Sesshin 2026
Spring Sesshin Another sesshin for the books! This year, 27 of us gathered at Oral Hull to complete a 5-day residential meditation retreat lead by our teacher, Domyo. We were also joined by a few folks globally over zoom. Lastly, it is especially sweet to note that we...
April 2026 Zaike Tokudo ceremony
On Sunday, April 19, Bright Way Zen held a Zaike Tokudo, or lay ordination, ceremony to honor four dedicated members. It comes less than a year after the Sangha’s previous Zaike Tokudo ceremony. This year’s ordainees were Coral West, Mick Stukes, Greg Kulik, and James...
Dharma Cloud Lineage Day 2026
By Coral West Bright Way Zen participated in Dharma Cloud Lineage Day on Saturday, February 21st. This is a biennial gathering of Zen Centers in our lineage, with the purpose of maintaining our connections and giving people a sense of our shared history. Dharma Rain...
Progress Toward a Home for Bright Way Zen
A Home of Our Own! Many things still need to happen before we can make this a permanent home for the Zen Center, but we are hopeful. The Burks (our teacher Domyo and her husband John) have agreed on terms of purchase with the seller and had the property inspected. We...
Introduction to Zen Meditation: A Beginner’s Workshop at Bright Way Zen
By: Livia Alexandra Bright Way Zen recently hosted the first edition of our Introduction to Zen Meditation Workshop, and we’re feeling grateful for how it unfolded. What began as a simple offering—clear, welcoming guidance into the basics of Zazen—became a meaningful...
A Soto Zen Pilgrimage
By: James Gregg As both a frequent traveler and Zen practitioner, I was very happy to recently spend 2 weeks in Japan with my family. Not only did we do the "tourist" thing, soaking in the uniquely Japanese experience, I also got a rare opportunity to touch the...
A proud day for Bright Way Zen: The Zaike Tokudo ceremony
Sunday, July 27, was a very special day at Bright Way Zen. For the first time in eight years, the Sangha held a Zaike Tokudo, or lay ordination, ceremony to honor five long-time members. Zaike Tokudo literally means “staying at home to accomplish the way,” and is the...
2025 Portland Buddhist Festival
From left to right, sangha members Isaac Sather, Jinryu Allgood, and Courtney Seablom at the Bright Way Zen boothOn Saturday July 12, approximately 20 Buddhist sanghas and related organizations - including Bright Way Zen - set up shop on the spacious grounds of Dharma...
Jukai Ceremony 2024
On Sunday June 1st, 2025, we held a Jukai ceremony. This is our annual ceremony where people who have practiced with Bright Way Zen for at least 6 months or so, and who have studied the Bodhisattva Precepts, can choose to formally become Zen Buddhists. We say they...
Sangha Sharing Open Mic Event
I recently moved from California to the Portland area in Oregon and received a warm welcome from the Bright Way Zen community. I had been practicing for decades at various Soto Zen centers of the Shunryu Suzuki lineage in California's Bay Area and Sacramento. The...
Sejiki Ceremony 2024
Bright Way Zen held its annual Sejiki ceremony, also known as the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, this past Sunday, October 27th, 2024. Sejiki, which is heavily rooted in mythology, is a ceremony in which offerings are made to Gakis- being stuck in the "hungry ghost"...
Buddhist Festival in the Park 2024
While many Bright Way Zen members were sitting in silence during Zazenkai, a few of us were on our feet and talking non-stop: Saturday, June 29th was the city-wide Buddhist Festival in the Park, held at Colonel Summers Park in inner Southeast Portland. James Gregg and...
Jukai Ceremony 2024
Jukai Ceremony 2024 On Sunday June 2nd, 14 people received the bodhisattva precepts in our annual Jukai ceremony, formally becoming Zen Buddhists in our lineage by publicly vowing to live by the precepts as best they can. Congrats and welcome! Six people received...
Spring Sesshin 2024
Spring Sesshin - April 23-28, 2024 This spring, 19 of us joined to sit together for Sesshin at Oral Hull outside of Sandy Oregon. This year felt like the the quietest sesshin yet, we're getting the hang of creating the sesshin container together at this...
2024 BWZ Wesak Festival
Last weekend, the Sangha celebrated Wesak which commemorates the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha. To begin the ceremony, we set up a special altar and place a small baby Buddha statue on it. The statue depicts a baby Buddha standing on a lotus. One of his hands points to...
