NEWS ABOUT THE ABBEY
NEWS UPDATES
Click on the following links for news and interviews about Sravasti Abbey and Venerable Thubten Chodron:
For news updates for previous years click here.
-
PRESS COVERAGE/INTERVIEWS
- Buddhist Abbey Celebrates Five Years In Newport - October 2008
- First Nun to Ordain at Sravasti Abbey - Northwest Dharma News, December 2006
- Venerable Interviewed in the Spokesman, August 2005 (
you need acrobat reader)
- Eating, Sleeping, and Breathing: Lay Volunteer Nanc Nesbitt Moves To Sravasti Abbey, June 2004
- Idaho to Toronto: Attending the Kalachakra Teaching, May 2004
- More US Northwest Residents Turn to Buddhism - The Idaho Statesman, 15 December 2003
- Sravasti Abbey Newsletter - November 2003 (
you need acrobat reader)
- Interview with Ven. Chodron by Wendy Chuang & Teresa Cheng for Mahabodhi Society, San Jose CA, October 2003
- Interview with Ven. Chodron by Nicholas Collias for the Boise Weekly, August 2003
- Interview with Ven. Chodron by Steve Wilhelm for Northwest Dharma News, May 2003
- Interview with Ven. Chodron by Dharma Friendship Foundation's Marsha Rule, Dec. 2001
December 2008
What You'll Find:
Dianne Becomes an Anagarika
Monastic Residence (Gotami House) and Infrastructure
Abbey Outreach
Monastic Visitors
Transitions
Other November Happenings
Manjushri Retreat From Afar
Upcoming Events
Other Venues
Dear Friends,
We’ve had our first snowfall at the Abbey, and the landscape is transformed once again.
Dianne Becomes an Anagarika top
Dianne Pratt, a long-time student at Dharma Friendship Foundation, has been a supporter and volunteer at the Abbey since its inception. She also attended our second three-month winter retreat. On November 13, she received the anagarika precepts—the eight precepts including celibacy—as preparation for becoming a monastic. She now shaves her head and wears gray, this being a tradition of the Abbey so that anagarikas can become accustomed to these outward symbols of renouncing the misery of cyclic existence.
Monastic Residence (Gotami House) and Infrastructure top
The construction of Gotami House and the installation of the infrastructure for the Master Plan are moving ahead! Our new water system is now functioning—the water being pumped up to five tanks on top of the meadow and gravity-fed to the buildings—and the the Health Department approved its use. When new buildings are constructed in the future, they will be hooked up to this water system.
The septic system for Gotami House was installed, as was the geothermal heat system. The lower meadow had to be excavated to do this, and to prevent erosion due to rain and melting snow, we spread boughs on the ground. We’ll reseed the area come spring.
The electrical work and plumbing are in, and we hope the energy-efficient sprayed insulation will be put in before long. Meanwhile part of the trim is complete and the siding is going on, so it’s beginning to look more like a house—at least on the outside. The geothermal heat system is also energy-efficient, and we moved our old wood-burning stove to Gotami House as a backup for the days when there is an electrical outage.
The retreat cabin / visiting teachers’ cabin and its septic system will be done next year when the donations needed to complete them will hopefully have been received.
Abbey Outreach top
The meditation class led by Ven. Semkye and Ven. Chonyi at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane has been going strong. People practice at home and they asked that the class be extended. Ven. Semkye and Ven. Chonyi return from the class praising the participants' sincerity and eagerness. Meanwhile the series “Working with Anger” in Newport came to a close as we prepare for winter retreat.
The Global Peace Initiative of Women invited me to attend the conference, "Gathering Spiritual Voices of America: To Deepen Our Knowing of Oneness and Our Compassion as a Nation." I looked forwarded to attending this conference with spiritual leaders and great thinkers, but unfortunately came down with a case of the shingles the day before it began and had to bow out. The conference was a great success, and we hope to join in their efforts in the future.
The American Association of University Women of Spokane invited me to give the talk at their monthly meeting. Entitled “Creating Peace in a Not-So-Peaceful World,” the talk attracted a full room of educated women and men interested in peace. It was wonderful and encouraging to hear of the AAUW’s efforts to increase opportunities and influence policy decisions regarding women and girls, and I was happy to be able to contribute Buddhist insights and techniques to create peace.
Ven. Chonyi represented the Abbey at an interfaith gathering in Spokane on Thanksgiving Day. People are very pleased with the variety of faiths attending these gatherings, and the church was packed, listening to the diverse speakers. Ven. Chonyi led the congregation in a meditation on loving-kindness, and then they chanted om mani padme hum together.
Our Carmelite friends, Sr. Nancy and Sr. Leslie, as well as another Catholic nun joined two Abbey nuns for an interfaith discussion at the Abbey this month. We have been sharing about our practices informally for years and decided to have more in-depth dialogues in which people have more time to speak, listen, and share. All of us value this connection very much.
Students from a Mind-Body class at Gonzaga University in Spokane came to the Abbey to ask questions, discuss, and listen to a talk about the body-mind relationship. This is an interesting topic and an important one for people in health care professions as well as Dharma practitioners.
Monastic Visitors top
The visit of Reverend Master Eko, the abbot of Shasta Abbey, ended with great appreciation of the wisdom he shared with us about monastic living. In beginning the Abbey, we’ve found it helpful to learn from other Buddhist as well as non-Buddhist monastic communities, seeing how they stay true to the original teachings, yet adapt community organization structure, chanting, and so forth to a different culture.
