Recently on May 2, 2026, the Clear Way Zen Sangha held it’s first Agency General Meeting with 16 founding members present, and decided together to register the organization’s legal status as a Canadian Non-Profit Organization and Registered Charity. The first 8 members of the Board of Directors were elected, tasked with drafting the Vision, Mission and By-law of the Community.

Shortly after the AGM, on May 16, 2026, The sangha welcomed two people onto our Senior Member list with the taking of the 3-Gems and Precepts Ceremony for Michael Walker and Dan Radovanovic. We welcome brother Michael and Dan on taking their Zen Vows, the 3-Gems and Precepts.

On June 22, 2026, the Clear Way Zen Board had it’s first Board Meeting and the following board members officer’s roles were decided as follows:

1. President: John Agnew
2. Vice President: Patricia Boska
3. Treasurer: Marie Olinik
4. Secretary: Elizabeth Fournier
5. Special Events Director: Chrystal Norman
6. Communication Director: Dan Radovanovic
7. Asistant Communication Director: Michal Helbin
8. Our teacher Lotus Vu serves on the Board of Director as Ex-officio member.

Michael Walker was designated as the fundraiser committe chair at the AGM.

Our Sangha decided at the AGM that on Saturday, June 27, 2026, we will have our last Saturday Sitting in-person before a summer break from in-person meeting for the summer and enjoy a Potluck with each other at Knox-Met Church in Regina.

July Forest Retreat at Arrow River Forest Hermitage

On July 18 to August 1, 2026, a group of our sangha members with our teacher will be doing a retreat at Arrow River Forest Hermitage in Ontario, about an hour outside of Thunder Bay. Arrow River Forest Hermitage is a center with individual cabins spread throughout on a remote off-grid 92 acres forest. This retreat will give the sangha members a chance to practice living in the forest while practicing Zen in an environment that mirrors what the old forest Zen masters likely have lived in Vietnam or China. Vietnam has a rich tradition of forest dweling Zen practitioners in solitary retreats. Our members will have a chance to experience this practice this summer.

Unfortunately in this day and age, the majority of people don’t believe enlightenment is possible. People listen to the dharma to feel good or do charitable things to gain merits. But when it comes to meditation and practice people turn away and miss the mark leaving nirvana out of reach. Practice and diligence is the key to nirvana for everyone.

I want to include a poem from Hui-neng, The Sixth Patriarch of Zen, found in the Platform Sutra:

Deluded a buddha is a being
enlightened a being is a buddha
a foolish buddha is a being
a wise being is a buddha
a biased buddha is a being
an unbiased being is a buddha
as long as your mind is biased
the buddha dwells in a being
the moment you wake up unbiased
a being becomes a buddha
your mind contains a buddha
your buddha is the real one
if you didn't have the buddha-mind
where would you go to find a buddha?

Everything we experience is through the mind. Because of this the mind is also the creator of our experience. When we let mind ramble on with out notice or control then you might understand how this effects our experience. Also, Lotus geeks out…