SPRING COMES TO THE ABBEY - April 2007
Coming out of a 3 month Chenresig retreat as well as a winter of cold, snow and an unusually high number of cloudy days, the Abbey residents begin to see signs that spring is under way. Not only is the bright blooming of the crocus and the Siberian iris a sure sign but also the arrival of our first visitors.
The Abbey resident’s first outing was to North Idaho College where Venerable gave a talk on Making Good Choices for a Good Life to a filled lecture hall.
Back at home the repaired waterline ditch was exposed again with the spring thaw. Much work is still to be done before reseeding can happen, but a group of early bird volunteers have already made headway on that project.
Due to safety concerns over its irregular walking surface, a colored concrete slab will replace the dirt and stone at the office entrance by the end of April to make it a more usable and safe space to walk. Removing rock, concrete pads and treated lumber before hand has already been done. Excavating the area, building the forms and getting it ready for a concrete pour are scheduled in the next two weeks. Stay tuned.
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The bright beauty of the first emerging flowers in the Abbey garden are hard to miss in the bare brown soil.
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At North Idaho College a Power Point presentation of the Abbey plays as the audience gathers before Venerable Chodron begins her talk. |
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At North Idaho College a Power Point presentation of the Abbey plays as the audience gathers before Venerable Chodron begins her talk.
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| The Couer d’Alene Dharma Friends had a table of books and Abbey info throughout the weekend. Almost all the books were gone at the end of Saturday as well as mailing lists filled with interested folks wanting to know more. |
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Barbara McDaniel, board member of Friends of Sravasti Abbey shares the mission of the group of volunteers who make up the Abbey’s biggest support.
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| Barbara’s and her mom Beth offered the Abbey resident’s lunch one day. It was Beth’s first visit to the abbey. |
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| Dechen from Portland a wood worker, stone mason and long time Buddhist practitioner brought her wonderful talents to the Abbey soon after retreat ended. Dechen will be back hopefully to attend retreats. |
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| Joanne from Sunnyvale, Calif. and a newcomer to Buddhism brought such a warmth and joy to the Abbey. A chef back home Joanne prepared delicious hearty soups and salads that were beautiful expressions of her creativity. Joanne wrote a wonderful piece called “240 Acres of Heart”. Stay tuned. |
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Dharma tele-teachings have started at the Abbey . Here Venerable Chodron continues her teachings on the “Essence of Refined Gold” started during the retreat. On the line a group of students in Jalapa, Mexico. Abbey residents as well as local folks are in the living room listening along with them. |
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| Spring brought the thaw and a sunken, muddy water line ditch in need of lots of attention. |
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Pat one of the Abbey close neighbors brought his lawn tractor up and filled in the trench and then leveled it. Now hand work will finish grading and reseeding. It would have taken days to do by hand what Pat accomplished in a day and a half! |
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| A before picture of the patio with its different levels, concrete stepping stones, treated wood which is treacherous when wet, and slippery lava rock. All will be replaced with a simple concrete slab. |
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| Hours are spent getting the patio ready for the concrete. Most of the materials removed will be used elsewhere on the property in the Abbey’s efforts to re-use as many materials as possible. |
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