June 23, 2004
Source: The Register Gaurd
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/06/23/a1.buddhist.0623.html
On June 23, 2004 The Register Gaurd reported on "Eugene Zendo, a Buddhist community that got its start five years ago as a meditation 'sitting group.' The community took root two years ago in a west Eugene home - after efforts to establish a sanctuary in a rural neighborhood just south of Spencer Butte fizzled in the face of adjacent landowner opposition. This week, the community's benefactor, a 76-year-old monk from Japan, arrives to dedicate the meeting place as a fully recognized temple of the Soto Zen branch of Buddhism. The ceremony showcases a long-standing - and apparently growing - interest in Buddhism among Eugene's ranks."