Great River Tendai Sangha's Sunday Services on 1/24/16 are Canceled

The Great River Tendai Sangha's January 24th Sunday Services at Yoga in Daily Life have been canceled due to a declared weather emergency. We hope everyone stays safe this weekend, and we encourage you to practice at home. We look forward to seeing everyone the next Sunday when we will resume weekly services. Event Details ---------------------- What: Sutra Service and Meditation Who: Great River Tendai Sangha When: Sun Jan 24, 2016, 9:30-11 am EST Where: Yoga in Daily Life (upstairs!) 2402 Mt Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA 22301

Welcome to Our New Sangha Leader

It is with open joy that the Board of Directors of the Great River Tendai Sangha welcomes our new Sangha Leader, Rev. Junsen Chris Nettles, PhD.  On January 10, 2016, the Board of Directors convened a special meeting to ratify the appointment of Junsen Chris Nettles by the Tendai Buddhist Institute as the new Sangha Leader. Monshin and Shumon Naamon, of the Tendai Buddhist Institute in Caanan, NY, also attended the special meeting via conference call. 

The Great River Tendai Sangha Board wishes to give Jikan Daniel Anderson, the former Sangha Leader, our sincerest gratitude for providing our sangha with gentle leadership and wise counsel.  His efforts have provided us with good direction and inspiration to our community’s practice.  The Board also recognizes the strong partnership between Jikan and Junsen, who, along with our active lay community, have built a firm foundation for this sangha.  We look forward to our future, with new and continued opportunities for growth and practice under Junsen’s leadership.  Please join us in welcoming Junsen as our new Sangha Leader!

The Great River Tendai Sangha Board of Directors:

Hoshu Anne Christoffel                                                
Jishin Michael Buck
Kosen Bill Pugh
Monshin Paul Naamon
Yusei Lan Van

The Great River Tendai Sangha thanks Jikan for his service and leadership

A few days ago, Jikan Daniel Anderson publicly communicated, through a number of channels, his resignation as the Sangha Leader of the Great River Tendai Sangha. You can read his public letter on our blog,

In his letter to us, the Great River Tendai Sangha Board of Directors, Jikan indicated that the challenges around managing the ordinary commitments of life, work, and family, are difficult to balance with his sangha leadership role. Furthermore, he indicated his intention to leave the Tendai clergy and continue his Buddhist practice in the role of a layperson.

It is with a mixture of emotions that the Great River Tendai Sangha Board of Directors accepts Jikan's resignation. We are very sad to lose our Sangha Leader of the past 5+ years; yet, we celebrate the transitions that Jikan and his family are making.

We wish to express our deepest gratitude for the many years of service and leadership that Jikan has provided to our little community. Furthermore, we rejoice in the new roles Jikan will be assuming in his life.

We have made a formal request to the Tendai Buddhist Institute in New York for the appointment of a new Sangha Leader. When that process is complete, we will make an announcement to our membership.

For now, the programming of the Great River Tendai Sangha is not changing. We will continue our evening meditation meeting each Tuesday evening at 7:30, in the downstairs chapel at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. We also will continue to meet for Sunday morning services, starting at 9:30am each Sunday, at Yoga in Daily Life (upstairs) in Alexandria.

Together in the Dharma,

The Great River Tendai Sangha Board of Directors:

Hoshu Anne Christoffel                                                
Jishin Michael Buck
Junsen Chris Nettles
Kosen Bill Pugh
Monshin Paul Naamon
Yusei Lan Van

Jikan's Resignation

A few moments ago, I emailed my resignation from my leadership of Great River Tendai Sangha to the leadership of our Board of Directors.  I made plain my reasons for doing so (see below); they do not reflect negatively in any way on our local community, Tendai Buddhist Institute, myself, or anyone else.  This is simply a transition that ought not to be postponed.

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

Day of Meditation & Contemplation

Please join us for a full day of meditation, contemplation, and sharing the Buddha's teachings.

Sunday, 22 November 2015 - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Held at our Yoga in Daily Life location
2402 Mt Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA 22301

A light vegetarian breakfast will be provided before service. Please bring a vegetarian bag lunch and a small snack to share.
Space is limited to 15 participants.
A $40 donation is suggested. No one will be turned away for lack of funds
For registration, please contact junsennettles@gmail.com

Upcoming: Day of Mindfulness and Contemplation

Save the Date:  22 November 2015

Join us for a full day of meditation and sharing the Buddha's teachings.  We will get started at 8am.  This event will take place in the upstairs studio at Yoga in Daily Life, on Mt Vernon Avenue in Alexandria.

