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DECEMBER 2004 UPDATE

Dear Friends,

As holiday time approaches, we at the Abbey look forward to celebrating the Dharma. We just received news that Lama Zopa Rinpoche has kindly accepted our sincere request to give the Vajrasattva initiation at the beginning of the retreat this winter. In addition, Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Wangdak will also visit us again. Read more about these events below or check the calendar page.

Nerea and Dave put in the floor in the meditation hall and Nanc is working on the trim. The altar is painted, and we are building the bookshelves to house the Buddhist scriptures. The Friends of Sravasti Abbey are raising funds to furnish the meditation hall with coat racks, shoe racks, cushions, curtains, a sound system, etc., and soon this will be completed. Local practitioners have been helping a lot and several of them joined abbey residents in taking the Mahayana precepts on Thanksgiving.

Leah, Friends of Sravasti Abbey's accountant, is now doing personal retreat at the abbey for a month.

Meanwhile, I am in Asia on my annual trip to see my teachers and Dharma friends. I was in Singapore

Venerable in front of hugh Buddha

for about 12 days, teaching, seeing many old Dharma friends and meeting new ones. There were two public talks at Phor Khar See, the largest temple in the Singapore, which drew about 900 people each. It was a humbling experience to have the privilege of addressing the audience in the temple's new hall, with the Buddha looking on.

Now I am in India, visiting Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche at Gaden Monastery and attending His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings at Sera Monastery. People here are pleased to hear of the Abbey's progress in the last year.

Our upcoming Vajrasattva retreat at the Abbey is a joyous event and we would like to invite you to share in the positive energy. Here are some ways you could participate: 1) do the Vajrasattva practice at home, 2) attend the initiation by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, 3) offer support for retreatants' food and other necessities by sending a contribution to the Abbey.

Join the Retreat at the Abbey by Doing Vajrasattva Practice at Home

Jan. 5 to April 1, 2005 eight people will do Vajrasattva retreat at Sravasti Abbey. This practice is an excellent way to purify negative karma created by the ten destructive actions and by transgressions of precepts. Through purification practices, we let go of regret and guilt and prevent negative karmic imprints from ripening into suffering results. This practice also enables us to build up constructive attitudes and emotions such as forgiveness, love, compassion, and wisdom.

We would like to offer those who are unable to attend the retreat an opportunity to make a connection with it. You can do this by doing at least one session of Vajrasattva meditation with 108 recitations of the long mantra a day during the time of the retreat. This takes about 40 minutes. Doing this, you will feel the support of a group of people doing the same meditation and will give your support to them, inspiring the practice of those doing retreat at the Abbey. If you are interested in participating in this way, please download the materials - the Vajrasattva sadhana (the text with the visualization, prayers, mantra, etc.), a commentary on the practice, and audio recording of Ven. Chodron leading the practice. Study the FPMT Vajrasattva practice book (available from www.fpmt.org) and read Becoming Vajrasattva, by Lama Thubten Yeshe (Wisdom Publications). that you will participate in this way and we will mentally include you in the big community of Abbey practitioners. Send us your photo to place in the Abbey's meditation hall to symbolize your participation.

Attend the Vajrasattva Initiation Given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the Abbey

This event is full and a waiting list is being maintained.

To our great fortune, Lama Zopa Rinpoche will give the Vajrasattva initiation at the Abbey on Jan. 5 and 6, 2005 (time to be arranged). Since the abbey will have a full house with the retreatants, we are unable to offer accommodation, meals or transportation to other guests. You can easily arrange these at the nearby town of Newport WA, or in Spokane WA or Coeur d'Alene ID. The commitment for receiving the initiation is to either 1) do Vajrasattva retreat with 100,000 recitations of the long mantra within a year of the initiation, or 2) recite 21 of the long mantra or 28 of the short mantra a day for the rest of your life.

Since our meditation hall has limited space, those who would like to attend must register in advance by contacting . If you would like more information, write to or check the calendar section of our website. Do not register unless you are sure you will be able to attend to avoid others being turned away due to lack of space. Only those who register will be able to attend.

Join Us for Khensur Rinpoche's Teachings on Purification Practice and the 35 Buddhas

Kensur Rinpoche
We are delighted that Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Wangdak will be at the Abbey once again to teach on purification practice and the practice of bowing to the 35 Buddhas. Teachings are tentatively scheduled for Sunday Jan. 9, 4-6 p.m. and the Monday Jan. 10, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. Because the Abbey has a full house with the retreatants, we ask guests to please arrange their own accommodation, transportation, and meals at Newport WA or Coeur d'Alene ID or Spokane WA.

After these wonderful visits, the Abbey will not receive visitors until the retreat ends on April 1.

Wishing you a joyous holiday season. May you welcome the stillness of winter with a peaceful heart and may you give warmth to those around you with compassion.

Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron

 
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