Planting Zen, The May Sit & Indiegogo

The first phase of Planting Zen - Dharma Rain Zen Center's project to purchase, restore and develop Siskiyou Square for our new home and community open space - will cost $5.9 million. We've already raised $5.5 million. With only $400,000 to go, we're within striking distance of our goal. That's where you come in - along with a generous anonymous donor who shares enthusiasm for our vision. Our donor will match 1:1 every gift - doubling the impact of your tax-deductible donation. We'll celebrate a successful $50,000 Indiegogo campaign with an entire month of meditation and dharma teaching. The May Sit will be open to all.

An Ofuda, blessed on Dharma Rain's Siskiyou Square, is a Perk starting at $50.

Dharma Rain Zen Center

Dharma Rain Zen Center is the oldest and largest Soto Zen Buddhist temple in Oregon. For 40 years, we've helped people understand and mitigate the causes of suffering - their own, and others. We’ve been teaching how to live every day with compassion, mindfulness, integrity and love to anyone who's interested. We’ve welcomed thousands who've come through our doors. Silent, seated meditation is our core practice, which informs all the rest. We're known for an open, accessible practice environment, a breadth of teaching voices, and a diverse array of programs. Many of the people we serve aren't Buddhists. Most programs are free, and no one is turned away due to money. You may encounter Dharma Rain as...

• a preschooler in our Montessori classroom.
  
• an inmate in one of seven state prisons, or a recent parolee.
  
• a high school student from out-of-state attending our summer camp.
  
• someone attending a meditation workshop for the first time.
  
• a college student using Siskiyou Square as a living ecology laboratory.
• an experienced meditator on a week-long silent retreat.
• a seminary student studying Buddhist texts with other advanced students.
• a local resident dropping in for early early-morning or noon meditation.
  
• a 30-year practitioner sharing dinner with dear friends.
• a child walking to school on the public path through Siskiyou Square.

Dharma Rain's abbot, Gyokuko, blessing a new member of our sangha.

Our Vision for Planting Zen

After decades of growth on our campus in Southeast Portland, Dharma Rain finally outgrew our space. We explored many options and properties. One place caught our eye, seized our imagination, and called out to us - Siskiyou Square. After lots of due diligence and community conversations, we went for it. We sold our three buildings, purchased a 14-acre brownfield, began operating out of adjacent rental properties and started Planting Zen - a multi-year project to restore and develop our new property.

       From a quarry in the 30s...to a landfill in the 70s...to a brownfield in the 80s... 

...to an urban campus for spiritual practice and study, community open space and native habitat.

Our vision for Planting Zen is bigger and bolder than just a new home for Dharma Rain Zen Center. A third of Siskiyou Square is dedicated to native meadow, pond and forest habitat, and another third to community open space encompassing an outdoor classroom, a playground and community gardens. A public path wends its way across our land, which lies between two neighboring natural areas, creating one of the largest contiguous wildlife corridors in Portland. Nestled into this setting will be our new meditation and event hall, facilities for our children's programs, classroom and office space, and dormitories for monks, lay residents and people attending retreats. Our sister organization, Siskiyou Cohousing, will build 31 units of cohousing onsite -all of which have been sold to families wanting to live in a mindfulness-based community.

Our Progress Planting Zen

With lots of help from our partners, we've made great progress with Planting Zen in the last few years. It's taken us...

• a year to find Siskiyou Square and then purchase it.
• a year to do planning, permitting, community engagement and start our ecological restoration.
• a year to put in basic site infrastructure (grading, paving, underground sewer, water, stormwater filtration, utilities) and environmental remediation.
• and, finally, a year to achieve 75% completion of our Sodo (meditation and event hall, with kitchen and dining room), plant our community garden, place our portable classroom and office building, and do more site infrastructure.

And now this year, we'll finish our Sodo, a workshop and required public street improvements. Then we hope to start on our dormitories for monks, lay residents and retreat attendees. 

Dharma Rain's new Sodo (meditation and event hall) under construction.

