August 3, 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!

 
  Our Milarepa Festival Day
  with Tibetan flautist Nawang
  Khechog was one of the most
  magical dreams many of us
  could remember.

  More than 100 people
  attended and all enjoyed the
  delicious Tibetan delicacies
  served along with Nawang's
  highly uplifting music and
  teachings. We were especially
  delighted to have a visit by a Sherpa family from the local town who are originally from Thamé, the village in Solu Khumbu, Nepal in which our Spiritual Director, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born! 

We are all still buzzing from the event. We have received so many emails of appreciation for hosting this wonderful celebration. Please enjoy the fantastic photos throughout this e-letter taken by George Lucozzi which will soon be posted on our Facebook page and website.

  
 
Thank you to all of you who helped make this day a huge success.
 
The summer has been a most wondrous season and our garden is bursting with organic vegetables. We have also been able to renovate the barn loft for Rosanne Hebert, our cook, and Elisa Lucozzi, our administrative manager, to live in. The before and after photos:


 
Our programs continue to draw more and more participants so please have a look below at what is coming up.  We hope to see you soon!
 
Much love,
Amy Miller, Director
 
    Please see below for information on the following activities:

    :::   Milarepa Festival Day

    :::   Program Updates

    :::   Tiny House/Retreat Cabin Fundraising Update

    :::   Light of the Path Retreat this September in North Carolina

Milarepa Festival Day

  
July 25 marked not only Chokhor Duchen, the anniversary of the Buddha's first teaching on the Four Noble Truths, but also hosted the Center's Milarepa Festival Day. Participants took the 8 Mahayana Precepts at 4am and then scurried around making final preparations for the main part of the day's events. More than 100 people joined us for a memorable Tibetan lunch including delectable momos and the program began around 2pm.
 
 

Director Amy Miller welcomed
  guests and gave a brief explanation
  of the life story of the Buddha and
  the significance of the day. She then
  introduced renowned Tibetan
  flautist, Nawang Khechog (pictured
  above in Director's Greeting).
  Nawang started with a few musical
excerpts and then explained the importance of great yogi saint, Milarepa, and the impact this historical figure has had on his life. He also gave some sweet teachings on Buddhism and continued his music for nearly an hour after that.

It was a magical program and guests sat mesmerized under Milarepa Center's new tent.  Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers who made this day possible.
 

Program Updates

   This weekend!  Don't miss our upcoming Family Camp August
   6-9 for children aged 4-12 and their parent(s) or guardian(s).
  
   Registration is still open so please call us at (802) 633-4136 if
   you would like to sign-up. 

   The program begins Thursday evening and finishes on Sunday
   following lunch and and will include a delightful mix of
   arts and crafts, nature walks, meditation, story-telling as well as
   some sessions for parents raising children in the Dharma.
     
   Sliding scale:  $325-$150 per person which includes all meals,
   snacks, materials for  art projects, and shared accommodation
   or camping with your own tent.

***

      On August 5, from 
  6:30-7:30pm we will 
  host a Medicine Buddha 
  puja to help anyone who 
  is ill or those who have 
  recently died. 

  Feel free to bring 
  offerings to share. 

 

 

***

On August 15, we host another meditation daylong to "Move Your Mind to the Positive." This program will run on Saturday from 9:30am to 4:30pm
  and will include various meditations focused on the
 nature of the mind as well as discussion topics and
 walking meditation. Treat yourself to this insightful
 experience. A great component if you are wanting to
 complete Discovering Buddhism Module 1: Mind and Its
 Potential. Lunch included. By donation. Please register in
 advance by calling (802) 633-4136 or e-mailing us at
 milarepa@milarepacenter.org. Feel free to join us for tsog
 at 6:30pm following this daylong program.

 
***
 

Tuesday evening classes on Exploring the Path to Enlightenment continue from 6:30-8pm with Amy Miller while Larry Howe will fill in this September while Amy, Jeff Garnette and Rosanne Hebert are away attending the Light of the Path Retreat with Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche in North Carolina.

***

The Autumn Work Party has been changed from September to October 10-11 so please mark your calendar if you are able to help out getting the Center ready for the winter.

Tiny House/Retreat Cabin
Fundraising Update

A big thank you to those who responded so quickly to our last fundraising appeal to construct two retreat cabins: Michael Childs, Debb Colony, Wendy Cook and Nick Ribush, Shelley Hagan, Herb Hale, Rick Monarque, Donna O'Malley, and Pascale Philibert. So far we have raised a total of $1,550 toward the total cost of $12,000.
 
This is an extremely simple and economical way to provide additional housing and retreat space at Milarepa. 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.
 
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 are 20 by 12 feet, 16 feet in height with a full loft. Our manager, Jeff Garnette, will be moving into one and we certainly would offer one to Kyabje 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 and 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 a total of $12,000 now for this purpose and have $10,450 to go!
 
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at this time to help us build additional housing and retreat space at Milarepa. Or you might want to think about making a matching grant so that donations have a chance of doubling: just designate an amount up to which you can match and so for every dollar someone gives up to that amount, it's automatically doubled.
 
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.org and 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 house category.
 
Also, please indicate if you would like your donation to remain anonymous. 

Light of the Path Retreat this September in North Carolina

 
Finally, please consider this wonderful opportunity to spend a couple of weeks studying and meditating on the Lam-rim with Milarepa Center's Spiritual Director, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Our sister center, the Kadampa Center in North Carolina will be hosting this fantastic event annually, starting this year. The FPMT, our headquarters organization, has its roots in Rinpoche's lam-rim teachings and Rinpoche's retreats are unforgettable experiences.

September 8 - 22.
 
Please see www.kadampa-center.org/lop.php for more information.
  

www.milarepacenter.org

(802) 633-4136