A new feature for our newsletter: have news you'd like to share with the broader sangha in the newsletter? Just send your submission to newsletter@redcedarzen.org

Joanna Macy Tributes and podcast info Hannah and Desiree did two Dharma talks over the past two weeks in honor of Joanna Macy and her lifelong work as a Bodhisattva--EcoSattva.  If you'd like to view these, you'll find them here. They are entitled, "Chen's Mountain Flowers" and "Despair and the Bodhisattva Vow."  Also, at the end of Desiree's talk, she shared "The Elm Dance" Also, David Ketter, Sangha member, mentioned a podcast that features The Work That Reconnects (Joanna's organization) and includes interviews with Joanna over the last few years. David really recommends it. It’s called “We Are The Great Turning”.  Here’s the info. about it. Web site: https://resources.soundstrue.com/we-are-the-great-turning-podcast/  People can also access it on their phone by simply looking up “We Are The Great Turning”. Here’s the introductory blurb about it from the website: The Great Turning: Love, Courage, and Connection in the Climate Crisis We welcome you to the kitchen table of the legendary eco-spiritual teacher Joanna Macy, where we’ll dive into what it takes to live with our hearts and integrity intact in this time of global crisis. You’ll be guided into these conversations by Jess Serrante, a longtime activist and student of Joanna’s. Together, we’ll discover abiding wisdom that can help us stay joyful and energized as we work toward a more just and life-sustaining world.

Himalayan Painting & Cascadian Basketry art show in Ferndale "I am coordinating a show at the It’s About Time Cultural Arts Center in Ferndale that I thought your membership might find interesting.  I wondered how we might spread the word.  The show – Reflections of the Land – features seldom shown traditional and contemporary works by Nepalese artists from a private collection, alongside an assembly of captivating baskets woven by members of the Basket Weavers of the Salish Sea. The paintings embody the warmth and spirituality of Himalayan culture, ranging from intricate and colorful Thangka paintings of Himalayan Buddhist Deities to delightful depictions of Sherpa village life.  Bringing traditional arts closer to home with a contemporary twist, visitors can explore the world of basketry through an assortment of intriguing functional and decorative baskets woven from materials found in our own Cascadian bioregion. The Opening Event is Saturday August 16th from 1pm to 7pm.  Following that the show will be open Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays until September 27th, from noon to 5pm. If I’m able to submit something for  a newsletter, please let me know.  Otherwise I hope you might spread the word internally.  Please contact me with any questions. Thank you for your time! Alicia Wills Show Coordinator, It’s About Time Cultural Arts Center 2013 Main Street, Ferndale 360-941-1545 Aka_alicia@earthlink.net https://www.facebook.com/ItsAboutTimeCulturalArtsCenter An ongoing opportunity to support immigrant populations in our community is through  Whatcom Faith Community Immigrant Support if you'd like to help contact Carrie McCarthy at carolyn@carolynmcc.com to be added to the announcements list.

August Work Parties new!  Saturday August 9th and Sunday August 17th. 9am-2pm window each day. Continuing the trim painting, removing ivy from the parking lot (bring clippers), cleaning & organizing. We are so, so, so close....

One Day Sit; Sunday,  August 10th, 7 am - 3 pm at Sansui-ji (followed by the priest ordination ceremony for Seishin Tyndall. Hopefully held at Sansui-ji. Stay tuned.

Ordination Ceremony for Seishin Tyndall; Sunday, August 10th, 3:30 - 5:00 pm; join us in support of the Novice Priest Ordination (Shukke Tokudo) for Seishin Tyndall  as they receive formal priest's robes and bowls and begin their life-long journey as a Soto Zen Priest. Hopefully held at Sansui-ji. Stay tuned.

Opening to Nature Walk: Lake Padden; Satuday, August 16th, 8 am - 10 am; a mindful 2 1/2 mile walk around Lake Padden

Sansui-ji Opening Ceremony; Satuday, August 30th; 5 pm; 2509 Cedarwood Ave; come celebrate the grand opening of the temple!

