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October and November were blessedly uneventful, with many visits from College students, from Cal Poly and various colleges in the LA area. The students always have many questions and make for lively days while they participate in our meditation and services. There are not many places where they can do this to the extent we offer it, and they seem to appreciate the opportunity to get a close up view of Buddhist practice in a Western setting.
The oldest computer in our office, which was a hand-me-down when it we received it about six years ago, was no longer really up to the task, so we replaced it with a new one. Now Rev. Phoebe has a powerful computer to work with for which she is very grateful. The larger screen makes it much easier for her to use the larger display she needs to read. With this better computer we also are upgrading our internet service. This necessitated the installation of a bigger satellite dish, a new modem and a more expensive bandwidth plan. All this facilitates Rev. Phoebe’s ability to join in with computer meetings, work on wiki and have Skype meetings with people. Rev. Seikai’s computer was upgraded last winter, so for now we are in good shape where our internet abilities are concerned.
November 8 – 15 we enjoyed the company of Rev. Master Teigan Stevens, who came down from his place on Bainbridge Island to host his annual retreat here for the ninth time. Next year we will especially celebrate the tenth anniversary of this event. Many old friends came and this year discussed parts of Buddhism from Within by Rev. Daizui MacPhillamy.
At our yearly Thanksgiving Ceremony we recited the following, from the depth of our hearts: ”We offer the merit of our Thanksgiving Day Ceremony to all who have made offerings to the temple of their training, time, money, food and drink, clothing and other requisites of life. We especially give thanks to Reverend Master Jiyu, to all members of our Order, to the greater Buddhist Sangha and our members and friends who make this temple possible. We thank all those who have visited in the past year, all who make deliveries or provide services, our neighbors and all living things in this valley. May all be well.”
Rev. Phoebe has become a member of the OBC Interim Board, a body that was created at the 2010 conclave to coordinate and promote how the Order develops and functions, and has done tremendous work over the past year. The monks and lay ministers on it were asked to continue their work for another year during the conclave in September. Rev. Master Meiko from Portland and Andrew Taylor Browne from England have resigned and were replaced by Rev. Phoebe and Bob McGraw, also from England. If you are interested in what the IB does and wish to keep up Order developments, please go to their website, OBCInterimboard.org.
On December 11th we celebrated not only the Buddha’s Enlightenment Festival, but also – a little early – the 30th anniversary of Rev. Phoebe’s Ordination, which actually is December 20th. A large gathering of about 30 people made the trip to the temple to celebrate the two occasions. It was very wonderful to be able to mark this occasion with a substantial group of friends.
 
 
Meditation Retreats in 2012
In 2012 we plan to hold a Meditation Retreat every month, alternating 2 and 3 day retreats. They will start with arrival at 10am on either Friday or Saturday, and end after lunch on Sunday. The topics of the Dharma talks and discussions will be announced in the calendar. You may register for a retreat by sending in an email or by filling out the registration form on the retreat page of our website if it is your first time.
Temple Cleanup and Maintenance Days
Once or twice a month we will dedicate a Saturday morning to the cleaning and maintenance of our temple buildings and grounds. Cleaning and caring for our sitting place is traditionally deeply connected to purifying and nourishing our hearts, and coming together to work and enjoy a meal afterwards is a good way to get to know each other better. After a shared lunch there will be a Dharma discussion for those who wish to stay till 4pm.
Meditation and Practice Time
On weekends that do not have a retreat or cleanup period scheduled, and during the rest of the week, we offer a schedule with the usual meditation, services, Dharma discussion, working meditation and quiet time. Private spiritual counseling is available on request.
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