The monastics took a “field trip” to Missoula MT for four days. Osel Shen Phen Ling had invited me to give a public talk and teach on the Two Truths. In addition, I led the Manjushri Front Generation Practice, which those of you participating in the Retreat from Afar may want to listen to. The Missoulians were wonderfully warm hosts and a receptive audience for the Dharma. Many of them visit the Abbey regularly, so there is a lot of mutual support and affection.
Transitions top
The Abbey community has had several “live” meditations on death this year. As the Buddha said, being aware of others’ transitions makes us more aware of our own mortality and thus more conscientious in the decisions we make. The imprints of our present physical, verbal, and mental actions are what come with us to the next life—not our body, possessions, or dear ones.
Kathleen’s mother died a few months ago, then Ven. Jampel’s grandfather passed away in October. And my mother died on November 15. I went to attend the funeral and spend some days with my family, and I was able to do Buddhist prayers and rites at the mortuary before the Jewish service and burial. Many thanks to all of you who have made prayers and offerings on behalf of my mother. Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche shared what he is praying for her.
The Buddhist teaching that all sentient beings have been our mothers has become especially vivid to me in these days. While in the airport on the way to my family’s home, I looked around and thought, “All these beings have been my mother and have been kind to me. While my own mother of this life did not have much interest in the Dharma, my mothers from previous lives do.” This renewed my dedication to practice the Dharma and then to share it with others as best as I can.
Other November Happenings top
See pictures of a variety of activities and guests here at the Abbey this month.
The November Sharing the Dharma Day brought a crowd to the Abbey, many of them new people. Ven. Semkye gave an inspiring talk on the Buddha’s life and then Kevin led a thoughtful discussion on how we approach Dharma practice. People really enjoy and benefit from the kind of discussion groups that we have developed over the years and the topics that are discussed.
These discussion groups have become a way to talk about practice with others, thus creating genuine Dharma friendships. They also help us to realize that we are not alone on the path—that everyone faces the same challenges. In that way we learn from and support one another.
The Friends of Sravasti Abbey meeting was small but joyful and accomplished a lot. Ven. Chonyi, Tanya, and Alec are working on a new design for the Abbey’s website. Wait until you see it—it’s really nice! We also collected boughs, chopped wood, cleaned the work site around Gotami House, and prepared the mailing. People had a great time. You should have seen the group riding in the back of Haroldina, our truck, rolling with laughter as they bumped along the forest roads.
We received a FLEP grant to thin our forest and Ven. Semkye has plunged in with glee, leading crews. We love working in the forest—it's good for the body and mind. We owe many thanks to Tanya, Nancy, Tracy, Cliff, Cheryl, Rachael, Sharon, Mike, Alec, Susan, Sarah, Jack, Pam, Jim, Yeshe, Drolma, Pat, Jo, Ven. Lodro, Ven. Gache and many others who offered a variety of help to the Abbey this month.
Manjushri Retreat from Afar top
This year during our one- and three-month winter retreats, Abbey residents and guests will do the Manjushri practice together with meditation on the stages of the path (Lamrim). You’re welcome to join us, participating in the Retreat from Afar, in which you do one session of the practice daily. Each year people at home and many in prisons have joined us—last year there was an international group of nearly 120 retreatants from afar! This is a wonderful way to deepen your Dharma practice and be part of the Abbey extended community of retreatants. Please join us.
The Abbey will be in retreat Dec. 10 to March 9. While some guests will do the retreat with us, we are unable to welcome others during this time. But if you are inspired to send a Care Package or to support the retreatants, you are very welcome to.
Wishing you a peaceful winter.
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron and the Residents of Sravasti Abbey
Help Sravasti Abbey Build a Home for the Sangha to Sustain the Dharma
Upcoming Events at Sravasti Abbey top
On-going Teachings
Retreats & Events
Ven. Chodron (and other Abbey residents) Teaching in Other Venues top
November 2008
What You'll Find:
Monastic Residence and Retreat Cabin
Sravasti Abbey's 5th Birthday Party
Many Monastic Visits
The Forest
Other October Happenings
Manjushri Retreat From Afar
Upcoming Events
Dear Friends,
October has been full of activities at the Abbey. The weather has gotten colder, the leaves are an array of magnificent autumn colors, the apples have ripened, and we've had a month filled with Dharma.
Residencia Monástica (Casa Gotami) y Cabina para arriba
Gotami House continues to take shape. A titanium protective shield is on the roof to protect from rain. Now that the framing is complete, the plumber and electrician are at work, and more detailed work on the building has begun. The septic tank is in and the drain field is being excavated.
The Abbey community has painted the soffits, which are being installed, and we've also painted the trim and belly boards. Each weekend we "swarm" and clean the site. All of this saves on the cost of the building.
The water system is in and the ditches are covered—hurrah! For a while, it was a trick to walk from one place to another with so many pipe ditches along the sides of the paths and roads.
Sravasti Abbey's Fifth Birthday Party top
The Abbey just turned five!! This was a joyous occasion for us and we were delighted that so many people—there were 55 or 60 of us—came to celebrate. After we welcomed everyone and all of us generated a compassionate motivation, the program began with the Expansive Offering meditation and the White Tara practice. This was followed by everyone carrying an offering as we did a procession and circumambulated the Buddha in the garden and then entered the house. We placed our offerings on the altar in front of the huge Medicine Buddha painting that our friend Antonio in Mexico painted for us, and then as a group we invoked the Buddhas and bodhisattvas to be present there.
