The Priory offered the Dharma to our larger community in several ways this spring. In March we welcomed Rev. Master Daishin Yalon of Shasta Abbey for a three-day visit. Rev. Master Daishin spoke with the congregation on cultivating trust in the Precepts on our Wednesday, March 3 meeting, then offered a public Dharma talk on Great Master Dogen's Tenzo-kyokun: Instructions to the Chief Cook on March 4. We thank both him and Shasta Abbey for sharing their time and teaching with us.

Then on April 6 the temple hosted a visit from Tony Vandermere's 45-student World Religions Class at Corvallis High School for the third year in a row. The students stayed for one and a half hours asking questions about Buddhism and monastic life; they considered the visit to be one of the highlights of their semester. Also in April lay minister Nancy Fletcher contributed "The Face of Compassion," a talk about Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, as part of an interfaith service with the theme of "The Sacred Thread: Feminine Attributes of the Divine."

On April 10 the Festival of Manjusri Bodhisattva took place after morning meditation followed by a full day retreat of meditation and formal mealtime ceremony. The retreat continued the following morning beginning at 6:30 a.m with the Avalokiteshvara Morning Service. Some members stayed throughout the entire week-end retreat while others came for short periods. The retreat ended on Sunday with private Dharma questions and a short Dharma talk.

After the members meeting on April 17 several members stayed to move the new Chinese rosewood altar into the meditation hall. A complete rearrangement of the library/community room evolved and included adding a new bookcase for Buddhist scriptures and Dharma writings . Everyone was taken by how beautiful the new altar looked in the hall (see photo at beginning of calendar). Venerable Tzu Tsai Shih, a Taiwanese female monk in the Chinese Pure Land tradition, gave the altar to the Priory when she and her disciple relocated. She expressed the wish that the altar with its lovely wooden yew statue of Kwan Yin would remain in our temple in order to "bless the people of Eugene and the area." We are very grateful for this wonderful and beautiful gift.

The May schedule began with a CD showing of an animated version of the Life of Buddha created by a Buddhist organization in Singapore. The telling was very enjoyable with many valuable teachings throughout. The next week-end offered members of the Sangha an opportunity to retreat in remembrance of Wesak, the holiday commemorating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. Retreats help to strengthen training through extended periods of meditation as well as valuable Dharma teachings by the Prior. Again the retreat continued the next day with the always well attended private Dharma questions (formal sanzen) offered to each member present.

And on Wednesday, May 12, the Readings and Songs of Wesak was celebrated. Members of the Sangha presented the readings, alternated with the taped recording of music by Shasta Abbey monks. A short Dharma talk and an informal tea with warm and friendly discussion followed.

Following a two-hour work morning blitz attended by 15 members on Saturday, May 22, the Festival of Wesak was held on Sunday, May 23, to a full capacity group of members, their families, and a good size children's contingency. After meditation the ceremony began. We chanted a new "Birth of the Buddha Litany" composed by monks at Throssel Hole Abbey, then the children offered their lotus buds to Rev. Oswin for blessing, placed the flowers in the canopy fountain at the altar, and ladled water over the baby Buddha giving him his "first bath." Watching the children make their sincere and pure offerings is always a special delight for the adults. The entire congregation then formed a procession to ladle water over the baby Buddha, too.

After the ceremony Rev. Oswin gathered the children together in front of the altar and read a story from the early life of the Buddha. By the end of the reading it had their full attention. On behalf of the temple Rev. Oswin then gave each child a small rosary set which Jan Hiatt had kindly prepared. The congregation generously presented Rev. Oswin with several translations from the Pali Canon and donations toward a stupa area.

Before settling down to warm fellowship and a lovely potluck, everyone went outside to ring in the Buddhist year of 2548 on the temple bell. While tolling the bell each person bears in mind a particular focus or koan to work on for the upcoming year. In all there were four members turning 60 years of age who stepped up to be the first bell ringers. Buddhism teaches that turning 60 is a significant event in one's life as one begins to "ascend the mountain."

Congratulations to Louwellyn Jones who received the Buddhist Precepts from Rev. Oswin at a lay ordination ceremony on Sunday, May 23. Afterwards in private Rev. Oswin showed Louwellyn his Transmission Bloodline silk illustrating the lineage connection through him and Rev. Master Jiyu to Shakyamuni Buddha. A talk on the source of the Precepts followed. We wish Louwellyn well in her future training.

Please take good care in your training. Thank you for all you do. May we all have a fruitful new year in our Dharma practice.

The temple is still missing five liturgy books and Zen Buddhism: A History: Japan by Heinrich Dumoulin. Would you please check to see if you have it at home and return them soon?