Backpack: Mountains and Rivers Retreat; Saturday, September 6th, 1 pm; Hawk Meadow Farm; 1102 E. Kelly Rd; *this event requires a phone interview prior to registering

Hike: Ptarmigan Ridge; Saturday, September 13th; 8:30 am - 5 pm; carpool from Cedarwood Zendo or Nugent's Corner

Hike: Journey to the Source (Nooksack Cirque); Saturday, September 20th; 5 am - 7 pm; *a phone interview prior to registration is required for this rigorous hike of 12 miles over rough terrain

Practice Period 2025; Wednesday,September 24th through Sunday, November 23rd; overall application

2025 Practice Period Opening Ceremony; Wednesday, September 24th 6:30 - 8:30 pm; Sansui-ji temple; join us for this important evening of meditation and ceremony to open our annual 8 week fall practice period.

2025 Practice Period Opening Sesshin; Thursday, September 25th, 7 pm - Sunday, September 28th, 5 pm. Our opening sesshin with guiding teacher Nomon Tim and Shuso Junka Ken Oates opens the fall practice period.

Shuso's Way Seeking Mind Talk; Saturday, September 27th, 10:30 am; join us for the Shuso's first formal Dharma Talk.

Ordination Ceremony for Myoki Raizelah Bayen; Sunday, September 28th; 10:30 am - 1 pm; join us in supporting Myoki Raizelah Bayen as she receives her formal priest's robes and bowls and begins her life-long journey as a Soto Zen Priest.

Shuso's Class; Monday, September 20th - November 17th; on Zoom, 6:30 - 8 pm, as he guides us on a study of "The Path of the Committed Layperson in Zen"

Opening to Nature Walk: Heart Lake Circumambulation/Heart Sutra; , Satuday, October 11th, from 10 am - 1 pm...we'll chant the Heart Sutra while walking around Heart Lake

Hike & Ceremony: Closing the Mountains, Returning the Waters; Saturday, October 18th, 10 am - 4 pm; carpool from the Cedarwood Zendo or meet at the trailhead

Samish Island Fall Sesshin 2025 - On the Island and on Zoom; Thurday, November 6th at 4 pm - Sunday, November 9th at 4 pm--including our Jukai ceremony on Sunday* see below

Jukai Precepts Ceremony 2025Sunday, November 9th, 11 am - 12:30 pm; Join us for the Zen ceremony of Jukai--"receiving the precepts"--a ceremony of committment to the Zen precepts, Zen path.

2025 Practice Period Closing Sesshin; Sunday, November 23rd, 7 am - 5 pm; Sansui-ji; one day sit with Guiding teaching Nomon Tim Burnett and Shuso Junka Ken Oates closes the fall practice period.

Shuso's Dharma Inquiry Ceremony; Sunday, November 23rd; 3 pm - 5 pm; an important ceremony for the Shuso's training and culmination of the practice period. Join us for a question from the heart to share with the Shuso.

Samish Island Sesshin 2026 - Save the Date!! Friday, June 12 - Saturday, June 20th, 2026

It's amazing how often challenges and stress in our lives circles back to the Buddha's second noble truth.

As you know, he taught that suffering arises from the desire for something to be other than how it is.  Whether that something is me, someone else, something that's happening (or not happening), or the world in general.

How powerfully the conditioned mind is drawn to strongly towards the unpleasant state of wanting something to be different!

So much so that we can easily lose track of the blessings and supports in our lives. So much so that we're tempted to take ethical short-cuts and lose track of our precepts practice.

So much so that we can be so stressed out and miserable sometimes.

So it's felt for me off and on in these last weeks as the Sansui-ji temple project moves gradually towards completion. My mind has been repeatedly caught by various versions of the desire to be "done!" I don't want "gradually" anymore! I've felt sometimes like the kids in the back seat of the station wagon on a road trip: "are we *there* yet??!!"

One of the needed improvements for occupancy: address numbers.

As I write this, we are expecting three more building inspections to happen today which, if those three inspectors are satisfied with the state of our almost done building, will then allow us a "Temporary Certificate of Occupancy." With that in hand we can legally use the building for our programs.

This is particularly relevant today as months ago we scheduled at One Day Sit followed by the ordination ceremony for Seishin Tyndall this Sunday. At the time it seems like surely we'd be done my August 10th, but it's going to be down to the wire (if you're signed up: do keep a close eye on the email on Friday eve/Saturday morning to see what's happening on Sunday and where!)

I really want to be able to do these events in our temple. I really want us to get to start practicing at the temple. I really want all of our collective energy and zazen there. The Unitarians have been fine hosts, but it's time to get out of their basement. This desire is quite strong.