After a delicious lunch and birthday cake, we met in the meditation hall once again to watch a charming video about the Abbey's first five years. Ven. Chonyi and Alec had composed it, showing many of the highlights of our beginning years. We also showed the delightful video sent by FOSA Singapore in honor of our birthday. Then our neighbor, Pat, who is helping to manage the construction of Gotami House and our webmaster, Tanya, spoke about the importance of the Abbey in their lives personally and for society as a whole. By this time, many eyes were filled with tears. Then we took all our guests on a tour of Gotami House, which they all loved. Many people walked up to the top of the upper meadow to see the water tanks and then strolled in the forest afterwards.
Of course we didn't know months ago, when we selected October 11 as the date for the party, that they would dig the trenches for the water system in the preceding weeks. So there were huge piles of dirt and big trenches up and down the road. People were very good spirited about it, and we all managed fine. Afterwards, the resident community marveled at how smoothly the day had gone and how sincerely happy the guests were to see the growth in the Abbey—not only our building new facilities, but also the increased number of residents. But the growth in the Dharma is the best of alll. That they witnessed this in those who practice is indeed wonderful.
Many visitors from far away stayed the night at the Abbey so they could attend Sharing the Dharma Day on October 12. Others who were not able to attend sent along inspiring birthday wishes.
Our local newspaper, The Miner, ran a great article about our birthday celebration and the Abbey's presence in the area.
Many Monastic Visitors top
We were delighted to welcome Geshe Thubten Phelgye to the Abbey to teach on "Equalizing and Exchanging Self with Others." Geshela spoke from the heart about both renunciation and bodhicitta, empowering us to take responsibility for our own Dharma practice and to enthusiastically put our heart into transforming our minds. His humor had us laughing and his sincerity brought home the value and importance of putting the teachings into practice in our lives.
Geshe Phelgye's course followed on the heels of Geshe Dorje Damdul's visit, in which he enthusiastically taught the four tenets systems and challenged people to think more deeply about how things exist.
Reverend Master Eko, the abbot of Shasta Abbey and a member of our Advisory Board, visited the Abbey for a week. Considering that we invited him for an "abbot's R&R," we kept him very busy. His ability to listen deeply and give wise advice is precious help in our pioneering establishment of a monastery in the West.
Everyone was very touched by our discussion about how to continuously grow in the Dharma as individuals and as a community. Our friendship with Reverend Master Eko and with many other Western monastics from various Buddhist traditions is a wonderful result of our Annual Western Buddhist Monastic Gatherings.
Venerable Choekyi from Israel visited us for five weeks and impressed us with her diligence in studying the Dharma. Venerable Lodru from Portland and Venerable Gache from Seattle also visited for several weeks. They eagerly participated in Dharma study and in offering service, being good examples of team players who put the teachings into practice.
Meanwhile the daily teachings I give continue and are uploaded at Bodhisattva Breakfast Corner. The Thursday evening live Internet teachings on Mind Training Like Rays of the Sun continue as well. We're at the beginning of the text, so this is a good time to join in. Or you can download the talks and listen later. This text is especially precious because of its practical application and easy-to-understand approach.
The Forest top
In the past year, thinning the forest and removing dead and fallen trees has moved up the priority list for us. Since we live in an area that is prone to forest fires, we want to remove the conditions in which they could thrive. Working in the forest has become a real team effort and one that is fun too, not to mention the benefits of getting a lot of exercise. We enjoy the brilliant autumn colors and marvel at how different an area looks once it has been thinned and the debris removed. You should see Ven. Semkye, Rachael, and Karen take down tall trees that are suffering from root rot…they're Paula Bunyans!
Other October Happenings top
Ven. Semkye and Ven. Chonyi participated in an interfaith celebration of peace, which touched the hearts of all the participants.
The retreat at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center went very well. A harmonious and engaged group composed mostly of experienced practitioners was present. People reinvigorated and deepened their Dharma practice and developed Dharma friendships.
The next Cloud Mountain retreat will be "Taking Delight in Giving," March 20 – 23.
We hope to hold a one-week retreat at the Abbey next year, if Gotami House is completed (this depends on the results of inviting everyone's generosity to help us complete it).
After the retreat, I gave a talk at Maitripa Institute in Portland, I was happy to see it growing into a Buddhist college.
The Unitarian Church in Spokane requested the Abbey to begin a six-week meditation class there. Ven. Semkye and Ven. Chonyi have been going every Monday evening and return glowing from the experience. They say that the participants are so eager to learn how to work with their minds.
We also began another series of talks in the local town of Newport about "Working with Anger." Several Abbey residents commented that this informal class where participants share from their own experience is a highlight for them. We enjoy the contact with our neighbors; it's inspiring to see them learn to calm their minds and question their emotional and behavioral patterns around anger.
Manjushri Retreat from Afar top
This year during our one- and three-month winter retreats, Abbey residents and guests will do the Manjushri practice together with meditation on the stages of the path (Lamrim). You're welcome to join us, participating in the Retreat from Afar, in which you do one session of the practice daily. Each year people at home and many in prisons have joined us—last year there was an international group of nearly 120 retreatants from afar! This is a wonderful way to deepen your Dharma practice and be part of the Abbey extended community of retreatants. Please join us.
