The view of Mt. Adams, snow-capped Mt. Adams, one of Washington state’s most iconic peaks, behind the Amitabha Trinity statues
Photos by: Thay Kozen, Scott See

Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple has completed construction of a new temple building in Trout Lake, Washington, due south of majestic Mt. Adams.

This temple is part of a three-building project that will eventually include the temple plus a commercial kitchen and dining room, and a covered open-air meditation pavilion sandwiched between the two. Both the temple and the pavilion have in-floor heat, making for comfortable, year-round meditation.

Each building is planned to be 40 feet by 40 feet, so the entire three-building structure will cover 4,800 square feet when completed. The temple and pavilion combination has already hosted Buddhist services, as well as major celebrations for the Portland and Vancouver-area Vietnamese and Tibetan communities. The pavilion is nearly complete.

Until recently, the second floor of a 100-year-old barn served as the temple. Beautiful though this temple was, it was small and the stairs posed accessibility issues. Building a new temple was inspired many years ago by the wisdom of Suco Hue Huong, the abbess of Bửu Hưng Monastery in Vancouver, Washington, who realized this area needed a bigger temple that could accommodate the large community of Buddhists in the Portland and Vancouver area.

Thanks to contributions from many people around the world, the temple is now fully completed. Accessibility was a driving force behind the construction of this temple, and it will be wheelchair accessible, and will include assistive listening devices, and pews for comfortable seating.

Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple was founded 20 years ago by Venerable Thich Minh Tinh (Thay Kozen), a Buddhist monk. The property also is home to the White Mountain Druid Sanctuary led by Rev. Kirk Thomas, a Druid priest in the tradition of Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF).

The entire 23-acre property, called Trout Lake Abbey, has a bed and breakfast in the center with the Druid sanctuary, stone henge, and nature walk on one side. The Buddhist temple, meditation cloister, and memorial area are on the other side.

The name Trout Lake Abbey is a tribute to the previous owner, Abby Layton, who is a Jewish/Buddhist meditation instructor, currently in Portland, Oregon. Thay Kozen is ordained in the Vietnamese Rinzai Zen lineage of Thich Thien An and Thich An Giao. This lineage is called the Lam Te School of Buddhism, and is the same lineage of Thích Nhất Hạnh, a famous Vietnamese monk and teacher.

Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple provides frequent chaplaincy to the local hospital, twice-weekly meditation instruction at NORCOR, a five-county jail, counseling at a children’s safe house, and outpatient drug patient support.

The Buddhist side of Trout Lake Abbey is also home to statues of Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya, Shakyamuni, and Avalokiteshvara Buddha, ranging in height from 10 feet to 37 feet. The 37-foot Kṣitigarbha statue was recently carved in Vietnam, and gifted to Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple thanks to the efforts of the Vietnamese community in Vietnam and the Portland/Vancouver area. Hundreds more statues are sprinkled throughout the cloister, and the rest of the property. All of these statues tell stories reminding us of the teachings of our historical teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha.

The cloister area is home to seven 8-foot by 8-foot kutis, or meditation huts, which also serve as sleeping accommodations. There are two wooden walking meditation platforms, as walking meditation is an important part of Buddhist practice. Walking meditation reminds us that our meditation can be carried with us throughout the day. 

 The temple is near the Pacific Crest Trail, which brings hikers to the temple on a regular basis as they journey along the 2,650-mile national scenic trail. 

Trout Lake Abbey is also home to an apple orchard, vegetable gardens, and chickens (for eggs only). Eggs and various dried fruit are available for sale in a small market on the property. As is the case with everything grown in the Trout Lake Valley, all are organic.

 There is also a pond on site, which provides great fun to the many dogs people bring along with them when visiting. Trout Lake Abbey hosts retreats that range from meditation, traditional Chinese medicine, qigong, yoga, forest bathing, Sufi as well as the many Druid retreats. Groups are welcome to inquire about hosting any spiritually related event here. Site meeting rooms can accommodate up to 70 people. 

Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple holds nine services per week. All the morning services are hosted from the temple, and the evening services are primarily via Zoom. All are welcome either in person or via Zoom. The services consist of a 30-minute check-in, which is led by one of the attendees on a rotating basis. The check-in format is to share who you are, where you’re Zooming in from, a wildcard question, what are you grateful for, and to whom would you like to send metta (loving kindness or well wishing).

The leader of the check-in gets to pick the wildcard question, which ranges from issues of Buddhist practice such as grief, attachment, anger, and so on; to favorite flavors of ice cream, or other whimsical questions. This format makes for a very welcoming, family-like community.

The services include various recitations from the temple chant book, also conducted by attendees on a volunteer basis. This engaging and participatory format speaks to the heart of the sangha in which we take refuge. The sangha, or the community of like-minded practitioners, is foundational to Buddhist practice. Services include 30 minutes of silent meditation as well as dharma talks, readings, and discussions. Dharma in this context, means the teachings of our historical teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha.

Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple invites everyone to come visit, and to stroll the property. Usually someone will greet you and offer a tour. A walk in the labyrinth is always a joy, with Mt. Adams looking down upon Trout Lake Abbey. All are welcome to join in any of the nine weekly services that are conducted Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., as well as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The most widely attended service is on Saturday morning, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

These hybrid services are attended by people all over the country, and not infrequently from abroad. Trout Lake is 90 minutes from Portland, which makes for an easy day trip or weekend getaway.

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