Here's a look at the spiderweb cracks on the bumpa. I'm going to take a closer look on Thursday. After power washing today I didn't have a chance to get back up there and see how deep they really are. I'm thinking of using the thin set on them, but we'll see... 

Here's the largest crack I found (Dawa had warned me I would). It will take some work to grind out, but it should be an easy fix...although one never knows. Repairs will start on Thursday, so we'll see how it goes! 

We dusted off the hoist and got back to work...finally! : ) 

When I had finished power washing the bumpa I came down to look for help getting the power washer down. Spike, my older dog, had found a cool spot in the shade to hang out. Tucker, my youngster, found a different solution... 

Mikki joined Leigh and I to get the power washer back down. After going to get something cold to drink and returning, still no Norbu, Leigh and I literally stood up on the platform waiting for someone to show up in the parking lot that would have the strength and dexterity to help. Mikki showed up and we knew she was our gal. : ) Sure enough we got it down...but.... 

Well, so it goes. : ) Although they say change is inevitable, it is interesting how patterns definitely exist. : ) Again we have stalled equipment. Norbu worked on the power washer for a while, but we couldn't get it to crank. We'll work on it more on another day. I had a call regarding the prayer chart, so I went inside at this point to troubleshoot (call outs do pose challenges...) while Norbu stayed and finished cleaning the Enlightenment Stupa. The hose with a nozzle did the trick down below. The bumpa was packed with sand so it was fortunate the power washer worked up there! Now we're ready to start repairs on Thursday. Norbu is going to keep working out at the Stupa Park, while I work the next two days. I'll post more photos from our trip to New York last week over those days (since no one on site at the temple will be taking any photos). Dawa took lots of pictures, so it'll be fun to share a few of them (I mean she took lots of pictures...). : )  

June 5th...Good-byes and digging in...

Today Dawa and Christine left to return to Arizona, where they are already behind on their own projects for the benefit of beings! Dawa is planning to work on Dakini Valley, a retreat land our sangha purchased some years ago in the wilderness of Arizona's desert. It is minimally developed, and it is Dawa's goal to build enough structures and resources on it to support actual retreatants who wish to take advantage of the energy of that sacred land.

Christine heads up fund raising out there. Check out the KPC Arizona page link on this page to catch a glimpse of what they're up to out there!

Below you can see the Stupa that started it all for this project, and part of that story. It was a day for reflecting on this, and how far we've come, as well as how far we have to go. It has been an amazing blessing to have this chance!

Tomorrow we'll be back to work on the Stupas, with Ashby and I focusing on the Enlightenment Stupa while Norbu and Lisa turn their attention to the Stupa Park. We now have a price quote on gold paint, and a timeframe for it's manufacture (it's a custom paint), so we can really get in gear to complete both the Enlightenment Stupa and the Stupa Park in the next month or so! First step is repairs though, for both locations, hence the division in labor. The Stupa Park repairs are more delicate and need some experienced hands (Lisa is a trained artist), but the Enlightenment Stupa repairs are pretty straight forward. So please do feel welcome anytime we're out to give a hand! It can be as little as 10 minutes, we'll make sure you have a chance to contribute! It's a great opportunity to come out and experience the benefits of these amazing structures first hand! Maybe you already have, just visiting these pages! We'll be out there this week, and this weekend! Norbu and I are both care takers for our 24 hour prayer vigil though, so you might want to send us a comment if you'd like to come out, so we can be sure we're not napping when you come (the care takers fill in all shifts not taken by volunteers, which often means some middle of the night praying!). We do all of this in order to bring peace of mind and happiness to all beings in existence, human and non. We are just ordinary folks, who had the good fortune to stumble on a precious opportunity! By reading this you too have stumbled on that opportunity, so if you'd like to dig in a little more do come out! If you are far from here, or can't make it out, then keep in touch with it all here. Your prayers and good wishes are potent supports for these efforts!

