R 201:EASTERN RELIGIONS
FIELD TRIP FOR 2003

All students are asked to make a serious attempt to arrange their schedules to participate in the optional all-day 2003 Field Trip to Portland, Saturday, February 22.

• Those going on the field trip will visit places most students will not likely have been exposed to before.  We will hear speakers from each tradition who will answer questions.  It is an opportunity you should try hard not to miss.
• Registration and a reservation fee of $10.50 are required by February 15, for transportation (lunch extra) [returnable only if remaining funds adequate] and admission to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. The fee is $3.50 if you are providing your own transportation.  The $2.50 increase in fee this year is to cover admission to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden.  All persons attending must fill out emergency contact information with Dr. Cannon before the trip, and receive a copy of the itinerary and background reading packet.

Transportation cost and admission to the Classical Chinese Garden is $10.50 which must have been paid in advance.  Lunch, if you care to purchase it at Good Day (Chinese) Restaurant, will be from $4.00 to $5.00 (order must be placed with me in advance).  Persons riding in transportation other than college provided must pay $3.50 to cover arrangements and printing of this itinerary and background reading handout and admission to the Classical Chinese Garden. Such persons must inform me (Dale Cannon) in writing during the trip of how much of the field trip they are participating in.

Please do not wear over casual clothing; remember that we will be visiting places which people regard as having great sacredness and which they expect others to respect accordingly.  In particular, no shorts or tight fitting clothing.  Women may wear slacks, dress, or skirt -- as long as it is not over short or over tight.  (There have been occasions where I have been specifically asked to have visitors to meet this requirement.)

Read through the background readings for the field trip attached to this itinerary. There will be opportunity for you to ask and have answered most any question you have.  Avoid questions or remarks that might be offensive, however.  In any case, remember to practice the virtues of empathetic objectivity.  You will find that when you do, people will be more than happy to share their tradition in depth.  Note:  We will be leaving promptly at 7:30 AM.  If you are late, you will miss the bus.

7:20 AM  Assemble not later than this time near the entrance to the parking lot behind the Administration building (the corner of Powell and N Warren Sts.)  I will have the College vans (as needed) available for boarding by that time.  We will leave not later than 7:30 AM.

9:00 AM  Arrive at Brama Premananda Ashram / Temple (11515 SW Hall Boulevard, Tigard, OR 97223-8417; phone 503-598-3073).  We will be greeted and given an interpretive tour by a representative of the local Hindu congregation, Bharat Naik, a Hindu Astologer, Yoga teacher (Director of Satyananda Yoga Center), and professional electrical engineer.  {To get there from Monmouth, head to Portland on I-5 (first taking 99W to Rickreall, right on Highway 22 to Salem, left off of the Center Street Bridge following the signs toward Portland which will eventually get you to I-5 heading North).  Soon after you pass the Lake Oswego turn off, take exit 292 to Highway 217 heading toward Tigard and Beaverton.  On 217, take the (2nd?) to Highway 99W and turn left or South.  Turn right off of  99W onto Hall Boulevard.  Watch addresses for 11515 SW Hall Boulevard on the left.  It is an older house said to be behind Kinder Care.}  Plan to leave not later than 10:00 AM.

10:30 AM  Arrive at Dharma Rain Zen Center, a meditation center of the Soto Zen tradition (2539 Madison Street, SE, Portland, OR 97214; phone 503-239-4846).  We will be greeted there by Kyogen, the main Zen priest in charge, who will lead us on a tour of the center and tell us about Soto Zen theory and practice, including giving us a brief taste of Zen meditation.  Special instructions:  I believe we will be required to remove our shoes at  or near the door.  Sometime while we are there, either Eric Marcoux or Ani Paldron (also known as Guilda, a female), will meet with us and introduce us briefly to one of the traditions of Tibetan Buddhist practice carried on at the center.  {To get there from the Hindu Temple, turn right on Hall Blvd., turn left on 99W.  Watch for the intersection with I5 North on the right and get on I5.  When you approach downtown Portland, take the exit for Naito Parkway and Front Street.  Turn right on Naito Parkway/Front Street and watch for a right turn to Hawthorne Bridge (the first bridge you come to).   Cross the Willamette River and continue East on Hawthorne.  At SE 25th, turn left, then immediately right on Madison, and find a place to park.  The Dharma Rain Zen Center will be on the right on Madison as you head East, between 25th and 26th.}  Plan to leave by 11:45 AM.

12 Noon  Arrive at Good Day Restaurant (312 NW Couch St., Portland, OR 97209-3921; phone 503-223-1393.  (Independent drivers, of course, may eat wherever they like, but a lecture for us by Charles Wu will begin at the banquet room in the restaurant at approximately 1 PM.)  {To get there from the Dharma Rain Center, head West on Madison, which will soon become a one way street.  Continue on Madison until it crosses the Willamette on Hawthorne Bridge.  In downtown Portland, the street will vere to the right and become SW Main St.  Turn right on SW 4th, heading North.  In 11 blocks you will cross Burnside (major intersection); Couch will be the next street.  Turn right onto Couch.  The Good Day Restaurant will be between 4th and 3rd on Couch.  Find a place to park.  Parking is at a premium at this time of day.  Plan to be parked for 3 hours.}  We will be at the Restaurant for about two hours.  Our lunch will already have been ordered.  Please plan to pay 15% tip/gratuity.  About 1 PM, Charles Wu will give a presentation to us there about Chinese Cosmology and Qi-gong (a movement meditation / martial arts practice).  At about 2 PM he will take us to the Classical Chinese Garden, by foot, and give us a personal tour.

