Division/Clinton Street Fair

Saturday, July 24
10 am to 5 pm

Find us somewhere between 32nd and 37th on Division

Celebrate summer and Community at the Division/Clinton Street Fair. Stop in to chat with the Chapter contact. What are you interested in for the Portland Chapter? What do you have to offer? Make this stand-in for the bimonthly gathering of the Portland Chapter what you want it to be... bring your portable chair and sit awhile, be neighborly.

The first 15 people to inquire receive a free silver metal water bottle from the Portland Buddhist Festival in the Park.

You also have the chance to receive an enso from Enji.

First Annual Portland City Sit

The Portland Chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship is happy to endorse Maitripa College's First Annual Portland City Sit.

FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2010
PORTLAND CITY SIT
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Downtown Portland ~ Pioneer Courthouse Square
Open to all - Stop by anytime ~ No charge

Our annual Buddhist Festival in the Park has veered more in a direction of fostering community, and educating the public about Buddhist options in the Portland Metro Area. Consequently, we have veered away from actual teaching of meditation at the festival, encouraging festival-goers to visit those temples where they found some resonance.

We see this City Sit not only as filling a need, but as filling a gap that we've left behind in our festivals in recent years.

So spread the word, and find some time to visit the Portland City Sit. There is something to be said about meditating in public, without the sound barriers of a roof and four walls. It is possible, and enlightening. Let what will be, will be, and who knows what effect it could have on others.

7th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park

Unity and Diversity
A Buddhist Festival in the Park
June 5, 2010, 11:00 am to 4:30 pm
Colonel Summers Park
SE 17th and Taylor, Portland, Oregon

Schedule

• 11 am: Tabling by participating groups, food vendors, Buddhist goods vendors: available through the day
  
• 12 noon: Opening Ceremony
• 12:15: Community presentations (all Buddhist communities present are invited to take a few minutes to introduce themselves to the audience)
  
• 1:30 pm: Keynote speaker: Gyokuko Carlson, Dharma Rain Zen Center
• 2:15 pm: Unity and Diversity Candle Ceremony
• 2:45 pm: Panel Discussion: Rev. Jundo Gregory Gibbs, Oregon Buddhist Temple; Domyo Burk, Dharma Rain Zen Center; Gregory Satir, Portland Friends of the Dhamma
• 4:00 pm: Closing Dedication
• Free prize drawing
  
• Japanese Fan Dance to Ifu Dodo: Youth Division, with youth band and jazz band from SGI Portland

Children's Pavilion Schedule

• 12:15 pm: Storytime with Craft by Cynthia Pietrak Wong
• 1:15 pm: Scavenger Hunt and Cooperative Games
• 2:15 pm: Unity and Diversity Candle Ceremony
• 3:15 pm: Storytime with Craft by Heidi Enji Hoogstra
• 4:00 pm: Closing

See the festival website for more information.

Coming years: June 4, 2011; June 2, 2012.

Nonviolent Peaceforce Presentation

Sunday, January 17
2:30 to 4:30 pm
Belmont Library

Nonviolent Peaceforce
Presentation by Terri Shofner, Peaceforce Oregon

Nonviolent Peaceforce, making Gandhi’s vision of a Shanti Sena, Peace Army, a reality in our world.

Terri Shofner of Peaceforce Oregon will present information on NP and invite you to participate in an activity so that you can experience a little of what it might be like to serve on an international peacekeeping team.
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Some of us have been saying “NO” to war for so long it’s become our mantra, but sometimes it’s nice to have something we can say “YES” to. Nonviolent Peaceforce is that something we can say “YES” to when we say “NO” to war. NP is a truly global organization made up of Member Organizations from across the globe, including the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. As a Member Organization BPF is able to participate and be a voting member of NP on such important items as long-term organizational plans and the approval and changes to the Nonviolent Peaceforce's by-laws.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an unarmed, professional civilian peacekeeping force that works in conflict zones worldwide. We have teams currently deployed in Sri Lanka, Mindinao and soon we will have new teams on the ground in Southern Sudan.

We envision a world in which large-scale unarmed civilian peacekeeping using proven nonviolent strategies is recognized as a viable alternative in preventing, addressing, and mitigating violent conflicts worldwide.

In North America, NP is expanding it’s outreach by offering Nonviolenct Conflict Intervention workshops and training for domestic peace teams. NP is supported locally by the United States Nonviolent Peaceforce Chapters Association (USNPCA), another Member Organization of NP. We also have chapters forming in many cities across America and Canada to promote this work, including Peaceforce Oregon in Portland.

The concept of the Global Nonviolent Peaceforce is an important contribution to the new millennium in that people working for peace, whose lives represent an ethical commitment towards that end, are an important part of the construction of a world where tolerance, respect, equality, improvement and justice become humanity's most essential values.

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Guatemala, Nobel Peace Laureate

Gathering for Discussion

Sunday, November 15
2:30 to 4:30 pm
Belmont Library

Reflection on the Year
Plans and wishes for the year to come

Meet other local engaged Buddhists, think about where we've been, and consider where we're going in the next year. Take an active part in deciding the direction of our Portland Chapter.

If there is time, we can talk about the current issue of Turning Wheel, which did not arrive in time for the previous gathering. If you didn't get it, consider becoming a paying member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship so you do. Did you notice I wrote "paying member?" It is possible now to become a member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship without giving a donation. Of course all donations help, but please show your support by becoming a member now. Put the magazine in your hands by giving a donation.


Also, if you're starting to think about holiday gifts, consider our Buddhist Festival water bottles. We can't make sales at the gathering at the library, but let's make arrangements via email. If you're close by, we can save on shipping costs by meeting in person.