May the external beauty of autumn be matched by the beauty of compassion in our hearts,
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron and the Residents of Sravasti Abbey
Help Sravasti Abbey Build a Home for the Sangha to Sustain the Dharma
Upcoming Events at Sravasti Abbey top
On-going Teachings
Retreats & Events
Ven. Chodron (and other Abbey residents) Teaching in Other Venues top
- October 7 – November 18: Healing Anger, United Church of Christ, Newport, WA — 7 Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
- October 13 - November 17: Buddhist Meditation Group, Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane — 6 Mondays at 6:30 pm (with Vens. Semkye & Chonyi)
- October 30 - November 2: Osel Shen Phen Ling, Missoula, MT, Teaching: Three Principal Aspects of the Path
- December 4 - 12: Xalapa, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, Mexico, Teachings. Details to come. Contact
- March 20 - 23: Retreat "Taking Delight in Giving." Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, WA.
October 2008
What You'll Find:
Monastic Residence and more
Jampel Ordained!
The Community is Growing
Exploring Monastic Life
Other September Happenings
Sravasti Abbey's Birthday Party!
Upcoming Events
Dear Friends,
Many people have visited us this summer, some to offer service for a day, some to practice with the community for a weekend or longer. We enjoy seeing all of you! For those of you who haven’t been able to visit, here’s what we’ve been up to at Sravasti Abbey…
Monastic Residence (Gotami House) and the Retreat Cabin top
Gotami House is coming into being! A lot has been done this month - things have progressed dramatically. Both floors of the building have been framed and the roof trusses are up. The area around the base of the building has been backfilled so we see a building and not a big hole in the meadow. We’ve been meeting with the person who will install the geothermal heat system, and excavation for that will begin soon.
Meanwhile the infrastructure is coming along too. John dug a huge hole at the top of the upper meadow where five 300 gallon water tanks were placed. It was quite a scene getting the trucks around the S-curve on Country Lane and up the hill to the hole. Most of the water pipes running all the way down the meadow to the buildings are now in place and within the next couple of weeks, they’ll test the water system to make sure it works before covering up the tanks and pipes.
Meanwhile Kurt has poured the footings and walls for the retreat cabin. After the basic plumbing is in place, the slab will be poured. We’ll cover the slab for the winter and come spring, will build the rest of the retreat cabin.
On weekends, Abbey residents clean up the work site. We also spent some days gluing insulation on the outside of the concrete walls before that area was back-filled and will be painting the soffits. We do whatever work we can to contribute to show our appreciation for all of you who have donated so that Gotami House can be built.
Jampel Ordained! top
In the middle of Exploring Monastic Life, Ven. Jendy contacted us to say that Ven. Master Hsin-Tien from Taiwan would be able to come to the Abbey in three days to ordain Jampel as a novice monk (sramanera in Sanskrit, getsul in Tibetan). We were surprised he could come so soon and immediately got to work sewing Jampel’s robes. It was amazing the team spirit that manifested instantly as Ven. Tarpa, Ven. Semkye, Ven. Chonyi, Cristina, Nancy, and Tracy set up a sewing center in the library. They worked late into the night for those three days, finishing a set of robes in time for the ordination.
The master plus two other monks arrived on Sunday and the master gave a talk to the EML participants. Then on Monday morning the ordination proceedings began. In addition to all the EML participants, about 20 of our local supporters came on such short notice. This included Jampel’s grandmother, who repeatedly said how proud she was of him. Guests witnessed the hair cutting ceremony and then entered the meditation hall for the incense offering. They departed during the ceremony itself, leaving the sangha to give the ordination, and returned at the end for the dedication, offering of gifts, and pictures. Jampel was steady and focused, very present as the master directed him in what to do during the ceremony. Ven. Jendy did a magnificent job translating the master’s words from Chinese into English. Afterwards there was a beautiful lunch dana (offering) to the sangha, and everyone enjoyed a nice meal.
he Abbey Community Is Growing top
It’s a good thing that we’re building the new monastic residence, because the Abbey community is growing with new trainees: Cristina from Romania, Dallas and Karen from Canada, and Dianne and Frederick from Seattle. While the first four have relocated to the Abbey, Frederick is working to pay off his college loan and will move to the Abbey December 1. It’s a change for us having so many new people move here in a short period of time, but they have visited the Abbey many times before, so we know them well. They come with noble aspirations for monastic life and lots of sincerity and good energy. Still, adjusting to community life takes time. Our daily schedule is full with meditation, study, offering service, and other activities. Living with others 24/7 and functioning as a member of a community are new experiences for many people.
And more good news: Ven. Tarpa has left for Taiwan where she’ll take bhikshuni ordination and do retreat at a Chinese nunnery. She is the first Abbey monastic (aside from me) to receive full ordination and we’re all very happy for here. We’ll miss her while she’s on her two-month trip, and give her our love and support in the big step of becoming fully ordained.
Exploring Monastic Life top
Our Exploring Monastic Life program was a great success. The participants were earnest and open as they learned not only about monastic life but also about themselves and the workings of their minds. The teachings centered on ethical conduct and how they set the foundation for all further Dharma practice. In discussion groups, we investigated our relationship to money, family, career, romantic relationships, authority issues, living in community, and self-image. Meanwhile in times of offering service we discussed the Dharma and our hopes and fears regarding ordination as we clipped and chipped in the forest, cut apples (it’s applesauce season), stained the wood on the barn, worked in the garden, and so forth. We were delighted that Bhikkhu Bodhi gave a talk to the group on monastic life in 21st century America, and enjoyed two wonderful Dharma talks by Ven. Master Hsin-Tien, which were translated by Bhikshuni Jendy.
