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MEDICINE BUDDHA RETREAT 2007 (en Español)

The one month Medicine Buddha retreat was a wonderful experience. With nine participants and Barbara holding down the fort as office manager, the group settled in as a community very quickly

There were five sessions a day of practice and one of study. Offering service in the woods and around the main house rounded out the schedule. It structured the group and mind wonderfully. Alex Berzin visited. The week long teachings of Khensur Wangdak Rinpoche with a full house of guests provide a beautiful opportunity to open our hearts to all of them. Many of the motivations we shared daily focus on the rarity of this opportunity to be in retreat together


The 2007 Medicine Buddha retreatants pose with the beautiful thangka in the meditation hall.


Pictures of just some of the over 110 retreatants from afar participating this year. Many are inmates who have been joining the Abbey winter retreats from prison since the first one 4 years ago.

Alec hangs the men's laundry out in the brisk fall sunshine. All the retreatants sign up on the chore rota for the month long retreat.



Marsha takes a break from assembling the retreatant photos to spend some time with Manjushri. Once a very shy cat, Manjushri adapts very well to the hundreds of people who visit the Abbey every year.


During the first week of the retreat Alex Berzin visits the Abbey for a day. A long time friend of Venerable Chodron's, Alex shares his wonderful Dharma journey with us during lunch.


One of the joys of retreat is the time set aside for study. Here Venerable Tarpa takes advantage of that precious time.

Carl is doing a prostration retreat for the month hoping to get a good start on the 100,000 + he hopes to complete this winter. There is no better place than out on the deck in the winter to keep one moving quickly through the practice.



Venerable Chodron opens the car door for Khensur Wangdak Rinpoche. He came to visit and teach on the first three chapters on bodhicitta from The Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life by Shantideva. He stayed for 7 full days giving us amazing teachings as well as the Manjushri and Medicine Buddha initiations.

Rinpoche, who has been to the Abbey a number of times, is pleased to see all the improvements as well as the growing community.




Sherran, who came for the week long teachings by Khensur Rinpoche, shares her study time with Achala the Abbey's ever mellowing wrathful feline.


To feed 18 people or more for a week one needs a skilled, enthusiastic and efficient kitchen crew. Nancy, Sherran and Kevin prepare many nutritious meals that really are gifts of love to the retreatants.


Equally efficient and skillful is the meal cleanup crews. To keep the kitchen spotless and organized three crews of three took on the task. Here Dianne, Tanya and Tom put the finishing touches on the lunch clean up.


Who is that mysterious robed stranger? Venerable Tsenla, who translated for Rinpoche, takes a walk in the bright open air.


Venerable Tsenla smiles as we end the week of teachings. Without her amazing translation skills it would have been difficult for us to receive so much benefit from Khensur Rinpoche's teachings.


Nan and Sherran make offerings to Rinpoche in gratitude for his teachings. He gives each of them a blessing cord.


The sangha poses with Rinpoche. Ven. Semkye, Ven. Chodron, Kensur Wangdak Rinpoche, Ven. Tsenla (translator), Ven. Tharpa


The Abbey community, Medicine Buddha 1 month retreatants and the week long guests pose at the end of the wonderful teachings on bodhicitta.


The Buddha garden statue shines brightly behind the frosted window pane in the evening darkness.


A beacon of light in the winter dusk.


Dawn comes at the Abbey after morning practice and in time for breakfast.

 
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