Here it is again, from the other angle. What amazing work Norbu! You can see the post from last week (June 8th) to see the evolution of this repair. This Stupa was by far the most severely damaged, by far. Chunks of it were crumbling out. It isn't finished yet, but thanks to Norbu, it turned the corner today! Now we all know it is going to be okay! Had a few spooky moments, but finally the deed has been done. It can be repaired, it is being restored! The next phase will be repairing those areas you can see that are bordering the repair, but we have to wait until the current repairs set up firmly. That could take a week or so, to be sure we won't disrupt this skillful work trying to fix the areas around it.... 

After showing me his work out at the Stupa Park, we came back to the temple to get a bite to eat before the teaching tonight, and found out the Sang Offering was happening, so we joined in! As you've seen in previous posts, Ani Hesper does a Sang Offering daily to support the activity of our Teacher, and her students.

After the practice we ate quickly and attended the teaching this evening. It was a profound opportunity! We had a chance to watch a video of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, our root Teacher, being enthroned by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche! Most of us Stupa folks are newer than that (this amazing event occurred in 1988), so it was our first opportunity to see it. Though we all regard her as an Enlightened Teacher, it was really moving to watch the ceremony where she was officially recognized as a Lineage Holder of the Palyul Tradition!

All of the activity you see here, all of the structures, from Stupas to statues, from the 24 hour prayer vigil for peace to the front doors that never lock, all of this is the result of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo's prayers and the hard work of her devoted students. All of this, her aspirations, and our digiligent attempts to realize them, are directly solely towards libertating all beings from suffering, without judgment or exception. It is through her kindness that we can offer these supports to you!

You don't have to be comfortable with Tibetan Buddhism, or with the whole concept of teachers and students, or with prayer for that matter, to benefit from the Stupas though! They are almost all outdoors, and many are in remote areas of the land, so you don't have to worry if you aren't interested in how it all came to be! If you just want to take in the pleasant summer afternoon, in a quiet, natural environment, we promise not to bother you. All of this truly is here for you!

June 15th...Slow but going...

Compared to the drama of sand blasting, repair work might seem tedious. It is, however, an amazing practice! All the work of sand blasting and stripping chemically (that was no picnic either, and it isn't over) only served to get us to this point. The point where we can actually begin to restore the Stupas!

We have, as those who've been following already know, been doing some repairs. Today we went back out though, working on some of the more difficult ones. The thin set is a fairly easy to use material, and you can cover a good amount of area in a relatively short time. The M90 though, required for deeper, more complex repairs, requires a lot more time. We've ground out some areas to repair (Norbu in the Stupa Park and myself on the bumpa of the Enlightenment Stupa), and today we can finally work on repairing them!

From the "to do" list yesterday you can see below we did accomplish some of the goals. : ) The ground out cracks on the bumpa are filled. We did get caulk for the lotus petals (see below for an account of why they're not done yet...), as well as a belt sander for the terma and velcro for the brocade. Norbu also made great progress on the Auspicious Manifold Doors Stupa! He's doing an awesome job out there (Lisa has contributed a lot to that effort as well).

I'm posting early tonight so I can head back to the temple. Our teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo is going to be teaching tonight in Sedona, Arizona. We get a hook up at the temple so we can listen in live!

We'll be back out tomorrow! I think I'll work with the thin set on the bumpa, and definitely caulk the lotus petals! Norbu will be back out at the Stupa Park also, maybe we'll get to see him work on the gau! : )

Finally, I will end as usual with an invitation to you all, anyone who has even a casual interest in what this is all about. Please do come out and take a look! The drive is beautiful, and once you get here you'll be glad you did, I am certain! You don't need to know what a Stupa is, or care about Buddhism, all we have here is offered to anyone seeking peace, relief, a refuge from the chaos of these degenerate times. No questions asked (unless you have some, we'll try to answer them for you!), no strings attached. The Stupas are powerful sources of blessings, bringing health, prosperity and peace to all beings that come in contact with them, whether you believe in them or not! So come on out and take a stroll around a Stupa! : )

While getting the hose for working on the Stupa this morning I noticed Ani Hesper running around by the fire pit, so I went over to see what she was up to. I found this, which made it clear...she was preparing a Sang Offering!

Here's a glance at the offerings...They are a mixture of sweets and whites, considered pure and auspcious. Note the bandana, as the face is covered when preparing these offerings or handling them, to maintain their purity. The Sang Offering is an incredible practice, where these offerings are burned on cedar boughs while reciting prayers and mantra, and visualized as satisfying the needs and desires of every sentient being... 

