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FRIENDS OF SRAVASTI ABBEY ANNUAL BOARD AND VOLUNTEER MEETING
JUNE 22 – 26, 2005 AT SRAVASTI ABBEY
By Kathleen Herron, Co-chair of FOSA's Board

Twenty-two people (new and old volunteers) met over four days at the Abbey with the main purpose of exploring how to improve FOSA's support for Sravasti Abbey. We aimed to help create conditions to allow Ven. Chodron to spend more time at Sravasti Abbey and less time traveling. We also worked on improving our website, creating a FOSA database, and improving dissemination of Venerable's teachings.

The spirit of the meeting was enthusiastic, cooperative, fun, and generous. We consistently kept Dharma values in mind and action. Everyone enjoyed morning meditations on Shakaymuni Buddha and evening Vajrasattva meditations. Many also did prostrations to the 35 Buddhas, morning and night. We took turns fixing delicious vegetarian meals and cleaning up and took walks in the beautiful forests, meadows, and gardens during the breaks. We shared gratitude for this opportunity to be together and to engage in this important effort to help pure Dharma take root in the United States by supporting training for Westerners monastics and those interested in ordaining.

We began by getting to know one another better and then shared information about the mission, history, and background of Sravasti Abbey and of FOSA as the support organization to the Abbey. Ven. Chodron and various board chairs reported on past and current efforts in the following areas:

  • Monastic training
  • Lay education
  • Dissemination of the Dharma (via the Web, and CDs, etc)
  • Financial Reports
  • Inviting generosity (Fundraising)
  • Development of building plans
  • Providing the four requisites to the Abbey: food, clothing, shelter, medicine
  • Developing and nurturing volunteers
  • Developing and nurturing the FOSA board
  • Developing a FOSA database
  • Improving our Public Relations efforts and materials, including the website

After discussion of various alternatives, the FOSA Board decided to request Venerable to stay at the Abbey as much as possible for the next year to develop the program for those exploring monastic life. For this to occur, FOSA will continue and increase the effectiveness of our efforts at inviting generosity, developing and increasing volunteers, disseminating Venerable's Dharma talks, and improving public relations. We agreed to continue coordinating construction, gardening, and forest preservation, and providing the four requisites to the growing number of residents. We will coordinate the search and hiring of a full-time administrator for the Abbey.

We worked in large and small groups to create plans to carry forth each program area, each person committing to several tasks. The full report of the FOSA meeting is on the Sravasti Abbey website. It contains more detail about the discussions, strategies, and tasks. If you'd like to participate in a particular area that interests you, please contact .

We are grateful for the kindness, energy, and generosity of those who attended and of all who will continue FOSA's mission to help the Dharma flourish by nurturing and supporting Sravasti Abbey.

 
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