Misfortune. A wildfire caused by a lightning strike engulfed our Fugen Forest Hermitage in late August. Thankfully, most structures escaped damage, and only some infrastructure, such as water lines, will need to be replaced.

OBC Gathering at Throssel. Six monks traveled to Throssel Hole Abbey in late September for the two-week Order gathering: Rev. Masters Meian, Daishin, and Astor and Reverends Valora, Trahearn, and Vera. The rest of the community joined in on Zoom meetings and listened individually to recordings of other meetings. We thank Throssel for hosting the gathering and Rev. Master Haryo for all his work in making the gathering inclusive and a success.

Ordination Anniversary. In late September we were also happy to celebrate the 50^th ordination anniversary of Rev. Master Shiko Rom. We are grateful for her many years of training and appreciated a Dharma talk she offered on “Faith and Perseverance.”

Funeral. On October 7^th we held a funeral for Zuiko Hill Swann, aged 79, a former community member and long-time teacher at the Shasta Abbey School at Kannon Dell in the 1970s and 1980s. Zuiko had a significant impact on her students, who included many children of congregation members. After leaving Shasta Abbey in 1996, Zuiko trained in Vermont and Plum Village in France under the guidance of Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh. She had spent the last years of her life in Friday Harbor, Washington. The funeral was attended by her children and grandchildren, as well as by local congregation and several former students. A tea was held afterwards.

Segaki. The community offered its annual Feeding of the Hungry Ghosts retreat later in October. We welcomed over 25 lay retreatants, as well as Rev. Shuji Mintzmeyer, who leads Soto Zen Buddhist groups in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Manhattan, Kansas. The retreat was also offered online. Following the retreat, the Vimalakirti Hall (Guest House) closed for a month to allow the installation of a new heating system.

New Tractor. We welcomed the delivery of a new Kubota tractor on October 12^th, which replaces our John Deere tractor (“the green machine”), which has served us faithfully for many years, even though the demands on it exceeded its capacity.