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Haiku by Kevin Costa
Final Sunset Paints Herself
Train songs — crows calling —
Red Cedar entwines with steel.
Maggie walks through time.
Not Quite Right
Transmission that night—
no mirror, no dust alights.
Huineng hears no form.
Nothing Extra (無事)
no robe, nor bowl—
ordinary mind
functioning
Kevin (KC) Costa reports that all three poems arrived through practice with the Red Cedar Community. Kevin is a retired speech-language pathologist and longtime Zen practitioner living in Bellingham, Washington. His work has appeared in Frogpond 49.2, the Haiku Society of America’s 2026 Members’ Anthology, and PJCA Islamabad’s 1st International Haiku Anthology 2026, produced in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan
Many thanks to Myoshin Mari for her diligent, dedicated service to the sangha as Ino (Zendo Coordinator) for the past 2 years.
Seishin Tyndall will be entering into a fuller role in the Zendo as our primary Ino, and will be joined by Junka Ken Oates as co-Ino; please give Junka Ken a warm welcome!
A note from our Board of Directors and our Practice Leaders.
Dear Sangha,
We are happy to share some joyful news with the Red Cedar Zen Community.
Our founding teacher, Norman Fischer, has recommended that our guiding teacher, Nomon Tim Burnett, be installed as the abbot of Red Cedar Zen Community through a formal mountain seat ceremony. Not every Zen community has an abbot. Traditionally, a sangha takes this step when it has become a stable practice home and wishes to express its confidence in the continuity of its practice and its commitment to the Dharma for future generations.
The Board and practice leaders received Norman's recommendation with deep appreciation. After many conversations together, we found ourselves in wholehearted agreement. With Nomon's acceptance, we are delighted to announce that Norman will officiate Nomon's mountain seat ceremony in 2027.
Over the coming months, we will begin preparing for this important event. Together we will sew a new okesa for Nomon and build the traditional mountain seat used in the ceremony. Everyone in the sangha is warmly invited to take part in these preparations.
This ceremony recognizes Nomon's many years of practice, teaching, and service. It is also a celebration of our sangha and the life we have built together. We look forward to sharing this milestone with all of you.
-- Kanho Chris Burkhart, Seishin John Wiley, Seiu Hannah Sullivan, and Myoshin Mari Ritalahti for the Board and Practice Leaders.
From Nomon Tim: Mindfulness is Remembering
I was at the dentist yesterday for a cleaning and exam.
Laying there for an hour as my hygienist and dentist did their thing, I found myself thinking about gratitude. Rather than being annoyed or impatient, or wasting time spacing out, I brought to mind how fortunate I am at age 60 to have good teeth to eat with. I marveled at the specialized dental tools in the hands of a skilled caregiver removing plaque so effectively. I reminded myself of my good fortune there's a good dentist in my town at all; that I had the resources to go regularly. It was a powerful shift, and I was grateful for that in itself: that I'd remembered a deep truth about this life. There is so much to be grateful for.
Generally when I teach mindfulness I focus on the core truth that there's great value in learning to be more present — to "time travel" less. By which I mean less ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. While it's good to learn from what happened and plan for what's next, we so easily overdo this powerful mental ability and end up anxious and worried. Learning to be more present is genuinely valuable all by itself.
But in the Buddhist tradition the mental factor called sati in Pali — smṛti in Sanskrit — carries a strong connotation of remembering. It's not so specifically about being present.
In my practice lately I'm seeing how the Dharma wisdom I've studied, learned from teachers, and thought about over the last 40 years doesn't always come to the fore of my mind. If I'm honest, it might be fair to say it rarely does!
It's so easy to fall into our usual conditioning. Something bad happens, you don't like it, you complain, you try to get rid of it. Mindfulness — in this deeper sense — is bringing to mind the Dharma truths that apply to everything. To remember to examine the layers of assumption in these reactions: that the "bad" in something bad happening isn't as simple or true as the reactive mind makes it out to be; that our reactions often mask an attempt to reject realities like impermanence; or to avoid taking responsibility for our part in the situation; and that complaining not only brings no relief, it actually makes things worse.
So easily we forget.
There are times when the important things are easy to remember!
We don't need to beat ourselves up for this forgetfulness and self-centeredness — we come by it honestly as conditioned beings.
