November 27th...Nourshing food and learning to eat...

The temperature got into the 50's today, so we darted out between the morning teaching and the afternoon practice to get the sun painted on Migyur Dorje. Lisa had gone out last week to buy the paint, so we'd be ready when the opportunity arose. Here she is, all the way up on the spire again!

I don't know if you can see her face (the lighting was terrible, really cloudy), but Lisa does not look comfortable. Those of you new to the blog may not know it, but Lisa started out on this project terrified of heights! She wouldn't even get on the upper steps without a rope and harness, much less consider getting on the spire...now look at her! Working on Stupas truly is a practice of devotion... 

We only had an hour, but Lisa championed the cause! She got it done! 

There you go. The sun is now painted. Based on our experience with the lower steps, it may not work out perfectly (in samsara what does?) but we'll get it all.

Tomorrow I'll post some shots of the areas where the paint didn't adhere well. We knew we were taking a risk, and decided to go for it anyway. We already are formulating plans for the spring. : ) We've got plenty to do even in the cold weather though!

For now, I'll end with my usual invitation to come see these amazing structures for yourselves! Today, during group practice one of the monks (Konchog) reminded us that when the Migyur Dorje Stupa was built and consecrated, they were asked to specifically focus on the healing quality of the Stupa. The relics of Migyur Dorje, some of which are actually in this Stupa, were known in Tibet to be especially potent for healing from illness. This Stupa was built with a dedication in mind that it would provide healing to those with life incurable diseases or illness. Of course, it has all the qualities of a fully empowered Stupa (see the links on this page to catch just a glimpse of some of them!), but that was a focus. It is offered to all beings, human and non, Buddhist or not. So please do take some time to see it for yourself!

November 25th...Waiting...

Short post tonight, as I'm back to work for a living for a few days. We're looking to wrap up the painting as soon as the weather breaks (we're looking for > 50 degrees, and it is almost December!). Sunday looks promising, so we may be back out to Migyur Dorje to paint the sun up on the top. It's primed now, we're just waiting for a few warm hours. Once that's done we can take down that upper ladder.

We'll be turning our attention to building a platform out there soon, and of course finishing the gaus of the other Stupas. For now though, I'm heading for some rest.

If you have some time off this season, please do consider coming out to visit these amazing structures. They exist only to bring benefit to you, whoever you are. No strings attached. Even just seeing their images on these pages brings blessings to your mindstream. Not because of my skills as a photographer, but because of their enlightened nature. So if you can't make it to Poolesville to see them in person, we'll keep posting photos online here for you!

November 24th...Thanksgiving...

Initially we'd thought maybe we'd take the day off from Stupa work. It is Thanksgiving after all, and the temple is having a huge dinner. We had also wanted to make it to the afternoon tsog practice, leaving little time. However, we did have one thing we could do that would be quick...

Our goal today was simple, caulk and seal the gau for Ngagpa Yeshe Dorje Stupa. Malik (Lisa's son) was willing to do the dirty work...

Malik then used his finger to smooth out the caulk. We're really glad he was with us! Lisa and I were both robed for practice, making climbing around the Stupa difficult... 

We all gave it one last looking over before heading back to the temple for practice. You may note that as temps have fallen, we've gotten back into our routine of integrating practice with the physical work. It feels good to be back in the prayer room more! Don't worry though, we're not abandoning the Stupas! We're just settling into a winter pace... 

Well, we aren't seamstresses. We've learned this painfully. However, there is a net improvement in Ngagpa Yeshe Dorje Stupa. Amitayus now has a clean, sealed, brocade lined alcove to ride out the winter in. This small Stupa is at the top of our list for spring renovation, including a complete replacement of the brocades. What we have out there now is the best we could come up with on the fly. We'll put a new plexiglas shield on the list too.

Though we've been forced by weather to alter our approach, we haven't been deterred. We will see it all through, from stripping and repainting these small Stupas (there are two behind the temple as well) to mounting our bronze Buddha reliefs. We're just waiting for some decent temps! We know, of course, it may be a few months. We've got lots to do even in the cold weather though, so keep checking in!

Regardless of the weather, the Stupas are open and available year round. It is our sincere hope you will take the time to come see them for yourselves. They exist only to bring blessings to all who encounter them, from the birds in the sky overhead, to the ants that take up residence on them, to the fortunate humans that happen upon them. We are working hard so they may remain in the world to benefit beings like you for generations to come...

November 23rd...Gathering of Merit and Virtue...

We spent the morning in practice, but right after lunch we all assembled to assess the situation. Due to our limited time (only a few hours before dark) we decided to all focus on Ngagpa Yeshe Dorje as a team. You can see James here examining the condition of the Stupa itself. You can see Amitayus on his makeshift seat! Looks okay doesn't it? Our goal for the day is to get him back on his throne though...

