Portland Friends of the Dhamma
Program News

Thank You Donors and Volunteers for a Wonderful Weekend of Study on Right View with Ajahn Thanissaro (Geoff)

We are deeply grateful to our volunteers and donors for helping us provide a lovely and very full weekend of meditation and study with Ajahn Thanissaro. We could not have done this without the care and the kindnesses of so many of you. This support went beyond our local community as visitors from out of town joined in and volunteered. So many pitched in, cleaning before and after the events, managing meals and logistics, and helping with the expenses. Anumodana!

On Friday, Ajahn joined us for tea time. The room was packed and remained so for the entire weekend. During tea time, folks had the opportunity to ask questions about practice. After the break, Ajahn led us in meditation and offered Dhamma reflections introducing us to mundane and transcendent right view. On Saturday we had a full day of step-by-step instruction and encouragement to follow diligently, with right mindfulness and wisdom, the Buddha’s path that can (with right effort) lead one directly from mundane right view to transcendent right view. 

Finally on Sunday, Ajahn offered a guided meditation on right attention. The audience, whether present for one, several or all of the weekend sessions, appeared curious, engaged, and inspired.

Sakula commented, “This weekend with Ajahn Geoff was a real pleasure. I found his step-by-step instructions very encouraging and easy to relax into. And seeing the warm smiles among so many in the large group of participants was pure joy.”

The sessions were recorded and are posted here and available on Apple Music (formerly iTunes) and Stitcher.

You may double click on any photo to see the photos as a slide show.

Walk to Feed the Hungry Gathers Friends, Old and New

For the third time, on October 19th, Portland Friends of the Dhamma hosted Buddhist Global Relief’s Walk to Feed the Hungry. The event brought friends together from our community and others (such as Oregon Buddhist Temple and Rose City Rebel Dharma) for an afternoon of Dhamma, generosity, fun, and… sunshine!

Before the Walk, we gathered at the the Center for Dhamma refections from Ajahn Sudanto (Pacific Hermitage), Ven. Domyo Burk (Bright Way Zen),  Rinzan Pechovnik Osho (No-Rank Zendo), Tan Gunaviro (Pacific Hermitage), Ven. Shinyu Vitells (Dharma Rain Zen Center), as well as our own Sakula-Mary Reinard. After that—with the monastics in the lead—we headed down SE Hawthorne a ways, then returned to the Center for some refreshments and to celebrate the day’s beautiful expression of our compassionate actions. 

We had 29 registered participants, seven Teams and (at last count) 85 donors who contributed $6,595 in support of Buddhist Global Relief’s efforts worldwide to alleviate malnutrition and starvation; to help girls get access to education; and to afford women the means of earning a safe livelihood. Once again this year, we partnered with Oregon Food Bank, and 10% of our donations (plus the huge amount of non-perishables we offered in their food barrel) will support OFB’s work to alleviate hunger in Portland and elsewhere.

Anumodana, friends!

(Double click on a photo to enlarge the gallery.)

Friends of the Dhamma Reaches Matching Goal – We Did It Together!

The Dharma Charitable Foundation challenged us to increase monthly donations to $1,000 a month, and we did it! We have reached our Matching Goal. In fact, we have just raised $1,100 a month in new and increased monthly giving. Reaching this goal means The Dharma Charitable Foundation is giving us a generous gift of $5,000. 

This gift and the additional $13,200 each year in stable monthly giving from our community are so important to the future of Friends of the Dhamma. We have a more stable income for our building and our Spiritual Director and we have a large gift to help with immediate expenses.

So many people have come together to make this possible. We are so grateful to our community for helping stabilize our presence in Portland and helping support our Spiritual Director in her teaching and pastoral care. Anumodana!


Thank You to Our Community for Making Possible Luang Por Pasanno’s Visit & Pah Bah Celebration

Portland Friends of the Dhamma gathered at the Center for the momentous visit by twelve monastics and Luang Por Pasanno in conjunction with Pah Bah for the Pacific Hermitage. We are very grateful to the monastics for their visit and to our community members who gave financial and volunteer dana to make this weekend possible.

Luang Por’s teaching touched hearts and resonated over the course of the weekend. Matthew Grad noted, ” ‘All I’ve ever taught is suffering and the end of suffering.’ Luang Por Pasanno is my touchstone for those words of the Buddha which keep us all on track. Being in Luang Por’s presence after his year away—opening to his simple, direct, profound teachings—I felt as if I were holding an unbreakable thread leading back to the Buddha himself.”

Sanghata Foundation welcomed us in White Salmon for a half day meditation and teaching retreat on Saturday and on Sunday for the annual Pah Bah (Forest Cloth Ceremony). For millennia, Pah Bah, and Kathina for larger monasteries, have celebrated the relationship of mutual appreciation between a community and local monastics, with the giving of dana out of gratitude for the teaching and spiritual support.

Please enjoy this selection of photos from the weekend. You may click on any photo for a slide show.

Dhamma Friends Children’s Program Starts a New Year

Autumn brings the return of the Dhamma Friends Children’s Program during Sunday Sila at the Center. Generous members of our community are making it possible for Jessica Swanson to continue this year as the lead teacher of the program. Activities include practice bowing, caring for the alter, meeting and interacting with the monks, and short meditations. The children have learned about dana by filling blessing bags for those less fortunate, making offerings at Pah Bah, and helping with the Walk for the Hungry. This year the group will continue the tradition of learning a new pāramī each month.

Jessica Swanson enjoys the morning with the children, “Dhamma Friends Children’s Program is a manifestation of our commitment to families, and it’s been foundational to our Center. It’s an honor — and super fun, if I’m honest — to be downstairs with the kids on Sunday mornings. I look forward to it every week, and I have cherished the connections I’ve made with other parents on the path. It’s my 16th year practicing at PFoD, in large part because of the support my family receives from the community. “

Children at least 3 years old and out of diapers are invited to the class. Younger children may attend with a guardian. Older children may assist with the activities as able and appropriate. Parents may volunteer to help. Please come early to your child’s first session for introductions. Read more…

Open Phones / Open House

Your Development Committee wants to answer any questions you have about donating to PFOD. So we are hosting a virtual open house called Open Phones/Open House on Monday, Sept 9th at 6:00PM – 8:00PM. Anyone can stop by or call in with questions on giving.

  • How do I give through my will? My IRA? 
  • What about giving stock?
  • Can you help me with automated giving?
  • Etc., Etc.

To talk to us about any of these things, come down or call:

Open Phones / Open House
When: Monday, Sept 9th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Downstairs at Portland Friends of the Dhamma
Or Phone in: 503-233-6498

On behalf of the Development Committee,
We look forward to talking with you,

Jocelyn White and Greg Satir



Bhikkhunis’ Visit Enriching – Thanks to You

Thank you to our community members who volunteered and gave dana in June so that we could welcome Ayya Santacitta from Aloka Vihara and Ayyas Santussika and Cittananda from Karuna Buddhist Vihara. A day-long retreat and next day teaching and meal offering were well attended.

The teaching on the seven factors of enlightenment was enriching. The bhikkhunis explained how each factor builds on the previous one and how they play out in our daily lives. Several attendees commented on the clear, relevant quality of the teaching. “The easy, sympathetic manner among the Ayyas created a rich field for me to meditate in,” said Holly Griswold, who traveled from Mosier, Oregon, to hear the nuns. “Each question was answered by both senior nuns, broadening and deepening the teaching. The dhamma, which was stated firmly yet given with a feather-light touch, entered me and ran deep. I feel so grateful! ” As a result of the enthusiasm of the attendees, there is hope for another visit from the nuns in the near future.