And the good news is that we can learn deeper truths. Truths that actually serve us well. Truths that relieve suffering through a deep and subtle understanding of the nature of suffering.
We can learn them — that's wonderful. But all by itself that doesn't do a lot. We also have to remember to apply them. Especially when we're feeling the friction, or the pain, of living our lives in the topsy-turvy everyday realm the Buddhists named samsara.
On the way to the dentist I had driven by the blood bank.
And so in the dentist's chair, remembering gratitude, I also remembered generosity. I remembered the text messages I'd gotten recently saying, "blood supplies were low, please come donate" — and how each time I'd felt a moment of sympathy and quickly forgotten as I swiped on to the next thing.
I remembered how there's always some resistance to generous acts: I don't "want to" have one more obligation, one more appointment; I don't "want to" give away things like my hard-earned money or my blood.
So as I remembered generosity in the context of gratitude, I remembered how deeply good it actually feels to tell that "I" to take a little break while the Buddha within gives to this world in need — with joy, and, yes, sometimes with tears.
So once I got home I made a blood donation appointment. I'm sure I'll be met by kind people at the blood bank who understand these truths, too. Their whole field is built on people remembering their generous hearts and giving away their own blood for strangers they'll never meet! An everyday miracle happening in communities all around the world.
So, dear friends, let's practice mindfulness in this deeper way too — as remembering the truths that bring real wellbeing and peace to a world that so easily strays into narrowness and suffering. Gratitude and generosity are high on my list right now, how about for you?
This is our true nature. And, thank goodness, it's possible to remember. Again.
With love and a deep bow, Nomon Tim
Greetings from the Board!!
For those I haven’t yet met, my name is Myōshin Mari Ritalahti, and I currently serve as Board President. I’m joined by Ariel Paulenich, our Secretary, and Kristina Blake, our Treasurer. We work in collaboration with our Guiding Teacher Nomon Tim Burnett.
Although the Board has been quiet publicly, we’ve been working diligently behind the scenes, and we want to share several important updates with the community.
We recently consulted with an attorney and updated our bylaws to ensure that Red Cedar Zen Community is in full legal compliance as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This work strengthens our foundation and supports the long‑term health of the sangha.
We have created a new section on our website outlining our ethics guidelines and our complaint and concern procedures. Our intention is simple: everyone who comes to Red Cedar should feel safe practicing here. And if concerns arise, we now have clear, accessible pathways for addressing them.
We'll be consulting with Thomas Bruner, the consultant we worked with when we raised the funds for our temple, to help us understand and address our current financial deficit and to create a sustainable financial plan for the future. Our goal is to move Red Cedar out of the red and back into the black with clarity and care.
We are in the process of developing a proposal for a revised organizational structure for Red Cedar. This work is important because our sangha has grown and evolved, and our current structure no longer fully supports the needs of our community. A clearer, more stable structure will help ensure healthy boundaries, shared leadership, and long‑term sustainability. And make it easier to plug in and volunteer.
Our draft proposal is now heading towards the Practice Leaders and others for additional input and refinement.
This process has included extensive research into how other sanghas operate and will continue to involve conversations with our Committees.
Our proposal will be shared with the wider sangha for input at our Annual Meeting on November 22 at 1:00 pm.
We are shaping this year’s Annual Meeting scheduled for Sunday November 22nd at 1pm to be a place of celebration, connection, and inclusivity. We will also share a list of volunteer opportunities, ranging from pulling weeds or doing a load of laundry to serving on committees or helping lead Workgroups. There is truly a place for everyone to contribute, in whatever way feels right.
Thank you for being a part of our sangha!
Even though the Board has been quiet, we have been working to reorganize ourselves so that we can best support our sangha. We are committed to transparency and open communication. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at mtritalahti@gmail.com.
With deep bows and gratitude, Myōshin Mari Ritalahti Board President, Red Cedar Zen Community
Our annual 8-week Practice Period is online and ready for sign ups.
Fall Practice Period runs from September 2nd through November 8th. The Opening 3-day Sesshin at Sansui-ji is over Labor Day Weekend and the Closing 3-day Sesshin in at Samish Island in November.
This year we will be led by Shuso (head student) Juriki Samuel Senerchia.
Learn more about Practice Period and Juriki and sign up at Practice Period 2026 - Overview + Application. (And note that you can now sign up for all PP events except Samish Sesshin in a single registration).
