Photos courtesy of Ashland Zen Center
Sangha in front of the old farmhouse which is the current zendo, with resident teachers Kigetsu Ramana Waymire and Tendo Stacy Waymire.

Ashland Zen Center has embarked on designing a new zendo or meditation hall, to support continued growth as the center enters its 35^th year.

The new and larger zendo will be created by converting an existing metal-sided storage barn on the temple grounds, which is surrounded by trees and gardens. While details have not been finalized, the structure is to be remodeled with traditional Japanese aesthetics, and will include storage for zendo-related functions.

We have been fortunate to have received sizeable donations to support this project.  The location of the building, near the center of the one-acre temple grounds, will offer a more peaceful and contemplative environment for Zen practitioners. The current zendo and farmhouse will become our sangha house.

Since our beginnings on this property, the zendo has been in an enlarged room of the old farmhouse near the road.

Founding teachers Jintei Harold Little and Etsudo Patty Krahl, and resident teachers Kigetsu Ramana Waymire and Tendo Stacy Waymire, have generously given their time, knowledge and experience to create a design that will meet the needs of our community, and will fit seamlessly into the space.

Once the remodel is complete sometime in 2027, the old farmhouse will hold a library, a sangha room for meetings and classes, and a room for dokusan (meeting with a teacher). It will also include robe storage, a kaisando (founder’s hall), storage for tea service and flower arranging, bathrooms and a sewing room. 

We will also be focusing on landscaping and pathways to create a calm and uncluttered entrance to the new zendo.  This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to bring a Japanese aesthetic to the entire property, which is a way to acknowledge and honor our lineage through Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.

Last year the sangha put the finishing touches on a remodel, access ramp and landscaping of the Quan Yin Cottage, as the abbots’ cabin for the Ashland Zen Center’s founding teachers:  Abbot Jintei Harold Little and Abbess Etsudo Patty Krahl.

We are thankful for our dharma place of constancy; our daily practice in the zendo, dharma talks every week, and regular shared community meals, work and study. On each equinox and solstice, we renew our bodhisattva vows in the bodhisattva ceremony. One-day, three-day, five-day and seven-day sesshins (meditation intensives) are held each year. Also offered are practice periods, dharma events, work days, fundraisers and special projects.

It seems that Ashland Zen Center is destined to be engaged in building projects both large and small over the years.  We are extremely fortunate to own an acre of land, and when a need arises people in our community are ready and willing to pitch in to help.  The mixture of ages among our members, is an important element that makes this possible.

This current evolution of practice continues the pioneering spirit of our origins. In 1992, Jintei Harold Little and Etsudo Patty Krahl began a weekly gathering in their living room, to teach zazen (seated meditation). They were ordained by Keido Les Kaye, a student of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. A sangha grew up around them, as did the commitment of our sangha to practice the Buddha way in person, as it is transmitted from warm hand to warm hand.

Eight years ago Ashland Zen Center opened a residence hall, for householders to live in Buddhist community. Five apartments open onto patios, porches and gardens, sharing a community kitchen, dining hall and courtyard.

The residency at Ashland Zen Center might be called Buddhist co-housing, living in community within a daily practice schedule, while still engaged in the world. Some residents go to work each day, some work from home, some are retired from careers. Everyone sits zazen in the zendo, and participates in the stewardship of the temple grounds.

The Ashland Zen Center grounds also include a vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, flower beds and a compost pile to complete the cycle of growth and decay. Food, herbs, flower bouquets, potted plants and more, flow from the garden into the kitchen pantry.

The Little Zen Farm Stand shares the garden’s overflowing bounty. The farm stand sells potted plants, produce, flower bouquets, country-style and Japanese-inspired household items, books, and more. It is a friendly outreach, a source of income, and a means for the sangha to practice together; growing, harvesting, preserving, making lavender sachets, dried flower arrangements and other crafts.

All the activities we share create opportunities for sangha creativity and leadership, foster sangha bonds and strengthen the practice of harmony, wisdom and compassion. As Suzuki Roshi said, “To shine one corner of the world; that is enough. Not the whole world. Just make it clear where you are.”

As we approach the milestone of practicing for 35 years in our beautiful mountain valley, we reflect that our intention is to continue daily practice in everyday life, with gratitude for another 35 years, and beyond.

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