tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6676542488466693382011-07-30T12:49:16.769-07:00Diary of a Buddhist and the community she communes withSakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-58710266837876929382010-05-26T17:54:00.000-07:002010-09-05T21:16:37.706-07:00

I've moved to www.thisupasikalife.com  Please visit and learn about my trip to the Himalayas with Ajahn Pasanno and Venerable Nyaniko. All the old posts are there, and a few new ones. Anjali - Sakula Mary Reinard

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-66041988705259051422010-02-27T11:21:00.000-08:002010-02-27T11:44:43.296-08:00

Heads up, this blog is moving to a new address. Please remain calm and the address will follow . . . I hope you will too.Sakula

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-26398077092349134672010-01-02T10:56:00.000-08:002010-01-02T11:13:09.570-08:00

This is brilliant! From Jonathan Reeda, a 20 year old's entry for a contest hosted by American Association for Retired Persons (yes I'm a member;).Turn your speakers up, relax and enjoy the wisdom of our youth:

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-676151447753398392009-11-27T13:43:00.000-08:002009-11-27T16:25:15.664-08:00

"I don't want to be judged by who I am"For over ten years now, Alistair has been Chef for our Thanksgiving gatherings and still I can find it a challenge to restrain myself from offering 'helpful' advice. Ahhhhhh....let it go Sakula, let it go...How to Serve up a pleasant Holiday meal:Take opinions from the freezerSet them on the counter till thawedRemove anything from the carcass not of personal

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-15584712052055582842009-01-02T11:12:00.000-08:002009-01-02T12:47:39.299-08:00

Resolve, according to Mirriam Webster is an act of determination; synonym is courage.Courage: from Anglo-French curage, from coer heart, from Latin cor — more at Heart: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.Heart: the emotional or moral as distinguished from the intellectual nature: asa: Generous disposition: Compassion (a leader with heart)b:

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-2682986808951675872008-12-21T19:10:00.000-08:002008-12-21T20:05:11.686-08:00

"It was Christmas and the foreign monks had decided to celebrate it. They invited some laypeople as well as Ajahn Chah to join them. The laypeople were generally upset and skeptical. Why, they asked, were Buddhists celebrating Christmas? Ajahn Chah then gave a talk on religion in which he said, "As far as I understand, Christianity teaches people to do good and avoid evil, just as Buddhism does,

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-58177212424771676082008-11-25T16:46:00.000-08:002008-11-27T10:00:23.292-08:00

Walking on the beach just as the Pacific tide turns back in on itself I lower my big stick to a meandering drag. Emotions settle from an off-key choral to a steady hum as my eyes lift off from the sandy shore. My visual path upward gets caught in a glint on a rocky dune. "Has someone lost a jeweled necklace or perhaps here lies a bottle broken?" A birseye view lands on the gaze of what appears a

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-77176164215521165512008-11-20T21:31:00.000-08:002008-11-20T22:25:21.544-08:00

Ajahn Sucitto says:From an article titled "What You Take Home with You""...Time then is a measure of desire – desire for continuity, desire for a certain outcome. It paralyzes us into expectation and anticipation or dread and worry. We skip over the present moment and get lost in something we imagine is out there in the virtual reality we call the future."..."The capacity to live in uncertainty,

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-51805803817240660822008-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:002008-11-10T08:02:59.792-08:00

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-5123289906386866352008-11-06T10:16:00.000-08:002008-11-06T11:38:49.969-08:00

Well golly gee, Change does happen! Congratulations to US!The world cheers with us once again, and even if only for this one day, this one moment, I'll take it.A few reactions that I found uplifting:Bhikku's BlogHerald Tribune: "There is the feeling that for the first time since Kennedy, America has a different kind of leader," said Alejandro Saks, an Argentine script writer in Buenos Aires. Or,

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-79350145085733974732008-07-06T11:30:00.000-07:002008-07-06T14:05:14.556-07:00

Three year old Natalie loves to paint. She explores colors and forms as readily as surfaces, bringing her body into play as she paints. She inspires me to reclaim my studio-now-storage space so I might join her in the fun.On the Fourth of July Natalie joined Alistair and I at a kids Alms offering for Laung Por Sumedho and Ajahn Panyasaro at our Buddhist center. Before leaving the house we

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-15637411538250743012008-05-22T16:27:00.000-07:002008-05-22T17:39:30.959-07:00

Tomorrow I leave for Alaska for two weeks, I wish I had time to write before heading out but oh well . . . time marches on and I'm getting older . . . . Hopefully I make it back to write again and share all the changes taking place. Graph of time series equation. (Courtesy of Daniel Bersak.)