This is the Ngagpa Yeshe Dorje Stupa, the start of it all.... 

As was the case with our two larger Stupas with statues in them, insects have taken up residence in the gau. Our theory is they are attracted to the offerings contained by the statue, as well as the obvious appeal of a secure, dry, enclosed space undisturbed by other critters. Don't worry, we'll be addressing this situation soon! This Stupa was actually scrubbed clean and repainted last year. I was asked by Ani Dawa in Arizona to take a photo of it (I didn't even know it was here...it's in a remote location) and was heartbroken by what I saw. It was overgrown with vines which were rooting into the concrete, and the surface was covered with mold. I took the picture and sent it (she needed it right away) and the rest is history. I knew when I sent it the situation was horrific, and I knew I had to do something about it. At that time I knew nothing of concrete, paint, or anything else in terms of restoring it, but I did go out and get a concrete mildecide and scrubbed it clean after removing all the vines which had grown over it. Ashby then painted it with some gold latex (we had no idea what to use but knew we had to do something). From there I took a closer look at all the Stupas, and realized this was not a condition that reflected their true nature, that their immense spiritual power was being obscured by neglect on our part. So I (with Ani Dawa's prompting) accepted the responsiblity of changing that situation. I can truly say without hesitation, I regard that as one of the most auspicious moments of my life, although I'll be the first to admit I didn't relish the challenge at first. : ) But there has been a steadily growing stream of support behind me, and as a result, the miraculous work you see on these pages has been made possible! Stupas are so amazingly precious, they'll benefit any being that comes in contact with it (including the ants we'll be asking to relocate here). It is really a joy to have a chance to serve them, as they serve the needs of beings ceaselessly, continuously, without judgment or hesitation. If you'd like to give it a go just come on out, we'll help you every step of the way! If you can't come out, then keep visiting here. All of this is offered to you as a way to connect with the Stupas, whose blessings are immeasurable!  

In addition to the residents that have overtaken the gau, the foliage around it threatens creep back up around the Stupa itself. We'll be giving this precious Stupa some TLC soon, once we get the Enlightenment Stupa and Stupa Park up to speed. Here you see Ani Dawa and Christine, who flew out from Arizona to attend the teaching with Khenpo Norgey in New York last week. They insisted on seeing this Stupa before leaving, as it was the first Stupa that started this whole renovation. Shortly after this walk around the Stupa we were headed to Dulles to send them back to Arizona, where their enormous energy and talent is sorely missed. We here are all grateful for their stories and inspiring words. They have accomplished amazing things in Arizona (check out the Arizona KPC page to see the Stupa they were key players in constructing), and aren't done yet! : ) What a joy to be able to carry on their loving work here, sharing this amazing blessing with so many new folks!  

Tomorrow, Monday, Norbu and Lisa will be going back out to the Stupa Park to focus on repairing the Auspicious Manifold Doorways Stupa. This is what it looked like in April, the last time it was worked on. We had to set this aside while we focused our efforts on completing the sandblasting. Finally we can return to it, getting it ready for some gold paint! The repairs in the Stupa Park are going to be delicate and need experienced hands, while the Enlightenment Stupa repairs are open to anyone who'd like to come out and place some mortar on a Stupa! There is a story about a pig, who being chased by a dog, accidentally filled a crack in a Stupa with his muddy tail as he ran by, and the merit generated by that unintended benefit to the Stupa was enough to place that pig solidly on the path to Enlightenment at his death, to the point he was able to attain realization! And that was an accident! Here you have a chance to do it with the intention to benefit beings! This is potent stuff! You can change the world, in a few minutes of spare time, by coming on out and giving it a try!

June 4th Discovery...

Today I drove around Rockville with Christine and Dawa who are visiting from the Arizona sangha. Christine took extensive notes, and had an envelope with example items given to us by Khenpo and Lama So Cho in New York, to help us find what we need. Khenpo said he knew the Tibetan and Bhutanese names for the herbs and substances, but not always the English. We had a pretty successful tour!

