September 27, 2003
Nancy Haught
The Oregonian
Two Visiting Speakers Reflect
Regional Interest in Buddhism
Like a plant in fertile soil, Buddhism has taken root in the Northwest and shows signs of establishing itself here permanently. Not bad for a tradition that sees most things as being impermanent.
The number of Buddhist groups is surging in the region, and two fund-raising projects will feature lectures by Buddhist teachers in the next two weeks. The Northwest Dharma Association was born in the late 1980s and has been keeping track of Buddhist groups in the region since about 1996. Back then the organization knew of about 100 groups that practiced Buddhism, including Zen, Tibetan and Pure Land schools, says its president, George Draffan.
But by 2002, the association had gathered information on more than 400 groups, everything from large temples that serve as the center of ethnic communities to small living-room groups.
Another indication of the growth of Buddhism in the region is the expansion of several centers, Draffan said. The Great Vow Zen Monastery is transforming a former elementary school in Clatskanie into a study center and monastery, and Kagyu Changchub Chuling, a Northeast Portland center for Tibetan Buddhism, is developing a 240-acre rural retreat in Goldendale, Wash.
Both groups are trying to accommodate the Buddhist practice of regular retreat, or time spent practicing meditation more intensely. The working goals are about $1.3 million for Great Vow and $2.5 million for Kagyu.
Offering a range of retreat opportunities is important to a Buddhist center, says Michael Conklin, the lama of Kagyu Changchub Chuling. "We want to honor all aspects, from someone with a casual interest, who wants to know more about the history of the Buddha, to someone who wants to meditate once a week or occasionally at home, to a person who wants a retreat for a month out of every year, to complete a long retreat once in their lifetime, or to retreat for the rest of their
life."
Both communities are bringing Buddhist teachers to help support their projects. Great Vow is hosting Sylvia Boorstein, an author and a founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center near San Francisco. Kagyu Changchub Chuling is hosting Alan Wallace, an authority on Buddhism, science and the mind, for three lectures. Wallace was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk by the Dalai Lama, has participated in several Mind and Life conferences and has written several books.