July 14, 2009  

Milarepa
Center

1344 U.S. Route 5 South
Barnet, Vermont  05821
(802) 633-4136

www.milarepacenter.org
milarepa@milarepacenter.org

Affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT)

   
 Greetings from Milarepa Center!
    
  Things are progressing quite well at Milarepa Center with more and more
   people coming to our programs and events. The summer has been
   delightfully cool and with the rain, it is beautifully green here right now.
       
 The organic garden that was put in this year with raised
  beds and a proper fence is bursting with vegetables.
  There is a family of woodchucks living just nearby who
  are also very excited about the garden, as you can
  imagine!

  We recently enjoyed some wonderful events especially
  our weekend on "Waking Up to Emptiness." During the
  weekend program we liberated hundreds of
earthworms for Geshe Tsulga's long life and perfect health as well as in
celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 74th birthday.  Animal liberation
is a practice in our tradition to help remove obstacles to good health for those
who are ill.
 
We also witnessed a beautiful rainbow in the eastern sky during the weekend. You can see it just faintly in this photo.



So please come and enjoy our magical setting, perhaps during our upcoming Meditation Daylong this Saturday, July 18.
 
With much love and prayer,
Amy Miller, Director

***

 
For additional news and information, please see the following in this  e-letter:
 

    :: Event Tent Secured!

    :: Upcoming Programs

           Highlights: July 25 Milarepa Festival Day and Open House with free
           concert with Grammy Award Nominee Nawang Khechog and August 1
           Qigong Daylong with Mary Sturtevant

    :: Gold Leafing Bakula Arhat Statue Update

    :: Retreat Cabin/Staff Housing Fundraising Appeal

    :: Other Juicy News

Event Tent Secured!

 
Due to a wonderful response to our last request for donations to purchase an event tent, an anonymous donor offered a matching grant for half of the amount of the cost of the tent which is a total of $2,500. So in a very short time period, we were able to raise the $1,250 needed to meet this challenge and have now ordered the tent!
 
We are most grateful to this donor as well as to all those who participated in this fundraising campaign: Anonymous (2), Tay Bosley, Michelle and Ron Boslun, Ruby Brezinsky, Anders Ferguson, Martha Howard and Gene Arbetter, Jane and William Hulstrunk, David Jaffe and Eryn Bordes, Toni Kenyon, Felicia Messuri, Cynthia Ross, and Anneliese Smith.
 
We realize that a number of you are still sending in donations for the tent and wanted to let you know that we have just now raised the necessary funds. Therefore, we will either be returning your donations to you or ask that you please consider redirecting your donations toward the building of two retreat cabins at the center (see below), or if there is something else to which you would like to donate. We have many other worthwhile projects needing funding so please let us know if you would like more information about them.
 
We greatly appreciate your enormous support so quickly and invite you to enjoy the tent if you are able to attend our Milarepa Festival Day and Open House on July 25. See details on that event below, we will also be posting a photo of the new tent in our next e-letter as soon as it is up.
 
Thank you SO much. 

 Upcoming Programs

 Highlights: July 25 Milarepa Festival Day and Open House
                   with free concert with Grammy Award Nominee
                   Nawang Khechog;  August 1 Qigong Daylong with Mary
                   Sturtevant (see below for more information on both, and more!)

Please join us for the following programs and events:

Tuesday evening series on Exploring the Path to Enlightenment;
(Tonight!) July 14, 6:30-8pm, with guest teacher, Larry Howe.
    Larry is a long time practitioner and once a resident of Milarepa for many years,
    helping to run the Center along with his wife, Martha Tack. He brings a great deal
    of insight and experience to his programs and we're very excited to host Larry for
    this evening as well as our Meditation Daylong on Saturday, July 18.  Pictured
    is Larry during our spring work party helping to put the garden together.