If you have any questions or would like to join us, email Jikan at JikanAnderson@gmail.com .  You can also follow and help promote this event by sharing this Facebook link, if you use Facebook.

I hope to see you there.

Buddhist Weddings In Virginia

It is true:  I am available to perform wedding ceremonies for couples in Virginia who are interested in Buddhism.  I am willing to travel with adequate notice.  Interested persons should first inquire within, and then contact me by email or in person (jikananderson at gmail dot com).

I bring this up because, after the recent changes in Virginia's marriage laws, I have had an increase in the number of inquiries about weddings.  I am happy to help people in committed relationships to seal their vows in a way that is meaningful to them and will orient their best intentions toward the benefit of all beings. 

May love prevail.

--Jikan

Potluck for Sangha Togetherness!

We're getting together at 6pm on Saturday, 13 September for a potluck.  This is an exercise in making connections on a virtuous basis.  In Japanese, this is called go-en, and it goes a long way toward building sustainable Buddhist practice for oneself and for our local community.  I hope you'll join us.  Please bring something meatless to share.   We're coming together at a private residence in North Arlington, about a mile from the East Falls Church metro station.  Email me to RSVP, and I'll give you the address (it's jikananderson at gmail.com).

Potluck: Let's Send Junsen to Gyo!

Junsen Chris Nettles is attending an intensive training at Tendai Buddhist Institute this summer. We should send him off properly and rejoice in his practice. Join us at 3pm on Saturday, 14 June, at Jikan's house in Alexandria. For directions and to RSVP, please email JikanAnderson@gmail.com . Hope to see you there!

Save the Date: 17 May 2014

Our teacher Ven. Monshin Naamon of Tendai Buddhist Institute will be in town to lead a one-day retreat in Northern Virginia on 17 May 2014.  Save the date!  More details soon...

New Year's Eve, 2013 with the Sangha

We will meet for meditation, teachings, and socializing on New Year's Eve 2013, starting at 7:30pm in our usual Tuesday evening location in the Walden Room of the UUCA.  Bring in the new year with a bodhisattva's pure intention:  could there be a better way to do it?

Of course, everyone is welcome to join us for this event and all our regular activities.

Other sangha festivities may follow at a different venue.  I hope to see you there.

Coming Attractions: Series on the Bodhisattva Precepts

In 2013, our Sunday morning Dharma talks and discussions will be centered around a text known as the Brahma Net Sutra, translated most recently into English by Martine Batchelor and published as The Path of Compassion (available at Amazon and other fine retailers; check bookfinder.com for used copies). 

This text is of central importance to us for practical reasons.  It directs our attention to the fundamental matter of conducting ourselves as bodhisattvas in the world.  We will use this text to provoke this question from many different perspectives:  how ought one to conduct one's life, to act in the world, in order to fulfill the Buddha-path?

Also, this text is of great historical and doctrinal importance to Tendai Buddhism.  The founder of our school in Japan, Saicho (also known as Dengyo Daishi, as he is referred to in our sutra service), built the training and ordination program that became the Tendai school on the foundation of the Brahma Net Precepts.  One might say that the specific characteristics of Tendai Buddhism, this is among the most distinctive.  The Brahma Net Precepts are big part of what make Tendai Buddhism Tendai Buddhism.

Martine Batchelor's translation of this sutra is valuable to us for a number of reasons.  The introduction is lengthy, and while it is particularly appropriate for beginners, experienced practitioners will also learn from it.  I encourage everyone to find a copy, read it, reflect on it seriously, and join us for a discussion on this remarkable cluster of teachings. 

It is not necessary to "do the homework" to participate in and benefit from the Dharma discussion.  But as with so many Dharma practices, you get out of it what you put into it...

I look forward to cultivating the highest intentions for 2014 with you.

Schedule Changes over the Holidays

Our sangha's practice schedule will be altered somewhat due to my travel plans over the holidays.  For the last two Sundays in December 2013 (the 22nd and the 29th), Junsen Nettles will lead meditation practice in lieu of the sutra chanting service at Yoga in Daily Life, at the usual time of 9:30am.  I will return to lead the sutra chanting service on January 5, 2014.

Regarding Tuesday evening meditation at the UUCA:  we will not meet Tuesday, December 24 of this year, which is Christmas Eve.  Meditation will resume the following Tuesday as is our wont.

Finally, we are preparing something special for December 31 (a Tuesday this year).  Expect an announcement describing this soon.

