Post-Festival Debrief Meeting

Sunday, June 29
2:30 to 4:30 pm

Oregon Buddhist Temple
3720 SE 34 Ave

Let's discuss the festival while it is fresh in our mind. We'll note what we want to keep, and what we want to change for next year.

Also on the agenda, finances and thank you's.

Let us know if there's anything you wish to add to the agenda, or if you have feedback you haven't shared yet and can't make it to the meeting.

Photos by Jan van Raay, 2008

Jan's beautiful photos can be found here.

5th Annual Buddhist Festival: Harmony in the Park

Harmony in the Park

Saturday, June 7, 2008
12 pm to 4:30 pm

Colonel Summers Park
SE 17th and Taylor
Portland, Oregon

Children's Pavilion
spiritual science projects
cooperative contests
stories
craft activities
meditative activities

Workshops

chants/ mantras

meditation

altars

daily practice

Teaching Pavilion
keynote speaker
panel discussion

BULLETIN: Do not donate money to any group at the festival itself. This would violate our permit to use the park. You are welcome to buy items for sale from the vendors. This will support the festival.

Schedule

Teaching Pavilion

• 11 am: Food served to monastics
• 12 noon: Opening Ceremony
• 12:15 pm: Keynote speaker: Larry Christensen, Zen Center of Portland
• 1 pm: Workshops: 1. meditation and chant by several Asian groups 2. chant by Oregon Buddhist Temple 3. starting a daily practice
• 2 pm: Main Ceremony
• 3 pm: Panel Discussion: Kyogen Carlson, Dharma Rain Zen Center; Jacqueline Mandell, Samden Ling; Rev. Gregory Gibbs, Oregon Buddhist Temple, Jampel Gyatsho (Clark Hansen), Portland Yeshe Nyingpo
• 4 pm: Thai Association of Oregon: Thai Classical Dance
• 4:30 pm: Closing Dedication
  

Children's Pavilion

• 12:15 pm to 4:30 pm: Ongoing activities: rock polishing; story times; coloring; crafts
• 12 noon: Opening Ceremony
• 12:15 pm: Relay Races and Cooperative Contests
• 1:00 pm: Workshops: Chanting "Om Mani Padme Hum" with Dion; meditation, chanting with Adhi; craft project
• 2:00 pm: Main Ceremony
• 3:00 pm: Spiritual Experiments
• 4:00 pm: Thai dancers; Closing Ceremony

Participating Groups:

(most of these groups will have tables at the festival)
Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Portland (main sponsor)
Northwest Dharma Association
Portland Yeshe Nyingpo
Oregon Buddhist Temple
Maitripa Institute
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Dharma Rain Zen Center
Awaken Portland
Mercy and Wisdom Healing Center
Zen Center of Portland
Samden Ling
Miao Fa Chan Temple
Kagyu Changchub Chuling
Nichiren Buddhist Temple of Portland
Zen Community of Oregon
Portland Dzogchen Practice Group
SGI-USA
Diamond Way, Portland
NW Portland Ministries
Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka
Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
Skillful Meditation Project Portland

Vendors

Food Court sponsored by BPF Portland

Donations of food, supplies, and labor by these establishments:

Thai Orchid, Chai Yo, Mai Thai, Lemon Leaf, Som Tum Thai, Sivalaya, PeemKaew Thai, Bangkok Palace, Rama Thai, Arawan, Thai Lotus, Aroy Thai, D&N , Authentic Thai Cuisine, Baan Thai, Vege Thai, Sawasdee Thai, Pok Pok, Appethaizing, E-San Thai, Nichiren Buddhist Temple

Buddhist Items

Samden Ling: Tibetan Rugs
Tibet A Gift: assortment, Tibetan prayer flags, imports
The Foundation Store: assortment, books, meditation and altar supplies
Miao Fa Chan Temple: assortment, books, altar supplies, imports
BPF Portland: assortment
The Monkey and the Rat: assortment, imports

Flier full page, color

Planning for 5th Annual Park Festival

Planning for 5th Annual Park Festival

Sunday, March 2, 2008

2 pm to 4 pm

Holgate Branch Library

7905 SE Holgate Blvd, Portland

The festival will be on Saturday, June 7
Most likely noon to 4:30 with food available for Vinaya-observant monks before noon.