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-86470882218001579982008-04-30T23:29:00.000-07:002008-05-01T02:30:28.817-07:00

Interesting how hard it is to take seriously a fear-of-falling when sitting on the ground. Especially when you've seen it all before. So someone throws a few punches and one or two of them land: its pretty easy to have compassion for the absurbity of the predicament. Marcus Aurelius scripts a fitting expression in his book titled “Meditations”, "As the performances in the circus or in other

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-87097372436684988732008-04-19T10:45:00.001-07:002008-04-20T14:47:08.785-07:00

The video at the bottom of this post reflects (according to moi) the best of worldly family. To be born challenged as the son documented here is, into a family with a father such as he has certainly demonstrates one of good kamma, one of good worldly fortune.Taking a second look I'm motivated by its message in an unexpected way. What will the son do should his father pass away before him? Perhaps

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-61543437881976757132008-04-17T20:08:00.000-07:002008-04-19T09:19:48.264-07:00

Have recently returned from an intense week at Wat Metta followed by another at Wat Abhayagiri under the guidance of two brilliant Masters (neither of whom would approve of my saying so but there you go, too late now). Ajahn Thanissaro coaxed, teased and flattened a particularly insatiable (and less than beautiful) habit of mine followed by Ajahn Pasanno shoveling up the pieces only to walk away

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-55751749495889301662008-03-24T17:18:00.000-07:002008-03-24T17:33:06.441-07:00

Much like my inner world these days, the skies here in Portland offer obvious contrasts: bright and dark, jagged and smooth, aggressive and calm. Watching the visual comings and goings in the empty space of spring offers dimensional form to the challenges of my emotional world. Interestingly, when looking from a point of view of my Buddhist practice, that which stirs fear and trepidation in my

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-46418490957001342442008-02-05T10:25:00.000-08:002008-02-05T13:12:24.155-08:00

Am offline for a bit of a retreat so will not be posting again till after the 17th of Feb. Taking a break for the phone, the computer, the car, and yes, even the web. Should I survive . . . will post again in a couple of weeks.In the meantime, I'll leave you a short video for your Nobel entertainment.Take the best of care and see you in a few weeks time,Sakula

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-70917753645696035462008-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:002008-02-04T21:58:58.556-08:00

Apparently parts of California are experincing their fair share of snow this winter. Here's a few photo's just in from Abhayagiri monastery . . .

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-80716138075709492932008-01-24T21:27:00.000-08:002008-01-25T07:30:03.006-08:00

Mom phoned. I picked up her message around seven p.m. and tried to return her call to no avail. So I called the front desk of the assisted living facility where she has been residing for nearly eight years now and asked them to check on her. They said they would and that they would have her call me back. Mom didn’t phone back.It’s interesting to watch my mind attempt to make up stories of why mom

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-6255183277060136662008-01-22T20:00:00.000-08:002008-02-05T09:25:42.829-08:00

This year, for the first time since 1962, we had snow fall on Christmas day; a teaser for what was yet to come. A few days later the news forecasted up to 36 inches to blanket the Cascades. Knowing how much I enjoy tromping in the snow, my daughter Amy phoned to invite Alistair and I on a snowshoeing trek. Within twelve hours she and her partner Michelle bundled us into their car, shoved lattes

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-47959028935482605082007-12-05T09:13:00.000-08:002007-12-05T12:18:10.141-08:00

Ajahn Thanissaro visited our center recently. I'm guessing his teachings took on a variety of themes dependent on the individuals of his audience. A theme that emerged for me was to actively take responsibility for the atmosphere of my heart and mind by paying attention to what perceptions I gave my attention to. As mentioned in my last post, my current practice is focused on loosening my grip

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-39194736352195526842007-11-29T11:16:00.000-08:002007-12-05T14:10:50.436-08:00

I began this blog with a somewhat narrow ambition: create a space to share the joy that arises from my activities with the Portland Friends of the Dhamma. As the Buddhist center grows I’m finding my involvement and responsibilities appropriately shifting and surprise, surprise, the changes do not always lead to the arising of joy, heh, heh, heh. Hmmmmm . . . My focus for this blog is no longer

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-70166211914735564952007-10-25T10:49:00.000-07:002007-10-27T05:28:27.845-07:00

Heavy fog tumbled in through the open windowpane of my bedroom this early dawn and complimented the “Good sign” which hung in formation to my first waking thoughts. Like many artist I often ‘see’ a thought before recognizing the ‘feelings’ constructing it. Having nowhere to go and nothing pressing to do, I decided to sit with this image and wait for the architect to arrive.Good SignHmmmmmm . . .

