the official in-depth manual on Sōtō Zen ritual and thinking about areas where we might deepen our own ritual practice.
What I saw at Buddha Eye impressed me: a sangha of about our size offering a mix of very accessible public-facing programs and serious Zen training all under the same roof. And sure enough, the morning service was exactly true to the official Sōtō Zen specifications I'd just been reading about! (See p. 7-9 of the manual if you want to geek out on Zen ritual.)
Lots of food for thought as we look towards opening Sansui-ji next year.
I do highly recommend visiting other temples and centers as part of your exploration of Zen. They can be found in most of our western cities in Washington, British Columbia, Oregon and beyond. If you'd like recommendations, or for me to help get you connected to leaders at the places I know, don't hesitate to ask.
I feel like I learn so much about our own lineage traditions as well as theirs in every visit I make to a new place of practice. Plus, it's really a lot of fun to do!
Abbot Ejo McMullen officiating at Buddha Eye temple at Sunday service.
Front gate at Buddha Eye Temple, Eugene, Oregon.
An inviting corner of their property with seating which Ejo shared has really helped the neighbors feel invited and included.
In an effort to make dharma talks more accessible, Red Cedar will resume posting dharma talks on our YouTube channel. These videos will include subtitles.
You can find Nomon Tim's recent dharma talk series on Dōgen's Japan journals on our YouTube:
Talk one
Talk two
Talk three
Check back soon for more dharma offerings from Red Cedar teachers and practice leaders as well as Nomon Tim's dharma talks from Fall Samish sesshin.
We are always striving to make the dharma as widely accessible as possible. If you have suggestions for improving accessibility, please reach out to admin@redcedarzen.org.
Red Cedar wishes our sangha a peaceful Thanksgiving and deep gratitude for our shared practice.
Dear Supporter of the Red Cedar Zen Community:
As this year ends, our sangha looks forward to occupying our new sanctuary, Sansui-ji (Mountains and Rivers Temple) when daffodils bloom. I'm writing today on behalf of our Board of Directors to ask you to consider a modest increase in your already unstinting generosity (dana) to assist us in meeting this new obligation.
We are fond of the Book of Serenity story (#4) of Indra establishing a new temple by planting a blade of grass. “The sanctuary is established,” he says, and the Buddha smiles. In response, a commentator reminds us, “Repairs won’t be easy.” As in our personal practice, maintenance and repairs require constant attention and support. That’s where we trust you can lend a hand.
In 2022, following a successful capital campaign (Thank You!!), we purchased our new home at 2509 Cedarwood (see floor plan and external view, below). We have begun a remodel that will offer the community a welcoming zendo and a “Cloud Hall” space for gatherings, meals, classes, a library, and other activities. That’s the really good news. But, as always, there is another side. Owning and operating a building means increased operating expenses as well as higher administrative costs and supporting our teacher. We have traditionally met these needs through your membership and donations.
We have all benefited from another year of regular 7 am Zoom sits, Thursday evening services, Dharma talks at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, one-day and well-attended summer and late fall sesshins at Camp Samish and celebrating newly committed practitioners wearing hand-sewn rakusus. And we are truly blessed with the leadership of our Guiding Teacher Nomon Tim Burnett and from Practice Leader Kanhō Chris Burkhardt’s unwavering devotion to fostering continuing studies in Dōgen and other primary texts.
In this samsara world, there are so many ways we can work together and support each other, offering what we can, when we can, to polish the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. As Master Hui-hai (“Great Pearl”) reminds us, “The gateway to our practice is dana and from that practice all the others are fulfilled.”
On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your continuing partnership in our sangha household. As the days shorten and soon begin to lengthen, please consider the various ways you can support our Red Cedar Zen Community by your year-end dana:
To start a monthly or annual membership:
o https://www.redcedarzen.org/become-a-member
To increase your regular membership pledge:
o https://www.redcedarzen.org/techhelp/membership-change
To make a one-time donation:
o https://www.redcedarzen.org/donations
Other donation options include: Offering a portion of your IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) or transferring appreciated stock to Red Cedar’s Schwab account.
Finally, if you have any membership questions, just reach out to membership@redcedarzen.org
With gratitude and appreciation for your devotion to The Three Treasures and to the Red Cedar Zen Community:
Joden Bob Rose, Board President
Construction has begun and we are now doing significant construction work to help our contractor (and to reduce costs). It's all physical work, but there are a wide variety of tasks for different abilities and skill levels.
At each work party going forward there will be a mix of tasks ranging including:
Safety: we now have work gloves, eye protection, and ear protection available to to borrow - bring you own if you have them and do wear sturdy clothes and footwear.
Lunch: if you can stay into the afternoon please bring a lunch. We are planning full 9am to 4pm days, but any amount of time you can spend is a big help.
Timing: Arriving later than the start time is just fine. Please come when you can in the 9am - 4pm window. And please RSVP and indicate your best guess and when you'll be there to help our facilitators in planning.
