Year of the Iron Tiger
Dear Friends,
We will soon be welcoming, across the globe, the year of the Tiger. For the transition into the new year the Sangha of the EIAB wishes you, with our whole heart, health, love, joy and happiness that will warm you inside and out.
During this new year the Sangha of Plum Village and the EIAB will be practicing with the spirit of both practice verses (Gathas) that Thay has written for us on the small red sheets. The Gathas are a new years present from Thay for all of his friends and students.
We are wishing you much success with your practice. May joy and happiness develop when we are able to fulfil the vow of the Bodhisatva Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva of great action.
This winter it snowed a lot and often the snow was knee deep. However, the monks, nuns and retreat participants followed the winter retreat program with much eagerness and stability. The energy that is present in the EIAB is strong and solid.
Very often while the entire Sangha practiced walking meditation the sparkling snowflakes would dance across the sky.
In the last few days one could feel the anticipation and excitement for the New Year’s festivities in the Sangha of the EIAB. Here are a few photos from the joyful preparations in the Pagoda of Great Compassion, that we are attaching as our New Year’s gift to you.
Snow covering the front steps of the Institute.
Lunar New Year pole in the front yard. Decorating for performance night.
Happy New Year (Chuc Mung Nam Moi) Welcoming the Tiger.
Br. Pháp Lượng, Sr. Huệ Hiền and Sr. Hiền Hạnh and friends working on the plum tree.
Sr. Bối Nghiêm (the artist for this New Year’s decorations)
Br. Pháp Thiên (editor of the Spring newsletter) Br. Pháp Hy (organizer of new year festivities)
The Dragon Dance team (with Brs. Pháp Thiên, Pháp Hy, Pháp Tri and other brothers and sisters)
The Fifth Mantra: This is a moment of happiness. Making traditional earthcakes.
Sr. Hóa Nghiêm, Br. Pháp Trạch and other brothers and sisters making earth cakes.
Sr. Huệ Tri and Sr. Bối Nghiêm
Sr. Lương Nghiêm, head earth-cake committee (bent over behind tray).
Friends, brother Tường and sister Trang learning to make earth cakes from Sr. Hiền Hạnh.
The sangha gathering to see the Kitchen God off to heaven.
The earth-cakes are done! Brs Pháp Lượng, Pháp Tri, Pháp Hy and Sr Hiền Hoà taking out the cooked earth cakes.
The EIAB was founded almost 1-1/2 years ago. This is not a long time, however, the brothers and sisters have made big strides in building the Center according to Thay’ vision. From all over the world we are receiving so much support both materially and spiritually. All of your contributions, encouragements and ideas have helped the EIAB in Waldbröl, in the middle of Germany, in the last year and a half to deepen its roots.
We would like to express our deep gratitude to all of the people near and far for wholeheartedly supporting the work of Thay and the Plum Village Sangha.
The misfortune at the Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam last year is a deep and painful wound not only for the Plum Village Sangha but especially for the Vietnamese people. When we look deeply we can see that the wound from the war between north and south Vietnam is not yet healed. The misfortune in Bat Nha is only a surface manifestation of what is not yet transformed and healed in the mind consciousness of the Vietnamese people. May the Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and all spiritual ancestors of the Vietnamese people bestow support and assist in transforming and healing the violence, hate, mistrust and fear that are still present from the past war atrocities.
Presently there have
been visa applications placed for 30 monks
and nuns of the Bat Nha Monastery to come to Germany. Here they can
practice together with the Sangha in the EIAB in order to realize the
path of understanding and love. Thus they can fulfil their vow as a
monk and nun. If all conditions come together and the brothers and
sisters are allowed to enter
Germany, the Sangha of the EIAB will
pass this happy news onto you. It is our wish that you continue to
support us so that the new brothers and sisters can fulfil their life
long vow. (We will give you detailed information about the support of
the new brothers and sisters soon)
Although the space for our activities is still restricted and the EIAB does not have the permission to use the main building due to fire safety and other regulations, the Sangha of the EIAB has in the previous year passed on to many people their stable practice as well as their peaceful and happy presence. The people of the town and the surrounding area have opened their hearts to receive a new spiritual way of life. We receive many positive feedbacks about the presence of the monks and nuns in city of Waldbröl. The people of Waldbröl have said that the brothers and sisters bring into the town a very healing and fresh energy.
We continue to offer retreats on different subjects as well as weekly days of mindfulness. At some of these retreats more than 120 people participated and we even had to rent, for those activities, the large hall of the nearby hospital. In May 2009 Thay held a day of mindfulness on the grounds of the EIAB with over a 1000 participants. In the previous Christmas vacation we held a family retreat with 160 participants. Since the end of 2009 we have started to shape the activities of the EIAB according to a new system. Throughout the coming year there will be different courses and trainings offered parallel. In 2010 there will be an ongoing course program that will be offered in which two courses with different topics are happening parallel at all times. There are courses for one, two or three weeks and even courses that last for an entire month. Those courses brought a lot of happiness and joy to the Sangha of the EIAB and to the participants. In the future the number of the scheduled retreats will be increased to four or five parallel courses.
This year in June Thay will lead his first two retreats in the EIAB – a course for German speaking participants (planned for 600-700 people) and a second retreat for Dutch people (planned for 400-500 people). Furthermore there is a day of mindfulness scheduled for about 1200 people. We want to invite all friends worldwide to visit the EIAB and to practice together with Thay and the Plum Village Sangha. Until this time there will be a fifth of the main building being renovated according to the legal requirements. With this renovation we will have overnight possibilities for 60 monks and nuns and 60 lay practitioners. Two blocks of toilets will be built in the basement that will sufficiently serve the entire building later. In addition to that there can be 80 guests staying overnight in the Pagode of Great Compassion (the former School for Civil Service next door). The remaining participants can camp on the grounds of the EIAB or check into various surrounding hotels. Presently a team of architects and engineers is putting their efforts into making the entire ground floor of the EIAB useable by the time of Thay’s visit.
The Sangha of the EIAB has decided that the next part to be built should be a new meditation hall that will accommodate 600 people. The entire plan for the new hall and the surrounding area has already been completed (please see the attached sketches). There were a variety of suggestions for the hall and Thay, the brothers and sisters and many of the retreat participants have decided on the following model. The Sangha of the EIAB deeply wishes that many friends will be able to contribute something to the building of the new meditation hall and are hoping for your support.
A model of the Institute and the new Meditation Hall ( with curved roof).
Even with the surrounding area covered in snow there are many birds, with colorful feathers, sitting on the bare branches. This is a wonderful “Announcement” for the coming spring. The air is still very cold but hidden within we sense already, clearly, the rising and warming energy of spring. The Sangha of the EIAB strongly believes that the new year holds many chances for our practice and transformation. We are always aware that the manifestation of the EIAB is a combined effort of people all over the world and we hope to receive your continued support.
May the Buddhas, Boddhisatvas and all spiritual ancestors bless you, so that you and your family can enjoy health, joy, peace and stability in the year of the Tiger.
With heartfelt greetings,
In the name of the brothers and sisters of the EIAB
Thay Phap An