Thanks!

Coming Events: Potluck at Chez Jikan

I hope you can join us for sangha togetherness and sangha food at 6pm on Sunday, 8 December, at our residence in Alexandria.  What to bring?  Yourself and, if you like, some food (meatless dishes please).  Please RSVP to Jikan at JikanAnderson at gmail.com and ask for directions to our place if you need them.

This is how we will commemorate Rohatsu this year.

Potluck for Sangha Togetherness: 6 October 2013

Let's get together next weekend!  On Sunday, October 6 (after our 9:30am meeting for meditation and services at Yoga in Daily Life in Del Ray), about noon, come by our house in Alexandria with some vegetarian food to share.  This is an informal, comfortable, family-style sort of Dharma event.  I do hope you can make it.

RSVP to me by email (JikanAnderson at gmail.com) if interested and I will give you the address and directions if you need them. 

Second Weekly Meditation Meeting Added: Alexandria, VA

I am delighted to announce that our sangha is adding a second weekly meeting to our regular schedule of practices.

We will continue to meet on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm at the UUCA, as has been our custom for years. 

In addition, we will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30am at Yoga in Daily Life in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria.  This meeting will develop into a regular sutra service and meditation as we gather the necessary accoutrements and more of us learn the basics of participating in the service.  The first few weeks will be of the nature of an orientation and introduction to practice; more and more elements of the service will be introduced as we progress and grow.  So, this meeting is particularly appropriate for beginners to Buddhism generally, or experienced practitioners who are interested in learning more about Tendai Buddhist practice in particular.  We are meeting in the upstairs shrine area. 

Find us at:
2402 Mt. Vernon Avenue,
Alexandria, VA 22301

The Tuesday evening meditation meeting will be led primarily by Junsen Chris Nettles.  The Sunday morning service and meditation will be led primarily by Jikan Daniel Anderson.  We are one sangha, one branch of the Tendai Buddhist Institute, meeting twice weekly. 

Everyone is welcome.  We hope to see you there.

Coming Attraction: Introduction to Buddhist Practice

Mark your calendars:  on April 21, we are presenting an Introduction to Buddhist Practice.  You can find out all the details on where and when at this link.  We hope to see you there!  Please spread the word...

Buddhist Movie Night: Sunday, January 13

Let's spread the word!

GREAT RIVER SANGHA

presents

BUDDHIST MOVIE NIGHT

featuring

SHUGENDO NOW, a film by Jean-Marc Abela and Mark Patrick McGuire

EVERYONE IS WELCOME.  THIS IS A FREE EVENT.

Sunday, January 13, 2013, 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Arlington Central Library, 2nd Floor
1015 N Quincy St
Arlington VA 22201

To RSVP, email JikanAnderson@gmail.com or use our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/DCTendai

GREAT RIVER SANGHA is a satellite of the Tendai Buddhist Institute,
based in Canaan, New York.  Tendai is a tradition of Mahayana Buddhism
that includes a diverse array of practices to suit different kinds of
needs and abilities.  The film SHUGENDO NOW by Jean-Marc Abela and
Mark Patrick McGuire gives some insight into one aspect of this
tradition:  rigorous, active, outdoor meditations done in
near-solitude.  Other Tendai practices include seated meditation,
chanting, study of the sutras, and esoteric practices (mikkyo)
analogous to Tibetan Vajrayana.  Great River Sangha meets weekly for
meditation and inquiry into the teachings.  See dctendai.blogspot.com
or contact JikanAnderson@gmail.com for more information.

Everyone is welcome at Buddhist Movie Night, a free event.  We hope to
see you there!

Enjoy Thanksgiving Together at Jikan's House

This Thanksgiving, we would like to invite anyone who would like to come for a warm meal together and good conversation. If you would like to bring a vegetarian dish, dessert, or drink, or if you have never been to our home before, please let me know (jikananderson at gmail.com).  You can RSVP to me by email, in person, or at our Meetup group:  22 November 2012 at 5:30pm.

Engaged Practice: Arlington Food Assistance Center

Members of our sangha have a longstanding relationship to the Arlington Food Assistance Center.  This is an organization that provides food to many families in Arlington who would not eat otherwise.  You can participate by contacting them directly, donating as appropriate, and in particular volunteering your time.

I strongly encourage anyone who is involved in our local sangha to participate, and for those who are at a distance to find a similar project in your neighborhood and join in.  This is an opportunity to make a meaningful connection in our community, to put the teachings into practice very directly, and quite simply to do the right thing.