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-90315256541474751382007-10-23T23:28:00.000-07:002007-10-24T00:06:51.320-07:00

Ruth Dennison whirled through the Abhayagiri Monastery in good speed and with good deed. I was lucky to have traveled the 626 southerly miles a few days earlier and hence present for Ruth’s Dhamma. I was touched by her manners, her easy courage and natural strength. There she sat in the top corner of the darkened shrine room. Candlelight emphasized a sparkling mind and wrinkled body. Growing up

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-36296424773445878682007-10-21T15:48:00.000-07:002007-10-21T15:57:31.695-07:00

Tempatures dip and the rains return to carpet autumn leaves underfoot. The Mosier Summer Hermitage comes to a close. In seven days we’ll pack up the tents, fold up the blankets and send the monks on their way. It’s been a valuable experiment, I’m pleased how many folks took advantage of these venerables presence over these past three months. Maybe, with luck and a lot of good work, we'll have a

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-51529160791887192072007-09-30T11:42:00.000-07:002007-09-30T19:42:46.224-07:00

Alistair and I emerged from our camping/hiking/retreating into the Wallowa Mountains like two gliding geese landing atop a frozen lake. Cloaked in confident demeanors we did our best to gracefully slide through the exciting events ahead. Ajahn Pasanno traveled to Oregon along with attendant Tan Titabho for a six-day visit. Within this short time frame and with nary a sigh, Ajahn accepted three

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-75223675151397758392007-09-07T19:32:00.000-07:002007-09-07T20:10:25.203-07:00

For some reasons I’ve been stuck lately, having a hard time writing to this blog. Not sure why. Maybe after I return from a ten day camping trip with my husband Alistair I’ll be back up and writing. Don’t know.We’ll be camping in a ten by fourteen log cabin with a wood stove for cooking on one end and a huge river rock fireplace on the other. The toilet is an outhouse a hundred feet west of the

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-2798313438674437142007-08-19T12:14:00.000-07:002007-08-19T20:05:21.308-07:00

Went to the Hermitage this past Saturday to join in the morning Puja. It really feels like a monastery, the benefits of having monastics nearby is palpable. In Thailand, the presence of good practice would be supported by the presence of devas and nagas. Taking a stroll on the land there is evidence of good spirits all around. Of course this is America so it takes a bit of imagination to see

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-53142111532021792242007-08-15T08:18:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:54:50.417-07:00

Mike Nowak has just finished his Stewardship responsibilities for the Summer Hermitage and heads North. Thank you Mike for getting us through this initial phase of Vassa retreat. Your hard work is evident, your gentle nature is appreciated and your friendship is valued!Mike sat with Portland Friends of the Dhamma for several years while attending Reed College. Two years ago he opted to take a

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-42155417813864295332007-07-27T15:14:00.000-07:002007-07-28T05:06:23.046-07:00

This past Wednesday Joan and I drove out to the Hermitage to get the tents ready for the monks. We aimed to get ourselves off the land before they showed up for their first night of Vassa and though we arrived a full two hours later than originally intending, our mission was accomplished. Still, upon arriving I was feeling a bit of pressure to hurry up and finish which made for a mindfully

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-12211793000930653362007-07-21T21:27:00.000-07:002007-07-22T00:43:44.291-07:00

Ajahn Sudanto and Tan Karunadhammo arrived yesterday late afternoon. After a nights rest and a hearty meal, Scott came by and drove the monks and myself out to the Hermitage land. Alistair was there, Michael and Mimi too, getting a tent set up for viewing.It was a very good feeling to see Tan Karunadhammo inside the kuti and on the land where he’ll spend the next three months in retreat. I was

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-77328385535329173172007-07-16T08:03:00.000-07:002007-07-17T18:58:17.910-07:00

My grandson Maxwell will soon have my attention in full check, till then I’ll scribble down a very quick update . . .Four of us were back out in Mosier yesterday. Mimi and I worked on putting order to the cookhouse while the remaining crew of four continued to dig, pound and level. A strong and pleasant breeze made known the benefits of sweat while keeping the bees at a distance.Having finally

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-36946539819509733482007-07-10T07:56:00.000-07:002007-07-10T09:37:50.225-07:00

Woke up this morning to a cool breeze and smiling companion wispering "let's make some coffee and head down to the center so we can say goodmorning to Scott before he heads out to land."It is pleasant to live with a generous spirit whose first words encourage the mind toward the efforts of Alms. We dress and head downstairs, Alistair veers to the right to make coffee while I veer to left to check

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-667654248846669338.post-45719844656674781922007-07-08T15:54:00.000-07:002007-07-10T12:57:09.600-07:00

6:00 a.m.Meditating in the early morning with a few friends is a pleasant way to begin a full days work. With the Summer Hermitage quickly approaching a few Upasika's gathered for mediation, chanting and taking of precepts. The streets outside are unusually quiet, or maybe my mind simply lands on the sound of the birds lyrical chatter. Either way I welcome this calm beginning to the full day of

Sakula Mary Reinardnoreply@blogger.com