Saturday, July 18, Move Your Mind to the Positive: Meditation Daylong with Larry Howe.
    Milarepa Center is pleased to offer a special day of
    practice one Saturday each month for all levels of
    students. So if you are interested in learning how to
    meditate or if you would just like to reinvigorate
    your practice, this is a great program to attend.
    The meditation daylong affords you the opportunity
    to get to know your mind while exploring some
    relevant discussion. Lunch will be provided, but
    pre-registration is required.  By donation.
 

***

 
 Milarepa Festival Day and Open House featuring Grammy Award
 Nominee and Tibetan Flautist, Nawang Khechog; Saturday, July 25.
         4am:  Eight Mahayana Precepts and practice all morning
    12noon:  Lunch
2-4:30pm:  Free Concert and Program with Nawang Khechog (photo below, left)

   Come celebrate Chokhor Duchen, the anniversary of
   the Buddha's First Teaching during this special
   Festival Day at Milarepa. 

    Seven weeks after attaining enlightenment in Bodh
    Gaya, India, the  Buddha traveled to Sarnath,
  a small village outside of the sacred city of Varanasi, where he taught The Four
 Noble Truths:

       There is suffering;
       There is a cause of the suffering;
       There is an end to the suffering; and
       There is a path to the end of the suffering.

 
Why was this the first teaching the Buddha gave? Find out why while joining us for an array of activities to maximize the benefits of this auspicious day. This is a great day to visit and enjoy Milarepa Center and its wonderful scenic beauty.
 
Lunch is being offered so lunch reservations are required so we can prepare enough food for all. So if you are planning to join us for lunch, please call (802) 633-4136 to let us know how many will be in your party.  Thank you.

***

Qigong for Harmony and Balance with Mary Sturtevant,M.Ed., M.B.A.,
certified Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor, Reiki Master; August 1,
9:00am-5:00pm.
The goal of Qigong is to harmonize body, mind and breath through a process of gathering, cleansing and circulating Qi, or vital energy, for increased health and vitality of all body systems.

This unique workshop focuses on Qigong forms that strengthen and balance the Fire element which characterizes summer. In doing this, we gain enthusiasm, energy and vitality. The essence of Qigong is all about health and healing, relaxation and letting go, clarity and inner peace. The intention, which underlies all Chinese medicine, is for the Qi to flow smoothly and continuously, creating a state of harmony and balance. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing and come prepared to exercise your mind, body, and spirit!

Mary Sturtevant is Associate Professor Emerita at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and a practitioner of eastern philosophy, healing modalities and movement forms for more than 30 years. In addition, to presenting workshops,
Mary is a hospice volunteer and served on the Littleton, New Hampshire Hospice Board of Directors. We are delighted to welcome Mary to Milarepa Center for her first program.
           
Requested Donation: Sliding scale $125-$50 per person (includes lunch). Pre-registration required by July 26 by calling (802) 633-4136 or by e-mailing us at milarepa@milarepacenter.org.

***

 
Family Camp, August 6-9.
Family Camp at Milarepa Center is a wonderful highlight to our seasonal program. Children aged 4-12, along with their parent(s) or a significant adult are welcome to attend. The program begins Thursday evening and finishes on Sunday following lunch. We offer a delightful mix of arts and crafts, nature walks, meditation, storytelling, learning rituals and more. Discussion for parents raising children in the Dharma included.
 
Requested Donation: Sliding scale $325-$150 per person. This includes all snacks, meals, dormitory accommodation or tent camping with your own tent, and materials for art projects, etc.
Pre-registration required by July 31 by contacting Milarepa Center at (802) 633-4136 or by e-mailing us at milarepa@milarepacenter.org.

***

 
The Medicine Buddha retreat with Ven. Geshe Tsulga has been postponed due to Geshe-la's health so we are all participating in various practices for Geshe-la's long life and hope to host Geshe-la at the Center in the near future. Stay tuned!
 
The Autumn Work Party dates have been changed from those previously listed in September to October 10-11. So mark your calendars and enjoy the fall foliage while helping out Milarepa Center.

Gold Leafing Bakula Arhat Statue Update

 
We are delighted to have now received a total of nearly $6,000
(some of it from donations held for this purpose two years ago)
for the gold leafing of the Bakula Arhat statue at the Center as well
as parts of the Stupa.