The long awaited cookbook from Shasta Abbey is here! Entitled Cooking with Gentle Heart it features almost 400 recipes, two hundred of which come directly from the kitchen of Shasta Abbey.  A number of the other recipes were offered by our Priory members. Copies are available at the Priory cost $22, or you may order directly from Shasta Abbey Buddhist Supplies (supplies@BuddhistSupplies.com). All proceeds go to help the Abbey finance the construction the Bodhidharma Hall, a residents for monks at the monastery. The building is nearing completion and they hope it can be occupied soon.

During the summer two longer retreats are offered: one is an introductory retreat on July 13-18. The other is week-long retreat offered by Rev. Master Meian Elbert, the Vice-Abbess. The topic of study for her retreat is Great Master Dogen's Gyakudo Yojinshu, "Important Aspects of Zazen/Meditation."

In keeping with our intent to restrain the senses and cultivate a pure heart, please wear clothing at the temple that is both comfortable for meditation and at the same time respectful and neat. Body and mind being one, how we treat and regard our physical form can have a significant impact on our spiritual practice. Also, as part of our Buddhist training we always consider the impact and consequences of our actions on others. Inappropriate dress includes shorts, jeans, tights, halter tops, tank tops, low cleavage dresses, T-shirts with loud slogans, heavy fragrances, and ostentatious jewelry.

We are very grateful for all the offerings of time, money, items, service, and merit which everyone contributes to make the Priory a place of Buddhist teaching and practice. Specific items received recently include: a wind chime for the temple entrance, Wesak streamers, flowering bedding plants, two white lotus candleholders, peanut butter, granola, brown rice, tempeh, baked beans, apple crumble, black-eyed peas, quinoa, tofu, almonds, hazelnuts, soymilk, tea, lasagna, bread, cheese, carrots, cabbage, herbs and spices, raisins, gravy and sauce mixes, fruit, liquid amino acids, basmati rice, cooked millet, an abundance of produce and delicatessen food from Sundance Natural Foods, baked beans, green salads, tofu pate, challah bread, corn chips, humus, sour dough starter and recipes from the Portland Priory, rye bread, bread pudding, flower seed, butter, chocolate, homemade bread, corn chowder, bagels, lentil soup, a meal from a local cafe, cookies, pumpkin bread, raw vegetable finger food, Triscuits, mango, mashed potatoes, ravioli, green peppers, tomato sauce, cheese cake, strawberries, mixed greens, desserts, tamari, hot sauce, olive and coconut oil, honey, coffee beans, cakes for the Buddha's birthday (Wesak), apple-apricot sauce, sugar, a spaghetti meal for temple residents and visiting monks, ice cream, bran muffins, juice, sugar snap peas, and a copy of Cooking with a Gentle Heart; clothbound copies of Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera (a biography of an eminent Thai forest monk) and The Voice of the Buddha (an illustrated two-volume retelling of the Buddha's life in verse); a computer monitor and publishing program; photocopying and printing; bamboo poles, fence lumber, concrete pavers, garden hose hangers, Roundup, and a stone "mind-washing" fountain for the front porch; lamp switch repair, household goods, napkins, bleach, bath and dish soap, orange oil spray, dental floss, and money for shoes; picture frames and a no-stick frying wok pan; gift certificates to Sears and Sundance Natural Foods; cat toys, vitamins, litter, and glucosamine; and a workout treadmill.

We are also extremely grateful to Marta Hubbard for sewing a gold ceremonial kesa (monk's robe) and vestments for the Prior; to Rick Movsky, father of Jonah and Noah, for the loan of a wood splitter; and Rev. Master Haryo Young, the head of our Order, for a friendly visit and timely repair of a CD and tape player.

Items that we could use include: soy products (tofu, tempeh, milk, etc.), fresh fruit, rechargeable AA batteries, a half-dozen #1141 trailer/RV light bulbs, five upholstered folding chairs for the meditation hall, and a small air compressor.

"The two kinds of alms, material and spiritual, have the endowment of boundless merit:
Now that they have been fulfilled in these acts of charity, both self and others gain pleasure therefrom."
Thank you for all your kindness and training.

Credits & Feedback:Thanks go to Sally Meadow and Mike Running for their help with this calendar and news. Thanks as well go to Jerry Mohr, who maintains the Priory website and posts our calendar, news, photos and articles here.

Let us know if this webpage of our calendar and news is providing you with information and updates about the Priory in an easily accessible manner. Any thoughts or suggestions regarding format, design, articles, graphics, mailing, web access etc. would be appreciated.