Location: The new zendo is at 2509 Cedarwood, Bellingham, WA, near the intersection of Cedarwood and Northwest Avenue.
Click here for Google Map.
As we navigate this world of confusion and suffering, how do we live our Bodhisattva vows?
Join us for this gentle 1-day sitting and Dharma inquiry into your life as vow.
Facilitated by Seiu Hannah and Myo Ki Raizelah
Saturday, February 15, 8:00 to 4:00 pm (lunch included, but please eat breakfast before arriving)
This Month's Feature: Big Thank You to Neal Engledow for his beautiful wood pieces--what an art!
Desiree: How did you come to Zen practice?
Neal: I was born in Texas but moved to Hawaii, and later, to Guam, and even later to Fiji. In the late '60s in Honolulu I found Koko-an, Robert Aitken Roshi's temple and community and started practicing there. A few years later, after returning from university in Fiji with my bride-to-be, Aitken Roshi performed our marriage ceremony. I found Red Cedar after moving to Whatcom County and am very happy to be part of the community.
Desiree: How did you get involved in woodworking?
Neal: Well, it all started many years ago from taking a woodworking class in middle school! I have been hooked on it ever since and realized that I could make things I wanted cheaper than I could buy them. (We have many of my projects around our house from many years of building.)
After retiring around 17 years ago, I started sitting daily and got deeper into woodworking. I have a shop at our home in Blaine. While I’m there, my wife is quilting, cooking or gardening (she has many hobbies). I keep learning and growing--for instance, trying Japanese Komiko patterns (see shoji screens below) after watching YouTube videos and reading books.
Desiree: Wow! Your craftsmanship is exquisite, and we feel so fortunate that you are contributing to our Red Cedar community in such a functional--yet beautiful way!
Neal: It has been a joy to make these items for our sangha and I really look forward to contributing more to our SanSui-ji temple once it's finished. I'm working on a main altar now and will make a “river” table for Cloud Hall from some beautiful spalted maple generously donated by Bob Rose. Then perhaps a bench for our outside area and a "Free Little Library stand" for out front – a suggestion from Hannah Sullivan. Yes, I have many projects to keep me busy in the future!
Desiree: Thank you so much, Neal--we look forward to enjoying all of your lovely work as we settle into our new temple! Many bows!
Beautiful and intricate Japanese style drum stand and Shoji Screens--note the lovely Komiko patterns at the bottom of the screens...and some framed art pieces with that same Komiko pattern on right, below. Calligrapy on the three treasures piece below is by Nomon Tim.
We recently received our final approval from the city to begin our renovation! Deep bows to the Design and Build Committee for all of your hard work!
The construction began at our work party on Sunday, October 20th; we "broke ground"...with jack hammers! Around 10 diligent volunteers worked on breaking up and clearing away the old foundation and sheetrock in the Zendo--first project! Thank you all for your hard work!!
Look for regular work parties to continue making progress...without needing to run a jack hammer. This next one will be on Sunday November 17th.
Another way you can help: we're asking for sangha input into interior design choices. Can you help with flooring choices by filling out this survey? Samples of the materials will be available on Thursday evenings at BUF at the above Work Party.
We invite you to save the date for our next one-day sit on April 26th, 2025.
These popular sits are a chance for those curious about Zen to ease into the forms, ritual, and structure of sustained practice. Experienced practitioners have similarly found one-day sits to be supportive of their practice. Breakfast, lunch and instruction on the forms of Zen are provided in a less structured environment than a typical sesshin (a period of intensive silent meditation).
We are hoping to gather at Sansui-ji Mountains and Waters Temple for this event, but if the building is not yet ready, we will continue use the temporary zendo at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship.
More details will be announced in the new year--please check back!
Come join us in ringing in the New Year with 108 rings on the bell, a fire/purification ceremony, meditation and chanting at our temple-under-construction!
Bring forward your intentions for what to let go of in your life, and enjoy an evening with sangha in ritual and connection.
Come a little early to get settled as this popular evening of practice returns after a 5-year hiatus. Register here.
Pre-Event Prep: 4pm - Optional - to help sweep, clean and prepare Cloud Hall at Mountains and Waters Temple as our zendo for the evening. Dinner break before the ceremony.
Location: Mountains and Waters Temple (Sansui-ji), 2509 Cedarwood Drive in Bellingham.
Cancellation Warning: We expect the portion of the temple we'll be using will be safe and accessible to us on December 31st. If it isn't: cancellation of this event will be announced. If you're registered you will receive notice of any changes sent directly to you.
New Year's Eve Schedule: 7:00pm Zazen (sitting meditation) 7:30pm Kinhin 7:40pm Zazen 8:10pm New Year's Ceremony Approx 10:00pm close with snacks and tea outside around the fire
We'll also be burning any name cards from the altar of people who've died in the last years. If you have any of these from your home altar you are invited to bring them.
We hope to see you for this special evening.
Red Cedar Zen Community is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