Troy Stafford from Stafford Frames in Freeport, Maine recently came
by to look over the project and hopes to get started on the gilding this
summer.
 
We are also excited to see John Bieling's copper banners to grace the
Stupa that are coming by summer's end and are grateful for all of his
support in helping to complete this wonderful shrine.

Retreat Cabin/Staff Housing
Fundraising Appeal

 
Earlier this year, great Milarepa friend and supporter, Dick Herbert passed along some interesting information to us regarding the construction of simple sustainable housing and retreat cabin options for the Center. Please see the website: www.vermonttinyhouses.com. Our manager, Jeff Garnette was able to attend a workshop with Peter King who has been building these tiny houses in Vermont for years. Jeff found these structures to be an enormously beneficial and affordable way to put up simple housing and retreat cabin space at the Center where there is a tremendous shortage.
 
So after much research and the gathering of estimates, we have decided to build two tiny houses here at the Center this year. Peter has agreed to hold one of his workshops at the Center August 29-30 so this way we will only be providing materials and food and housing to participants in exchange for the labor. And at the end of two days, the basic structure of one house will be completed. Please see the photo here of a sample we went to see recently in Craftsbury, Vermont.
 

 
These houses can be used for retreat cabins or staff housing and are 20 by 12 feet, 16 feet in height with a full loft. They will not have running water or composting toilets, but that can be added in the future.

It would be great for Jeff Garnette, our manager, to move into one since he is living in a tiny room in the main house. This will afford Jeff with more space to live, room for an office, and the necessary refuge to have a day off once in a while!

The other cabin will be used by director, Amy Miller, so she is not always having to move out of her room whenever another teacher is visiting or it will be used as a retreat cabin and certainly would be offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche when Rinpoche returns to teach or lead a retreat at Milarepa. The houses will be built in the little wooded area directly behind the garden and main house; building permits have already been secured.
 
The cost of materials for building one cabin with simple furnishings and heat (either a wood stove or propane system) is $6,000. So we are trying to raise $12,000 now for this purpose.
 
Therefore, if you have recently sent in a donation that was not noted above towards the event tent and would like to redirect your offering in this way, please let us know.

Again, all donations are tax-deductible. Checks can be made payable to Milarepa Center and mailed to us at PO Box 51, Barnet, Vermont 05821 and please indicate that it is for the "Tiny House."

You can also donate via our PayPal account on the website:  www.milarepacenter.organd if you can just let us know via email that you sent it for the house as we haven't set up our PayPal account yet to reflect the tiny houses category.
 
Also, please indicate if you would like your donation to remain anonymous.
 
We greatly appreciate your support. Thank you so much.

Other Juicy News . . .

 
Our summer work study program is going very well and participants have been lending assistance in a wide range of areas while attending classes on Buddhism along with morning meditation sessions. Here you can see Heather Mitchell of our program tackling the lawn mowing as she mows down delusions! We are now taking applicants for our next work study period beginning October 1 through the end of the year. If you are interested, you can find the application form on our website or feel free to give us a call.
 

 
In addition, our program brought us a sumptuous cook, Rosanne Hebert (on left in photo below), who landed at Milarepa for our spring work party weekend and has now taken up longer term residence with her partner, Elisa Lucozzi (on right in photo) in the newly renovated loft above the barn. Photos of the new "loft apartment" are forthcoming in our next e-letter. Elisa will be helping with administrative management at the Center so feel free to come by to meet them. Rosanne's food is quickly becoming a hot item in the local area and a great attraction at our programs.
 

 
The weekend program, "Waking Up to Emptiness" was a lovely experience as participants joined a lively discussion group outside on the grass (see photo below) just before the rainbow appeared. The Montpelier library class completed its 4-week run drawing 50-65 people each week. Amy Miller continues to teach Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at Milarepa starting July 21.

 
Thank you again to all of our supporters and volunteers for their continued efforts and friendship.

 

www.milarepacenter.org

(802) 633-4136