Juriki Samuel Senerchia - this years Shuso (head student for Practice Period)
SUNDAY MORNING PROGRAM PAUSES FOR SUMMER
Our weekly Sunday morning program is taking a summer vacation to enjoy hiking and quiet time at home. The last meeting will be on Sunday June 7th (followed by a sangha potluck!). Weekly Sunday morning practice returns in August with the Fall Practice Period.
NEW SUMMER EVENTS
Half day "Simple Sits" on Sunday mornings July 12th and August 9th.
New annual celebration of the temple and the coommunity at Sansui-ji's First Birthday Party on Saturday August 29th.
WEDNESDAY EVENING DHARMA SEMINAR PROGRAM CONTINUES (with one week off)
Wednesday evening practice continues through the year. The has starts at 6:20pm. Zazen, kinhin, service, and Dharma talk.
But there will be no meeting on Wednesday June 17th during the Samish Summer Sesshin.
While Nomon Tim is on his July sabbatical, Kanho Chris and Seiu Hannah will be offering a series of talks on the seminal Platform Sutra. Check them out June 24th - July 22nd.
Creations from our Gandavyuha cohort--Workshop #1
We spent a very fun afternoon exploring the vast realm of Gandavyuha (the last chapter of the immense Avatamsaka Sutra), accompanying the youth Sudhana on his travels, followed by our own explorations as we "entered into the Realm of Reality".
Below, enjoy the students' Dharma art! ~Desiree
I was delighted to attend the annual 2026 meeting of the Lay Zen Teacher's Association in Seattle a few weeks ago.
So!...What are those green rakusus about and, what is "Lay Entrustment?"
Lay entrustment is a role offered to a long-practicing student by their teacher. The person inhabiting the lay entrusted position has been authorized to teach, to give practice discussion, and act on the behalf of the teacher in some circumstances. We are teachers but not priests; and, our lay entrustment is designated by the green color of the Rakusu we sew for our lay entrustment.
(Editor's note: our lay entrusted teachers at Red Cedar are Seiu Hannah Sullivan, Heigaku Talus Latona, and Seishin John Wiley)
I spent five days in April with the Lay Zen Teacher’s Association (LZTA) annual gathering south of Seattle near a little point of park land called Dash Point. It’s a catholic retreat center on a bluff above the salt water; very contemplative and conducive to spending days together. The group is inclusive of all zen traditions so in addition to the Suzuki Roshi lineage, White Plum groups including Portland (Dharma Rain) Maryland, Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles (ZCLA), and Florida were represented, as was the Korean zen group from Seattle.
Presentations included Zed Talks(!): on a passionate interest of any kind. Our dharma friend Lee Nelson from Seattle talked from her research linking cellular science to spirituality. Another table host event featured art as a gate to koans (blank paper, colored pens and choice of koan included!).
It’s refreshing to be in community with a group of fellow practitioners, especially from different schools and geography. For many of us, sustained time together is largely silent. On this occasion, sharing our ideas and experiences with one another was time well spent; continuous practice.
(Did I mention the eagles and osprey?)
We had a joyous weekend celebration of peace and the Buddha April 18th & 19th.
Our 26-mile long walk for peace went very well on Saturday and on Sunday we celebrated Buddha's Birthday with an abundance of fresh flowers! Including fresh ROSE petals for our circumambulation around the zendo.
Thank you so much from our Sikh friends up north who brought flowers down for the the peace-walk.
We felt into the grace of taking thousands of steps in quiet peaceful contemplation as we scattered our petals and each of us had a chance to bathe the baby Buddha with sweet tea. Lovely.
The Long Peace Walk began with a water ritual at Boundary Bay within sight of the Peace Arch. Here Seishin serves as doshi with Wilderness Program Coordinator Reizan Bob as jisha and doan.
Then the walkers, led by Seishin and Reizan Bob, journeyed 26 miles south to Cornwall Park in Bellingham. Walking in quiet peace with pauses for rituals. We were supported along the way by generous volunteers in support vehicles and enjoyed a small gathering at a park in Ferndale and a group of supporters in a closing loop through Cornwall Park.
Our Zen-led interfaith peace group was delighted to be joined by members of HKL - Humility, Kindness and Love from British Columbia - a Sikh-led linterfaith movement launched in India in 2024!
Red Cedar Zen Community is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
