Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Golden Highways Revisited: 1998So it was with glad smiles that many familiar faces greeted us: Joseph Kappel(the former Ajahn Pabhākaro, whom we had just seen at IMS) – over from the EastCoast – was there with mother and sister, Mark Rasmussen and others from theCloud Mountain retreat, Steve Willhelm, Ani Tenzin Kacho, Metta’s aunt JaniceClark, Carole DeLima, August Barua, etc., etc.The advertised title of the talk was Buddhism from the Beginning and it was supposedto deal with the origin of the universe, the arising of the ego, the arisingof dukkha and the source of true happiness. It was a high energy affair and folksseemed to appreciate the words – I tried to keep it practical so we stayed near thelikes of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and samatha-vipassanā and enquiryinto the feeling of self.June 3 rdBy the time we returned to Stuart and John’s the batteries were pretty flat (a lotof folks had lined up to say hello and goodbye afterwards). So it was with greatdelight that the next morning was spent in the warm and colorful embrace of theirhome drinking coffee, talking of travels and tales of lessons learned, all to theaccompaniment of a Japanese countertenor/castrato type and the almighty blasts ofKarl Orff’s Wheel of Fortune – bathing in nectar-flavored morning light we delightedin the sweetness of each other’s company until, after Stuart’s gourmet repast wasover, we hit the road again – retracing the grey ribbon south to Portland.Thin green walls of fir rib the highway, screening the desolated landscapebehind them from view. Dark, snake-back road, the emerald channel and the overarchingblue – we move through patches of overcast sky every 20 minutes or so,now warm, now cool. Many trucks fill the flow of movement in both directions– rolling with us through the white man’s land, where all that remain of the last4,000 years of human occupancy are the sounds of local names, syllables of powerand living beauty: Nisqually, Shummchuck River, Kalama, Onalaska. Just south ofMidway Meats, Uncle Sam’s reactionary billboard has moved to the other side ofthe freeway – today it declares: “Indians police their own salmon catch? Would youlet the fox watch the hen house?” That’s the spirit!Rolling ever south, past the Harvest States silos at Kalama beside the river,roadsides lounge heavily speckled with California poppies, egg-orange golden inthe bright light. Pulling into Vancouver a little after 4:00 p.m., we stop to say helloto Virginia and William Barber – Ajahn Sumedho’s sister and brother-in-law. Ithas also been two or three years since I last saw them so there is plenty of news tocatch up on – the opening of the California Monastery, Ajahn Sumedho’s impendingvisit next spring, plus of course his intended trip to Tibet, to circumambulateMount Kailash in October – now there will be a tale to tell…Into the city of rivers and bridges and threading our way to Dharma Rain ZenCenter – round the corner from Mike Echols’ house, and Janné and Charles’ offHawthorne. It is not exactly an umbrella Buddhist outfit itself, more that severalindependent groups collaborate and use the facility for their own meetings.84
Golden Highways Revisited: 1998We have a moment to pause before the evening’s event, so they kit me out witha cup of tea and a quiet corner. Chozen and Hogen Bays appear and the sessionswells into shape. The talk is on The Buddhist Practice of Moral Precepts and is astonishinglywell attended. Well-sugared and hidden amongst humorous asides wemanage to give the Five Precepts the full treatment; furthermore, if the faces alightwith joy around the room are anything to go by, folks seem to get it too – what awonder.Tan Sudanto shows up with his mother and stepfather and then trails backwith us to Larch Mountain Zen Center, perched on the edge of the Columbia Gorgea few miles east of the city. It is the teaching center run by Chozen and Hogenthemselves and the place where they have lived for a dozen years now. Yon-San,an American Zen monk fresh from Japan, who is helping Harada Roshi set up in aplace on Whidbey Island, off Seattle, is also along with us for the evening.After a little loss of ways and roaming aimlessly in the dark, we meet up andget to the center by 11:45 p.m. – long day, deep sleep, no worries.June 4 thWe sit and chat all morning over tea and breakfast – the skies unload a thick drizzleand cloud wraps Larch Mountain completely. We are happy to be ensconcedhowever and talk over all manner of issues related to starting new places.Larch Mountain Zen Center began with the vow of the late Maezumi Roshi toplant the seeds of the Dharma so firmly in the West that they would never die out.Jan Chozen Bays, a Dharma heir of