Spring 2020 News
Shasta Abbey Spring News
Precepts Ceremony. On November 23rd, long-time lay resident Adam Heller received the Precepts from Rev. Master Daishin. We were very happy to see Adam take this step in his training.
Monastic Guests. On November 28th, Rev. Caitlin Clark of Great Ocean Dharma Refuge in Wales arrived for a year and a half stay. We are very grateful to have her help in the kitchen. Then on January 6th Rev. Master Koten of the Lions Gate Buddhist Priory in British Columbia began a stay of several months. As a more senior disciple of Rev. Master Jiyu, we appreciate his sharing of teaching connected with her. We also welcomed Ven. Yan Jiao for five weeks on February 3rd—she is a monk at Dharma Drum Monastery in Taiwan. Lastly, we were happy to host short stays by Rev. Master Leon and Rev. Veronica during our closed period in January.
Closed period. During January we were closed to guests and had an uneventful time of quiet rest. A highlight was a meal offering by a monk’s grandparent. We all enjoyed the deep-dish pizza and cheesecake.
Monks receiving food offering
Animal Funerals & Memorials. We celebrated several animal memorials and funerals this past winter—in November, for Simba, Caroline Burke’s horse, and in December, for Cleo and Kay See, Allie Romanow’s cats. In February we said farewell to Miss Marple, the monastery’s feline matriarch. After a long life she died peacefully on February 6th, and Rev. Master Jisho conducted her ceremony the next day.
Miss Marple