[Siddhartha Gautama]

Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple

Ch'an and Buddhist Practice & Teaching for All

P.O. Box 64952 Tacoma, WA 98464

Resident Instructor: Venerable Shih Shen-Ling

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Meditation Practice: Every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Beginners' Instruction at 6:30 p.m.

United Church in University Place, 3912 Grandview Drive W.

University Place, WA

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We welcome all of you to the Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple with three sincere bows of gratitude. All are welcome to attend Ch'an meditation practice in the sanctuary of United Church in University Place. We are currently in the process of establishing an affiliated Sangha in Portland, Oregon.

The Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple is, first and foremost, a Ch'an Buddhist temple and fulfills the normal functions of any Buddhist temple by providing a center for meditation, instruction, and practice of the Buddhist Way. As was true of the ancient temples of China, we also fulfill the function of the monastery by training monks in the practice of traditional Buddhism so that they too can work to spread the Dharma.

Through our Temple and its activities, we hope to make possible a modern enactment of the venerable tradition of the Buddhist Order and the living legacy of Shao-Lin Ssu's Master Bodhidharma.

May all living beings be saved!

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Our Founder: Master Shih Shen-Lung

1947-2006

A practicing Buddhist monk since 1972, Ven. Shen Lung was ordained in the Soto Zen tradition by Rev. Soyu Matsuoka Roshi and subsequently received Dharma Transmission from Ch'an Master Shih Mo-Hwa of the Lin-Chi sect in 1980. Ven. Shen-Lung's guidance, understanding and humor helped countless numbers of beings to grow and thrive in the Dharma. He passed away on October 28th, 2006 and was given the posthumous Dharma Name Tai Xi, meaning "Great Joy." We honor the monk Shih Wu-Ming whose Dharma Name is Lung-Yen!

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Our Abbot: Ven. Shih Ying-Fa

As Master Shen-Lung's only recognized Dharma Heir, Venerable Shih Ying-Fa now serves as Abbot of the Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple. He is also the Abbot of CloudWater Zendo, the Zen Center of Cleveland, Ohio. Ven. Ying-Fa is the founder of the Nien-Fo Ch'an Order of Buddhist Monks and is the honorary Spiritual Director of the Richard Hunn Association of Ch'an Study in England. Ven. Ying-Fa's root teacher is Sensei Koshin Ogui, the current head of the Buddhist Churches of America. Ven. Ying-Fa received Dharma Transmission from Master Shen-Lung in 1998 and was publicly named Dharma Heir.

Dharma Transmission announcement at Cleveland, OH in 1998

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Our Resident Instructor: Ven. Shih Shen-Ling

A senior student of Ven. Shih Ying-Fa for the past 10 years, Ven. Shih Shen-Ling was given Dharma Transmission by Ven. Ying-Fa on October 23rd, 2007, making him Ven. Ying-Fa's first Dharma Heir. Ven. Shen-Ling is considered to be part of the 50th generation of the Lin-Chi Ch'an line as well as the 89th generation dating back to the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Ven. Shen-Ling teaches meditation and Buddhism to inmates in the Washington state prison system and is a member of the Northwest Dharma Association, participating regularly in various interfaith activities.

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Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple Rededication and Announcement of Ven. Shen-Ling as Dharma Heir

Left: Ven. Ying-Fa leads chanting along with Ven. Shih Yung-Hsi of Portland, OR.

Right: Ven. Shen-Ling and Ven. Ying-Fa after Dharma Heir announcement.

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We are happy to recommend that you also visit the following Dharma Sites on the web.

CloudWater Zendo, The Zen Center of Cleveland Yong Kai Ch'an Ssu of Maracay, Venezuela
Northwest Dharma Association Still Mountain T'ai Chi
BuddhaNet The Buddhist Channel
   

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Or, if you only wish to tell us what's on your mind, leave us your comment or suggestion.

Please direct all questions or comments regarding Dharma or Zen practice to shenling@dragonflower.org


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