When I was invited to take over the leadership of our little community five and a half years ago, I didn't know how long I would be living in the DC area and I had no idea what to expect. So I set myself one primary goal: to ensure that, somehow, this group could persist and thrive in my absence. I have been on leave from leading the group for about three months. In that time, the community has prospered. So I say with confidence that my goal has been met.
I can also say that, due to life circumstances, I am no longer in a position to lead our community. These are the ordinary commitments that we all have, such as caring for children and aging parents, searching for jobs, trying to make ends meet. Leading a Buddhist community requires a significant commitment of time and energy--a commitment that is greater than what I have to offer now or for the next two decades. I am no longer up to the task, but I am delighted that Junsen is.
It is with a mix of gratitude, respect, and relief in a job accomplished that I offer my resignation. I will not be deterred from practicing Dharma as a layperson, and I am eager to offer what support I can to the community in the cherished role of an ordinary person in ordinary clothes, just some nobody.
Every member of this sangha has enriched my life in some way. Thank you for that. I hope I have made some positive contribution to yours so far.
Great things are afoot.
Yours in friendship always,
Jikan Daniel Anderson
This community will persist, and I rejoice in the Dharma practice of our members. I say "our" because I do intend to participate as a layperson to the best of my capacity.
Jikan Daniel Anderson
31 December 2015
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