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Newsette

There are many things to celebrate in today’s Newsette – the opening of a long-awaited temple, the first priest ordination in many years at another temple, a lay entrustment, two new books by Branching Streams authors, and a change in the Soto Zen Buddhist Association’s membership policy.

Guiding teacher of Red Cedar Zen Community in Bellingham WA, Nomon Tim Burnett writes, “We just reached a milestone in our years-long process to open a Zen Community Temple in Bellingham. Our Sansui-ji (Mountains and Waters Temple) has just passed final inspection with the City of Bellingham and can now be fully used for Zen practice and community gatherings. The depth of gratitude I know we all feel is hard to describe. We did this. We did this together. We did it for our sangha, yes, and also for our world so in need of peace, wisdom, and compassion. May the temple be a center of just that for many, many years to come.” There will be an opening ceremony on August 30.

Austin Zen Center’s new priest is John Cooley, KaiMon GenDo: Opening Gate, Profound Crossing. Guiding teacher Choro Antonaccio writes: “This is the first shukke tokudo in a decade here. In attendance were Green Gulch Farm Abbot Jiryu (on his book tour through Texas, he spoke to the sangha the night before), three transmitted priests from Houston (Abbot Konjin Roshi, Zengetsu Vicki Glen, Seirin Tim Schorre) and Rev. Karen deCotis from San Antonio Zen Center.”

On August 12, Hoka Chris Fortin, Guiding Teacher of Dharma Heart Zen in Cotati CA gave lay entrustment to Chelsea True, True. Chelsea’s Dharma name is Meiyo Kogen, Luminous Mirror, Ancient Source.

Two books by Branching Streams teachers were published recently.

I Had a Good Teacher[T1] , a collection of Les Kayes’ Dharma talks and writings, was edited by his student Giuseppe Prisco, who leads a sitting group in Italy. Les Kaye, now Abbot Emeritus of Kannon Do Zen Meditation Center in Mountain View, CA was ordained by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and studied with him while working full-time in the corporate world.

Shinshu Roberts’ new book, Meeting the Myriad Things, a Zen Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s Genjo Koan, in addition to being a new commentary on one of Dogen’s often quoted works, is an invitation to learn how to study Dogen. Shinshu is the co-guiding teacher of Ocean Gate Zen Center in Capitola CA.

The Soto Zen Buddhist Association, of which many Branching Streams priests and teachers members, sent this message: “We joyfully announce that the SZBA has adopted the Cultivating a More Inclusive SZBA Membership policy. “ For details, see the SZBA website.

Other programs you may be interested in:

The Shogaku Institute is offering an online ten-week Introduction to Chaplaincy course led by Rev. Marta Dabis, guiding teacher of Jisso-ji in Ann Arbor MI. The class begins on Monday, September 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. ET. For more information, see: https://www.shogakuzen.org/introduction-to-chaplaincy. For inquiries and registration, email registrar@shogakuzen.org.

The September offering in the Soto Zen Buddhist Association’s yearlong series Actualizing and Sustaining Health Zen Communities, is a panel of speakers exploring Zen in Public: Social Action and Community Care, online on Saturday, September 20 from 2 to 3:30 pm ET. Hear from panelists with deep experience organizing public rituals and meditations to support social justice, creating cultures of sharing of food and material resources, deepening community relationships, standing in solidarity with folks who are marginalized, and finding creative public ways to manifest our bodhisattva vows.” Click here for September 20, 2025 event flyer.

I hope this news is encouraging to you. Our practice, alone and together, ripples out in ways we will never know.


 [T1]Add link to SFZC bookstoe