Other September Happeningstop
Ven. Choekyi, an Israeli nun, arrived to stay with the Abbey community for five weeks. Cheryl came and took the Eight Mahayana Precepts to celebrate her 51st birthday. Rachel, Ed, Pam, Janelle, Tracy, Nancy, Alec, and many others came to offer service. I began teaching Mind Training Like Rays of the Sun, a lovely text that talks about how to cultivate love and compassion and how to transform adversity into the path to enlightenment, for the Thursday night teachings that are streamed live from the Abbey (and also posted later on the website). My talks at North Idaho College were well attended. Many thanks to the Coeur d’Alene Dharma Friends for organizing this event.
From 9/11 to 9/21 (World Peace Day), there were interfaith activities in the Spokane area that focused on the topic of peace. Ven. Semkye and Ven. Chonyi attended a large evening gathering, where they read verses from Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and lead over 200 people in chanting the mantra of compassion, om mani padme hum. I did a short blurb on “peace is stillness” for the radio. We value this time with our spiritual brothers and sisters from other faith traditions and rejoice in our common emphasis on love, compassion, and forgiveness.
Geshe Dorji Damdul has been visiting the Abbey and teaching philosophical tenets to the residents. He teaches using debate style so the classes are active. These discussions carry over to our other times together as people try to understand the teachings of the great masters of past.
One day as Ven. Tarpa and I were walking we spotted Mudita the Moose. He had a big antlers and after trotting away from us, turned back to stare at us as we stared at him.
Here’s news of my visit to Cleveland in August.
Come to the Abbey’s Birthday Party! top
On October 11, from 10 am – 3:30 pm we’ll have a birthday party to celebrate Sravasti Abbey’s fifth birthday. I remember so clearly moving into the house five years ago, as the only resident of the Abbey, and wondering how everything would unfold. Now five years later, there are five monastics, many preparing for ordination, and a regular teaching program. And we are building a monastic residence! All this has happened due to the efforts (and good karma) of so many people, including all of you who have offered your time, resources, energy, and prayers for the Abbey’s success. This birthday party is in honor of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and all our supporters and friends. We hope you will come and share this joyous time with us!
May you enjoy the end of summer and welcome autumn with a smile,
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron and the Residents of Sravasti Abbey
Help Sravasti Abbey Build a Home for the Sangha to Sustain the Dharma
Upcoming Events at Sravasti Abbey top
On-going Teachings
Retreats & Events
Ven. Chodron (and other Abbey residents) Teaching in Other Venues top
- October 3: Maitripa Institute, Portland, OR, Teaching: Living With Joy
- October 7 – November 18: Healing Anger, United Church of Christ, Newport, WA – 7 Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
- October 13 – November 17: Buddhist Meditation Group, Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane – Mondays at 6:30 pm (with Vens. Semkye & Chonyi)
- October 30 - November 2: Osel Shen Phen Ling, Missoula, MT, Teaching: Three Principal Aspects of the Path
- December 4 - 12: Xalapa, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, Mexico, Teachings. Details to come. Contact
September 2008
What You'll Find:
Dear Friends,
Many people have visited us this summer, some to offer service for a day, some to practice with the community for a weekend or longer. We enjoy seeing all of you! Here’s what we’ve been up to at Sravasti Abbey.
Monastic Residence – Gotami House top
Gotami House is coming into being! The foundation and concrete walls for the lower floor have been poured. Just as the contractor was almost ready to pour the slab, it rained for a few days. While we welcome the cooling summer rain for forest fire prevention, it also set us back. We had to wait for the ground to dry out so the concrete truck could come it in pour the slab. But it was poured early this week and now the framers are there.
Abbey residents and visitors have been helping with construction too, doing some of the grunt work that will save us money. We have a good time working together. Sometimes I wonder, “What was it like building one of the great monasteries in India or Tibet centuries ago, knowing that they would enable so many people of so many future generations to have a place to learn and practice the Dharma?” And then I realize that as unromantic as carrying boards and cleaning a work site ostensibly is, when our mind is inspired with a long-term vision, we work joyfully. There’s another hole in the ground now too—that for the new retreat cabin at the end of the garden. Soon the forms for the footings will be built. How far we get on building the retreat cabin this year will depend on the amount of donations we receive and when the snow falls this autumn.
Friends of Sravasti Abbey (FOSA) has helped us in Inviting Generosity. (That’s our word for “fundraising.” We renamed it because we want people to get in touch with their generous nature and feel delight when giving). Due to your kindness, we met the $121,000 matching grant! Now we’re at the halfway mark, with just over $550,000 of the $1.1 million needed to complete the project. If you haven’t seen the beautiful website on the project, click here.
Tara Fire Puja and Medicine Buddha Tangka top
Zopa Rinpoche recommended to Kathleen that I do a Tara fire puja to remove obstacles to her health. Kathleen prepared the many ingredients with love and care, and the residents helped her make a beautiful altar outdoors.
Jhampa Shaneman, an old friend who was with me when we first saw the Abbey land five years ago, came to assist. He is teaching in Torreon, Mexico, and it was great seeing him again. He taught Jampel how to make the fire place, which was set up near the barn. This was done carefully, with tall sides of cinder block for safety.
Abbey residents and many guests were here for the puja and joined in chanting the “21 Praises to Tara” and Tara’s mantra. People were very moved by the puja, and just after it ended we had the first rainfall in about two months.
Many of you have seen the large painting of Tara in our community room. Antonio, the Mexican artist who painted it, recently gave us a huge Medicine Buddha tangka (painting) that he did especially for the Abbey. The painting is gorgeous and very inspiring to gaze at. It now graces our dining room (which was formerly the living room cum library). The official installation and welcoming of the Medicine Buddha will occur on Oct. 11 at the Abbey’s Fifth Birthday Party. Come and join us!
