Plum Blossom Zendo

Zen Practice Venue in Vancouver Washington

The Zen Community of Oregon is excited to announce that we are establishing a practice venue for sharing the BuddhaDharma, in the lineage and tradition of Chozen and Hogen Bays, and the White Plum Asanga in Vancouver, Washington. Everyone is welcome!

We meet every Tuesday evening from 6:30pm to about 8:30pm in a yoga-type space on the second floor of the Bauman Chiropractic Office:

202 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98663 

If our parking lot is full there is free parking on Broadway north of McLoughlin and also one block east on McLoughlin.

We have sitting mats, chairs and cushions, but do bring your own sitting supplies if you have them.

If you’re new to meditation, to Zen, or to Buddhist practice, you are welcome to come at 6:15 pm for a brief introduction, and to make sure you can sit sustainably.  We begin with a brief chanting service, followed by two periods of sitting meditation, alternating with periods of walking meditation, a Dharma talk, and community discussion. There is some light verbal guidance during the meditation, so no matter how much or how little experience you have, everyone is encouraged to join us!    

Tuesday night Zoom link: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

Please contact Jomon with questions: jomon@zendust.org 

Welcome to Plum Blossom Zendo, a branch of the Zen Community of Oregon in Vancouver, Washington

ORIGINS IN CHINA AND JAPAN

Asian plums were first domesticated in China, then brought to Japan as a gift of diplomacy during the Tang Dynasty.  Plum trees and blossoms are beloved in China and Japan, and carry a few different meanings for the people there.  

The plum is often the first flower to bloom as winter ends -– sometimes even in the snow.  The plum withstands the winter cold, and still offers its beauty and fragrance.  So there is a meaning of resilience and grace within it that can be an inspiration to us in our practice life. 

NATURE

When naming a place of practice, there is often a reference to some aspect of the natural world it inhabits.  One of our members discovered that Vancouver once held the distinction as the “Prune Capital of the World”. Vancouver is a good home to plum trees, not just for the beauty of the blossoms but the bearing of fruit!  

MODERN LINEAGE

We are part of the lineage of Maezumi Roshi, known as the White Plum Asangha, and part of the Zen Community of Oregon.  The White Plum originated with the twelve Dharma heirs of Maezumi Roshi, including Chozen Bays, Roshi.  These twelve successors have now further transmitted the Dharma to multiple “second-generation” successors, up to five generations deep. The White Plum Asangha now has over 250 members around the world.  Vancouver is now a branch – and blossom– on that flourishing tree.  

ANCIENT LINEAGE

The founder of Soto Zen, Eihei Dogen, loved plum blossoms, and so did his teacher, Rujing.  Dogen wrote a fascicle in the Shobogenzo called “Baika” or “On Plum Blossoms”, which is essentially an ecstatic poem about his teacher and about the lineage of practitioners going all the way back to the Buddha.  It includes poems about plum blossoms written by Rujing, in which the plum blossom is a symbol of the Buddha, and a symbol of Buddha nature. 

Dogen goes on to say that all flowers are descended from this original plum blossom:  

“Because they have received a portion of the beneficence of the Plum Blossom, millions of blossoms are the kin of the Plum Blossom… Illusory flowers in the sky, earthbound flowers, flowerings within the mind of meditation, and so on, are all large and small flowers that are kindred to the Plum Blossom. The flowers that have opened within the millions of domains within the Flower are all a portion of the beneficence of this Plum Blossom.”  

Here is Baika translated by Kaz Tanahashi.  Here it is translated by Shasta Abbey.  

Photo by Yoksel 🌿 Zok on Unsplash