Beth and I worked on cutting the material for the interior, while Lisa, Malik and James worked on removing the caulk from the throne (the result of our failed attempt at caulking it in last night). Once we got the brocade cut, we divided tasks. Beth was willing to take on the small throne cover (we were all bewildered by sewing machines) while the rest of us fine tuned the brocade for the interior... 

Beth got right to work despite admitting she wasn't sure she knew what to do!

Though the velcro was sticky, we decided to add some glue for insurance. The brocade can be heavy... 

Lisa and James worked on fitting the brocade in the gau once we had all the velcro pieces mounted and glue applied... 

After we got the brocade in place we mounted our heater so the temp in the chamber could be brought up. Our theory is it will facilitate a quicker set up of the caulk...while we waited for the heater to do it's thing we headed inside to tackle the brocade situation.. 

Beth, whose only experience with sewing was some brief instruction from her mother some months ago, willingly allowed Gabriel to take his best shot. Gabriel, it turns out, does know his way around a sewing machine (none of us felt competent to even try, we might wing our way through sandblasting, but put us behind one of these contraptions and we're lost...). Beth looked on to see what she could pick up...

Gabriel struggled for a while with the machine. He knows how to use one (you could tell by the way he handled this one, much more knowledgeable than any of the rest of us!), but this one was older than what he has at home. Thus, he wasn't sure how to thread the whole thing (what exactly is a "bobbin" any way!). Head up Gretchen, you'll have to work with your bobbin before using this machine again! : ) In the end, we used the piece Beth had sewn, but Gabriel took our template piece home with him promising to make another for us, on his own machine. Our time for work on the Stupas today was quite limited (most of the day was spent in practice), so once we agreed this was the best we were going to do today I headed out to the Stupa with our masterpiece...

When I brought out our new throne cover, I found Lisa and Malik like this. I wasn't sure what was happening, but it turns out they were waiting for the caulk to set. It was quite a scene. When I went to touch it the caulk still had the consistency of toothpaste, despite Lisa's declaration that it had already begun to "set up". : ) James did confirm that it was better than before.

We secured the throne with the plexi and our webbing and headed back to the temple to prepare for the evening practice. The brocade looks much better in there than just the paint, and though our efforts might make any seamstress howl with laughter (or cry with despair), we feel a positive contribution to the cause was made. We were all disappointed that we couldn't get the gau "sealed" (our goal), but with the darkness creeping up on us rapidly (sunset is actually 4:48 pm!!!) and the temperature dropping just as fast, it just didn't seem like the caulk would set any time soon.

At least we left Amitayus clean, on a new throne cover, on his throne, with new brocades to adorn his chamber. It is clean in there. We know our list for spring is already forming, but we're committed, and you can see the team is growing!

I will end with my usual invitation. The Stupas exist to benefit beings, all beings, regardless of faith (or lack there of). Their blessings are open to all, no strings attached. So please do come see them for yourselves. Even in this chilly season, their benefit is boundless...

November 22nd...Confession and Purification...

The first part of the day today I spent at Walmart. I knew I could get a variety of items under one roof here, though I tend to avoid it whenever possible (always crowded!). We're working on the gaus now, and the whole fabric thing is a new adventure. I was picking up things like straight pins and glue sticks, as well as caulk and glue for the velcro.

After my trip to Walmart for supplies, Lisa suggested (I phone her regularly for advice, she's got a spreadsheet for our tasks) I check out Ngagpa Yeshe Dorje, as we haven't been out there all summer. What a shocking find...it was in poor shape. It had looked good early this year when I saw it (not great mind you, but certainly not like this). Lisa had been out a few months back to assess the gau, and was unable to get anything done due to the huge number of insects living in it (couldn't get rid of them, didn't want to kill them). So we're revisiting it now... 

You can see the whole Stupa is dirty. I'm not sure if this is mold, or dirt. The Stupa sits under some large trees (you can see the branches in the background here). I've noticed with the Enlightenment Stupa, which is also exposed to falling leaves from trees, that dirt seems to accumulate as a result as well. Probably washed off the branches and leaves as they decay by the rain. In any case, we've put this Stupa at the top of our list for tomorrow (cleaning) and for the spring (repainting). It made me quite sad to see it like this, but it was a reminder of where all the Stupas were when we started this project. We just have to keep going until they're all brought up to speed... 

The brocade Amitayus sits on was covered with mold as well. Alas. This whole day has been about confession, so here's the dirty laundry. The committment is that this will never again occur, at least if I can help it. We are taking action immediately. I have brocades purchased yesterday, and we'll make a new throne cover for this Stupa as well. When I saw this I knew what my priority was for the rest of the day... 

The throne was not looking great, moldy, and covered with cobwebs. It is caulked in position, the interior here is completely sloped, no flat surface. So the throne is actually cut with a sloped back to fit. I had to cut the caulk to remove it, but was determined to clean it all...