Exploring Monastic Life top
Our Fourth Annual Exploring Monastic Life program has begun with a wonderful group in attendance. There are aspiring monastics and ordained monastics from four countries at the program, and they range in age from 16 to 55. The day begins with meditation, followed by the Bodhisattva Breakfast Corner teaching and breakfast.
Then we offer service until lunch. People love working in the forest and garden. Today a group was oiling the wooden sides of the barn and discussing what happens at the time of realizing emptiness directly—Does one realize the emptiness of all phenomena simultaneously? Does the conventional object still appear? This was all going on while standing on ladders with paint brushes!
After lunch we have a discussion group, covering topics that help people reflect deeply about their monastic aspirations and what it means to be a monastic. That is followed by teachings; this year, among other texts, I’m teaching from the Sutra of the Fruits of the Sramana Life. Evening meditation concludes the day, and everyone tumbles into bed feeling fulfilled after a day well spent.
Prison Work top
Every summer for nearly ten years, I go to Cleveland to teach at Jewel Heart Buddhist Center—what a great group of people!—and to visit Northcentral Correctional Institution in Marion OH. This year we entered the prison at the same time as an evangelical band with all their musical equipment. I was wondering how we’d ever manage silent meditation, but it worked out well since the band played outside.
About twenty inmates came to the Dharma talk, and we got into an interesting discussion about anger and how to deal compassionately with others’ aggressive behavior without being taken advantage of. They asked a lot about karma and rebirth and really got it when I said that we create the causes for our experiences and that changing our situation involves changing how we think and act. The guys were soaking up the Dharma like sponges and asked excellent questions.
You may be interested in this article about Buddhists in prison that mentions our visit to Airway Heights Correctional Center for their Buddhafest Day.
Retreat: What Love Is (and Isn’t) top
This retreat was led by the Abbey’s residents. I gave the opening Dharma talk, and the other monastics competently led meditations and discussion sessions. People were full of good insights as they applied what they learned to their lives.
The following weekend was a FOSA retreat. The group was small but they accomplished a lot. One of the results will be an improved website that will be easy to navigate.
Summer Happenings top
I spent nearly two weeks in Madison, Wisconsin, studying Je Tsongkhapa’s Ocean of Reasoning with Geshe Sopa. It’s a beautiful text on the nature of reality. Because it’s difficult to understand, Geshela says it’s like “chewing hard bones.” During this time, we continued the weekly Essence of Refined Gold teachings, the audience being our Mexican Dharma amigos and some others in Madison for Geshela’s teachings.
Many people requested that we put on the website the Abbey residents chanting the Heart Sutra. Here it is!
Our veggie garden is gorgeous this year with the raised beds that Jampel and Alec made, Kevin’s nurturing touch, and Ven. Chonyi’s smiles. The cherry trees produced an abundance of delicious cherries, which we will enjoy this winter, and applesauce-making season is upon us.
May you enjoy the end of summer and welcome autumn with a smile,
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron and the Residents of Sravasti Abbey
Help Sravasti Abbey Build a Home for the Sangha to Sustain the Dharma
Upcoming Events at Sravasti Abbey top
On-going Teachings
- Mind Training Like Rays of the Sun, Live web broadcast or telephone teachings
New series: Starts September 4 and continues every Thursday, 6 pm Pacific Time (No teachings Oct 2, Nov 6, Dec 4, Dec 11)
- Sharing the Dharma Day, 10 am – 3 pm
- September 21: Meditation
- October 12: Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
- November 16: The Buddha’s Life
Retreats & Events
Ven. Chodron Teaching in Other Venues top
- September 19-20: Sex, Violence and Your Mind, at North Idaho College
- October 7 – November 18: Healing Anger, United Church of Christ, Newport, WA — 7 Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
- September 26 - October 3: Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, Retreat: Vajrasattva and Compassion
- October 3:Maitripa Institute Portland, OR, Teaching: Living With Joy
- Oct 30 - Nov 2: Osel Shen Phen Ling, Missoula, MT, Teaching: Three Principal Aspects of the Path
- December 4 - 12: Xalapa, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, Mexico, Teachings. Details to come. Contact
August 2008
What you’ll find:
Dear Friends,
Summer at the Abbey is lovely. A huge variety of wildlife share the land with us—Mudita the Moose now has a baby, the wrens sing cheerfully, and the chipmunks scurry about feasting in the garden. If you have the opportunity, come to one of the August retreats or visit us at another time this summer.
Monastic Residence – Gotami House top
Excavation has begun and there’s a big hole in the middle of the meadow where Gotami House will be! The PUD laid new electric lines, and we’re upgrading to a Group B water system. We have our building permit. The foundation forms are ready for inspection. Depending on scheduling, we’ll pour concrete next week. Ven. Tarpa greets all the people who come to work here with a big smile and a clip board full of questions.
The Friends of Sravasti Abbey (FOSA) has helped us in “Inviting Generosity”. That’s our word for “fundraising.” We renamed it because we want people to get in touch with their generous nature and feel delight when giving. Due to your kindness, we met the $121,000 matching grant. Now we’re at the halfway mark, with $550,000 of the $1.1 million needed to complete the project. If you haven’t seen the beautiful website for the project, click here.