Our goal for this meeting is to decide on a theme, and to discuss some of the major elements of the festival. (Possible speakers/teachers, children's activities, ceremonies.) Based on my knowledge of the criteria for park use, I will try to have some documents ready for vendor applications, and registration forms for groups.

Holgate has wifi available, so we should have access to the internet.

Festival Photos/ Program with Chants

Beautiful photos of the day by Jan van Raay can be found here.

More wonderful photos from the festival can be found here by Eugene Wong.

Update 6/11: More photos found on flickr: kitseeborg.

I was so sorry we ran out of programs for the festival. In past years people weren't so interested in taking them home, and I would end up with a lot extra. So this year I severely underestimated the amount we'd need, and we were stretched pretty thin with volunteers, making it difficult to arrange a copy-run. Here is the Program. The Karaniya Metta Sutta can be found here. The version we used of the Heart Sutra can be found here.

Update regarding attendees: our volunteer counter reports 825 attendees, plus 110 people staffing booths and workshops, so we approached 1,000 people attending. At our busiest point, 350 people were in attendance.

Path of Compassion Buddhist Festival

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Talks by Reverend Jundo Gregory Gibbs of the Oregon Buddhist Temple, Professor James Blumenthal of the Maitripa Institute.

Celebratory Ceremony including blessings for people and pets.

Workshops on various Buddhist practices.

Panel discussion on the theme Path of Compassion. Members of the panel: Michael Conklin of KCC. Clark Hansen of Portland Yeshe Nyingpo. Possibly Owen Adhisila of Awaken Portland/ Buddha Powers. Susan Andree of the Nien-Fo Ch'an Order. Jacqueline Mandell of Leadership from a Pure Heart. Hogen Bays of Great Vow Monastery.

Children's pavilion with various activities: contests, stories, rock polishing meditation, meditation instruction for kids, and more.

Enjoy food from Sawasdee Thai, Buddhist items for sale from Tibet A Gift and Buddhist Peace Fellowship.

Schedule
12:00 PM Opening Ceremony
12:30 PM Reverend Gibbs speaks
1:00 PM Workshop: Meditation practices
1:30 PM Professor Blumenthal speaks
2:00 PM Workshop: Altars and offerings
2:30 PM Main Ceremony with Blessings
3:30 PM Workshop: Metta practices, dynamic meditation practices
4:00 PM Panel Discussion
5:00 PM Burmese Dancing
5:15 PM Closing Dedication Ceremony

Children's Pavilion Schedule
12:00 PM Opening Ceremony
12:30 PM Dharma-thon
1:00 PM Rock Polishing Meditation
1:30 PM Spiritual Science Projects
2:00 PM Altar Art Project
2:30 PM Main Ceremony with Blessings
3:30 PM Cooperative Contests
4:00 PM Storytime
4:30 PM Kids Say the Darnedest Things
5:00 PM Burmese Dancing

Help distribute fliers at community centers, family hangouts, coffee shops, even pet hangouts (think of the pet blessings). Print them from here, or ask for hard copies.

Full page flier
Full page flier with color background
Quarter sheet 2-sided handbill

Participating Groups:

(most of these groups will have tables at the festival)
Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Portland (vendor, main sponsor)
Northwest Dharma Association
Portland Yeshe Nyingpo
Oregon Buddhist Temple
Maitripa Institute
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Dharma Rain Zen Center
Awaken Portland
Zen Center of Portland
Portland Diamond Way
Mercy and Wisdom Healing Center
TibetanPrayerFlags (Tibet A Gift) (vendor)
Portland Insight Meditation Center
Kagyu Changchub Chuling
Leadership from a Pure Heart
Great Vow Monastery/ Zen Community of Oregon
Nichiren Buddhist Temple of Portland
Oregon Meditation Center
Tinh Xa Ngoc Son
Miao Fa Chan Temple
Sawasdee Thai (food vendor)
Huilin Temple
Portland Community of Mindful Living
Mahasiddha Buddhist Center
Sky High Productions (filming)


Festival Expenses and Donations Spreadsheet

2007 Planning, Proposal

Portland BPF has a proposal for the annual Buddhist Festival in the Park, and we also hope you will help with some decisions we need to make collectively.

