Twenty-five retreat guests, including Rev. Clairissa from the Wallowa Buddhist Temple, attended the Meditation: Our Practice and History Retreat, led by Rev. Master Astor Douglas from August 14-21. Rev. Master Astor offered Teachings on the meditation practice which we have inherited from great teachers of the past. The focus of the retreat was to enrich our practice of meditation by learning about the teachings and examples of some great meditation masters, as well as meditating on the teachings as a way to learn and grow in our own practice of the Dharma. The retreat concluded with a festive brunch in the cool of the morning.

Victoria (Tori) Jones entered the postulancy on August 17. We wish her every success in her training.

On August 27th we welcomed a group of visitors affiliated with Dharma Drum Mountain for an overnight stay. The group consisted of six female and male monks, including Ven. Chang Wu, the director of Dharma Drum Center in Canada and five other monastics who live at Dharma Drum Monastery in Taiwan. They were accompanied by three lay trainees, two from Vancouver and one from Taiwan. Ven. Master Sheng Yen was the founder of Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha and one of the senior female monks was a direct disciple of his. Master Sheng Yen had visited our sister monastery, Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, U.K., about 16 years ago and had written fondly of his visit there, thus establishing an informal, friendly connection with monks of our Order and initiating this visit to Shasta by some of his disciples. After a tour of the monastery, some of our senior monks enjoyed an interesting and lively tea and discussion with the Dharma Drum monastics. We shared notes on how each of our traditions is organized and functions, as well as how we have been keeping our monastic training and Dharma teaching going after the passing of our founding Masters (Master Sheng Yen died in 2009). We also explored together many aspects of our meditation practice, our training and liturgy, as well as current attitudes towards Buddhist practice and monasticism in the west and in Taiwan. We all enjoyed a sense of kinship between our two Sanghas, arising out of the Dharma heritage of Chan or Zen practice that we share.

Over the weekend of September 2-4 we held an Introductory Retreat that was attended by 38 lay guests ranging in age from early 20s to mid-80s. We are grateful that we can share our meditation practice , and we appreciate the help given during the working meditation period, particularly for the help with firewood. Working meditation is an important part of Soto Zen practice.