All of this came about as a result of our trip to New York, to the Palyul Retreat Center, where Khenpo Norgye offered us instruction on how to fill statues according to traditional Tibetan texts. I can't go into all the details, but will mention that statues and Stupas are filled in the same way, only Stupas are so much larger generally that much more elaborate representations can be created and placed in them. Stupas also have specific prayers and rituals associated with filling each level, while this is not usually done with statues. In all these cases though, vows are taken by those who do the work of filling, vows which must be obtained for the first time from a qualified master. Norbu, the newest sangha member present, had never received them before, so on Friday morning everyone climbed out of bed early so Khenpo could give us all (including Norbu) the vows. That way Norbu can take them himself in the future, when he needs to fill statues!

The trip was really wonderful on many levels, not the least of which was the opportunity for a real mix of sangha to all work together as part of a team. Dawa and Christine flew in from Arizona for this trip, and Lisa, Norbu and myself all reside here in Maryland. There are those of us who've been practicing for many years, and Norbu whose only been with the sangha for less than a year, so we covered a wide range of experience levels and all worked together to make the experience as beneficial as possible. KPC is one sangha, but as we are in different geographic areas, we sometimes forget that we are all working for the same goal. It was really awesome to experience that reality in action! All of us, as is everyone on these pages, are engaging in all these activities in order to bring and end to suffering in the world. We are working to bring sources of blessings and peace into the world, into a form that anyone can see and benefit from. We all, interestingly, on this trip are Stupa people. Christine and Dawa were both intimately involved in the building of the most recent Stupa in Arizona, while you all know Norbu, Lisa and myself from here, where we're sharing our experience with working on the Maryland Stupas with all of you.

I'll end here by once again inviting all to come visit our Stupas! Whether you're in Maryland or Arizona, we have them for you! 24 hours a day, every day. It is my hope that by sharing some tiny glimpse of the complexity and ritual involved in the creation of these sacred structures, that your interest in them might be inspired, so that you might actually come on out and give them a try. Once you do, trust the benefit is real! Even if you can't come out to us physically, you can visit here as often as you wish. The blessings are conveyed through seeing the image, as well as touching the Stupas, or feeling the wind that blows over them, but even just seeing the photos on these pages, the blessings are conveyed! It is our sincerest hope that by sharing all of this with you that all of your greatest aspirations and wishes will be accomplished!

Phase one of any statue being filled is getting the bottom off to see what you're dealing with. Note the black, charcoal like material in the interior. This is very common, and in this case, not too bad. There are some statues which are so packed with this stuff you wouldn't even know they're hollow. ALL of that must be cleaned out before anything else is done. That process can be very difficult and time consuming. After that, the inside is painted with saffron and incense water, and then purified through the smoke from burning a fragrent resin, we're thinking it might be frankincense, but don't know for sure. That's just preparing the cavity... 

Dawa is wrapping mantra rolls in cloth, while Norbu wraps those in the five colored string. Each mantra roll is given this kind of offering. To the right of the photo you can see mantra sheets painted in saffron drying before they'll be cut into strips and then rolled tightly for placing into the statues... 

The shok shing is the central channel, or "life tree" of the statue. In smaller statues there are certain syllables which are to be located at specific points on the shok shing, which correspond to specific points in the interior of the statue. You can see this on the left. The one on the right has been wrapped in cloth and five colored string. Next to that is a mantra roll, of which many are placed in the statue, different mantras at different levels and different points. All according to instructions. At the bottom of the photo you can see part of an unrolled page of mantra. This is just a glimpse of some of what is used to transform the ordinary object of a metal statue into a living presence of the Enlightened Mind in form... 

These are "Three Kaya" pills, prepared by qualified Lamas. They are not items that could be purchased anywhere, but we were given a small supply to use at our respective centers for filling statues... 

Khenpo showing us how to wrap mantras around the shok shing. This is one method of placing mantras in the correct place in the Statue, when the statues are larger entire rolls of the mantra can be placed at the appropriate levels... 