We appreciate the help that FOSA has given us. People offer food and help us care for the forests and gardens. At the same time, they make friends and are part of the wonderful Dharma community we have at the Abbey. Sarah shared her thoughts on why she’s involved, and Thubten Gedun, who attended the Youth Retreat two years ago, wrote a touching prayer of aspiration for everyone who supports the Abbey and is part of our extended community.
Youth Retreat top
Our annual Buddhist Community and Practice week-long retreat for young adults went very well. Allowing a lot of time and space for people to ask questions and let their needs be known, we got into some very interesting discussions about practical applications of Dharma to the life of young adults. How have social networking websites shaped your view of friendship and of what constitutes success? What do you think is important in life? To what extent do you buy into society’s view of being cool? Does it fit who you are and who you want to be?
I wish I had known the Dharma earlier (I met the Dharma when I was 24), because it would have saved me a lot of confusion and angst. So when the young adults suggested making a website especially for them, I thought it was a great idea. Jampel recorded the talks and Q&A sessions during the retreat, and they form the basis for a website for young adults that also posts weekly teachings for young adults.
H.H. the Dalai Lama’s teachings top
All the Abbey residents went to Pennsylvania for H.H. the Dalai Lama’s teachings on the Great Exposition on the Stages of the Path. Abbey residents, the Coeur d’Alene Dharma friends, and other friends of the abbey stayed together, meditating each morning and reviewing their notes together each evening. Sharing the six days of teachings on the key points of the path with about 4500 others was an amazing experience, and we enjoyed meeting many friends and supporters, many of whom we had only known through email before. On the last day the Abbey monastics chanted the Heart Sutra in English at the beginning of teachings. Many people asked us how they could get a copy of the chanting, so we recorded it. Look for it soon in this section of the teachings website.
(An aside from the community: Venerable Chodron had prepared the Abbey monastics and residents so well with her clear and deep teachings that we were able to gain much more understanding of the Dharma at these teachings. Ven. Chodron gave a superb opening talk before His Holiness arrived, which was very well received.)
Abbey residents were interviewed during the teachings. Watch the video news clip, read the article, the story, part of a blog, go to photo #5. See videos and articles about His Holiness in PA.
Pam and M’tae from Boise abbey-sat while we were gone and were glowing with enthusiasm when we returned. We feel so much happiness when people benefit just from being here.
Monastic Conference top
Ven. Tarpa, Ven. Semkye, and I had the good fortune to attend the Fourteenth Western Buddhist Monastic Gathering at Shasta Abbey in California, June 23 – 27. What an extraordinary experience to be with so many Western and Asian monastics who live and teach in the USA. Many of them have been ordained more than 30 years!
Other News top
We’ve also been putting up the videos from Bodhisattva Breakfast Corner and Essence of Refined Gold as well as interviews about the Abbey for you to see. And now an index of all the videos of teachings at the Abbey can be found here.
Our daily schedule changes in the summer so that we have study time, teachings, and meditation in the afternoon, allowing for outdoor work in the cool evenings. There’s a nice group spirit as many of us don our work clothes and go into the forest to clean out debris, to chip old wood, and to buck up fire wood for the winter. Others of us are building a new fence around the garden, picking cherries and making cherry cobbler, framing to pour a concrete slab outside the meditation hall, and working in the garden.
Many people have visited us this last month, some to offer service for a day, some to practice with the community for a weekend or longer. We enjoy seeing all of you!
With all good wishes for the summer,
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron and the residents of Sravasti Abbey
Help Sravasti Abbey Build a Home for the Sangha to Sustain the Dharma
>Upcoming Events at Sravasti Abbey top
On-going Teachings
- Essence of Refined Gold, Live web broadcast or telephone teachings
Aug 7- September 25, every Thursday, 6 pm Pacific Time
Note: There are no web teachings Aug. 7 & 14. They're telephone only. You must sign up for a telephone line. Click here for sign-up instructions.
- Sharing the Dharma Day, 10 am:
August 17: The Wisdom Realizing Emptiness
September 21: Meditation
October 12: Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
November 16: The Buddha’s Life
Retreats & Events
Ven. Chodron Teaching in Other Venues top
- August 15 - 17: Jewel Heart Cleveland:
- Friday, Cutting the Root of Jealousy;
- Saturday, Developing Patience for Self and Others;
- Sunday, Bringing Mindfulness to our Daily Activities
- September 26 - October 3: Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, Retreat: Vajrasattva and Compassion
- October 3:Maitripa Institute, Portland, OR, Teaching: Living With Joy
- Oct 30 - Nov 2: Osel Shen Phen Ling, Missoula, MT, Teaching: Three Principal Aspects of the Path
- December 4 - 12: Xalapa, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, Mexico, Teachings. Details to come. Contact Patricio
Sign-up for the monthly eTeaching, drawn from Ven. Thubten Chodron's morning motivations at Sravasti Abbe
Venerable Chodron's book, Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path, includes a CD with over 14 hours of guided meditation. Designed to help practitioners at all levels of the path, it is especially supportive for establishing a daily meditation practice.
How to Sign Up events
For telephone access for Essence of Refined Gold teachings:
Just for two weeks, on August 7th & 14th while Ven. Chodron is traveling, we will have no live web broadcast. Only live telephone access is available for those two Thursdays.
No special equipment is required—just use your telephone, dialing into a central number. (Long distance charges apply.) You must register so we can send you the teleconference’s phone number and access code. You can dial in alone at home, or set up your speakerphone and invite Dharma friends to join you for teachings and post-teaching discussion after you get off the phone
The free conference call site reserves a set number of lines for us and if not used they may not let us use their service in the future. So please only register for the Thursdays you can for sure make the call!
