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SEPTEMBER 2005 UPDATE

Dear Friends,

Once again we're witnessing Nature's power, human limitation and error, and human resiliency in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. As well as having compassion for the victims and wondering how to help, we're also dealing with our own reactions to the suffering and to our federal government's slow response to it. Click here for a Dharma perspective.

My studies with Geshe Sopa at Deer Park Center in Wisconsin concluded and Eric, our architect, and I met one afternoon at his home in Milwaukee to work on the Master Plan. We want the layout and buildings of the Abbey to reflect the mental states we're aiming to actualize in our Dharma practice. I also visited with Zopa Rinpoche, who was at Deer Park, and he recommended that we recite the Sanghata Sutra to ensure and enhance the Abbey's development. Please join us in this: you can download this sutra in the language of your choice. Please to let us know how many recitations you have done.

Our three-week Exploring Monastic Life (EML) program, which was fun and beneficial, just concluded. The ten participants included one nun—Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi who has been in retreat for five years—and nine lay people who are contemplating ordination. They bonded closely as a community, as they sampled monastic life with a daily schedule that included morning and evening meditation, teachings, discussion groups, and offering service to the community. In teachings, we touched on not only the origin and history of the sangha at the Buddha's time, but also the reason the Buddha established the precepts and monastic life. The teachings delved into various aspects of the monastic lifestyle, among them simplicity in terms of possessions, celibacy and all the aspects of life that are influenced by it, supporting each other in practice, and working with our own minds instead of blaming others for our moods. In the upcoming months the audio teachings will be edited and put on the web. In the meantime, read more about EML and the participants' reflections.

Meanwhile, in discussion groups we pondered a topic in meditation and then shared our perspective with openness and trust that led to wonderful Dharma friendship. Topics such as commitment, relations with friends, our religion of origin, needing our own space, comparing ourselves to others, authority issues, trust, conditioning by society, gender roles and needs vs. wants. All the participants said how valuable the program was for them, infusing their Dharma practices with new depth and vibrancy.

Chris
In the middle of the program, Virginia and Holly, a reporter and photographer respectively from the Spokeman Review, Spokane's largest newspaper, came to visit the Abbey. They did a wonderful article about the Abbey, which appeared on the front page of the paper!

The next day someone arrived at the Abbey with her car full of food. Chris had read the article in the newspaper and was so inspired by the way we live that she brought loads of dry goods, staples, canned goods, and fresh fruit to offer. We were astonished and grateful for her generosity and rejoice in her positive potential. Her delight in giving is exactly the kind of attitude we want to live ourselves and generate in others.

Rev.Meiko
Early in the EML program, we had visits by Rod, Karen, and Kathy, some of Geshe Sopa's students from Madison as well as by Ven. Yarphel, a student of Zopa Rinpoche. In the middle of EML was our monthly All-day Practice Day, which was well attended. Rev. Meiko from the Portland Buddhist Priory visited us and gave a formaltalk and had several meal times discussions in that last days of EML. She was able to watch the hilarious skits that EML participants put on at the end of the program.
Everyone enjoying the skits

Work on the writing studio/meditation cabin and community room continues. Dave, through whose kind volunteer efforts the exterior of the cabin was built, returned to Oregon. We'll hire professionals to do the dry wall, so that these projects will be completed in time for the Vajrasattva retreat, but we'll need help with laying the floor and painting afterwards, so consider coming to enjoy the Abbey and helping us with these projects in the autumn.

Five people have joined together to offer a $15,000 challenge grant to complete the cabin and community room and for future building projects. One of them wrote: “We were incredibly inspired by the work we witnessed at the Abby in June, particularly the writing cabin that will enable you to have a conducive environment for your practice and writing. We have been transformed by the wisdom and kindness of your books and articles over the years. So, we would like to help you continue to inspire wandering beings by making an offering in the form of a challenge to help with the completion of the cabin. We will match every dollar up to $5000 that is contributed by other supporters.” To join in, click here.

May the warmth and sunlight of summer enlighten and warm your heart so that your optimism spreads to all sentient beings,

Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron

  • Sept. 23 7:00 PM Spokane WA
    Dealing with Difficult Times: How to be Realistic, Optimistic, and Helpful”
    Unitarian Universalist Church, 4340 W Fort Wright Dr., Spokane, WA
    Info: reipe19@msn.com

  • Sept 25 (Sunday) Sravasti Abbey 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
    All Day Practice. Join Abbey residents in meditation and Dharma discussion.

  • Sept. 29, at 7:00 PM Seattle WA
    How to Make the Dharma Your Own: Keeping the Purity of the Tradition while Making Adaptations to Our Culture,” at 7:00 p.m.
    Dharma Friendship Foundation, 3204 W. Lynn St., Seattle
    www.dharmafriendship.org; info@dharmafriendship.org

  • Oct 23 Sravasti Abbey 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
    All Day Practice. Join Abbey residents in meditation and Dharma discussion.

  • Nov. 2 and 3, at 7:00 PM Seattle WA
    Opening Our Hearts: Far-reaching Generosity” (Nov. 2)
    Getting Our Lives Together: Far-reaching Ethical Discipline (Nov. 3)
    Dharma Friendship Foundation, 3204 W. Lynn St., Seattle
    www.dharmafriendship.org; info@dharmafriendship.org

  • Nov. 4 – 13 Castle Rock WA
    Vajrasattva Retreat and teaching on dependent arising and emptiness by Ven. Chodron
    Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, Castle Rock WA
    info@cloudmountain.org

  • Nov. 13 7:00 PM Portland OR
    Working with Emotions”
    lchosang@gmail.com

  • Nov. 15, 22, and 29 at 7PM Newport WA
    Dealing with Stress”
    The Create Place, 900 West 4th Street, Newport WA

  • Nov. 25 – 27 Sravasti Abbey
    Rejoicing and Giving Thanks” Retreat
    Info: barbaramcdaniel@earthlink.net
    You're also welcome to come the evening of Wed., Nov. 23 and take the 8 Mahayana precepts with us on Thanksgiving Day. Please register with Barbara.

  • Dec. 2 7:00 PM Spokane WA
    "How to Be Compassionate When We Can't Stop All the Suffering in the World"
    Unitarian Universalist Church
    4340 W Fort Wright Dr., Spokane, WA
    Info: reipe19@msn.com

  • Dec. 6, 2005 – March 10, 2006 Sravasti Abbey
    Vajrasattva Retreat

  • May 10, 17, 24, 31, 2006 live telephone teachings
    Series on “Working with Anger”
    Sponsored by Tricycle Magazine
    http://www.tricycle.com/foundation/ttt-08.html

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