JUNE 2004 UPDATES
Dear Friends,
A lot has happened in the last month. The sweet smelling lilacs have bloomed and are now fading. We have welcomed Nanc Nesbitt as a resident at the Abbey. Nanc is the Friends of Sravasti Abbey board member who coordinates the four requisites for the monastics?food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. She brings with her years of experience as a Dharma practitioner at DFF and as a master gardener. Her cat, Yeshe, joined us as well. Karri, a hard worker who has been visiting the abbey since April, has decided to stay on and become my personal assistant. Having an assistant will be a huge help to me, enabling me to focus on setting up the Abbey's teaching program and on writing articles and books. After four months with us, Ven. Tenzin Tsepal returned to Chenresig Institute to complete the five-year Dharma program she began two years ago. Geshe Gedun Samdup, who is a dear friend as well as
Geshe Gedun Samdup relaxing with Achala
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Serkong Rinpoche's attendant, visited us from India for nearly two weeks. He brought with him a beautiful statue of Lama Tsongkhapa that now graces the new altar made by Paul from Boise. Meanwhile, I continue teaching at the Abbey, in Newport, and in Coeur d'Alene.
The month of May was a non-stop work party as we readied the abbey for the Friends of Sravasti Abbey board and volunteer meeting. Sean and Wendy Gardner and family from Missoula, MT came to help lay the laminate floor downstairs. They'll come again soon to put the molding around the walls and doors. Karri and Ven. Tsepal worked diligently on the alcove for visitors'tea and snacks. Mell visited us twice, digging the hole for the outhouse and helping Nanc with grading the soil where the previous owners had installed a new septic system. Dave from Spokane did fire prevention work around the wood stove, and Fred and Doug from Seattle began surveying the Abbey's 240 acres. They had a great time buzzing around the property on a four-wheeler and using the latest surveying equipment. Tracy was the Abbey's representative at an interfaith alliance meeting in Sandpoint, ID. Kevin from Florida, Claudia from Seattle, and Helen Ann from Atlanta came early to help prepare for the FOSA meeting. With all this good will and energetic work, the downstairs rooms are almost complete and were usable during the meeting. I remember well the concrete walls, concrete floor, and wood framing that was all that was there when we moved in. This has been transformed into beautiful rooms due to the efforts of many volunteers.
Meanwhile the Singapore branch of FOSA arranged a booth for Sravasti Abbey at the Vesak Day celebration at Phor Kark See Monastery, the largest temple in Singapore. They showed the power point presentation about the Abbey and made many Dharma materials available to the public. A good time was had by all, and great merit was created. We hope our Singaporean friends will visit the Abbey in the future.
We are also happy to let you know that we met the two challenge grants that have been offered to us. Many thanks to all of you for your generosity and continued support.
May 28 to June 1 saw the annual meeting of FOSA's board and volunteers. Take a look at the photos. This was the first time the Abbey housed such a large groupnearly 20 people. Some camped, others stayed in the house. Meals were served in the garage (which will soon be transformed into a meditation hall), and the participants offered and cooked the food. Everyone agreed that it was a very productive meeting, with good energy and enthusiasm abounding. We were inspired as we walked the Abbey's beautiful land together to get a feel for where new buildings might be constructed. We practiced together morning and evening and kept our Dharma motivation and Dharma values first and foremost in all our discussions and decisions.
Michelle Tae skillfully facilitated the meetings in which we identified the immediate and long-term needs of the Abbey. FOSA's director, Steven Vannoy, reminded us that we are working on the '300-year Plan'that we are creating an abbey that will benefit so many beings for centuries to come. In terms of facilities, our long-term goal is to have at least two monastic residences, a temple/library, a guest house, a kitchen/dining room/office building, retreat huts, a stupa, and an abbess'residence. In the short-term, after completing the transformation of the garage into a meditation hall, we will construct a new monastic residence, which will enable the present building to become a guest house. We drew up a list of non-Board volunteer positions to accomplish thisa landscape architect, land use planner, architect, civil engineer, and construction managerand revisited two Board positions that still need to be filledcommunications chair and special events chair. Soon, we will have more info on these volunteer opportunities on the website. Ruth Schaefer volunteered to be the Abbey's ecologist.
When the FOSA board and volunteers gathered for our last session, we realized that the harmonious, Dharma-inspired way we are working together indicates that we are living the Abbey's vision right now. One phrase reverberated, 'It's happening now, it's happening here'we are creating peace in a chaotic world.'
Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Wangdak will consecrate the abbey and the land this Sunday, June 13 at 4:00 pm. You're all invited!
Yours in the Dharma,
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
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