Our Mission to Strengthen Our Community
Since our inception in 2011, Bright Way Zen has grown from a handful of local members in suburban Portland, Oregon, to about 100 pledging members throughout the United States and Europe, and many more people who participate regularly in person (in the Dirt Zendo), virtually (in the Cloud Zendo), or both.
Over the years our community has grown and matured, and become one of the primary sources of connection and refuge for many of our members. Check out this map of where our members are located in the United States (note this does not include international members).
We aren’t interested in growth for growth’s sake. However, we have some key visions for the long term that will require the support of our Sangha, or community:
- We want to support our teacher with a living wage of $75,000 a year by 2030. Currently we are able to pay our teacher and spiritual director, Domyo, about $30,000 a year (no benefits). Median clergy salaries in our area about $75,000 a year. The long-term survival of our community depends on our ability to attract and retain a qualified teacher with whom the Sangha feels a strong resonance.
- We would like to own our space by 2035. We are currently in a rental space. As with any rental, the cost or availability of it may change at any time. With a permanent space, Sangha members could contribute by caring for and improving the building. We could make it suit our needs, and would also have a source of financial investment.
Thoughts on Owning Our Own Space
Our dream is for our Sangha to own a human-scale, inviting space by 2035 that can serve as our place of practice and also as a community center.
If we had such a place, including a kitchen, dining area, library/meeting space, and office, our guiding teacher would spend at least a few days a week working from there. People could stop by and meet with her. Community members could come together for meals and small group meetings. Individuals could spend time at the Zen center studying, volunteering, sitting, or connecting with others.
The Zen Center would be our communal home. Sangha members could invest their time, energy, and resources into a space that is our own. We could adapt the space for our own use, and possibly even hold multi-day retreats there, with some people sleeping on the premises.
A significant portion of our Sangha now participates via our Cloud Zendo, so how would this Sangha home benefit them? First, as rich and beneficial as our Cloud Sangha is, a significant part of our Soto Zen tradition manifests physical, in three dimensions – in the way we move together in the same space; the way we engage our bodies and senses in our rituals, ceremonies, and practice roles; and the way we get to know one another as we work, eat, and socialize together. Our Sangha as whole benefits from remaining rooted in a physical practice, and non-local members will be able to visit our Sangha home any time.
Second, a home would provide Bright Way with a financial investment and stability. The loving labor and contributions of Sangha members would directly enrich our investment, and the beauty and care invested into our home would clearly translate into our Cloud connection. Cloud Sangha members who visit locally could stay overnight at the Zen center. A strong and vibrant local community is complementary to a strong and vibrant online community, and vice versa, as long as both are equally valued and attended to.
While Dirt Zendo attendance will probably increase gradually over time, we could consider the purchase of a large, commercially-zoned house where the meditation space could easily accommodate 20 (a large living room) and 30 people could fit in when necessary.
