Dear Friends,
I just returned from eight wonderful weeks in Asia, on a trip that was planned before we found the property for the abbey. I taught in Singapore and Malaysia where Friends of Sravasti Abbey Singapore is active (Read more). People there were delighted to hear about the abbey. As one person in Malaysia said, “I'm happy to support the abbey because it makes me feel connected to the large, international Buddhist community.”
In India, I visited Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche and Khensur Jampa Tegchok, among others, and they, too, were able to happy to see the photos and hear about the abbey. I invited both of them to teach here, and hopefully in the future, they will.
Meanwhile, volunteers were hard at work preparing the Abbey for occupancy. Jeff was building a wall downstairs. Nanc, Ordel, and Ulric insulated the ceiling. Amy and Marissa taped and mudded the sheetrock. Jeff and Sarah put a new roof on the cabin and prepared it so that Barbara could be the first retreatant there. Alice and many others donate groceries, continuing the ancient Buddhist tradition of the lay community providing all the food monastics eat (Read the Dharma principles upon which the abbey is based).
It's wonderful to see so many people have generosity volunteering their time, skills, and resources to help the Dharma spread in the USA. Nanc wrote about her experience.
Barbara did a three-week retreat in the cabin and emerged glowing (See pictures). I will do a one-month retreat mid-February to mid-March. Speaking of retreats, DFF asked me to lead a retreat on the Medicine Buddha in a beautiful retreat center near Seattle Feb. 4-8. See www.dharmafriendship.org for info.
The abbey is beautiful in the snow. A flock of wild turkey strolls the meadow, pecking the food we've sprinkled for them. Deer tracks abound, and birds, large and small soar above. I take walks in the snow and invite all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas to this beautiful place. May the abbey be a beacon for the Buddha's teachings for generations to come.
FOSA has had a wonderful response to its fund raising appeal. Many thanks to everyone! This will enable us to convert the garage into a meditation hall, a project that will begin in the spring, after the snow has melted. Anyone who would like to help with thiswe need someone skilled in construction as well as helpers(How to get involved).
Several people from FOSA USA and FOSA Singapore have donated items to help with the fund raising. We rejoice in their generosity for offering booklets with “The King of Prayers” in Chinese and English, Buddhist greeting cards, Buddhist bookmarks, prayer beads, Mystical Verses of a Mad Dalai Lama (trans. Glenn Mullin), and Medicine Buddha posters. As monastics, we don't sell things, but instead make them available for donations. Let us know if you'd like something.
Helen Ann has had a good response to “Parties for Sravasti Abbey.” See the web page or write her at helenannl@aol.com if you'd like to have fun with your friends and help the abbey at the same time.
The FPMT Education Dept. has recently published the commentary I gave on the practice of 1000-Armed Chenresig sadhana composed by Zopa Rinpoche.(Click here to purchase), and the video of a talk I gave on Transforming Problems (Click here for the video).
May your love and compassion continuously grow,
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron