News From The Dharma Realm

THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER

Ushered in at Gold Mountain Monastery

      "As I look at it," said the Venerable Abbot of Gold Mountain and the City of 10,000 Buddhas, "we should only celebrate one new year. If we celebrate two, then that would make us twice as old as we really are. Two new years each year and if you're supposed to be 40 you'd end up being 80!"

      But custom prevails and on February 5th-- the lunar first--over a hundred disciples and friends of the Buddha gathered at Gold Mountain Monastery to bow to the Buddhas, join in the High Meat Offering, and share a vegetarian feast, prepared and offered by disciples visiting from Malaysia. Dharma Master Chih Ming from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was an honored guest, and San Francisco Supervisor Carol Ruth Silver and her son Kuo Ch'ao joined the festivities.

      Later, in the Hall of No Words at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Venerable Abbot composed a verse in a more serious tone to describe the animal that rules this lunar year.

THE GOLDEN ROOSTER LIKES TO FIGHT,

TO SHOW OFF HIS VALOR.

THIS LEADS TO WARS AND BLOODSHED,

'TIL BONES TURN TO ASHES.

CALAMITIES EVERYWHERE, THE

SOUND OF WEEPING PERVADES.

VIRTUOUS PEOPLE AVOID DISASTERS,

BUT EVIL ONES WILL COME TO GRIEF.

-by Master Hua
          -translated by Bhikshuni
Heng Tao

Ancient Wisdom With A Modern Beat

BHIKSHUNI HENG-YIN TO PERFORM IN SANTA ROSA

      Encouraged by the considerable air-play and favorable reviews which have greeted her first record album AWAKENING, Bhikshuni Heng-yin will perform her songs at:

the Santa Rosa Recreation Hall
415 Steele Lane, Santa Rosa
March 14th, 1981 at 8:00 P.M.

      She wi11 be backed by some of Sonoma County's finest musicians including Warren Dennis of Beggar's Banquet Recording Studio in Sebastopol who produced and engineered the AWAKENING album, Daniel (Fred) Jones, Kevin Wells, Blair Hardman, and Celia Hollander for this joyful celebration of ancient wisdom in "up to the minute" musical styles ranging from rock to country, folk to new wave--described by Phil Elwood of the San Francisco Examiner as "an astounding work of art!"

      Highlighting the evening wi11 be a guest performance by noted southern California recording artist David Tate, currently associated with Jim Messina. Free childcare wi11 be provided.