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COMMUNITY NEWS BRIEFS

Landslide at Casa Serena Requires Extensive Work
This past winter and spring brought unusually heavy rainfall to northern California, and our monastery was not immune to its effects. A portion of the land surrounding Casa Serena, the residence for female guests, suffered extensive damage. About fifty feet of the backyard and garden gently slid down the hill to the parking lot below, severing sewage lines in the process. Of even more concern is the possibility that future landslides could threaten the house when the rains return this fall. To address this concern, contractor Heath Garman completed repairs to the damaged hillside this summer. These included excavating soil, installing drainage, and placing large rocks stabilize the ground.


Todd “Piyasilo” Tansuhaj Passes Away
On Thursday, April 27, ten-year-old Todd Tansuhaj died of complications associated with the disease thalassemia. In keeping with Thai tradition, Todd had spent some time as a novice monk at Abhayagiri during the summer of 2005. Todd was the youngest member of our community, and sadly, the first to pass away. A memorial service was held in the forest of Abhayagiri on Vesakha Puja and attended by Todd’s parents, Chusak and Patriya, family friends, and the Abhayagiri Sangha.

Building Phase I Ends, Phase II Begins
Sometimes going through a phase is a good thing! The Sanghapala Foundation, the organization that provides requisites for the support of the Abhayagiri monastic community, happily announced that the first phase of development and construction at Abhayagiri has been completed to coincide with the monastery’s tenth anniversary. Abhayagiri has now officially begun its second phase of development. Phase II will consist of entirely new construction, including eleven new cabins, a meditation and reception hall complete with bell tower, and a utility building in the monastic area of the forest. To learn more about ongoing construction at the monastery, see the Building Committee article on page 10.

Ordinations of Sampajano Bhikkhu and Samanera Kassapo
On July 16, an auspicious event took place at Wat Buddhanasorn, a Thai temple about 140 miles south of Page 2 of 5

Abhayagiri, in Fremont, California. Samanera Sampajano received higher ordination, becoming a fully ordained bhikkhu, and Anagarika Minh An took novice ordination, becoming Samanera Kassapo.

Two New Anagarikas
Lee Mintz joined the Abhayagiri monastic community as an anagarika on April 29, and Whit Myers on October 7. The ceremonies were officiated by Ajahn Amaro and attended by friends, family, and well-wishers. Anagarika Lee served as support staff during the 2005 winter retreat before joining the community. Bruno Casolari also took anagarika precepts on April 29 but has since left the community.

COMINGS & GOINGS

In the past few months, we welcomed the arrival of old and new friends to Abhayagiri, some for a brief visit, and others to join our community. We also offer warm regards to those who have moved on.
The community welcomes back Nyaniko Bhikkhu, who returned on June 23 after spending a year in Thailand. While there, he was in residence at Wat Pah Nanachat, the International Forest Monastery, as well as at other branch monasteries.
Originally ordained at Wat Pah Nanachat, Dhirapañño Bhikkhu arrived at Abhayagiri on July 9 from Bhavana Society in West Virginia. Tan Dhirapañño will be staying at Abhayagiri through 2006.
Having spent four years as a member of the Abhayagiri community, Dhammadaso Bhikkhu returned to his native New Zealand on April 11. He is now residing at Bodhinyanarama Monastery in Wellington. The community heartily thanks Tan Dhammadaso for his numerous contributions to Abhayagiri and wishes him good health and much happiness.
Ajahn Prateep left for Thailand on June after receiving word that his mother was seriously ill with a brain tumor. He will stay near her in Thailand to offer support. His return to Abhayagiri is for now uncertain.
It is the Abhayagiri tradition that bhikkhus have the option of spending their third year visiting one of our branch monasteries, and so Ahimsako Bhikkhu departed Abhayagiri on June 16, traveling to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hemel Hempstead, England. We wish Tan Ahimsako safe travels during the coming year.
Both Satimato Bhikkhu and Pasuko Bhikkhu disrobed Page 3 of 5