A strong desire easily gets obsessive doesn't it? Strong enough to do things to the mind. Strong desires, as I'm sure you've seen, can contribute to taking ethical short cuts. And strong desires easily lead to losing track of the positive while the mind hyper-focuses on the unmet desire.

I have a confession to make. I feel moved to admit that I was encouraging the leadership to consider starting programming at Sansui-ji before we receive that legal permission from the city. Just a few days before most likely but who knows!

This would have been a minor infraction only, but still, breaking the rules for our convenience.

The building, as far as we know after consulting our architect and builder, does meet the safety requirements needed to be approved for this temporary certificate of occupancy, but we don't have it yet. Why not just sit in our space, that mind of desire was saying.

But of course it'd be risky. I was reminded by a colleague that it's fine to have our folks volunteering to come work on the building. That there's is a certain assumption of risk in picking up a hammer or a paint brush in what you know to be a construction site. You'll naturally be more alert to the hazards of that environment. But it's a different thing to have a public event in an unfinished building. And of course if a worst case happened and someone was hurt, all we've built as a sangha is potentially put at risk.

I'm grateful the collective wisdom pushed gently back at me. Point taken. Thank you.

Reminders to practice do come in so, so many forms, don't they? I can get curious about how mind got there. I can renew my patience practice.

And the joyful part of this: I can refocus myself on the miracle of the whole thing.

The little sitting group that came together with a few friends in 1991 is now, 34 years later (!), close to opening a Zen temple in Bellingham. In a building we own. After doing a major remodel to turn that building into just what we need it to be. How is that possible? Amazing. Very amazing.

I smile and sigh as I think of the miracle of all of this. And I can't help but chuckle a little at the power of desire and impatience. And how it can cause stress and overwhelm so easily.

We'll get there. We are really, really, really close. (And if you have some time this Saturday, or next Sunday, or pretty much any time really: we could use all the help we can get.)

I hope to see many of you at the temple soon!

Maybe we'll have our first formal practice there this Sunday, or maybe it'll be next week, or the week after. But it'll happen.

And I'm so grateful: for the temple, for the sangha, for the teachings, and for the way life serves up so very, very many opportunities to deepen and renew the practice.

With love and a deep bow,
Nomon Tim

Well friends--it's truly, truly, truly almost here now after one last (we hope!) postponement.  The floors are all down, the doors are installed, the kitchen is in, the lovely stone counters are in place. A lovely shoji screen divider between the kitchen and Cloud Hall was even installed recently.  Our temple is gorgeous and only getting nicer. But there is enough construction work left to do that it's not quite time to start sitting at Mountains and Waters Temple.  Our lastest, and we really think final, forecast is that we'll start our weekly evening sits at Sansui-ji on Wednesday August 6th (6:30pm-8:30pm). At this point we'll also have our more immersive Zoom-in system for those who would like to join us that way. For the month of July we'll continue to sit at the church of our friends at Bellingham Unitarian for one last month of Thursdays (7pm-9pm).  And yes, you can still help: Attend the Late June Work Party this Sunday, June 29th. Reach out to the Design & Build Committee (Nomon Tim, Bob Rose, and Talus) if you have mid-week time and skills to share. Watch our website and email space for more updates. Have one more donation in you? We are needing to dip some into the reserves and appreciate help of any amount. And do add to your calendar:  Opening Ceremony at Sansui-ji temple "Opening the Eyes of the Buddha". Saturday August 30th. 3pm optional work party, 5pm potluck dinner, 7pm ceremony and meditation. Lastly, a bow of gratitude to the Bellingham Insight Meditation Society (BIMS). In addition to being again our keystone meditation tenant at the new building, BIMS recently shared that they'll be making a significant donation to help us finish up the project. Thanks BIMS!

As we take up residence in our new space there will be an evolving set of volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering to be part of management and maintenance type tasks for care of our new Zendo there will be many opportunities! You can email volunteering@redcedar.org or talk to Ariel Paulenich to learn more about opportunities for regular/ongoing volunteer opportunities or one-time help/events where your presence and participation will be appreciated. The Library Committee is almost ready to get off the ground! Thank you to folks who have expressed interest in the past, we will be contacting you soon. If you are still interested in shelving/sorting/organizing books and/or developing and managing an efficient lending system for our library let us know! Can you help us care for our new space? The Property Management Committee will be responsible for maintenance and general stocking of our building plus caring for the temple grounds. Everything from shopping to building repairs to mowing the lawn will be involved in this dynamic committee.

