PROGRESS REPORT # 8 ON MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECTS at Still Mountain Dharma Center
We continue in our daily and determined efforts to restore our Center so we can reopen in April for a full schedule of in person and on line programs
THE DAWNING LIGHT—Daily Journal Of Transformational Writing
Volume 8, Issue # 856 for Thursday, March 28, 2024
STILL MOUNTAIN CHRONICLES Section # 55 Stories by Chinmayan about our life and adventures in pursuit of simple living freedom, our spiritual path and our service to the world in a small rural Dharma Cener
Arnold and Chinmayan moving our Chenrezig statue as we take down the Altar in preparation for working on the ceiling and wall
Picture by Ani …….all other pictures in this issue by Chinmayan
PROGRESS REPORT # 8 On Major Restoration Projects at Still Mountain Dharma Center
Dear Friends….
I have so much to share with you that I am excited about that I am going to cover a lot of ground by giving you a day-by-day diary of our accomplishments…
IT TAKES A GROUP OF GREAT PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER TO DO GREAT THINGS
But first, as I was sitting contemplating how to write this report, I was suddenly overcome and moved to tears of gratitude for all of the people who are standing with and helping us to realize our goals.
Kalu Rinpoche would often say that “It takes a group of dedicated people working together in harmonious and focused alignment to do great things which benefit all sentient beings through bringing the Dharma to those who need it.”
He said that there was no greater act of generosity than teaching the Dharma to those who needed it because through these principles and practices we can empower people to take this path of self transformation that leads to the end of suffering and ultimately to the freedom of becoming enlightened.
That is what he and all the masters I have trained with over the past fifty years dedicated themselves to doing, solely because they wanted to serve people in a very real way.
This inspired all of us who became disciples to follow in their footsteps and is why I have dedicated my life to founding Dharma Centers, teaching the Dharma, creating publications and all the other things we will be doing in serving others.
As I think of this, I am filled with gratitude for the great men and women who are now working alongside me to reopen this center.
I cannot do this alone on any level and am very aware that so many are making valuable contributions out of their real desire to make a difference…and as we go forward step by step, that many others will join us in building and sustaining this work.
State of the Hall as viewed from top of 10 foot ladder as we continue work on the ceiling ….
WE ARE BUILDING A SPIRITUAL HOME FOR OUR GROWING COMMUNITY
We have always intended for this Center to be a place where anyone who is drawn to it can make it their spiritual home…a place where they can serve and contribute to this work and be part of a growing community of like-minded souls in alignment so that we lift each other through our combined love and energy.
The term for this is “Sangha”, which means the community of practitioners who come together to support each other on the path.
I have been privileged to have this experience of Sangha during all of the years I trained with my teachers, who all created Dharma Centers wherever they went so we would have a place to train and practice together.
This is extremely important because on the spiritual path knowing that you have brothers and sisters who support you at a practical level is vital to making real progress in many ways.
So today, I am giving thanks for all those men and women who recognize this precious opportunity that we are creating together as we rebuild this Center.
We know it is not just for us, but for all of those who will come here for training and become part of this growing Sangha, whether you participate in person by coming to this Center or virtually by joining with us online when we launch our Zoom platform.
By the way, we are putting a lot of focus into making ALL programs and most services we will be offering available LIVE ONLINE, as well as publishing recorded videos of all programs on You Tube so that you can join in from anywhere in the world.
We are very excited about this because then there is NO LIMIT on how many people we can serve now and far into the future.
We already have readers of this newsletter, “The Dawning Light” in several countries, including the UK and India.
NOW BACK TO OUR DIARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Restoring Our Center Kitchen…March 14 through 19th
Ani and Arnold completed cleaning our Center Kitchen to a high level. Ani repainted the kitchen floor with premium blue enamel which took four days to dry and then they moved all the kitchen equipment back so it is now ready for active use.
This was a huge undertaking which required many hours of patient, grimy hard work but now our kitchen literally shines as a reflection of all the loving effort they put into it.
Harvesting Mountain Oak for our Meditation Hall’s Woodstove…March 18 and 19th
Chinmayan and Arnold worked together to harvest and bring a huge dump truck load of Mountain Oak to our firewood production yard so that we now have plenty of premium wood to keep our wood stove in the Hall burning day and night for the rest of the winter.
This is important because with this wood and the new heaters that we recently bought, we can keep the hall well heated and warm, making it possible to continue the work on restoring the hall and keeping our kirtan, prayer and meditation sadhanas going every night.
Our New Thanka of Chenrezig That Was Custom Made For Us Arrives…March 20
Chenrezig arrived in a large well padded cardboard box.
When we opened it, we found this sacred painting to be far more beautiful than the preliminary pictures indicated.
