Tim Nguyen shares, "I have been part of a Buddhist family my whole life from starting in Vietnam where we lived...so being here practicing feels very natural, having grown up Buddhist. My parent's teacher was Thich Nhat Hanh and they took me to many gatherings in Thich Nhat Hanh's community where I got used to sitting and practicing. I listened to many Dharma talks from the wonderful teachers under Thich Nhat Hanh also. Then around 30 years ago the family moved to the U.S.

My parents moved to CA and and some years ago I moved to Seattle. I was part of a Buddhist group in Seattle. The closest to my place was "SIMS"--sister group to BIMS--Bellingham Insight Meditation Society here.

When I moved here about 10 years ago, I was seeking a group, a community--and started sitting then with BIMS. Then I started sitting here too.  I feel that it is so important, as a community, to do more than just sitting--the activities draw me in--the work parties...the wilderness experiences (where this photo was taken) ...the social gatherings... These were all important in the community in Vietnam. It was all part of what we did--not just sitting--but building community together.

I miss that aspect, so, this is definitely why I enjoyed coming to the work parties at contributing to our new temple and helping out."

Tim relates that he comes as often as he can--(he takes that bus everywhere!) Hope to see you soon again, Tim, and thank you so much for your contributions to our new temple!  ~ interview by Desiree

Red Cedar Zen Community is currently welcoming new Board Members.

We’re seeking individuals who feel called to deepen their practice within the sangha and contribute to its evolving structure.

This is an exciting time of growth and transformation as we reorganize and refine our governance. If you’re inspired to support this process and help shape the future of our community, we’d love to hear from you.

Please contact Mari Ritalahti, President of the Board, at mtritalahti@gmail.com to express your interest or learn more.

Curious about the Board's work?

You can read last month's Board of Directors Meeting Minutes here. 

Members of Red Cedar can request access to Ananda, our online file sharing system, if you're interested in additional notes of the Board's doings.

Introducing Kevin Costa!

A few years ago, while exploring Bellingham as a possible retirement site, Kevin happened to pass by our Red Cedar Zendo at our old location on Forest St.  He says that he made a quiet commitment at that time to connect, if things worked out and he settled here.

Kevin moved to Bellingham in 2022 and found his way back to Red Cedar after settling in. He relates that his practice began many years ago where he sat at the San Diego Zen Center--with a much respected teacher, Charlotte Joko Beck. He participated there for some years, also attending offerings at San Francisco Zen Center, Green Gulch, and other Zen centers in CA and in NY.

He had been inspired initially by the solid, no nonsense teachings of Joko Beck--and inspired anew by Nomon Tim Burnett, after hearing him speak at Village Books on Mindfulness. His "profound and flowing dharma" re-connected Kevin to our Red Cedar Community.

Kevin is retired now, after many years as a speech/ language therapist and during those years, felt that the practice really informed his work and helped to bring skill to his interactions.  

His aspiration is to commit to practicing with clarity and sincerity, to meet life directly, embracing the unfolding of reality not as a problem to be solved, but as the very path itself. Sansui-ji temple and the Red Cedar Zen Community now embody this vow.

Thank you, Kevin, for your commitment to our Red Cedar Community!

Say hello to Devon (Dev) Brunner

Dev landed at the Red Cedar Community after searching for a meditation community around Bellingham. She had connected with sangha member Seishin Tyndall at a First Nation's sweat lodge around the area and it was there that Seishin introduced her to Red Cedar.  She has a deep connection to places of healing and renewal and has the aspiration to someday establish a retreat center around here which includes many forms of healing modalities, including meditation.

Dev is a yoga teacher with more than 10 years of experience, as well as scientist--and a gardener. She has a love of gardening and has a vision of perhaps including sustainable farming at the retreat center she is envisioning.

Dev was born in Texas, has lived all over the U.S. as well as in Thailand for her first few years, and remembers offering foods to the local monastics there.  The family traveled all over for her dad's work. She lived in Boston, and Boulder, CO, for a while also, and recently she was living in Dallas, working on a PhD program there, which she left, working on it remotely and then realizing that she had a yearning to move to the PNW.

She moved to Bellingham driven by the desire for green and ancient trees--as well as a place by both the mountains and the sea.

Dev has found Red Cedar to be a very beautiful and healing space as she was, and is, navigating through the ups and downs of life. She says she immediately felt loved and welcomed here.

Welcome, Dev!