First, last year we chose not to align ourselves with Tricycle's "Change Your Mind Day," but we did choose to hold our festival on the same day. This year, Tricycle is holding CYMD on September 15, a time I imagine already packed with activities for you and your sangha members. What are your feelings on the day we choose to hold our festival? The first Saturday in June lands us during the Rose Festival. NWDA member groups have been interested in a collective festival for Buddha's Birthday. Perhaps we could choose to do this the last day in May, giving individual groups a chance to hold their own ceremonies earlier in the month, and we could include a collective ceremony as part of our park festival.

Second, we at Portland BPF propose to change the format of the park festival. Rather than many talks, we would feature about 3 dharma talks from teachers of different traditions, and during other parts of the day we would have workshops and/or discussion panels. During the workshops/panels, basic instructions for various Buddhist practices would take place, among other things. This would leave the dharma talks open for the teachers to talk about the dharma, weaving in our theme for the year. The workshop/panel format would allow for more involvement from more sanghas, plugging in qualified people where they see fit.

We would continue to have the Children's Pavilion, and the lineup of booths from sanghas. The Children's Pavilion could also schedule special events for kids without competing with the dharma talks. This new format for the day would allow for more flexibility for attendees and for teachers, making it possible for people to visit booths without missing dharma talks, or whatever piece of the festival they are interested in.

If you or a representative of your sangha is attending NW Dharma Association's annual meeting, perhaps we can touch base sometime during the day. If we choose collectively to continue with a Saturday in Spring, planning for this needs to happen now. Let me know your thoughts on the day, and the proposed format.

Thank you,
Enji Hoogstra
http://bpfportland

PS I have not addressed the issue of whether we align with Tricycle's Change Your Mind Day. Our parent organization, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, is again co-sponsoring the festival. The Frederick P Lenz Foundation is also still a co-sponsor. Local events are not required to promote materials from the Foundation. I do not have the heart to put myself in the middle of that question again, but if enough people feel strongly about that connection, please, somebody begin the conversation...I will post it at the website, and others may comment.

Photos from the Buddhist Festival

The weather cooperated, at it's peak there were around 125 people in attendance, and the Buddhist Festival in the Park was full of calm, smiling people.

Jan van Raay took some wonderful photos. Check them out.

More details to come.

About the Day

Portland's third annual Buddhist festival features local teachers from various Buddhist traditions giving introductory talks and leading meditation and other Buddhist practices. While talks occur in the park's main shelter, a children's booth will have story times and activities scheduled during the afternoon. Buddhist communities offer booths with activities and information about their temples.

Many diverse Buddhist communities exist in the greater Portland area. These various denominations share in common the tradition of taking refuge in the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. These three jewels--the teacher, the teachings, and the spiritual community--form a strong foundation for a rich, affirming spiritual practice. At Finding Refuge all are welcome, whether individuals or families, community members or those seeking a Buddhist group, or those simply curious.

Scheduled teachers:
~12:30 pm: Incense offering (any clergy/teachers who are present)
~12:45 pm: Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, Dzogchen Lineage
~1:30 pm: Michael Ryuoh Faulconer, Hoto-ji Portland Nichiren Temple
~2:15 pm: John Masciocchi, Diamond Way
~3:00 pm: Subhan Tindall, Dances of Universal Peace
~3:30 pm: Kyogen Carlson, Dharma Rain Zen Center
~4:15 pm: Doug Pullin, Portland Insight Meditation Community
~5:00 pm: Closing Dedication (any clergy/teachers who are present)

Children's Pavilion:
12 pm: Choten, activities (DRZC dharma school teacher)
1 pm: Sibelia, activities (dharma school mom)
2 pm: Enji, story and activities (DRZC dharma school teacher)
3 pm: Dick, story and activities (NWDA and dad)
4 pm: Adhi, refining rocks, refining mind (Buddha Powers)

Participating groups so far include:
Portland Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Nichiren Temple of Portland
Northwest Dharma Association
Oregon Buddhist Temple
Great Vow Monastery (Zen Community of Oregon)
Portland Diamond Way Buddhist Center
Northwest Vipassana Center
Dharma Rain Zen Center
Portland Insight Meditation Community
Portland Sakya Center
Buu Hung Temple of Vancouver
Dances of Universal Peace
tibetanprayerflag.com (Tibet A Gift)
Dzogchen Institute, Portland Chapter
Zen Center of Portland
Buddha Powers
Kagyu Changchub Chuling (KCC)
Maitripa Institute

Fundraiser: Book Talk by Sallie Jiko Tisdale

Around a dozen people attended Jiko's talk. She spoke of the history of lineage and how we work with it in our spiritual practice. She also spoke of her own process involved in uncovering this hidden history of women in Buddhism. She read some of the stories to us, a wish from the audience. The amount we raised from this intimate group came to $69, which helps us cover the costs of the festival!

Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom

Friday, May 26, 2006, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Portland Dharma Center
SE 25th and Madison, Portland, Oregon

Fundraiser for Portland's 3rd Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park: Finding Refuge

Oregon author Sallie Tisdale will give a reading and talk on her latest book, "Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom" at the Portland Dharma Center on May 26. Ms. Tisdale offers this talk as a fundraising benefit for the 3rd annual celebration of Buddhism in Portland known formerly as Change Your Mind Day. This year the festival will have the theme "Finding Refuge," which will be held on June 3 in Colonel Summers Park in Southeast Portland.

Ms. Tisdale's book finds an eager audience among Zen Buddhists. A fellow congregant at her home temple says, "It is entirely appropriate and inspiring that a lay Buddhist and now ordained monk with over 20 years of Buddhist practice has uncovered and celebrated a lineage of teachers and notable disciples long ignored, shunned or forgotten due to their gender." He says her book is "insightful and compassionate," and is "a gift to all people on a spiritual path."

Organizers of the festival are delighted to have Ms. Tisdale offer her skills in support of the Buddhist festival. Her own teacher, Kyogen Carlson of Dharma Rain Zen Center, will be one of the teachers giving a talk on June 3. At the free festival, "Finding Refuge," all are welcome, whether individuals or families, community members or those seeking a Buddhist group, or those simply curious.

A $5 donation is requested from those attending the book talk on May 26, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Dharma Rain Zen Center will have books available for sale, and Sallie Jiko Tisdale will be available to sign books after her talk. Portland Dharma Center requests visitors avoid parking in front of neighbors' houses, and use the Rivermark parking lot on Hawthorne. Bus lines 14, 70, and 15 are nearby. Directions found here.

Letter to Tricycle

Dear Tricycle, Tricycle board members, and CYM Coordinator,

The Portland, Oregon collection of Buddhist communities is withdrawing from Change Your Mind Day, and we would like to explain why. Please remove Portland, Oregon's link from your CYMD web page.

Last year you began accepting money from the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation. The original organizers kept that connection low-key, since they had reservations over the founder of that organization. It has come to our attention that this year a significant number of American Zen teachers requested you sever the connection to the F. P. Lenz Foundation, and you refused, citing the need for the money given.

We in Portland find we cannot ignore the dubious roots of this foundation, nor do we feel it appropriate to lend legitimacy to such an organization by associating with it. There are other ways to find money, and the damage done to the Dharma and to Buddhism in America is not worth it. Frederick P. Lenz, otherwise known as "Zen Master Rama," was neither a Zen master nor a trustworthy teacher.