Dear friends, The Board would like to remind the sangha that per the Red Cedar Bylaws, "all meetings of the Board of Directors shall be open for observation by all Members of the Sangha". Our next meeting is on Tuesday July 29 at 5.30 in our Zoom Zendo. Our latest approved minutes from our May Board Meeting are available here: Meeting Minutes. Please contact the Board President, Mari Ritalahti, at mtritalahti@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. 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.

A new feature for our newsletter: have news you'd like to share with the broader sangha in the newsletter? Just send your submission to newsletter@redcedarzen.org

"Helping the Homeless"-- and invitation to Red Cedar from Duane Jager of HomesNow Yes, you can help the homeless by building tiny homes. HomesNow is building a tiny home village for the unhoused and they need your help. Each structure costs $7,000 in materials and donations are needed. All labor is volunteer and more builders are needed. To donate, go to homesnow.org. or contact board chair, Doug Gustafson, at 360-224-3727 To help build, arrive any time from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Saturday at 3300 Northwest Avenue, Bellingham. Ask for building foreman Dennis Rensink or contact him at 360-820-2220. Whatever you can do or give will help. Thank you.  (Read Homesnow flyer.pdf for more details)

A reflection:

The breath in the breath.  The body in the body. Yes--the Sangha body in the Sangha body.  

Samish is a time for moving into stillness.  A time of openness and permeability.  As we move into each other, we allow a softness without distinct edges--and yet--it is a time, as Kanho Chris reflected, to take the backward step, and shine the light within...

Everyone and everything reflecting and holding our deepest intentions...What a gift--this coming together for ourselves and for each other...

~Deep gratitude for our teachers, for the hard-working staff, for our close community of practitioners who traveled from many places, and for the many forms of beings who were present with us throughout our days at Samish Summer 2025.

Thank you to Kanho Chris for the exquisite photos.

Desiree

Late June Sansui-ji Work Party; Sunday, June 29th; 9 am - 4 pm; We'll be deep cleaning and starting some of the setup that will enable us to move in in August.

Hike: Opening the Mountains; Saturday, July 12th; 8:30 am - 5 pm; One full day mountain hike to open the mountains to practice

Opening to Nature Walk: Old Growth Meditation; Saturday, August 2nd, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm; "Sitting with the Old Ones..."

First Weekly Sit at Sansui-ji temple. Wednesday, August 6th, 6:30-8:30pm.

One Day Sit; Sunday, August 10th; 7 am - 3 pm; Join us for a day of sustained, quiet practice together at Sansui-ji; followed directly with our Ordination Ceremony for Seishin Tyndall

Ordination Ceremony for Seishin Tyndall ; Sunday, August 10th, 3:30 - 5 pm; directly after our One Day Sit* see above; join us as Seishin receives their formal priest's robes and bowls and begins a life-long journey as a Soto Zen priest

Opening to Nature Walk: Lake Padden; Saturday, August 16th; 8 pm - 10 pm; a mindful, twilight walk around Lake Padden; 2 1/2 miles; slight elevation gain and loss

Opening Ceremony at Sansui-ji temple "Opening the Eyes of the Buddha". Saturday August 30th. 3pm optional work party, 5pm potluck dinner, 7pm ceremony and meditation.

Backpack: Mountains and Rivers Retreat; Saturday, September 6th, 1 pm through Thursday, September 11th, 7 pm; *this extended backpacking trip requires a phone interview about your experience and abilities to complete the registration process

Hike: Ptarmigan Ridge; Saturday, September 13th; 8:30 am - 5:00 pm; a gentle, high altitude hike in fall colors; sometimes crowded as it is a very popular public hike

Hike: Journey to the Source (Nooksack Cirque); Saturday, September 20th, 5 am - 7 pm; an intensive long day hike to the source of the Nooksack River *a phone interview is required to complete your application

Practice Period 2025 Application; Start: Wednesday, September 24th; End: Sunday, November 23rd; Join us for the Fall Practice Period! 

