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MAY 2004 UPDATE

Dear friends,

Spring is beautiful here with green meadows, a garden decorated with colorful flowers, and sprinkles of wildflowers in the forest. The wildlife is happy about this too. We see many deer, some elk, and last week I even saw a bear in the forest (it didn't see me!) A bald eagle graced the top of a tree and provided entertainment at breakfast one day as it stretched and flapped its large wings.

April 4 we held an open house for our neighbors and people in town whom we've met. Thanks to the help of the Coeur d'Alene Dharma group who provided food, we welcomed twelve people plus children. April 27 saw the first of a series of three talks I'm giving on stress reduction at the local library. These activities are good ways to meet our neighbors and introduce the abbey to the larger community.

Ven. Tsepel, Mell and Karri put in sheetrock for a bedroom downstairs.

During two work parties in April, a lot was accomplished. Morgan brought a concrete cutter so we could put an egress window in a downstairs bedroom. He, Sean, and Yusuke took delight in pounding the concrete out of the wall [I watched J]. Then Ryan framed the bedroom and the utility room, while Deb pruned the apple tree and Mel replanted the area outside the window. Karri, who is staying with us for seven weeks, Mel and Ven. Tsepal have been a team beyond comparison in putting up insulation and sheetrock. There are some new photos on the website and more will be added in the near future.

Nanc and I have interviewed eight contractors for transforming the garage into a meditation hall. Hudson's Construction Inc. will do the job, and volunteers will paint and put in the laminate floor. Take a look at the pictures and drawings on the website. The estimated cost is $42,000 and it should be completed by the beginning of September. Having a meditation hall will be a boon for our fledging community and will enable us to have retreats for guests. This winter the abbey will host a three-month Vajrasattva retreat. If you're interested in attending, please contact Kevin at kevin@jmco.com.

It hasn't been all work, however. We are enjoying the Dharma as well, not only in our daily meditation practice but also in teachings on the “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” that I've been giving at the abbey.

Serkong Rinpoche

In addition to all those mentioned above, Sue from Colorado stayed with us a week, Deanna and the Gardner family from Missoula, MT visited to deliver two beds, and Geshe Gedun Samdup, Serkong Rinpoche's attendant, is here for a three-week stay.

We'e happy to announce that we met the previous $30,000 challenge grant! Many thanks to all of you who made this possible. The challenge grant went to pre-pay part of the mortgage, saving us some $22,000 in interest. Someone has now offered a new, $20,000 challenge grant. They will match donations made until Sept. 30—the anniversary of the purchase of the land—dollar for dollar. We are so grateful for your support and encouragement.

During April I taught in Boston, Phoenix, San Jose, and Portland, as well as attended H. H. the Dalai Lama's teachings in Pasadena—all in a whirlwind trip of fifteen days. I appreciated being invited to speak at Harvard's Pluralism Project, a group researching religious diversity in the USA.

Over Memorial Day, the FOSA board and volunteers will gather at the abbey for the annual meeting to review what we've accomplished the last year, evaluate the process of working together, and begin creating a long-range plan for the development of the abbey's facilities—what buildings are needed, their layout on the land, the order of their construction, and the fund raising and volunteer help needed to actualize them. June 13, Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Wangdak will consecrate the land. Please join us for this special occasion. For info, contact Barbara or Susan at 208-665-5862 for information.

Wishing all of you a Happy Mother's Day. From the viewpoint of multiple lives, you have all been our mothers and been kind to us numerous times, and those of us at Sravasti Abbey engage in spiritual practice to repay this kindness.

Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron

 
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