by Nomon Tim Burnett
July 17, 2007
Dear Sangha,
Up early this morning and for the first time in a while it's raining. Soft summer rain after many hot days. Steady. The Earth enjoying the moisture. Looking out over ordinary things, the gravel glistening dark in the driveway, the intense and varied shares of green of the plants in the garden; looking out of ordinary things in the summer rain, a light cool breeze blowing through the windows; up early to witness this and feel it, I am so touched by the beauty of our world. What an unbelievably unlikely thing that we could all be alive and have this world to live in. Sometimes when I look up out of myself, like this morning, I feel that so deeply and I know you do too. Our good fortune in being alive on this planet is beyond understanding.
And yet how bizzare that our great brains which can do such amazing things like write poetry and design and build the car that's sitting in the driveway can also cause so much trouble. How strange that the same brains and emotions and feelings that can appreciate the astounding beauty of an early morning summer rain also fight and kill and destroy. As I appreciate this beautiful morning I know that somewhere else in the world someone like me is dying of hunger, a woman like my wife is being raped, and a child like my child is being killed. And I see that the beautiful rain drops are also tears. Kuan Yin's years falling down on a burning beautiful world full of joy, full of suffering.
And my commitment to practice, to opening up to the world, to generosity is renewed. It is our joyful and painful obligation to awaken to this world as it is. To find a way to help and to find a way to be truly present. We get caught in so many ways. Sometimes lately my 5 year old son loses himself in thought, usually some incredible story he's writing in his head has caught hold of him. After a while he shakes his head a little and cries out "I was transfixed!" I have no idea where he learned that word but it's a good teaching for us. We all need to shake our heads a little and awaken from being transfixed with our own agenda, our own needs, our position so carefully justified and defended. And let ourselves merge with this world a little more.
When we do everything changes. Once enough of us do the whole world will shift. Suffering will definitely be reduced and one day true peace will find it's way. Not a peace that is just a lull in the fighting, not a truce, not a gruding compromise to let the other have a little bit. True peace based on a settled heart that understands joy and suffering and is willing to truly feel the full breadth of this human life whether it makes sense or not.
Upcoming Events
I am so happy to be collaborating with two excellent teachers of Yoga. It is my hope that working with Zen meditation and Yoga together will be of some real benefit. That combining these two ancient practices in a new way will help us all to explore this true peace of the human heart through learning to listen. Learning to listen more deeply to our bodies, to our hearts, to use these tools skilfully to unbend what is bent and heal that which is wounded and find the strength to open to the world completely.
Please note that both of these Zen and Yoga retreats (and pretty much everything we do!) are designed to work for people at all levels of practice. There are appropriate and workable for beginners in both Zen and Yoga so please don't be intimidated if you can't touch your toes or you are worried about sitting still for hours, Amy and I are working together to make sure the schedule and teachings work at all levels.
Zen and Yoga with Amy Robinson and Nomon Tim Burnett
Saturday August 2nd, 9am - 4pm
$60 - $100 sliding scale, includes teacher donation, scholarships available
Woodstock Farm
This will be the 4th day workshop we've held at Woodstock Farm at the south end of Bellingham along the shores of Chuckanut Bay. It's truly an amazing spot, peaceful and beautiful and close to home for those of us in Bellingham. We practice in an old farm house, do walking mediation on the grounds and help out with this emerging park by doing some silent mindful landscaping work.
Amy is a dear friend, also a parent of young children, and an excellent local teacher. I am very happy that we get to work together. I hope you will be able to help us co-create a beautiful day of retreat. This will be a real opportunity to experience retreat, to experience silence, and to have some time to just be outside of your schedule with support for some gentle inner work. I hope you will join us if you have that day open.
Registration is open at our website http://www.bellinghamzen.org or now http://redcedarzen.org.
If online registration doesn't work for you please contact our registrar Latona Maillard at 360-510-3167 or registrar@bellinghamzen.org.
Amy Robinson has developed her dynamic therapeutic style of Hatha Yoga over 10 years of practice of Forrest, Ashtanga, Sivananda, Iyengar and Kundalini yoga. She dove deep into the many waves of yoga living in an ashram in India and has completed Ana Forrest's teacher training: a rigorous process of finding hertrue inner voice and exploring yoga deeper her body. She teaches at the Yoga Room in Bellingham.
Zen and Yoga with Kate Potter and Nomon Tim Burnett
Friday August 31st 5pm - Monday September 3rd at noon
Samish Island Camp
$300 - $350 sliding scale, includes room board, all fees, and teacher donation, scholarships available
My first multi-day retreat! I am so excited that Kate and I get to work together. In addition to being an experienced Yoga teacher with a growing practice across the continent, Kate has been practicing Zen with Norman Fischer and with me for about ten years.
The Community of Christ's facility at the east end of Samish Island is an amazing place for retreat also. Water on all sides, lovely grounds, birds in profusion. After a day of practice to walk out of the building we use as zendo and Yoga room to see the sun setting over Lummi Island across the water is an amazing experience in itself. A multiday retreat is a real opportunity to settle very deeply and explore this human life outside of phone, computer, schedule, work. Just to be there for a few days.
Registration is open at our website http://www.bellinghamzen.org or now http://redcedarzen.org.
If online registration doesn't work for you please contact our registrar Latona Maillard at 360-510-3167 or registrar@bellinghamzen.org.
Kate Potter has been practicing yoga for over 30 years, is a certified Yoga instructor and Yoga therapist. She trains yoga teachers and recently completed the first season for her yoga television series “Namaste.” Kate lives and practices in Vancouver and teaches throughout the US and Canada. More about Kate is available at www.katepotteryoga.ca
Name Change: the Red Cedar Zen Community
Without a whole lot of great ado we have changed our name. It will take us a while to get it changed online and on our forms and letterhead, but we are now the Red Cedar Zen Community. Thank you the several people who gave input into the name choice and thank you especially to Chris Burkhart for sharing with us her affinity with this great tree and patiently waiting (for years!) for the time to be right to suggest Red Cedar as the root of our name together.
What a blessing to have a spritual community evolving together with all of you. This quiet name change marks a turning for us I think. I look forward to discovering with you what the shape of this next chapter of our community's life together will be.
yours,
Tim
Nomon Tim Burnett
Resident Priest
Resident Priest Nomon Tim Burnett has been a student of Zoketsu Norman Fischer since 1987 when he was a resident at San Francisco Zen Center's Green Gulch Farm. After sitting practice periods at Green Gulch and Tassajara Zen Monastery, Tim helped found the Bellingham Zen Practice Group in 1991. Tim was ordained as a Zen Priest by Norman in June, 2000. Like his teacher, Tim is interested in the possibility of deep and complete practice by lay people.
A person of wide-ranging professional interests, Tim has been a botanist, elementary schoolteacher, writer, and computer programmer. In addition to his work at the Resident Priest of Red Cedar Zen Community, Tim works as a software developer.