Dear friends,
It’s with deep gratitude that we acknowledge everyone who joined us either in person or in spirit last Sunday for Aloka Vihara’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and Kathina Ceremony.
More than 80 lay people braved the power outages and gusty winds to join us, and others sent their apologies, unable to come because of evacuations from the Kincade Fire. We were happy to welcome the monastic communities of Dhammadharini and Karuna Buddhist Vihara again this year, as well as Ayya Dhammadhira of Web of Connection, Colorado and Ayya Parayana from her hermitage in Tennessee. Ten bhikkhunis, two samaneris and one anagarika were present for our Ceremony.
The money raised at this year’s Kathina Ceremony will support building new well-insulated kutis and other developments on the property. The nuns intend to build the kutis over an extended period of time, starting with building one next year. These meditaton huts will be located in the forest, away from the main house, allowing the nuns to practice in solitude and to benefit from nature’s pure and immediate Dhamma.
As of today, nearly $73,000 has been donated! People also donated many items from Aloka Vihara’s wish list. Anumodana is a traditional Buddhist way of saying that we rejoice in your goodness and hope that it is a source of great peace, happiness and liberation for you! With very grateful hearts, we offer an ‘Anumodana!’ to all of you.
We invite you to share the merits of your practice and generosity with all who are affected by the wildfires and the firefighters who are keeping us safe.
With deep gratitude,
Emily and the Friends of Aloka Vihara