Address: 1190 South Street
Redding, CA 96001
USA
Telephone: (530) 962-0317
Temple Website: Redding Zen Buddhist Priory
Chief Priest: Rev. Helen Cummings
Portland Buddhist Priory Prior
From Rev. Master Haryo: “After 18 years as Prior of the Portland Buddhist Priory, Rev. Master Meiko Jones has returned to Shasta Abbey as a permanent member of the community. On November 10 she offered the temple bowing seat to Rev. Leon Kackman, and he is now the new Prior. I am deeply grateful to Rev. Master Meiko for all that she has done over the years, the real nature of which is perhaps only known by those who have served as long and faithfully as she has. I am also very grateful to Rev. Leon, who has been willing to follow Rev. Master Meiko in the line of priors which stretches back some 40 years. My best wishes to him and the congregation as they get to know one another.”
Wolk-en-Water Hermitage (Cloud-and-Water Hermitage)
Address: Kerkeweg 81
8484 KB
Langelille
NETHERLANDS
Telephone: 00 31 561 475 306
Website: Wolk-en-Water Hermitage
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Chief Priest: Rev. Hakuun Barnhard, MOBC
2015 Monastic Gathering
Bowing at morning service
Many of the monks of the OBC recently met together at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, UK for our biennial gathering. We had agreed it would be good to get together every two years to keep in touch with one another and to discuss issues arising from our common practice, and that every third meeting in the sequence would be set aside to review and revise our rules at a Rules Conclave.
Although much can come out of them, these gatherings are not intended to be times to conduct the more formal business of the Order as we do during conclaves, rather, they give us an opportunity to renew acquaintances and friendships and to generally strengthen our Sangha connections. Besides the main scheduled morning meetings there was plenty of opportunity to meet in smaller groups or one-on-one, or to just enjoy the beautiful Northumberland countryside.
This year we wanted to focus our discussions primarily on the issues around meeting the needs of the monks, temples and monasteries of the Order as we get older. We started with a session reflecting on what it means to be a monastic order and the value of an attitude of caring about and for one another.
Meeting
Some of the issues talked about were the future staffing of temples, finances, the possibility of building specialized facilities , the legal issues around the end of life, and issues around taking care of our physical health. Moving through our discussions were the questions of how we preserve our own monastic vocations in diverse circumstances, maintain and grow our monastic numbers, and preserve the spiritual purpose of our practice not only for ourselves but for our extended sangha as well.
While we did not come to any major decisions, like many people, we are preparing to address issues around aging in a step-by-step fashion. Rev. Master Haryo nicely gave expression to our immediate purpose by saying that we are human and “there are things that human beings often deny about their existence” so our talking about the realities that we all must face in the later years of life help to counteract that denial.
In addition to talking about the topic of aging, we also had sessions on training with emerging technologies, relating to and supporting lay practice and our common liturgy and how we might wisely tend to its evolution. All in all, it seemed that our time together was a positive, peaceful time that was well spent.
