Hello Sangha! Domyo here.
As many of you know, Bright Way Zen’s Strategic Plan includes our intention to eventually own our own property. (We currently rent, and just had our lease extended through June 2027.)
We have formed a “New Home Committee” (Domyo, Shoketsu, Anjo, Kyugen, James, Coral, Jessica, and Jill) and established a relationship with realtor who has experience helping churches buy and sell properties. We’ve been watching property listings and discussing our dreams and needs, and keeping our Board of Directors updated. We have visited a couple of properties, but have yet to start working with a lender.
The process of viewing and discussing properties so far has been very enlightening. Our realtor, Adam, encourages us to go see places even if there’s only a slim possibility we’d be interested or able to buy. This is helping get a much clearer idea of what’s available, what things cost, and what our priorities are.
We wanted to share with you a property we saw recently because it fulfilled so many of our hopes. There is a sale pending on it, and as I said we have not started working on financing – so it’s extremely unlikely we could get this property even if we decided to try. However, we thought we’d invite you to imagine Bright Way Zen in this location, at this kind of property. It’s very different than where we are. You may or may not find it inspiring, and we want to hear from you.
Click here for a Google Response form!
Or you can send an email to info[at]brightwayzen.org (it will get forwarded to the Home Committee), or speak to Domyo, a committee member, or a Board member.
23990 SW Tile Flat Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97123
This property is just outside the urban growth boundary, about 20 minutes from Bright Way Zen’s current location. List price is $1,129,000. (Click here for the Zillow listing, which may end up being taken down soon if the property is sold.)
Pros:
~ 7.7 acre lot – privacy, room for parking, room to grow
~ 3,333 sf home in excellent condition (3 bedrooms, 3 baths, new roof)
~ A private wing with a large central room, den, sun porch, bathroom, and closet that could be the teacher’s residence
~ A large garage that could be converted into a Zendo (smaller than we have now, but we could make do until we could expand)
~ Additional rooms for ordained residents, out of town guests, office, social gathering, etc.
~ Full basement for storage and podcast recording 🙂
~ A barn which could be renovated in the future into a bigger Zendo, etc.
~ Natural beauty, quiet, refuge
~ A place for Sangha to assemble and share resources in case of natural disaster
If we had this place, Domyo and her husband John would live onsite. (One or two other residents might be possible as well, especially anyone doing priest training.) The Zen center would be open Tuesday afternoon through Sunday morning, when members could come out and sit, study, volunteer, and share in communal meals. Our morning zazen sessions that currently happen only in the Cloud would also happen in person. Small retreats could happen here (we’d still rent an out-of-town facility for residential sesshin). The idea would be to create a container of continuous practice that would be available to Sangha members throughout the week.
Cons:
~ Cost (we’d need a significant capital campaign plus creative financing; however, given local suburban growth, in a few years this kind of property may be significantly more expensive, and it might be smart to invest sooner than later)
~ Would need to get a conditional use permit (located in exclusive farm use zoning, although religious institutions can get permits and this is a small parcel that isn’t suitable for farming)
~ 7-10 minute drive from the nearest mass transit stop (in the future mass transit is likely to come closer, in the meantime we might need some kind of shuttle on Tuesdays or Sundays if there is demand)
~ There are a few reasons why Bright Way Zen might not continue to grow so reliably (net increase of 5-10 members each year) at this location: 1) It’s not as “institutional” looking as our current place; 2) Although it’s actually closer to a number of our members and to major population centers south of our current location, its “rural” quality might make people less likely to make the trip? (On the other hand, maybe they would be more likely); and 3) at least for a while, the Zendo wouldn’t be as large. We might have to get creative and have some people sit in the living room, etc… or squish in! Of course, it’s hard to predict what would happen; the property has a really inviting feel about it.
~ Septic system is likely limited and we’d need to be careful to not to overwhelm it, and plan on expanding it at some point in the future
Click here for more photos and some videos!
Again – at this point, presenting this property to you is just a thought exercise. There is already a sale pending on it, we don’t have financing in place. As we go through this property search process – which could take many months or many years depending on Sangha interest and energy (and money) – we want to bring you with us. See what enthusiasm or worry springs up in you as you contemplate BWZ moving to a place like this.
Click here for a Google Response form!
Or you can send an email to info[at]brightwayzen.org (it will get forwarded to the Home Committee), or speak to Domyo, a committee member, or a Board member.
