August 27th...Back online!

Okay, okay...I was scolded today for not updating this blog. I apologize. The past week or so has been consumed with what seemed an impossible task....finishing the Stupa Renovation! Yikes! Every single spare moment was devoted to this request (from our Spiritual Director) and with the timely assistance of Kay here (she spent an entire day out there with us) and Chris from Alexandria (I wasn't around the afternoon he came out to get any photos of him) we did get it done!

Though we ended up working LONG hours, we're talking sunrise to sunset for several days, Ani Yeshi and I both loved every minute of it. Heat, insects, no matter. It was amazing to be able to bring this artwork back to life. For myself, it was the discovery of a new interest...the focus and patience of painting with tiny brushes was surprisingly enjoyable. For Ani Yeshi, it was a chance to put her training to sacred use! 

So here's a look at Migyur Dorje after we took the platform down. We still had some touching up to do (to the gold areas), but we were able, miraculously, to get the fine artwork done on time! Thanks to Kay and Chris who each came out and helped!  

You can't see it up close, but trust that we did indeed finish all the detail work on the relief! Whew! It was a huge challenge, and forced this ani to tap into ancient hobbies (I use to draw a lot as a youngster), but we were indeed able to restore Migyur Dorje completely in time for the visit! After these photos were taken Holly, our diligent gardener, finished the whole Stupa off by replanting around it and Ashby set up an altar in front of it (offerings were being left on the step of the Stupa, which damages the paint and is actually not the ideal, either from the practical view of maintenance or the spiritual view of practice---but if there's no altar go ahead and make offerings where you can!).  

This brocade was the last hurdle. I can honestly say it has motivated both Ani Yeshi and myself to possibly take sewing lessons. The way it worked was we had NO time to get the pattern to anyone, it was a measure -cut-place all in one day, part of a day actually (since we were wrapping up Migyur Dorje as well). Thanks to contact cement and an old fashioned needle and thread we were able to get a passable drape for Amitayus, but we already have plans on how to create a more fitted solution.

The rest of the week was occupied with the visit from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche! A rare opportunity to receive teaching and empowerment from the supreme head of our Palyul Lineage. I apologize to those of you who check in to the site, but I left my camera in it's bag for the events. In this kind of situation my role as an ani (nun) takes over and I focus on the teachings and practices.

I'll be back to give you all a look at the now completed Stupas this week though! As always, it is our sincere hope that you will come out and visit the Stupas and temple for yourselves! Our Spiritual Director, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo has returned to her residence in Maryland, so many activities are in the works. It was her vision and aspirations that were the foundation for the temple and Stupas, which are open to all beings, all species in fact. So you are always welcome. And of course, the Stupas offer their benefits to all, whether you know anything about them or not. Though the "renovation" has now technically been completed, it is clear to us Stupa folk that the job will never really be done. So don't fret, you can keep checking in here and we'll keep you in touch with these sacred structures!

August 16th...Preparations....

Okay...back from retreat at last. We've been wicked busy, jumping right into preparations for a visit by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche right here in Poolesville! I've quickly uploaded a few photos from the retreat though...so you all can get a glimpse of it. I took very few photos while there actually, focusing instead on practice, but I have some that other sangha members took which I'll share over time. For now, here's a few...

This is Lama Socho (spelling is no doubt wrong), playing with me while I tried to take photos of Lisa before her ordination. He lives at the center in New York all year, and maintains the temple with unrelenting diligence and loving kindness. We were told he goes up there every day without fail, despite snow so bad you can't drive the long road from the houses to the temple, to open the altars and maintain the temple practices. You can see he is playful here, but he is an inspiring role model for us ordained types... 

This is where we were for the past few weeks, the Palyul Retreat Center in upstate New York. This was taken on Friday, the day Lisa (now Ani Yeshi) was ordained. The retreat had ended, so it was much quieter and less crowded. 

Well, here's how the retreat ended...our bud Lisa took the leap and is now Ani Yeshi Lhamo!! She took the hair cut like a sport, even let me take photos! We're back online finally, though crazy busy preparing for the visit next week by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche!! I'll get images up as I can, but please do come out and see the temple and Stupas for yourself if you can! Any artist types in the D.C. area can contact us as well, since we're working on completing the painting of the relief out at Migyur Dorje by next Wednesday! Alas...the life of a Stupa chick....the luxury of leisurely timelines remains a fantasy...no regrets though. Every effort you see on these pages, from the physical labor to the prayers and committments represented by the robes, it is all devoted to ending the suffering of all beings without exception. The Stupas, and temple, are open to people of all faiths, and the Stupas, out in the open air, are open to all species of beings, offering ceaseless blessings. So come on out and see them for yourself! If you aren't in the area, we'll keep you in touch with them here! 

July 26th....Heading for Retreat....

Though we'll be at retreat for a few weeks, things back home in Poolesville will be hoppin'! This weekend marks another major holiday on the Tibetan Buddhist calendar. There will be practices and celebrations all day! Preparations for the upcoming visits from our own teacher, Jetsunma, and her root teacher, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche will continue as well.

If you want to know more about His Holiness Penor Rinpoche you can visit the Palyul website here

If you are interested in learning more about our teacher here at KPC Maryland, you can read about her
here

There will be teachings and empowerments offered by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche at the end of August in Maryland, so if you've had even a passing interest in learning more about the Buddhist tradition this would be a great time to plan a visit!