It is so good and so detailed and so reverently done that this thanka (“Sacred Painting”) has a powerful presence which emanates the energy of pure Love that Chenrezig represents.
After weeks of prayer and searching for the perfect main shrine image, we are very grateful for being led to this Thanka, which is by far one of the most amazing images of Chenrezig I have even seen.
It has true transmission power that will be blessing anyone who comes into this Hall.
Our new Chenrezig Thanka
We Install A “New” Rebuilt Gas Clothes Dryer in The Center Laundry…March 20 and 21
This Center’s laundry is essential to our operation for both our residents, Chinmayan and Ani and for keeping the Center’s cloth items clean.
When our old dryer finally died after years of faithful service, we launched a search while praying to find the perfect replacement.
We were led to a small business of good hearted folks who take dead or dying appliances and meticulously rebuild them and then offer them for sale at much lower prices than new ones.
Since we are always running on a very tight budget, these folks were a total Godsend by providing an excellent dryer that looks and runs like new.
Arnold picked it up for us in his truck and then took our old one to them as a donation from us and a way of recycling it for other folks.
But removing the old dryer and installing the new proved to be very challenging.
The doorway to the laundry room proved to be too narrow and we had to take the door and frame off to get the old one out and the new one in.
Then we had several problems trying to install the new dryer.
Fortunately, Arnold was not only cheerful but determined as he worked through each challenge and finally completed installing it…and it now works perfectly.
We Launch The Next Major Restoration Project: Repairing The Ceiling Of The Hall…
March 20 through the present day…
As I shared in an earlier report, the ceiling of the Hall was in deteriorated condition.
We have now been working on it steadily for a week.
As we began the work, we discovered it was in much worse condition than it appeared, with areas of drywall that were rotted and moldy, and other areas with heavy stains or that were sagging.
Since the ceiling is 12 feet high and is huge, we have had to tackle each area step by step, all the while working at the top of a tall ladder for hours at a time.
It is slow going and challenging, but we have evolved new skills and techniques to do this important restoration work…
And we still have days more work to do before we finish.
We have made steady progress, including two days when Ani worked from 7am to 7 pm by herself and pushed so hard that she has excruciating physical pain afterwards.
When I spoke earlier about being grateful for the great men and women who are working with me, Ani is the one who has stood with me through all the years.
She and I carry the vision and do all the planning and directing for these projects together as my essential counterpart who makes this work possible.
Arnold is also pouring his heart and soul into this work, who works for hours on end cheerfully and meticulously.
Seva or Selfless Service Has Its Blissful Rewards
He loves working here with us and because of his selfless dedication is being rewarded by the Divine for standing with us.
He shared today that he has literally become so blissed out from serving here that when he got home after work, his wife asked him what kind of drugs he had taken to get so obviously intoxicated.
This is what Amma meant when she says that “Selfless service brings its own rewards and is one of the easiest and most powerful paths to the freedom of Enlightenment.”
The Sanskrit term for selfless service is “Seva”. Seva is one of the 7 meditation practices that we teach in the Meditation Training Intensive course and is a vital part of what this Center is all about.
The Work Ahead
We still have much more work to do before we open. After we complete the ceiling, we will be painting the Altar wall, cleaning the carpet, ordering supplies, rebuilding, upgrading and setting up the new Altar…and so much more…
We will continue sharing our journey towards the day we reopen here in future Reports.
We are almost out of funds for this project, so we need your help and would appreciate and welcome your support now!
In case you missed our previous stories about our restoration projects, here is a link to those stories:
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT TIME TO MAKE A DONATION TO OUR BUILDING FUND
We are extremely frugal in the use of all the money that our friends and supporters have generously donated to this work.
As of this writing, we have a few hundred dollars left in our building fund, and a lot more that still needs to be done or purchased before we reopen.
This would be a great time if you feel drawn to help us by clicking on the donation button below and giving us any amount!
WE THANK EVERYONE WHO ARE SUPPORTING THIS WORK
We are sending a big thank you! To all those of you who have written to encourage us, who have made financial donations to keep these projects going, who have offered their help through volunteering and most of all, who believe in us and value what we are doing to serve the world. We could not be doing these great and wonderful things without you!
We still need your on going help and support to complete these projects and re open this Center.
Here are the links to our ultra safe donation site… We are asking for donations of any size, even a few dollars makes a massive difference!
DONATION PORTAL to Support Restoration Projects At Still Mountain Mediation Center
Or use this QR code:
In return, everyone who donates any amount to our cause will receive a generous discount on tuition to upcoming new programs and courses, plus we will send you our “Meditation Training Intensive” video course ($150 value) as a reward.
Meanwhile, we will continue to keep on working to do everything we can to be a source of inspiration, information and encouragement for you, our friends and family in the “Dawning Light.”
Thanks again for being here and shining your own light of Love which is needed now more than ever!