January 31st...History....

This photo is where it all started. Taken back in December of 2003 at the request of Ani Dawa, who was living in Sedona then, I knew as soon as I saw this Stupa it could not be left that way. Vines growing all over it, mold. It is in a remote part of the property, I didn't even know it was there...but I was out there the next day with concrete cleaner (yup...it was dang cold!) pulling weeds and scrubbing mold. Not long after I was asked to take on ALL the Stupas...yikes!

Fortunately, however, all that was needed was someone to take up the call...many, many answered!

You can view a slide show of the 3 year restoration process by clicking

HERE

We've completed the first phase of renovations, but we feel the spring coming through the chill in the air! We're already talking about grounds work out at the Stupa Park and around the wall of Migyur Dorje, not to mention the lotus petal and finishing the Stupa wall with amethyst and rose quartz!

We'll keep you posted! Of course, all of this is done so that anyone can visit these amazing structures and enjoy their blessings! Remember, no need to know what they are or how they work for them to bring benefit to you and all those you pray for!

January 30th....Morning walk...

Back in the work week here...but living in Poolesville it's easy to swing by the Stupa on the way to work! Here's a quick video circumambulation I shot this morning to share with you all....



Here's a still shot of one of the temple cats...



We have several cats that have been abandoned on our property, and which we attempt to keep fed. Any of you soft hearted types out there that might consider bringing one of these little folks into your home know that a few are really friendly! We'll do our best to care for them...but we have a continually growing population (folks bring them here when they can't take care of them anymore). They at least have the connection to the Stupa, and a steady food supply, but some seem like they want to be pets...

As you can see, the Stupa is beautiful in the mornings, as it is all throughout the day and night. It is always available to you, anytime! If you can't get to Poolesville, we'll keep you in touch here!

Peace Rally in DC

Still wiped out from the peace march yesterday, but thought we would share a few video clips with you.





These were taken with a compact digital still camera, so they aren't stellar, but we hope you get a sense of "being there"!

Here's are some stills:







Although we are recovering from the large event this weekend, remember that the temple is available to all and open 24 hours a day. So stop in and say some prayers for the world or just take some time and enjoy the peace.

Mipham - What About Me

It's been a while once again, but we're working on content. For now we wanted to share a great video with you! This video features poetry by Tibetan Buddhist Lama Sakyong Rinpoche, Lineage Holder of the Shambala lineage. He has studied with our own His Holiness Penor Rinpoche as well. It's a great offering to those of us in the west...enjoy!

New Year's Day 2007

Well, we've been busy but alas my hands have been so involved in the labor that I haven't taken pictures!

So I'll start the New Year by re-posting a link to a short video introducing a statue filling workshop we attended in New York in 2005. We recorded the two day workshop on video, but the editing has proven more time consuming than we imagined, but eventually....



For now you can see Khenpo Norgye describing the purpose of Stupas and statues, sacred images, and why they are an important part of our lives.




If I could figure out how to embed this I would, but I haven't been able to get that technical. Hope you enjoy it!

We'll be out at the temple today working on rolling some mantras and (if our seamstress instructor is able to get out there) getting a sewing lesson so we can complete some prayer flags.

As you can see our work has expanded beyond Stupas since we completed the first phase (and the largest phase) of the renovations, but don't worry, the Stupas are always on our list!

It is our hope you will take advantage of the many sacred images available to you here in Poolesville, Maryland at KPC. No need to be Buddhist, or have any interest in Buddhism, the temple and grounds are all here to bring benefit to all beings without any exception. And of course, if you can't make it to Maryland in person, we'll keep you in touch here!

December 27th, 2006---Late updates!

This shot is from almost two weeks ago. Ani Yeshi and Ashley are applying our concrete stain to the lotus petal! What was amazing is we had a 75 degree day here in Maryland in the middle of December! Just what we needed to get this done!

The posting is a bit of a challenge right now as blogger is switching over to google, and I'm having issues with access to this account, but I think I'm working it out...I hope...: )

In any case, there's lots of activities heading our way this weekend and we're hoping some of you out there might be curious enough to come by and check it out! You can just watch if you want, don't worry!

Of course, the temple and Stupas are available to you 24 hours a day every day, whether you're Buddhist or not. It is our sincere hope you will take advantage of the tremendous blessings offered here, all you see on these pages is dedicated to keeping it all here for you!

Youth Program, 12.17.06

As Buddhists, we begin all activities, classes, and practices with opening prayers. We use this time to set our intention to be of benefit to all sentient beings.

Once our intention is set, we all get to work!

Each child chooses a box for an adult male or female & a child male or female. Then they set to work filling them with gifts.

Next, they made cards for each gift…

Everyone worked hard at making each card and gift just right.

Now it is time to take the gifts outside.

Where are we going? To the stupa of course! We include the stupas in our practices as much as possible.

We all go to the stupa to make wishing prayers with every gift box that they might be of benefit to those who receive them.

Finally, the boxes are ready to go! The kids load Ani Samten’s car with their gifts of compassion and love.

December 16th, 2006

Yeah...we haven't really kept up on the blog I know. But we're back at trying to! The project we worked with today was the lotus petal in front of the temple. Tara and I spent last Saturday grinding (with our beloved angle grinder!) off layer after layer of paint. The last layer had begun to completely flake off, forcing us to seek better solutions.

Our ultimate goal is to recast the whole thing using glass aggregate in concrete, which will never flake off, even with foot traffic. After much investigation (and some darn high hopes) we ultimately surrendered to our time frame and devoted ourselves to an intermediate step (something clearly had to be done now). The weather, quircky as it is, supported us by bringing us a 60 degree weekend in mid-December. So we took up the task of applying concrete stain on the medallian (more durable than paint...though the color choices are very limited so forgive the lack of punch in the final colors).

In this shot you can see we went for the whole system when we purchased the stain, from prep to topcoat...

The first step in the process (after many hours of research, discussion, and finally a walk through Home Depot to evaluate options) was a thorough wash of the medallion. We used products specifically designed to prepare for the stain... 

After the wash was etching, which involved a pretty toxic smelling chemical (we're pretty use to that now...) 

After washing, etching and thorough rinsing we sped up the drying process a little...
Once it was dry we applied a bonding primer to facilitate adhesion since we were applying over paint (recommended method). The primer needed 8 hours to dry, so we'll be finishing up the stain tomorrow...

We utilized what sunlight was left in the day to fix the brocade in the Long Life Stupa gau. It had come loose in places, so we brought our handy JB Weld and made sure the fabric adhered to the velcro. So the goal is to complete the staining of the lotus petal tomorrow, on a sunny, warm December day! We'll be contending with some traffic out there...

As always, it is our hope that you will come see these amazing sources of blessing for yourself. The Stupas, temple, and land are all here for any being that seeks a refuge or place to unwind. No need to be Buddhist---and we won't make you work either!