Hesper gathers some sticks and wood for the fire.  

Ani Hesper cleaning out the remains of her last Sang Offering (she has committed to doing these daily for all of us!). While she's getting her equipment together for the puja, I get back to my task... 

I used the "Norbu" method for getting the hose up to the platform. Norbu headed out to the Stupa Park to work on the Auspicious Manifold Doors Stupa this morning, while I went up to work on the bumpa of the Enlightenment Stupa. You can see the offerings down there...don't worry...I didn't make a mess of them! 

Fortunately we have the hoist, so working by myself is easy.... 

After wetting the surface to be repaired, a "peanut butter coat" is applied. This is a mushy mix, with a consistency that gives it that name. This is much wetter than you want for the entire repair (it would never hold a shape), but you want this between the repair material and the surface of the concrete. Just like the water you splash on before applying any mortar, this moisture in this coat is absorbed into the existing concrete. By drawing in that moisture it helps that bond between the repair and the underlying concrete to form securely...Otherwise the repair would just pop out... 

Here's the gau with the peanut butter coat applied.... 

This is the large area at the bottom of the bumpa with the peanut butter coat in place. It took more repair material than I expected, but I'm not use to thinking in this scale. This coat is followed by an overbuild of the material in a much dryer state, it should have the consistency of sand wet enough to build a sandcastle out of, not so wet it sags, but not so dry it crumbles. In the heat today that was a challenge, you could find that balance, but it didn't last...Got through it though! You can see the results below! 

The M90 may not be the right stuff for this, but I gave it a try. The crack is large, so I didn't feel comfortable using thin set, and I'm not sure caulk is the right choice either, for the same reason. We'll see! Here's the crack with the M90 in place. With this material, you overbuild and then take it down. You have to wait a few hours in between though, so we headed out for lunch and a run to the hardware store. We need a belt sander to finish the terma (we may employ it other ways once we have it...thinking about sanding the face of the gau on the Enlightenment Stupa...). We also picked up some caulk for the lotus petals, and velcro for the brocade...(who knew velcro was so expensive?). : )  

After lunch we headed out to the Stupa Park. Norbu was going to work on the repairs he'd done this morning, while I had planned to caulk the lotus petals. We stopped at Lowe's while we were out and picked up some acrylic caulk made for concrete, thinking to use the caulk gun in the shed. Unfortunately though, the caulk gun was too large. So I couldn't do what I planned. Oh well. This isn't the first time... : ) Tomorrow I'll bring the right kind of caulk gun, and will hopefully get some measurements of the interior of the gau for Gretchen! 

Here's a look at the repairs after they've set for a few hours. They're ready for scraping... 

You can see how Norbu uses the blade to gently take down the repair material, using the straight edge to help keep the contours of the shape consistent. It is our plan to use the M120, thin set, to smooth out the bubbles and rough spots of the M90 repairs. Though we are the ones who will be "teaching" anyone new that comes along to work on the repairs, do keep in mind we've just learned how to do this ourselves! It take practice and focus.  

Norbu knows it, I know it, I'm sure Lisa knows it. They've done the entire bumpa of this Stupa, and there's no where to go next but to the gau. : ) Though it is intimidating, it is also going to make a huge difference. The bottom line is, it will certainly be better than what is currently there. And if the repair looks bad, we can do it over again. For all those who see this "activity" as separate from practice have never come face to face with this kind of situation. It requires the cultivation of courage, compassion, patience, and an awareness of impermanence. It requires the surrender of pride (knowing it won't look as good as we hope) and the willingness to do and redo until it gets done right. Even though we're not sure how to do it. What a chance to really live the Dharma! 

Even though the caulk gun wasn't the right size, I did run up to check out the lotus petals. They look great! I also realized that, tomorrow, I'll bring some webbing and a harness. It's much smaller up there than on the Enlightenment Stupa, so crawling around to caulk the petals will be better with some form of security. I also walked around and looked at the Stupa and the smaller Stupas as well, and for the most part, they look good. Some areas to repair, but not anything major. The Auspicious Manifold Doors Stupa really is the biggest job out here... 

When examining the small Stupas I checked to see if our resident at the Paranirvana Stupa was still there, and sure enough...This is a copperhead, which is a poisonous snake. So far he hasn't caused any trouble, and we're happy to have a protector living under the Stupa. However, any visitors or weed whackers should take note! 