We have a vital Buddhist community in Portland, and we would like to be a vital part of the national collective community. Here in the Northwest, we have a regional identity and collective that grows yearly. We appreciate the intention and effort that you have put into creating a nationwide opportunity to celebrate and teach about Buddhism. We recognize there are many paths to the dharma, but we must also take care with the dharma.

Respectfully,

Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Portland Chapter
(3 individuals signed)
Portland Insight Meditation Community
Rev. Jundo Gregory Gibbs, Oregon Buddhist Temple (established 1903)
Kyogen Carlson, Abbot of Dharma Rain Zen Center
Terri Luoto, member NW Dharma Association
Peggy Lindquist, member Portland Community of Mindful Living
Suzan Hilton, Dzogchen Institute, Portland Chapter

Update Regarding Buddhist Festival in the Park

This festival will not be called "Change Your Mind Day" here in Portland.

Here is my letter to the Portland Buddhist Community:

It has come to my attention that there is good reason not to associate Portland's Buddhist Festival in the Park with Tricycle's Change Your Mind Day. Considering there already has been ambivalence from some of you over the name "Change Your Mind Day" and from others over Tricycle, this recent development tips the scale for those of us involved in the planning. With the growing strength of our connections to each other through the Northwest Dharma Association, we also feel we don't need the national connection via Tricycle.

We will still have our Buddhist Festival in the Park on June 3, and I am still looking for support from you in the planning. So far Oregon Buddhist Temple, Nichiren Buddhist Temple, and my group, Portland BPF, have indicated intent to help. We may conduct most of our planning via email. At this late date, I doubt we will change the format significantly.

I plan to write a letter to Tricycle explaining our withdrawal. Before I send it, and before I publish it on our web page I will share it with you and welcome your feedback. I hope those of you who feel strongly about this will want to co-sign it. Long story short: last year Tricycle began receiving funding from the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation. Recipients of funds are asked to distribute published works of Frederick P Lenz, once known as Zen Master Rama, a coercive cult leader with no affiliation to a particular Zen lineage. Since Tricycle gave no explicit directions regarding those materials, some of the planners last year simply recycled the books. This year, quite a few American Zen teachers sent a letter to Tricycle asking the magazine to sever the connection to the Lenz Foundation. The Zen teachers felt, as does Portland BPF, that such a connection lends undue legitimacy to Zen Master Rama. Personally I find it very disturbing that followers of this dead cult leader are remaking the 'brand' of their dubious teacher much the same way Rajneeshis are marketing Bhagwan Rajneesh as 'Osho'. Sadly, Tricycle's response to the American Zen teachers was dismissive, much the same way they responded to our concerns last year.

If any of you have concerns about severing the connection to Tricycle, please let me know. At first I intended to send a survey out asking how this would affect your participation, but considering the history of ambivalence, I was pretty sure about the response I'd get. Let me know if you have anything you'd like to say in the letter to Tricycle.

Followup from the Festival Discussions

We had very low attendance for our discussions about the name and other issues of our annual Buddhist Festival in Portland. I hoped that with a more diverse participation and with dialog that we could begin to mold our day of teaching and celebration towards something that all Portland Buddhist communities would be proud to participate in. I have to assume that the small number of responses means that the majority of communities are neutral about the name and/or affiliation with Tricycle. I also assume that participation by at least 19 groups in 2004, at least 24 groups (and 3 restaurants) in 2005 indicates that a Buddhist festival in the park is quite welcome, no matter the name.

Attending: me (facilitator) representing Portland Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Reverend Faulconer (host) and George (host) representing Nichiren Buddhist Temple, Adam? representing Portland Insight Meditation Community, and Suzan representing the Portland Chapter of the Dzogchen Institute.

I also received feedback from Rev. Gibbs representing the Oregon Buddhist Temple, and Michael Conklin representing Kagyu Changchub Chuling.