this summer and have returned to the lay life.
Abhayagiri Monastery was recently blessed with the first-time visit of Bhante Yogavacara Rahula, the senior disciple of the Sri Lankan monk Bhante Gunaratana. A native of Riverside, California, Bhante Rahula visited for nine days at the beginning of April, taking time between teaching engagements. Residents and visitors here at Abhayagiri greatly appreciated his presence and hope to be able to host him again in the future.
Ajahn Candasiri, a senior nun (Siladhara) in the Ajahn Chah lineage, visited Abhayagiri Monastery from May 22 to 28. She was one of the first four women to be ordained under Luang Por Sumedho at Chithurst monastery. Ajahn Candasiri was joined by Sister Cittapala on her trip to the U.S.
Ajahn Visuddhi, one of the founding monks of our monastery, spent three weeks at Abhayagiri arriving on May 31. This was Ajahn Visuddhi’s first visit to Abhayagiri since he departed almost eight years ago. During his visit he shared many stories about his travels through Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India, which proved quite entertaining. Ajahn Visuddhi subsequently disrobed and returned to the lay life.
Ajahn Chandako, the abbot of Vimutti Vihara, a new monastery near Auckland, New Zealand, visited Abhayagiri from June 3 to 9. While here, Ajahn Chandako also had a chance to take a trip north, exploring the forests surrounding Mount Shasta and visiting Shasta Abbey.

SPREADING THE DHAMMA

Throughout 2006 Ajahn Amaro, and other community members have offered numerous public teachings. Here are a few highlights:
• Weekend Meditation Retreat led by Karunadhammo Bhikkhu and sponsored by Bodhi Tree Dhamma Center, in Tampa, Florida, May 12–14
• Daylong Meditation Retreat led by Karunadhammo Bhikkhu in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, May 21
• “Devotion in Buddhist Practice” daylong retreat led by Ajahn Amaro at the Sati Center, June 17
• “The One Who Knows” daylong retreat led by Ajahn Amaro at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, July 2
• Weekend Retreat and Talks in Portland led by Ajahn Sudanto and sponsored by Portland Friends of the Dhamma, July 4–11

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information on upcoming talks and retreats, please visit our website at www.abhayagiri.org

DEVELOPMENT

Cloister Buildings Completed
By April 1, the cloister buildings, consisting of offices for the abbots, senior monks, Sanghapala Foundation, disabled accommodations, and men’s and women’s restrooms, were ostensibly completed. To ensure that the facilities were disabled-accessible and in compliance with county regulations, as well as to add to the overall functionality of the cloister area, it was decided to add cobblestone paths.The paths connect all primary areas of the lower cloister and add greatly to the pleasant atmosphere. Installing the paths, which consist of over 8,000 paving stones, was no easy feat. The entire community worked on this project for ten days, sometimes late into the evenings, preparing the rough gravel surfaces for the stones, cutting the stones using a water-cooled saw, laying the stones and pounding them into place, and finally vibrating sand into the cracks between the stones in order to fill in the spaces. The end result is an extremely durable surface which all agree is esthetically pleasing, and will last for many, many years. What a great idea, Ajahn Sudanto!

Solar Project Underway
Installation has been completed on a solar array in the cloister area of the monastery. Solar panels measuring roughly three by five feet were hoisted onto the roof of the Dhamma Hall and main house. They were then affixed to a light-weight aluminum frame. Each panel is capable of producing approximately 208 watts of electricity. In total these sixty panels are capable of producing close to 12.5 kilowatts, however no storage batteries are used in this system. Instead, the system ties directly into Pacific Gas and Electric power lines. This inter-tie allows the monastery to “sell back” unused electricity, thus offsetting the cost of electrical usage during times when solar power is unavailable.

Four New Cabins Nearly Complete
Four new cabins are being built this season, two for the abbots and two for junior monks. At 320 square feet, the elders’ cabins are slightly larger than our regular monks’ cabins, and they also Page 5 of 5

have restroom facilities. The two monks’ cabins are approximately 260 square feet. All four new cabins use high-tech, fire-resistant materials—outdoor decking made from recycled plastic, and Hardipanel siding made from a composite concrete material. The cabins were framed and roofed by Bob Madlem’s crew, and our able- bodied community installed the siding, windows, doors and other exterior features, as well as completed all of the interior carpentry.