To register, please send an email to stating which evenings you plan to use the teleconference service: August 7th and/or August 14th at 6pm Pacific time. Once registered, we'll send you the call in number, access code, and instructions for how to participate.
Essence of Refined Gold, by the Third Dalai Lama, is a classic Lamrim text, which concisely details the steps of the graduated path. Ven. Chodron has been teaching on this text for well over a year. To catch up, listen to audio or read transcripts of the earlier teachings go to thubtenchodron.org .
We look forward to sharing these “tele-Dharma” teachings with all of you! return to top
July 2008
Breaking Ground for the Monastic Residence
Memorial Day Retreat
Annual Open House
Two Truths with Geshe Damdul Namgyal
Prison Dharma Outreach
Other News
Upcoming Events
Dear Friends,
We’re enjoying the beauty of spring, with flowers blossoming day by day and the meadows being a vibrant green. In addition to our usual jobs in the Abbey offices, we head up to the forest as often as we can for a casual walk or to work caring for the trees and environment there. Abbey life is full of diversity and surprises.
Monastic Residence – Gotami House top
We broke ground! The night before, we did a puja to set our motivation for this important project and to send loving-kindness for everyone involved with it. The next day, John came with the bulldozer and began to make the road leading to the site where Gotami House will be built. We have the permit for the septic system and are waiting for the building permit, which should be granted soon. Engineers have almost finished designs for the water and electrical systems, and Thomas, our contractor, is eager to begin construction.
We received a challenge grant from two kind donors, meaning that they will match dollar for dollar up to $121,000 all donations given by July 4 for the building of Gotami House, the retreat cabin, and the infrastructure of our Master Plan. $110,979 has been donated against the match so far. If you’d like to help us meet the $10,021 remaining, click here.
You can also read the latest updates and see the new pictures at http://www.asteptowardspeace.org/.
Memorial Day Retreat top
The Memorial Day Seeds of Wisdom retreat centered on the important topic of karma—actions. Each day there was a teaching on karma—what it is, how it works—and then we were mindful during the day of our motivations and our physical, verbal, and mental actions. Such mindfulness brings harmony to the community and contentment in our hearts, making the retreat enjoyable for everyone. In addition to teachings, the retreat schedule had time for Dharma discussion, Q&A, meditation, and offering service. People enjoyed being outdoors in the break times, working in the garden and the forest.
Open House top
Each spring, we have an Open House for our neighbors, the people in our local town and the nearby cities, and for Buddhist groups in the area. Amidst a string of rainy days, the day of the Open House was sunny with blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Over 50 people came, including our fire marshal and some members of the volunteer fire department, members of Unity Church, members of a hospice volunteer group, many people who attend our weekly class in Newport, and many old friends and supporters. There was a delicious spread of food, and throughout the afternoon Abbey monastics showed the video about the Abbey and then took groups on a tour of the buildings, garden, and forest. The children loved playing in the tall grass in the meadow and walking around the Buddha statue in the garden. We love welcoming our neighbors to the Abbey – we are so fortunate to live in a friendly town with many kind people.
Two Truths Retreat top
We were delighted to have Geshe Damdul Namgyal from the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, India stay with us for eight days. The three-day course focused on the chapter about the Four Noble Truths in Nagarjuna’s Treatise on the Middle Way. In the days that followed, he taught Tibetan to Abbey residents, discussed the Dharma with us after meals, and enjoyed community life. Speaking perfect English, Geshela is an engaging speaker, and the ninety people who attended his talk, “Non-violence and Reconciliation" in Coeur d’Alene, paid avid attention. We hope Geshela will come to the Abbey regularly to share the Dharma with us.
Prison Dharma Outreach top
Ven. Tarpa and I attended the Buddha Fest at Airway Heights Correctional Center in May, as did several other Buddhist volunteers. The group of 45 men were sharing their reflections on Dharma practice when we arrived. We were especially touched by one man’s story of how the Dharma helped him to work through the depression and suicidal thinking that set in after his arrest and imprisonment. He offered his story to the others, saying that he wanted them to know that he was there for them if they ever had similar difficulties. After the reflections I gave a talk on karma; then we looked at the beautiful art work that the men had done.
In the following weeks, we received several letters from the inmates thanking us for coming. From our side, it was our delight and pleasure to be with these people who are sincerely applying the Buddha’s teachings to their lives.
Other News top
Ven. Semkye represented the Abbey and presented a paper at Gethsemani III, a conference of Buddhist and Christian monastics. This year the theme was care for the environment, and the forty-plus monastics joined together to share their concern and to issue a statement about this important topic. Sponsored by the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, this gathering is a powerful statement that religious people can share in harmony and work together for common goals—the welfare of beings on our planet—and that they do that not only through prayers and spiritual practices, but also through action and social engagement.
The Abbey has a tradition of each spring doing a Naga Puja—making offerings to the various non-human life forms with whom we share the land. This year we did the puja on a sunny morning and then placed the offering substances at trees and water sources all over the land. We divided into groups, each taking a different path around our 240 acres, enjoying the beautiful spring as we shared the offerings with all those invisible beings.
Some of our friends have been writing about the Abbey. Check out what Eric said about a better investment and what Mary Grace said about medicine that heals.
For winter retreat this year, we’ll do the practice of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. Join the monastic community for one month or three months of quiet reflection. Here are the essentials and general info about the retreat.
May your body and mind relax in the summer warmth, Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron and the residents of Sravasti Abbey
Upcoming Events at Sravasti Abbey top
|