Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Part VITiburon – Spirit Rock – AbhayagiriJuly 3 rdAfter all the traveling and verbal contact this whole day passed by in virtualsolitude – blessed aloneness hour after hour. Apart from an excursion to theGood Earth for a meal, the time was passed in the upper room at Edward’s housesitting, lying, reading, dozing: like a long long exhalation into nothingness.Night comes over the Bay at last, as hoots of revelers and roaring boats speedby the window – yachts are gathering in the calm waters below us and the glow ofthe holiday weekend spreads all around. My eyes are tired and there is no room foreven a faint glimmer of the desire for stimulus. To soft sounds of water I lie downand instantaneously fall into sleep.July 4 thInterdependence Day and a time to celebrate freedom from the tyranny of Greed,Hatred and Delusion. It’s also Spirit Rock’s opening day for the new meditationhall and residence buildings and – as I sit here in one of the new bedrooms earlyon Monday morning, listening to the sounds of songbirds in the trees outside mywindow and the random gobbling of wild turkeys – it’s hard to believe that thishasn’t all been here forever.We arrived early (Edward and I) in order to be able to look around a little andsay hello to some folks before all the festivities began. It was a day of smiles andgreetings and mutual congratulations and, by the end of it all, my face ached fromthe muscular activity which had been required of it.It was a beautiful day: well thought-out and well-executed in all its dimensions– including the pair of pigeons who had taken up residence in the new hall,and the last minute muddle and script-collation amongst the teachers before ceremoniesbegan.We processed in (I placed at the head) reciting the “Namo tassa…” over andover. We gave the Refuges and Precepts. We read the Satipatthāna Sutta. We invitedinto the Center all the individuals and groups who had coalesced to make it happen:the staff, the Board, the teachers, the ex-helpers – one by one each was called upto received due honor – including the architects, the fundraisers, the neighboringfarmer, everyone! For each new group or person Jack Kornfield or James Baraz gavea little background speech to expound on what they had contributed – each onea unique facet of the jewel, indispensable to the complete beauty. One of the mostnotable and skillful accolades was that made to the spouses of the teachers – Jackmade it very clear, especially to his wife Liana who was there, that without theirdirect support, the teachers would not be able to function as they did. In mid-flowRobert Hall’s partner Alfredo exclaimed: “We’ve earned this!” to a wave of agreeingnods from all those around him.