The May Sit

Raising $50,000 through our Indiegogo campaign will help put Dharma Rain over the top, allowing us to finish the first phase of Planting Zen. Then we'll have a great excuse to celebrate - and a profound need to express gratitude. The best way we know to do this is to sit very still. So, we'll sit for a full month (May 1-31, 2016) and invite everyone to join us.

The May Sit will be 31 days, 16 hours a day chock full of meditation, each with three vegetarian meals and a dharma teaching. All are welcome to join us for meditation, with donations accepted for meals  - although, if you check out our Perks, you'll see that a donation of $24 or more now includes meals for the duration of your pass for the Sit.

Who's Talking About Planting Zen

We’re delighted at the buzz about Planting Zen in our community and far beyond. Planting Zen has received lots of positive press, helping to capture the imagination, hopes and dreams - and hard work - of many. A partial list of coverage includes...

Who's Partnering With Planting Zen

We’ve engaged the grassroots community while simultaneously working with professional experts. Our partners are a diverse mix of government, education, neighborhood, community and environmental groups. Whether by funding, technical expertise or people-power, they all play an important part in Planting Zen  Planting Zen's Siskiyou Square

Siskiyou Square is a 14-acre site on top of a former landfill - environmentally damaged, overgrown with invasive species, vacant and untended, and a catalyst for crime and vandalism for most of the past 30 years. The size and visibility of Siskiyou Square has contributed to urban blight, making the area less desirable for businesses and home owners. Although eager for reuse of the site, locals successfully fought the development of the land for a big box store in 2007. However, they've welcomed Dharma Rain to their neighborhood with open arms.

Siskiyou Square is located five miles from downtown Portland, off Northeast 82^nd Avenue - a major, underdeveloped corridor long viewed by some as a dividing line between the haves and have-nots in Portland. The surrounding neighborhood has high rates of unemployment and poverty. Despite its economic challenges, the area is rich in cultural diversity, with high percentages of racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants and families who speak English as a second language.

Funding Strategy for Planting Zen

Planting Zen is so visionary, so expansive, that we’ve divided it into phases. Phase 1 began with our ground breaking ceremony in June 2013. The total cost of this first phase is $5.9 million. We’ve already raised 93% of that amount with savings, property sales, environmental grants, land leases, individual donations and low-interest loans. We're now raising the last $400,000 needed to wrap up Phase 1 by December 31, 2015. Our $50,000 Indiegogo campaign is an important part of this effort. To help us reach our goal, an anonymous donor has given us a generous matching gift, and will match every Indiegogo donation 1:1 -doubling any gift you give. So, your donation of $24 is a gift of $48, your donation of $50 is a gift of $100, your donation of $108 is a gift of $216 - and on and on!

Risks & Challenges for Planting Zen

Planting Zen is a complex and challenging project for Dharma Rain. Completing this first phase of development is only the beginning. Future development and sustaining the project over the long haul will require more people, time and money. However, we're ready to take on this challenge. Our sustainability plans include...

People- We’ve experienced steady growth in membership and program participation over the years, and studies show that 80% of faith institutions grow significantly within five years of moving to a larger campus. We have a clear succession plan to ensure leadership continuity when our current Abbot retires. And member contributions continue to reliably support our general operating costs. Time - 300 volunteers donate 25,000 hours to Dharma Rain annually. Ten community organizations are partnering with Planting Zen, providing many additional volunteers. And soon, 31 families will be living onsite in community cohousing and volunteering with us. Money - Our expanded facilities will allow us to offer a variety of fee-based programs and workshops to more people. We're developing a marketing plan to attract new attendees and members, along with a plan for member-led workshops for the general public for a fee. Budget projections for our new preschool show a net annual income beginning in 2016. We're also beginning to discuss planned giving opportunities with our members.

Other Ways You Can Help

Besides donating today, you can help with Planting Zen in several ways...

• Share our Indiegogo link with others who care about cultivating compassion and mindfulness, building community and restoring damaged land.
• Sign up to get updates about Planting Zen and other happenings at Dharma Rain.
• Tell your friends, family and colleagues about Dharma Rain and the many opportunities to study and practice with us.