Summer 2025

"It’s very humbling to realize how great the design of the universe is, because it is not fully comprehensible by any of us. But one can have a glimpse of the colossal size of it and how important and benevolent it actually is. Yes, all the suffering does go on, on an individual level, or so it seems, and so long as our faith stays true we can help that suffering by staying within the Third Position. That does not mean that we become cold-hearted, it doesn’t mean we can’t grieve. The Zen master can both grieve and cry, but his grieve does not overwhelm him so that he is incapable of acting, because he himself, or she, is rooted in faith and meditation. And the same can be true of every monk and lay person: if you are rooted in faith and living in the Third Position, then when the horrors of stupidity and ignorance come, you will not be overwhelmed by the suffering. Instead, you will want to renew your efforts, both at helping and strengthening your own faith and in helping and strengthening the faith of others."

Content:

• News from the North American temples
• News from the European temples
• Dharma offering
• From the editor

North America

U.S.A.

Shasta Abbey

Rev. Trung Nhu of the Duc Vien women’s monastery in San Jose spent a week with us in February following the community’s visit in February.

Rev. Audrin departed the monastery on 14th March to take up training with Rev. Master Hugh Gould as a resident of the Eugene Buddhist Priory. Following the end of the spring term on 30th April, our visiting novice from Nebraska, Rev. Shinkyu Cate, departed for the San Francisco Zen Center to continue his pilgrimage to various Soto Zen temples. He said he would like to return at some point. A few days later Rev. Owyn Summers returned to his temple, Lions Gate Buddhist Priory, near Lytton, British Columbia in Canada. We always appreciate his enthusiastic participation in the monastic life. Then following the Wesak Festival, Ven. Kalden Wangmo, formerly Rev. Berenice, left to return via various temples to her home temple in India, where she trains with Ven. Tenzin Palmo, a prominent female Vajrayana teacher and writer. We hope to see her again next winter.

On 5th March Rev. Master Daishin gave the Buddhist Precepts to Dan Needham, who had spent several weeks in the monastery’s lay resident program. Dan lives in Ventura, California. Rev. Master Enya was chaplain for the ceremony.

The annual Ten Precepts (Jukai) retreat was held 23rd–30th March. New ordinands who received the Buddhist Precepts this year included: Connor Barclay, Curtis Bell, Laura Bucrek, Jodie Campbell, Andreas Diakovasiliou, Rich Graziano, Marshall Mike Hall, Tatiana Rojas Hering, Paul Hutman, Katherine Larson, Erika Loomis, John Loomis, Samantha Seabrook-Sturgis, Gustavo Sumi, Joseph Suske, Nicholas Teal, and Christine Watts. Several trainees attended Jukai for the first time but had previously received the Precepts in their own temple: Ja’nice Hoobler, Michael Wahal, and Joy White. 

We also welcomed the participation of Rev. Master Meidō Tuttle and Rev. Clairissa Beatty from the Wallowa Buddhist Temple in Joseph, Oregon. This year Rev. Clairissa had the honoured role of serving as one of the three abbots for the special Jukai ceremonies.

The community was gladdened to hear that Rev. Valeria Allison had been named a master of the Order by Rev. Master Koten Benson on 6th April while she was visiting Lions Gate Buddhist Priory in British Columbia. Rev. Master Valeria has been training with our Order since the early 1970’s, first as a lay resident, and subsequently as a lay minister, at Kannon Dell, a Shasta Abbey property established in the 1970’s by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett for lay training, where Rev. Master Valeria raised her family. Her three children were among the first students at the Kannon Dell School, as well as at the Sunday Dharma School which was offered at the monastery for children of local congregation members. Rev. Master Valeria received ordination at Shasta Abbey in 2007 and continues her practice at both Shasta Abbey and Lions Gate Priory.

Wallowa Buddhist Temple

Wallowa Buddhist Temple congregation gathered on a bright spring Sunday morning to remember the Buddha’s Birth with our annual Wesak Festival Ceremony. The service was followed by an abundant potluck lunch and drop-in “open temple” afternoon. Friends came from as far away as Walla Walla and La Grande, as well as the small towns and mountainsides of our alpine valley, to ladle water over the statue of the baby Buddha and ring the temple bell.