Maezumi Roshi, has dedicated her life to helpfulfill this vision. She was ordained as a Zen priest in 1977 and received Dharmatransmission (authority to teach) from Maezumi Roshi in 1983; since his death shehas continued to deepen her own practice by studying with Shodo Harada Roshiof Sogen-ji Monastery in Japan.She is a wife, mother and pediatrician working in the field of child abuse.Hogen Bays, her husband, began practicing in 1968 with Roshi Philip Kapleau.He was ordained as a Zen priest by Maezumi Roshi in 1990. Hogen has also continuedhis Zen studies with Harada Roshi since 1990. He is a naturopathic doctor,holds a Master’s degree in psychology and has worked for the Oregon Departmentof Corrections for 15 years.In 1985 Chozen began leading a small meditation group in her home inPortland. As the need arose she began to give Dharma talks, guide students andlead intensive silent retreats. As the group grew the weekly zazen practice movedto the Dharma Center in Portland. Requests for residential training led to theestablishment of Larch Mountain Zen Center in these forests above the ColumbiaGorge.Their mission is to make the Dharma accessible to people of all ages and backgroundsand to facilitate the transmission of an authentic teaching lineage. Theirinstruction is tailored to each individual and they use a variety of meditation practicetechniques, including breath, listening, koan study, and others that they andthe student feel are appropriate. Both Chozen and Hogen are very much in support85
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Golden Highways Revisited: 1998So it was with glad smiles that many familiar faces greeted us: Joseph Kappel(the former Ajahn Pabhākaro, whom we had just seen at IMS) – over from the EastCoast – was there with mother and sister, Mark Rasmussen and others from theCloud Mountain retreat, Steve Willhelm, Ani Tenzin Kacho, Metta’s aunt JaniceClark, Carole DeLima, August Barua, etc., etc.The advertised title of the talk was Buddhism from the Beginning and it was supposedto deal with the origin of the universe, the arising of the ego, the arisingof dukkha and the source of true happiness. It was a high energy affair and folksseemed to appreciate the words – I tried to keep it practical so we stayed near thelikes of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and samatha-vipassanā and enquiryinto the feeling of self.June 3 rdBy the time we returned to Stuart and John’s the batteries were pretty flat (a lotof folks had lined up to say hello and goodbye afterwards). So it was with greatdelight that the next morning was spent in the warm and colorful embrace of theirhome drinking coffee, talking of travels and tales of lessons learned, all to theaccompaniment of a Japanese countertenor/castrato type and the almighty blasts ofKarl Orff’s Wheel of Fortune – bathing in nectar-flavored morning light we delightedin the sweetness of each other’s company until, after Stuart’s gourmet repast wasover, we hit the road again – retracing the grey ribbon south to Portland.Thin green walls of fir rib the highway, screening the desolated landscapebehind them from view. Dark, snake-back road, the emerald channel and the overarchingblue – we move through patches of overcast sky every 20 minutes or so,now warm, now cool. Many trucks fill the flow of movement in both directions– rolling with us through the white man’s land, where all that remain of the last4,000 years of human occupancy are the sounds of local names, syllables of powerand living beauty: Nisqually, Shummchuck River, Kalama, Onalaska. Just south ofMidway Meats, Uncle Sam’s reactionary billboard has moved to the other side ofthe freeway – today it declares: “Indians police their own salmon catch? Would youlet the fox watch the hen house?” That’s the spirit!Rolling ever south, past the Harvest States silos at Kalama beside the river,roadsides lounge heavily speckled with California poppies, egg-orange golden inthe bright light. Pulling into Vancouver a little after 4:00 p.m., we stop to say helloto Virginia and William Barber – Ajahn Sumedho’s sister and brother-in-law. Ithas also been two or three years since I last saw them so there is plenty of news tocatch up on – the opening of the California <strong>Monastery</strong>, Ajahn Sumedho’s impendingvisit next spring, plus of course his intended trip to Tibet, to circumambulateMount Kailash in October – now there will be a tale to tell…Into the city of rivers and bridges and threading our way to Dharma Rain ZenCenter – round the corner from Mike Echols’ house, and Janné and Charles’ offHawthorne. It is not exactly an umbrella <strong>Buddhist</strong> outfit itself, more that severalindependent groups collaborate and use the facility for their own meetings.84