March One Day Retreat
Last weekend, the Sangha came together for a One Day Retreat. We had 11 people in the Dirt Zendo and about 17 involved in the Cloud Zendo throughout the day. During the retreat we pay mindful attention throughout the day to our meditation, our breath, chanting, silent...
Jinryu’s Commencement: The Shuso Hossen Ceremony
This past Sunday, March 17, a good half (!) of our Sangha gathered together in the Dirt and Cloud Zendos to celebrate our beloved Jinryu Janna Allgood, who completed her term of service as shuso, Bright Way Zen's "chief student." In this role, Jinryu assisted Domyo in...
Sign of the Times: A New Bright Way Zen Sign!
After many years of sporting a plastic banner that got progressively more tattered by the Portland rain and wind, this year we invested in a brand-new sign that hangs above the entrance to the Dirt Zendo. It's beautiful, bright, and easily visible from the busy street...
Pool Journal
Dear Sangha members: Domyo asked me to share an experience of insight as encouragement to other members of Bright Way Zen sangha, since it arose from the same combination of Domyo’s teachings, practice, and inquiry in which we all engage. Marv Cohodas I begin...
Reviewing the Results of Our Member Survey
On behalf of the Bright Way Board I would like to share with you a discussion that took place at our last Board meeting. We were discussing the results of the most recent survey that was taken this past spring. In reviewing the results, overall, they were very...
Embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at BWZ
Article by Shoketsu Ellen Carlin The Buddha said to his students, “Go forth for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world.” One of the goals in the Bright Way Zen Strategic Plan is to share the Dharma with more people. We...
Multiple Ways to Practice Dana Paramita
Article by Jinryu Janna Allgood Mahayana Buddhism has six paramitas, or expressions of perfection or completeness. Dana Paramita is often associated with charity and includes the giving of alms. According to our new Strategic Plan, there are two areas of focus where...
Exploring and Polishing the Sangha Jewel
Article by Myoju Bella Jhunjhunwala Zen practice is often perceived as a solitary endeavor, picture the dark robed practitioner sitting still in zazen practice, delving deep into herself to find her Buddha Nature. While it is true that the practice takes personal...
Our Growing Children’s Program
Article by Marcia Kahn Bright Way Zen’s Strategic Plan aims not only to deepen the engagement of current members (Goal One) but also to share the Dharma with more people (Goal Two) and our Children’s Program hits both of these targets. Plus it’s fun and rewarding for...
Building a Culture of Gratitude
Article by Jinryu Janna Allgood Remember the last time you received a hand written Thank You note in the mail? Maybe it was from a friend or relative, or possibly a four-year old, learning to write but thanking you nonetheless for a birthday gift. How did that...
Bright Way Zen Creates Strategic Plan to Address Priorities
Article by Jeff Young, Chairman of the Board Our mission is to help people find spiritual peace, deepen their wisdom and manifest compassion. Our vision states that we will offer a place of spiritual refuge for Washington County and we will be build a warm, vibrant...
Enacting the Bodhisattva Vow
“Beings are numberless, I vow to save them all.” We sit on our cushions and recite this Bodhisattva vow, envisioning a sea of people caught in the throes of greed, hatred and delusion and wishing with all our hearts to free them of their suffering. As Zen...
Prayers for One Towards Whom We Feel Anger and Outrage
At Bright Way, we've been discussing the Brahmaviharas lately, particularly goodwill (metta) and compassion (karuna). One of the main questions we've been addressing, naturally, is how to deal with anger and hatred - our own, as well as that of others. When someone is...
Zen Practice as Path – Six Tips
Our whole life, no matter what happens, can be ennobled by seeing it as path.
Path implies movement, progress, change, development, growth, discovery, and purpose. We don’t just turn 18, or 25, or 30 and then stop growing and learning. Thank goodness! Instead, there’s no limit to how much more skillful, wise, compassionate, and authentic we can become, and we continue on that path of development – hopefully – for our entire lives.
Zen Is Not a Self-Improvement Project – Or Is It?
In Zen, self-improvement is not the main point. You still gotta keep working on it, but Zen’s main point is that you have access to ultimate peace and perfection just the way you are. Liberation isn’t dependent on the degree of your self-improvement.