When we got back from the Stupa Park we started taking down the repairs on the bumpa of the Enlightenment Stupa. There were areas where I really think the M120 would be a better material (the cracks), and I'll be out there tomorrow filling them in with the thin set. At the bottom though, the M90 did a great job in that large gap... 

Here's a closer look at the repair. Norbu is great with his hands, and the M90 seems to be doing a great job. We'll keep an eye on it over the next few days!  

June 14th...the To Do list...

Worked at the hospital today, but don't let that fool you into thinking nothing happened with the Stupas!

Gretchen, a new sangha member, drawn to us here by a photo of the Migyur Dorje Stupa from the Carolinas (really, it's true), is now working on new brocades for the Stupas! She lives currently in Annapolis, so we're communicating by email. Which is cool, since she sent me the photo of the brocades below, which allows me to share them with you! She's working on those this week. She needs some input from me, regarding how to pattern and then secure the brocades to the Stupa...I'm in new territory here again. But will be up there tomorrow (I hope) to caulk the lotus petals! I'll see what we have going on in there, and give some thought to this puzzle...

As you can see below, the To Do List is growing, and much of it isn't major. So it's time to address some loose ends. : ) I heard from Ani Sherab today (by email). In honor of her advice (she emphasized the need for a visible plan), I've decided to create a post today that represents a visual "To Do" list. : ) Weather, travel, and prayer chart care taking have all slowed the progress on these tasks for a few weeks, but tomorrow we can get back into the swing. Of course, there's always the weather component...But some of this can be done regardless.

If you'd like to help with anything you see here just let us know! If you aren't able to come out, then you can help by visualizing all of this as completed, the Stupas as radiant and newly polished, and all our teachers beaming with joy at the benefit being offered to beings!

If you'd prefer to just come see what this is all about and not get near a tool, we promise to get out of your way! After all, every effort you see here is dedicated to you, to your enlightenment, and to offering you these powerful sources of blessing!

Here's a photo Gretchen, who has been working hard on making new brocades for the Stupas, sent me by email. She lives quite a distance from the temple (Annapolis) so can't run out during the week. She went to the trouble of finding a digital camera and taking this photo to see if the new materials (on the right side of the photo) would be an acceptible replacement for the old (on the left). It looks great to me! Gretchen is now asking about a pattern...? I'm no seamstress...Evidently the old brocade is in pretty tough shape, so she can't see any clean seams. So we're going to have to brainstorm long distance. : ) She also said the old brocade appeared to be secured with hot glue, which isn't something she's eager to repeat. I'm cool with that, so will be pondering how to secure silk to concrete. : ) Thinking Velcro should be involved....We'll see...

Here's a look at the brocade from the Long Life Stupa when it was still in place, this photo is from March 29th. If Gretchen is looking, maybe this glance will help us figure out how to work out the new piece? For those who are not familiar, the Buddha you see here is Amitayus, the Buddha of Long Life... 

This is from June 9th. I never did get a chance to fill those cracks! So that will be high on the list. Also, the repairs Norbu did that day were washed out, and in poor repair right now. So I'll be looking those over to see what can be done to clean them up. When the mortar doesn't cure properly it feels chaulky, rather than solid. Obviously all loose material, whether from previous damage or from our failed repairs has to be removed. It's going to be a steamy day, so we'll see how this goes...But at least it isn't suppose to rain! 

The lotus petals, placed on May 26th (photo from that date with Ani Sherab and Norbu placing them), have not yet been caulked. The days we were ready to, it rained, and when it was sunny, we all had to work...So hopefully tomorrow... 

This is a photo from May 29th. Ani Sherab showed us how to use the Fortran. The terma still isn't finished though, as we need a belt sander to get the surface of the repair smooth. Then we need to replace it! That means hefting it back up onto the Stupa, and securing it. Ani Sherab is now back in Arizona, but left us some instructions (and cell phones are a fantastic tool). We're looking at some form of silicon to fill the holes in the terma (where the screws go, the holes are larger than the screws, to allow for the expansion and contraction of the concrete with the weather, the silicon seals the gap created by the hole and is flexible enough to adjust with the expansion and contraction). Lisa has mustered the courage to take this on, but with her kids out of school her time is limited. I'll keep you posted! First step is the belt sander, that part I can do! : )