In karmic terms, the Dharma Friendship Foundation in Magnolia Village has been doing well by doing good for 10 years. The organization at 3204 W. Lynn St. teaches people the philosophy and intricate practices of Tibetan Buddhism.
The center had formerly been located in a house in the Green Lake area, said Julie Rae, a member of the board of directors. "We decided we needed to have a center that wasn't in someone's residence," she said of the group's second spiritual director, Thubten Chodron.
It's a name adopted by a California-born woman when she became a Buddhist nun, Rae said. "She's been ordained for 30 years."
Chodron left in 2002 to form the Sravasti Abbey in Newport, Wash., and she took on the role of spiritual advisor until Yangsi Rinpoche became the foundation's spiritual director last year. "He's a reincarnated lama," Rae said.
The Seattle center was originally set up by Alan Wallace in 1985 to make it possible for Tibetan Gen Lamrimpa to come to America and teach, she added.
And Lamrimpa became the foundation's first spiritual director. "So all these people have passed on their valuable teachings to us," Rae said.
According to its mission statement, one of the organization's central goals is to foster the spirit of peace, nonviolence and compassion in the world, "following the inspiring example of His Holiness the Dalai Lama ...."
Leah Kosik, the foundation's treasurer, said the teachings at the center are ancient but remarkably applicable to the modern age. Among other things, the goal is to help people live better lives and to bring more peace to the world. "These teachings tell us how to do that," she added.
Dharma means the teachings of Buddha, and one of the religion's precepts is the concept of karma. It's similar to the saying, "What goes around, comes around," meaning good deeds are rewarded, while bad ones aren't.
The concept also applies across reincarnated lives, which is significant. "We believe in rebirth," Rae said. "At least we're creating karma to join up in future lives," she said of a group of regulars that varies from 30 to 50 in number.
"How else can you have a community if you didn't have one before?" wondered Kosik. Laurie Rostholder, the foundation's vice president, agreed. "We all have some similar karma," she said.
Kosik said Buddhists don't proselytize, but that doesn't mean there aren't new adherents. "We have one member who was raised Buddhist," said Rae, who added that she had no religion before becoming a Buddhist. Rostholder and Kosik both said they grew up Jewish.
The foundation is a non-profit organization that survives only on donations people make. But no one is ever turned away if they can't pay anything, said foundation member Mary Grace Lentz, who grew up Catholic.
"We set out a basket and encourage people to be generous," Rae explained. "It opens you up to receive the teachings." The foundation features weekly and monthly classes, including an introduction to Buddhism. People come from all over the Puget Sound region to take them, she said.
Foundation members say they feel comfortable having their center in Magnolia, though there was a bit of a backlash right after 9/11, Lentz said.
"We were just promoting peace, and that was not very popular," Rae remembered. That reaction, however, was an exception to the rule, according to Rostholder. "The community is very welcoming and safe," she said, "and we appreciate that."
More information about the foundation can be found online at www.dharmafriendship.org.[[In-content Ad]]