Considering the strong dislike of the name registered by OBT and PIMC, but the equally strong wish of PdxBPF and NBT to maintain a connection with the national celebration, those of us at the second meeting (George, Suzan, and I) propose this:

A Buddhist Festival in the Park: Change Your Mind Day 2006. By making CYMD a subtitle (and a smaller font) we emphasize the nature of our local event, but still keep the connection to other cities.

We also propose that you consider this next year a transition. BPF and Tricycle are aware of the reservations over the name, and the nature of this national day of teaching and celebration could change with the times. We also considered the idea of "Choose Your Mind Day." and PIMC suggested "Buddhafest." These or others could become the name in the future. Meanwhile, we feel it is vital to remember we got attention from an Oregonian reporter because of the tie-in to the national event.


Snapshot, as best I can interpret the responses:

..........Like..Neutral..Dislike..Strongly Dislike
Name...... 1 ... 2 .... 1 ........ 2
Connection
to Tricycle 1 .. 2 ..... 3 ........ 0
Connection
to BPF ... 4 .. 2
Park .... 4 .. 2

We briefly discussed not having it in the park, but considering the scope of the event, we could not afford an appropriate indoor venue. Other positive aspects of the park include inviting public space, decent parking nearby, and flexibility of teaching space, entertainment space, and booth space. We do want to plan a back-up for an extraordinarily rainy day. We've been lucky so far with sunny/ very light rain days.

This next year we hope to have more entertainment for a "second stage", our "Children's Pavilion". It would be nice to fill the time in that space with music and songs, storytelling, poetry, movement, dance, and other Dharma related activities, as well as Rev. Adhisila's popular rock refining. To continue the momentum and expansion, we really need more consistent, committed volunteers.

In Peace,
Enji Hoogstra

Highlights of the Discussion:

"We would however like to say that we are not attached to the current name of the event or continued association with Tricycle magazine. It would seems more to the point to have a name that reflected the local atmosphere of our local Buddhist community and did not seem so contrived. Our sense of the importance of this event is that it creates an opportunity for people to find out about local resources related to Buddhist practice and study." Michael Conklin on behalf of the KCC Program Council

"I strongly dislike the name (its odd and doesn't connote anything about Buddhism to non-Buddhists. It ties us to Tricycle which I find to be an incredible disappointment at this juncture.... "Change your mind day" doesn't mean anything to most people" Rev. Gibbs, Oregon Buddhist Temple

"I like being connected at least one day with everyone else, sometimes I feel like the lone ranger and Tonto is on break. ...It seems to me that when something is really working then why change it. ...CYMD has a certain ring, provocative is good for publicizing." Suzan leads a small practice group with the Dzogchen Institute.

"People who don't know much about the Buddhists in Portland, or even have only a minor interest in Buddhism may find out about the event only by reading Tricycle magazine." Aaron, Portland BPF "CYMD is very much about providing people with an introduction to Buddhist meditation. Here in Portland we have the opportunity to also celebrate the many cultures of Buddhism and to create a time and place for interaction among our many groups." Tina, Portland BPF

"In our culture we have strong associations with certain days of the year....last Thursday in November, the 4th of July, Mayday, and so on. In most other religions there is a consciousness of important days, and they are almost universally shared among all denominations. In Buddhism we don't have that. We have Bodhi Day and Wesak, or Buddha's Birthday, but these are not universally celebrated on the same day. Different denominations from different origins calculate different days for these. I see this festival as a chance to create a feeling of community nationally and internationally." I said that.

Questions to consider

One sangha sent a representative to Tuesday's meeting. I am encouraging more to come to Friday, and if they cannot, to respond to the questions of the meeting's agenda by email or by phone. Here are the things to consider:

Introduction

A couple of communities have expressed dislike of the name "Change Your Mind Day" (CYMD) and a few communities have expressed support. This process is an attempt to get a clearer understanding of the wishes of all Buddhist communities in the Portland area. We also hope that through consensus decision-making techniques we will have greater buy-in and participation from more groups in the area.

