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| Left to right: Gansho, Cindy, Trey, Chris, Koro, Hadashi (Photo by Joe Gledhill) |
On Monday, April 22
nd, Chris Wiedamann joined the
ranks of the Order of the Boundless Way in an Earth Day ordination ceremony
held under a giant spruce tree at Lake Sylvia State Park.
Six people set out with Chris along the park
trail in Montesano, Washington, including his friend and co-worker, Cindy Burton.
Also in attendance were ordaining teacher
Hadashi Jeff Miles, Gansho Lenny Reed, and Joe Gledhill, all of Mountain Way
Zendo, and Trey Grubbs and Koro Kaisan Miles of Open Gate Zendo. After a quiet
processional walk through the woods, the party fanned out under the giant old
tree for a brief liturgy.
Hadashi then
spoke of Chris and what it meant to have him ordain, handing him the robe, bowl
and staff in the process.
Afterward,
each of the attendees said a few words about Chris and congratulated him on his
ordination.
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| Muoepeopsu Jeoun (Photo by Joe Gledhill) |
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Chris originally took refuge vows with the Lexington
Shambhala Center in Lexington, Kentucky in May of 2009, and was given the name
‘Fearless Dharma Tree’ (Jigme Chöshing
in Tibetan). This was incorporated as
the first part of his new dharma name, with the second part being ‘Kimchi
Cloud’. As he has an affinity for Korean culture and Zen practices, Chris uses
the Korean translation of his name, which is Muoepeopsu Jeoun. While in Kentucky, Chris also practiced with
several other groups in the area, including a student group at the University
of Kentucky, and the Cincinnati Dharma Center.
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| Front row: Joe, Jeoun, Trey, Back row: Hadashi, Koro, Gansho (Photo by Cindy Burton) |
A practicing service forester and self-described ‘anarchical
Buddhist’, Chris moved to Washington to work for a local conservation district
for a year. While there, he practiced with Open Gate Zendo in Olympia, Blue Heron Zen Community at Seu Mi Sah Korean temple in Tacoma, and most recently, with the small sangha at Mountain Way Zendo in
Grays Harbor, where he trained for his ordination. He has
recently relocated to western Virginia to be closer to home, and while he is
now one of many far-flung Dojin of the Order, he will be sorely missed by his
adoptive family out west.
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| The joke's on you! (Photo by Joe Gledhill) |
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