Of course, there is no need to be Buddhist, or even be interested in Buddhism to visit the Stupas! We've worked hard to leave the Stupas in reasonable repair, so you can enjoy them any time! I may post a cameraphone photo from retreat once or twice over the next two weeks, but this will be my last sitting infront of a full fledged computer for a while. : ) Know that even as our Stupa folk spend time learning to deepen in our practices, the Stupas themselves are always offering you blessings. It is our hope you will take some time and see them for yourselves!

July 22nd...Devotion...

It's been a while since I posted...sorry. It's been a week of focused effort. Our Lama, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, is planning to return to Maryland the second week of August. Lisa and I are each going on retreat until then, leaving next week! Yikes! This is the park devoted to our teacher's long life, so we really didn't want to leave it in such a partially done state. So this image is from Tuesday. I started the detailed painting, by priming. I killed one of Lisa's expensive artist brushes (it worked well, but the primer was just to thick and the heat baked the bristles together...sorry man).

I left Auspicious Manifold Doorways looking like this on Tuesday. The spires were all primed, and everything else I could prime was. You can see we still hadn't mounted the final relief here, and one other Stupa was in the same state. Whew! With retreat approaching, I had hoped to get farther. I worked on Friday all day as well, so diligently that I forgot to take pictures! Lisa met me in the evening after work, and we were able to mount the final reliefs and get some of the final detail colors going... 

This is what it looked like when we started work today... 

As a reference point, here's the Auspicious Manifold Doorways Stupa at the start of the day today. Lisa and I met at 7 am. Our original thought was we would avoid the heat of the day...but as it turned out we needed every minute just to get the small Stupas finished before we each head to retreat this week! We're both attending retreat in upstate New York at the Palyul Retreat Center. We'll both be back the second week of August...but today we wanted to get these small Stupas ready in case a landscaping fairy comes along while we're gone to place fill dirt and re-plant around them! 

Not many "working" shots today. Lots to do, and despite the burning heat of the afternoon, we had to keep going...no time for photos.... 

So here's a look at the finished renovation of the Auspicious Manifold Doorways Stupa!  

Here's a closer look at it...the sun was bright and harsh, making a good shot difficult, but work wasn't finished, and clouds were forming, so no time to wait for better conditions... 

Sorry if I'm posting lots of these shots, but we were thrilled to have them all finished! 

Here you can see the kind of detail work that took us all day. The burgundy and gold we used both took multiple coats to cover, and we used small artist type brushes most of the day.  

We ended up caught in a downpour about 30 minutes after I took this shot. We're both hoping that rain didn't compromise our work today...but the paint seemed dry...

Our last day for Stupa work before heading to retreat this week, we persevered until the elements intervened. We did succeed, however, in getting all the small Stupas completely painted!!!

This is a poor shot, but the sun was behind the Stupas so I used my hat to reduce flare in the lens, but alas, cameras aren't able to record what we saw. It does, however, give you a glimpse of the Stupa Park in a state approaching complete! We hope you'll brave the heat one day soon and come see them for yourself! They bring blessings to all who see them, whether you like them or not, whether you have any idea what they are or not. They exist for no other reason, than to help bring happiness and peace to all who encounter them. They are here for you, whoever you are!

July 14th...Compassion

This is a photo by Eugene Smith (copyrighted by his heirs, you can find that info here: http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/smith/smith_minamata.html. Part of Buddhist practice, the motivation, is the recognition of suffering. Youth (even the post 40 era), can lack a real experience of that. Even as a nurse, it is easy to put a distance between my own life and the reality I see every day. I find images like this inspiring. The mother's compassion, even in the face of horrific illness (the children of this fishing village were disfigured by mercury poisoning, a result of toxic waste being dumped into the ocean near their village). I share the above image as it illustrates to me unconditional love, compassion, and tender caring. The woman is not absorbed in the horror of the situation, she is instead focused on bringing comfort to the suffering. It reflects one of the qualities to which I aspire as a practitioner. The Stupas offer such unconditioned kindness, they don't care who or what you are, they offer their blessings without judgment or restraint.

We turned our attention away from Stupas today, so no photos. We began the demolishing of the studio, a room at the temple once used to record music. It flooded with the heavy rains a few weeks back, and with our teacher returning, and wanting to again record, we decided to put our effort towards helping clear out the debris. I work this weekend, but my Stupa Pal Lisa will be doing dump runs (trailer memories coming back to us!). : )

Even if we aren't out there for a few days, we still hope you'll come out and enjoy the Stupas. They are here for you, and all beings, offering their blessings unconditionally!

July 12th...Cloudy skies and back up plans...

Today loading the truck was relatively simple (once you remember everything you need!). My goals for the day included painting, however far I could get but starting with finishing areas of gold where the paint failed from last year. I also had items like caulk, putty knives, and a display Ashby had made for the Stupa Park, just in case it rained. A wise Stupa gal always has layered plans, for when things change....

I headed out to start painting! It was a solo effort today, so no shots of anyone working, but work did occur! 

A rain shower finally ended the painting, so I turned my attention to this....weeds....lots of them. I'd started on this last Sunday, following behind Steve who'd started with a weed whacker Saturday. But they were really overgrown. I used the old fashioned method, yanking them one by one by hand.  

So here's a look after wrestling with weeds all afternoon. The Stupas that had been prepped were now coated with the gold, and I managed to scrape and sand the remaining small Stupas so I can work on priming and painting them gold tomorrow! Let's hope the weather cooperates!  

Another rainy weather job was mounting the display. We've found that many visitors read the one by the Enightenment Stupa, and will be placing one at each of the major Stupas!