Some clarifications to consider

In the past Tricycle has asked a very specific structure of local festivals. They have relaxed those strictures, and it is now possible to hold it indoors. I was also told, "if you want to downplay the name but still be included in the Change Your Mind Day network it is fine with us." There are many positive aspects to holding it in the park that we would lose if we held it indoors, but it is actually the limitations of park rental that do not allow any of us to sell things or accept donations, not Tricycle. We would also like to remind you that the Buddhist Peace Fellowship is also a national sponsor. You may see the full guidelines for CYMD here. Tricycle's CYMD coordinator had this to say about the name, "we try to be true to the teachings and feel that Change Your Mind captures the essence of dharma in a nutshell-the mind is the root of the suffering, and by changing it we can lead happier lives-by becoming more mindful, tranquil, and gaining insight."

Questions for your consideration[Friday's agenda]

a quick snapshot of your views:

..................Like ......Neutral ...Dislike ..Strongly Dislike
The name..... _____ ______ ______ _______
National participation
with Tricycle _____ ______ ______ _______
with BPF..... _____ ______ ______ _______
In the Park. _____ ______ ______ _______

Why do you feel the way you do about the above questions?

If not "Change Your Mind Day" what suggestions do you have for a name?

Listening Circles regarding future CYMD/ Festivals

Two listening circles are scheduled to discuss the future of Change Your Mind Day in Portland. Background on this can be found here. Organizers and Portland BPF hope that there will be as much participation from Portland communities as possible.

Place: Nichiren Buddhist Temple, SE 20th and Yamhill
Days: Monday, September 26 and Friday, September 30
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

We will take detailed minutes and put a report here. We have scheduled two times so if your sangha can't send a representative to one evening, perhaps you can the other.

Obon Festival

Saturday, 8-6-05 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Includes festive foods, Dharma talks for those interested in the main chapel
(hondo) of the temple. No charge for Taiko performance, dance performances, karate demos, Ikebana flower-arrangement displays, etc.

No charge for attendance. You only pay if you want to buy some food or gift item. Everyone encouraged to join in the folk dances at the end which commemorate the liberation of the mother of Sakyamuni Buddha's student Maudgalyayana (Mokuren). Held at the Oregon Buddhist Temple, 3720 S.E. 34th Ave. Portland. More info found here.

Delay in Listening Circles

I wrote in NW Dharma News that we would have listening circles on Change Your Mind Day in August, but too busy to get those arranged. I am now aiming for September/October.

Here is the article:

Portland Buddhist Festival Discussions

Portland Buddhist Peace Fellowship is sponsoring a series of listening circles to discuss the question of cooperative Buddhist festivals like Change Your Mind Day. Some Buddhist communities have expressed ambivalence with the name Change Your Mind Day, others with the connection to Tricycle. The organizers of the festival, and Portland BPF, would like to have participation from as many groups as possible from the area. The discussion may include more than an annual introductory festival, but the focus will be on ecumenical Buddhist festivals for the Portland area. After the listening circles, hopefully we will determine a collective wish to keep, or to drop, the name "Change Your Mind Day."

At time of printing the listening circles were not yet scheduled, but with the cooperation of local NWDA board members and affiliated groups, organizers plan to schedule 3 or 4 circles in August, at various times and places to maximize participation. Portland BPF and NWDA encourage area communities to send a representative to at least one of the listening circles with your group's wishes in mind. While the listening circles will have this particular focus, we hope and expect they will further the building of community connections that Change Your Mind Day and Northwest Dharma Association have already fostered.

More CYM Day 2005 photos

I've uploaded more of the photos from 2005.

Change Your Mind Day 2005 Photos

Photos from the 2005 Buddhist Festival can be found here on flickr.

This year, Tricycle posted our report. Several reports from cities can be found here.

Photos from 2004 Change Your Mind Day

2004 was the first year that Portland held a Change Your Mind Day Buddhist Festival. Photos can finally be found here on flickr.