May 17th...Mystery and approach...

I've talked with Norbu, who has said he'll post himself soon. : ) He might be too tired...

I'll give a little hearsay just in case. He said the past two days have been very difficult. Very. Thus, we're a few days away from getting finished still (don't worry, we'll be done by Monday somehow!).

Yesterday he had trouble with the sandpot (it is a very fussy thing, sometimes works well, other times, blows out sand with not control, moisture seems to be a factor, but we're leaning towards the whole karma concept here, since it doesn't make sense really). He's found a relationship that more closely matches is the level of mindfulness of the crew, if they're doing mantra things go better. This is a true statement (he said this).

There appears to have been an explosion in my email box, as there's a scramble to integrate the painting opportunity on Monday into the plans for the day. Unfortunately I didn't give them much lead time (we didn't know until yesterday that we could, in fact, get the paint), so now they're scrambling to get the word out. Any of you that read this could help just by letting folks know who might be interested. We'll have everything you need, brushes, paint, and the Stupa! All you need to do is show up!

I'm back to the site tomorrow (finally!). I'll get some photos, and will be working with Sherab Khandro on some mold making (hopefully, again, we've learned to take things as they come).

I'll keep this short, as I need to get some rest before the push to complete the sandblasting the next few days. As usual, I'll end by inviting you all to come out to the Stupas! Night or day, it doesn't matter, just come on out and experience their blessings for yourself! They're out in the open, under the sky, no fences, walls or gates, waiting to offer any sentient being relief from suffering. The Enlightenment Stupa, our current project, is right next to the parking lot, and has lights around it, so it is accessible easily 24 hours a day! If you can't come out physically, do keep checking in here. The blessings are conveyed by photos as well as the real thing!