Here's a glance at some of the items that go into filling a statue. This doesn't include the mantras! 

Here Lama So Cho is helping Lisa place mantra rolls into her statue, while Christine shows Dawa what she's doing. The materials you see in the foreground are just a part of what goes inside the statues. They are all offerings, and chosen for specific qualities, especially fragrance, preciousness and medicinal substances. It is being exposed to this wide range of offerings that led us to our quest today. We drove around Rockville (never made it into D.C.) visiting Asian Markets, locating items we'll need. Fortunately for the gang, Chrisitine was taking detailed notes (see her notebook?), so we had some idea what we were after. Dawa and Christine head back to Arizona tomorrow, hopefully we'll have a chance to head out to the Nagpa Yeshe Dorje Stupa, the one that started it all, before they leave. Work on the Enlightenment Stupa will resume on Monday, with Ashby and myself gearing up to powerwash it (to clean all the residue from sandblasting) and get it ready for repairs! More tomorrow! 

Amitayus statue from upstate New York. This statue is larger than it looks, probably over 3 ft tall. There are 4 large statues on the main altar, but class started and I had to switch gears.... 

This is a photo of the Palyul Retreat Center's temple in upstate New York. This is where we received our training. Khenpo Norgye took some time out from an already extremely busy schedule to offer us instruction on filling statues and, as it turned out, Stupas. We had requested formal instruction, as we have (Dawa primarily) pieced together instructions received from many Lamas over the years, but never had a formal presentation on the subject in English. Khenpo's perfect English allowed us to hear the teachings directly from him, and ask questions, and he could refer to the actual texts. We were pretty busy while up there, but it was, of course, awesome... 

Here's a shot Norbu took of the main altar of the temple, you can see His Holiness Penor Rinpoche's throne in the center... 

Lama So Cho on the left, was our practical instructor. He doesn't speak English, but fortunately, Khenpo Norgye, on the right here, speaks fluent English. Khenpo was exceptionally patient with us, as we posed many questions to him. He was able to teach us from Tibetan texts (and a Bhutanese book based on Tibetan texts), translating into English for us. What an amazing blessing! Having the opportunity to learn this sacred practice from these authentic teachers! Long day today though (these photos are from this morning!) so I'll post more detailed photos of this whole trip tomorrow. We're headed to Chinatown in D.C. to try and find some of the offerings we were shown (items not common to western stores). Glad to be back on the p.c., rather than posting via phone (though it looked better than I thought it would...). Please do keep checking in! We hope to share lots of great stuff with you. You're getting a peek inside here, seeing what makes a sacred object sacred. It isn't how it looks on the outside alone. There is a detailed, profound practice that goes into the filling. Though we could never provide all the details here (this is a practice, with vows, and many precious substances and objects not available readily, so not a DIY kind of exercise). I share this only to help deepen your appreciation of what goes into images of the Buddhas... 

Here's a glance at the "final" stage, where we were actually filling statues ourselves...More tomorrow!

Lisa cleaning statue

Practice

Lunch

Here's my Stupa photo for the day. We didn't do any work on the Stupa itself today, but plans are in the process of being implemented. We've decided to go with gold leaf for the face of the gau (the area around the statue) and for the spire! It'll be a challenge, but heck, what hasn't been! : ) Once we're back from New York we'll be cleaning, repairing and then painting the majority of the Stupa. During that time I'll get the cost of the leaf, and we'll work on fund raising for an order. The vision is really starting to come together! The crew is getting comfortable tackling the unknown, and we're getting some great guidance first hand from some experienced Stupa builders! How amazing! : ) Be back to work out here on Sunday, but I'll post from the road the rest of this week. It's going to be statues rather than Stupas, but it will be a glimpse into the way the interior of these sacred structures are constructed. Statues are filled in a very similar way to stupas, so I'll try to give you a peek at the process.