Annual Meeting 2009

The Northwest Dharma Association held its 2009 Annual Meeting February 14 at the Ngoc Son Tinh Xa Buddhist Temple in Portland, Oregon.

The gathering brought together a delightful combination of old and new faces. The Vietnamese-American members of Ngoc Son provided not only a warm and welcoming space for the daylong meeting, but also joined in the program and served a sumptuous lunch for the visitors and their own community.

The theme of the meeting was Dharma and the environment. For a complete account of the day’s program, see below: "Green Dharma."

Board of Directors Election

NWDA Members, Please Vote!

Half of the Northwest Dharma Association’s 12 board of directors are elected by NWDA members (Individual and Teacher Members, and representatives of Member Groups.) Each year two of these positions come up for a vote between March 15 and April 15.

This year’s candidates include two incumbents, Dick O’Connor (Portland, Oregon) and Koro Kaisan Miles (Olympia,Washington), plus Glen Ray (Juneau, Alaska). To find out information about the candidates click HERE and the online ballot can be found HERE.

Reminder: you must be a member of NWDA to vote. All ballots must be transmitted by April 15th.

On, You Huskies!

NWDA Expands to Include Yukon

At its last meeting in March, the NWDA board of directors voted to add Canada’s Yukon Territory to NWDA’s area of service. The decision came about because of Whitehorse, YT sangha Vajra North’s strong interest in participating in NWDA activities and regional Mahasangha.

Vajra North-Rigdrol Dechen Ling Society is the Canadian chapter of Chagdud Gonpa, founded by the late Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche (1930-2002), a highly accomplished and respected master of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

The Society was established in 1984, when His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche made his first visit to Whitehorse, and continues to the present time with a solid group of dedicated Buddhist practitioners. Throughout the year, the Society regularly brings to Whitehorse various lamas to provide public presentations, conduct seminars and retreats and provide empowerments for specific meditation practices.

The Yukon is home to a variety of Buddhist groups and practitioners in both Whitehorse and Dawson City as well as outlying areas. The Northwest Dharma looks forward to becoming better acquainted with them in the coming months.

Youth & Family Dharma Conference

Where can I find a sangha that welcomes and teaches children? What is the best way to teach compassion, generosity, and mindfulness to children and young adults? How can parents use their Dharma practice in caring for children as well as themselves? Where can Dharma schools find or share resources? What can meditation and mindfulness offer to ease the strains of adolescence?

These and other questions will be addressed at a conference on "Youth and Family Dharma" planned for the fall of this year. Co-sponsored by Northwest Dharma and Nalanda West, the conference will take place in Seattle on October 9th & 10th at Nalanda. Details will follow in later editions of the News and on the Northwest Dharma and Nalanda websites.

Volunteers are needed! Please contact info@nwdharma.org if you’d like to help.