2:00 PM  Arrive at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden (NW 3rd & Everett [two blocks North of Couch], Portland, OR 97208; 503-228-8131).  Upon admission to the Garden (which we must all do together to get the $2.50 price, which I will handle), Charles Wu will give us a personal tour and commentary.   Be ready to board the vans by 3:00 PM.

3:30 PM  Arrive at Portland Miao Fa Chan Temple (formerly Portland Buddhist Temple) (1722 SE Madison Ave., Portland, OR 97214; phone 503-239-5678).   We will be greeted, given a tour, and given a talk on teaching and practice associated with the Temple by Shi Zhiming, who I believe is a monk-priest (Chinese practice is to put the family name first as Zhiming Shi).  {The Portland Miao Fa Chan Temple is very near to the Dharma Rain Center.  So we will have to backtrack.  Head South on 3rd for about 13 blocks and turn right on SW Madison, which will take you back across the Hawthorne Bridge.  When you cross the river, you will be on Hawthorne, heading East.  Turn left at 17th and immediately right at Madison.  The Temple will be in the first block.  Find a place to park.}  Plan to leave by 4:30 PM at the latest.

5:30+ PM  Hopefully we will arrive back at WOU by this time, at the place where we left 10 hours before.  {To get there, head West on Madison (through several stop signs) until you cross the Willamette River on Hawthorne Bridge again.  Do not take the first right onto Front St./Naito Parkway, but continue West and take the first right onto 2nd Ave.  Take the first right onto SW Stark, go to Front St./Naito Parkway and turn right (South).  Continue on Front St./Naito Parkway and watch for the signs for I-5 South, and follow the signs (turning left).  Stay on I-5 until just North of Salem and take exit 260 and the Salem bypass to Highway 22 and points West.  In Salem, turn right at the Marion Street Bridge and Highway 22 and, once on the bridge, take the left lanes to connect with the bypass around West Salem.  Head West on 22.  At the one stoplight you will come to (10 miles later), turn left at Rickreall and head South to Monmouth.}

FIELD TRIP QUESTIONS

Remember you are encountering other worlds to live in, with vast and rich meanings you will hardly begin to explore.  The proper attitude is one of humble curiousity, a readiness to empathize, and a willingness to give the benefit of doubt to representatives of the tradition when things seem strange and uncertain.  Keep in mind that the people we will meet will likely not be trained in the discipline of empathetic objectivity, may not have experienced empathizing with traditions very different than their own, and may not have learned how to speak neutrally about their own tradition to outsiders like yourself.

1.  Observe carefully the places we visit, and try to describe them.  What do you see?  What do they look like outside?  What do they look like inside?  How is the interior architectural space arranged and organized?  What is your visual focus drawn to?  What seems most important and what not?  Are there areas which are "off limits" or specially sacred?  How are these features communicated and made clear?  How formal/informal is the decor?  How spare or busy?  Is it conducive to quiet contemplation and awe, or something else?  How much is the overall spacial effect controlled by aesthetic considerations (i.e., carefully planned considerations of beauty, form, and effect on those who worship there)?  What do people do here?  How is worship bodily expressed?  To what extent does the visual effect of the interior space connect with (or express) the religious teaching and the nature of  their worship?  How different is this place from houses of worship that you are more familiar with?  To what extent are works of religious art present or not present, dominant or not dominant?  How do the works of art which are present enhance the worshipful atmosphere of the place (or not)?  What things do you notice that you don't understand?

2.  What are the people like?  How are they dressed?  Does their clothing convey anything special?  What if anything do they hold in their hand(s)?  Do they make any special gestures or say certain things that convey symbolic meaning within the worship space?  Do they come across as thoughtful and considerate people?  Do they leave you with the impression that thoughtful and considerate people find deep meaning in this tradition?  Can you now imagine what it would be to be a member of this tradition?  How are they different from religious people you are more familiar with?  How cordial and hospitable are they?  Do you find them defensive?  Why do you suppose that is so?  On the other hand, do you find them somewhat offensive and putting down to other views?  Why do you suppose that that is so?  What things did they say or do that you didn't understand?

3.  What sort of challenge does this visit to this tradition present to your capacity to empathize?  To what extent does what you see and hear seem strange, off-putting, or even offensive to your religious sensibility?  Could this be due to the "threshold effect" in reverse (i.e., things as they appear from the outside or from the religious perspective with which you identify which will likely appear very different on the inside), or could it be due to something else?  What sort of change would it require of you to find yourself at home in this environment?

4.  What new things are you learning about this tradition, about its perspective on the world, and about the people who identify with it as a result of this visit?  What things do you find attractive and worthy of respect, if not admiration?  What things do you find not the least bit attractive?  What things do you find interesting that you would like to learn more about if you had the opportunity, at least to understand more fully?