Here's how it looked at the end of the day. We are making slow progress! There's a lot left to do, but we worked on some of the more tedious parts today, digging out old caulk, scraping off loose material that didn't cure right. So we're at a point where we can start to move with repairs again on Thursday.

Norbu is going to spend time over the next few days weed whacking. You may have noticed from the recent photos of the Stupa Park that the weeds are really growing tall. Norbu's going to make sure there's a clear walking path to the Stupa Park, and around it. He's already pulled the weeds from the mounds out there. Even as we focus on this restoration, we can't help but devote effort to making sure you all can have a pleasant walk around our grounds! ; )

Heard from David Parker today, and he's thinking of coming out to visit later this week! He's the guy that drifted in at the critical moment to help us get that platform you're looking at erected! He's offered to help us do the same out at Migyur Dorje!! : ) Thanks David! David is a student at a new Nyingma Center in Germantown, but he's generously offered to help us out when he can here!

As usual, I will end with an invitation. Everything you see on these pages is happening right now, in Poolesville, Maryland. A bunch of volunteers, with no knowledge of concrete or construction, have gathered together to restore these amazing sacred structures. We're not doing it for recreation (we may be Buddhist, but we can get a little more creative with our free time...), we're doing it to ensure these sources of limitless blessings will remain in the world for generations!

Stupas exist for no other reason than to bring blessings to beings, human or non. So it would bring us nothing but joy if you came out to see them, even if you're just a curious tourist! We have over 65 acres of land, with gardens and Stupas, open to anyone looking for some peace. Our temple is open 24 hours a day, every day, with people in the prayer room praying for the end of suffering, 24 hours a day, every day. We all are setting aside our ordinary concerns, our desire for comfort and ease, in order to uphold this precious offering. Take comfort in knowing there is a place in the world where ordinary people are working hard to make a place of refuge available to anyone who needs it, any time, day or night. If you don't believe it, come on out and see for yourself! If you can't get out to Poolesville, don't worry! This blog is here for you! Though I'm just an ordinary practitioner on the path, with little to offer in the way of blessings, the photos of the Stupas carry tremendous blessings!

"It is said in the King of Concentrations Sutra (Samadhirajasutra) that even if one sees a drawing of a stupa with an angry mind, it causes one to see 10 million Buddhas in the future. --From "Benefits and Practices Related to Statues and Stupas" by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.