In April Rev. Master Meido agreed to serve as Executive Secretary of the OBC at the request of the newly elected Head of our Order, Reverend Master Koten. She had served in this position many years ago under Reverend Master Jiyu, before the preponderance of computers. As she re-assumes these now more complex administrative functions, she is grateful for the help she is receiving from the outgoing OBC Executive Secretary, Rev. Master Oswin, and others, and is enjoying the opportunity this position provides to be more in touch with other monks in the Order. With Rev. Clairissa’s assistance, Rev. Meido plans to fulfil her Order duties remotely from the Wallowa Buddhist Temple, while continuing to serve as Prior.

In early June, Rev. Clairissa represented the Buddhist perspective on a multi-faith panel at our local Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, in one of a series on “Building Community” sponsored by Oregon Humanities, engaging in a rich discussion focused on how practice of religious faith enriches individuals of our local community and benefits our community as a whole.

Our temple podcast, Serene Reflections: From the Heart That Seeks The Way, is available for free download, or for listening on our website or on any of several podcast platforms. Each talk lasts about half an hour or less. These gentle, introspective recordings flow from Rev. Clairissa's reflections on myriad facets of our Soto Zen practice. We hope you’ll find them as helpful to hear as we have found it to offer them.

Our ongoing schedule of activities flows on. This spring we have had the delight of welcoming several retreat guests (including three monks) for a series of one-to-two-week individual stays in our Retreat Guest House. Hosting individual retreats has been one of the main functions of the Wallowa Buddhist Temple since it began over two decades ago. Wherever you are, if you are considering an individual retreat here with us, we invite you to contact us via our website to discuss the possibility.

Still Flowing Water Hermitage

Earlier this year the Bear River Meditation Group compiled a new Daily Scriptures booklet using gender-neutral pronouns. This made our old booklets obsolete, and in an effort to treat them respectfully we held a Segaki Toro-like burning of them in mid-April. It was a balmy evening, warm enough to be outside, and cool enough to enjoy the little bonfire lit in a fire grill belonging to members. As we chanted appropriate Scriptures, each of us tossed the old booklets into the fire. The ceremony was followed by tea and treats. It was a splendid evening, and a poignant way to dispose of these meditation group treasures.

Our Sunday Sangha mornings continue. This is a time when we come together, usually outdoors at someone's home, sometimes on Zoom, to discuss what our lives are like as we age, become ill, and approach death, and how our practice of the Dharma helps. These are very intimate and timely conversations that we all seem to appreciate.

Canada

Lions Gate Buddhist Priory

It had been a long, cold winter and we were grateful for spring, which arrived “gradually, then suddenly” this year. And with the warmer weather, we have seen many visitors. They have come from far and wide, including a gentleman originally from Serbia who writes for a Serbian-language mountaineering magazine.

On April 1, Rev. Valeria arrived from Shasta Abbey for a six-week visit. On May 6, Rev. Master Koten named her a Master and presented her with a “forest nyoi” (lotus sceptre) which he had carved many years ago. Several people came for the day and offered a celebratory lunch. We congratulate Rev. Master Valeria and wish her all the best in her continuing training.

In early May, the newly rebuilt Chinese History Museum on Lytton held its grand opening. The monks of Lions Gate were invited to offer incense and chant scriptures. Several dignitaries were present. The museum, along with 90% of the town, was destroyed in a catastrophic fire four years ago.

On May 15, Rev. Owyn arrived back from Shasta Abbey. The plan is for him to spend six months here, which is the limit he is allowed as an American citizen. We were very happy to welcome him.

We held our Annual General Meeting on May 17, during which time the 2024 financial documents were presented and the board of directors was elected. About 20 people attended in person or via Zoom.

The following day (May 18), we held our Wesak celebrations with a ceremony followed by a celebratory feast at Bodhidharma Hall, were all 11 people in attendance, enjoyed each others’ company.

In early June Rev. Master Aurelian and Rev. Owyn visited Stein Valley N’lakapamux School, a First Nations (Indigenous) school in Lytton, to speak with about 20 students, aged 14-16. We spoke about meditation and Buddhist practice.

Europe

U.K.

Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey

Jukai in April saw the following lay trainees receive the Precepts from Rev. Master Berwyn: Lee Bristow, Martin Collins, Isla Davie, Geert De Meyer, Sam Jones, Adele Gwynn, Luis Luengo Gonzalez, Wasim Haque, Mark Huitson, Ritsuko Okamoto and Gail Turner. We congratulate them all on this significant step in their training. Rev. Master Jishin, as well as Rev. Master Berwyn, gave teaching during the week, and Rev. Masters Finnán and Elinore were assistant celebrants for the ceremonies.

Wesak and the Family Weekend were blessed with fine weather this year, which meant the perennially-popular frisbee golf and barbecue were particularly enjoyable. Indoor activities included an origami class led by Ian White and art projects under the guidance of Isla Davie. 

Two distinguished monastic visitors arrived for a two-week visit in late May: Rev. Seck Lee Seng and Rev. Seck Cer Chun. Rev. Seck Lee Seng is abbess of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple where both she and Rev. Master Jiyu was ordained as monks by Rev. Seck Kim Seng.

Rev. Seck Lee Seng had been here before, in 2002, around the time Throssel was celebrating its 30th anniversary, and we were honoured to have her stay again. She was accompanied by Rev. Seck Cer Chun who has a long association with Cheng Hoon Teng – her master, the abbess of Cheng Yuan Temple in Taiwan, was also ordained by Seck Kim Seng. The photo below shows them at morning service.

The visiting party was completed by lay minister Brian Gay, and his Malaysian wife Ah Bong who have been living in Malacca for many years, and who organized the trip. During their stay we held a Festival Memorial for Great Master Seck Kim Seng, after which Rev. Master Berwyn gave a lecture on the similarities and differences between Zen training and that of Pure Land Buddhism, which is the main practice at Cheng Hoon Teng.

This talk can be downloaded or listened to on the Dharma Talks page of Throssel's website, where several other recent lectures can be found.

Other highlights of the visit included several delicious lunches which our monastic guests prepared with authentic Asian ingredients they bought at a Chinese supermarket in Newcastle; a day in Alston, which included a ride on the South Tyne Heritage Railway and a community work morning, spent pulling up thistles in the Myrtle Bank field.

Finally, the sewage system at Throssel, which has evolved piecemeal over many years, recently received a major overhaul. This included, among other works, removing the last three of our septic tanks (two of which had long been redundant).

Portobello Buddhist Priory

Telford Buddhist Priory

We’re delighted to share news of two significant improvements taking place at the Priory this summer.

Greener and Warmer: A New Heating System

On 21st July, Octopus Energy will be installing an air source heat pump along with several new radiators. This marks a major step forward in making the Priory more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Thanks to a government grant, we’ve been able to cover the cost.

This change means we’ll be moving away from our existing gas boiler and instead using clean, renewable electricity. Plans are also in place to install an induction hob and cap the gas supply entirely. We hope the new system will bring much-improved comfort during the winter months.

Germany

Dharmazuflucht Schwarzwald

We had the great joy of having Rev. Master Mokugen come and spend time with us during the first part of April. Lay Minister Irene Mueller-Harvey collected her from the airport in Basel and drove her to our temple, and at the end of her stay with us kindly drove her back. Rev. Mokugen was also able to spend some time with Irene and her husband Hugh, who live only about 45 minutes away from the Dharmazuflucht Schwarzwald.  We thank Irene for her generous help. 

The Netherlands

De Dharmatoevlucht

Dharma offerings

Occasionally, I have taken experiences onto a deserted island thought experiment. There isn’t a problem that cannot be resolved on that island.

I find myself on a deserted island without knowing how I got there. The island is large and fertile. The initial shock to my nervous system and psyche is deeply challenging, the adjustment period promises to be long and intensely painful, should I survive. I might not last very long at all, survival is hardly the point. Escape isn’t the point. ... Continue reading

Readers of the OBC newsletter might like to know that I recently had an article published in 'Catalogue and Index’, the quarterly journal of the MDG (the Metadata and discovery group), which is a special interest periodical, published since 1966 by CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), in the UK.

This came about after having finished writing a catalogue of Buddhist literature with translations into the English language, when I noticed an article online about cataloguing ethics which contained an assertion that felt ‘off’.

As most of us will be aware, we live in times when people find opinions hard to let go. In fact, people not infrequently take sides in arguments and defend their opinions as a way of defining themselves – a personal choice that is in many ways the opposite of what we choose, either with our words or through our practice. ... Continue reading.