2025 Practice Period Opening Ceremony; Wednesday, September 24th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm; Sansui-ji

2025 Practice Period Opening Sesshin; Thursday, September 25th through Sunday, September 28th; Sansui-ji temple, 3 day sesshin with guiding teacher Nomon Tim Burnett and Shuso Junka Ken Oates

Shuso's Way Seeking Mind Talk; Saturday, September 27th, 10:30 am; Join us for the Shuso's first formal Dharma talk during our fall practice period

Ordination Ceremony for Myoki Raizelah Bayen; Sunday, September 28th; 10:30 am - 1 pm; join us as Myoki Raizelah receives her formal priest's robes and bowls and begins a life-long journey as a Soto Zen priest.

Shuso's Class; Starts Monday, September 29th, ends Monday, November 17th; 7 sessions; Online Zoom Zendo + Sansui-ji on Saturday, November 1st

Opening to Nature Walk: Heart Lake Circumambulation/Heart Sutra; Saturday, October 11th, 10 am to 1 pm; 3 miles, mostly level; chanting and walking the Heart Sutra

Hike & Ceremony: Closing the Mountains, Returning the Waters; Saturday, October 18th, 10 am - 4 pm; 5 mile day hike to close the mountains to practice

Samish Island Fall Sesshin 2025 - On the Island and on Zoom; Thursday, November 6th, 4 pm through Sunday, November 9th, 4 pm; join us for our fall 3-day residential retreat on Samish Island

Jukai Precepts Ceremony 2025; Sunday, November 9th; 11 am - 12:30 pm; Join us for the joyful ceremony of "Jukai"--receiving the Precepts

2025 Practice Period Closing Sesshin; Sunday, November 23rd, 7 am - 5 pm; Sansui-ji; our One Day Sit with Nomon Tim Burnett and Shuso Junka Ken Oates closes the fall practice period.

Shuso's Dharma Inquiry Ceremony; Sunday, November 23rd, 3 pm - 5 pm; join us for this important ceremony for the Shuso's training and the culmination of the Practice Period.  Offer a question from the heart for the Shuso.

Samish Island Sesshin 2026 - Save the Date! Next year's summer Samish-- Friday, June 12th - Saturday, June 20th!

I had to practice letting go this last week. I was pretty committed, and a bit attached, to starting to sit at our wonderful new temple in July. A month or so ago that did look possible!

But you'd think after these years of planning, and permits, and construction I'd know that it never goes at the pace you hope it will.

Consulting with the Practice Leaders and the Inos helped me release my grip. And feel the ease that comes with that release. 

So rather than sitting in an almost-done construction zone in July we'll stick around at Bellingham Unitarian for the month. Note that I myself will be mostly away on my annual July sabbatical, but look forward to Kanho Chris's leadership and some wonderful talks on our Zen women ancestors from our Practice Leaders.

Now it looks so very, very likely we'll be all good to move in in August. Look forward to our first weekly evening sitting on Wednesday August 6th (new day and time: now Wednesdays 6:30pm-8:30pm). Not only will those in person have the pleasure of the new space but Zoom-in folks can look forward to a much more immersive and interactive Zoom experience.

We'll warm the space up in August and officially open the temple on Saturday the 30th - save the date! Sansui-ji Opening Ceremony Saturday August 30th. (3pm short work party, 5pm potluck dinner, 7pm ceremony and meditation).

In the middle of August we'll celebrate the 3rd anniversary of our purchase of the building. It does take a while to create a temple it seems, despite what that koan says about Indra planting a blade of grass! A lot of time, effort, cooperation, patience, money, and just about everything else you can think of.

The wonderful thing I noticed as I released from my fixation on sitting at the temple in July was a lot more space for the deep, deep gratitude we all feel.

I really can't believe we have enough support from everyone to buy a building and do the major remodel we did to have this lovely temple. Words just can't express how very unlikely and amazing this all is.

A group that started 34 years ago as 4 people in my front porch is now a mature sangha with a temple! Wow.

If you haven't seen the place yet, or haven't seen it recently, we have a work party scheduled for this Sunday and there will probably be at least one or two more in July and August as we move in. We have a special page for these you can check: Zen Work.

Thank you so much for your trust in the Dharma, in Red Cedar, in me and the other teachers. What a miracle this all is.

Sansui-ji Exterior, June 2025

With love and a deep bow,

Nomon Tim