Spirit Rock Meditation Center 
Community Meditation Hall Nearing Completion

Since its beginning nearly 25 years ago, Spirit Rock has hosted thousands of practitioners in its “temporary” community hall. Now, after more than a year of construction, a new Community Meditation Hall is nearing completion. A spacious environment for Dharma practice and community engagement. the new hall will host weekly classes, specialized study, practice groups, and community gatherings, opening up new possibilities for future programming. Last year, Dharmawheels Foundation offered support for the earlier phases of this project, and this year our donation will help Spirit Rock complete this wonderful new community space. To follow the construction progress, visit http://www.thousandsofbuddhas.org/news/

Sae Taw Win II Dhamma Center: Community Programs

Sae Taw Win II Dhamma Center, rooted in classical Burmese-Theravada Buddhism, has brought together a diverse community of practitioners. The center is under the guidance of founding teacher, Dr. Thynn Thynn, a 2005 recipient of the Outstanding Women in Buddhism award. The goal of the center’s courses is to provide hands-on training in daily life-based mindfulness practice with a well-rounded education in the fundamentals of Buddhism.

A donation from Dharmawheels Foundation will provide support to buy a new wrought iron front gate to grace the entrance to the grounds.

City of Ten Thousand Buddhas: Meditation Cushions for Sudhana Center

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is home to Dharma Realm Buddhist University, which has recently expanded to offer a new Bachelor of Arts degree. The program’s “Great Books” curriculum is structured around a deep engagement with classical primary texts from both East and West. As part of its growth, DRBU is opening the Sudhana Center in downtown Ukiah, and a donation from Dharmawheels will go toward providing meditation cushions for this new facility. Sudhana was a teenaged boy who made a pilgrimage around India in search of spiritual teachers. His journey, recounted in the Avatamsaka Sutra, takes him to 53 different teachers. After Sudhana has learned from the virtue and spiritual accomplishments of each teacher, he is sent on to the next one. In Buddhism, Sudhana is an example of the untiring pursuit of truth, both for one’s own benefit and the benefit of others.

Abhayagiri Monastery: The New Dharma Hall is Rising

Back in 1996, the newly created Abhayagiri Monastery converted an old garage into its Dhamma Hall. Finally, 19 years later, a new hall has begun to rise up. Funds have been secured for the first two phases of the building project–the foundation and the exterior. Donations from the Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage will go toward the final phase of completing the interior. This new multipurpose building will house a spacious meditation hall, kitchen, library, office, guest rooms, childcare room, bathrooms and showers, and more. It will provide improved space to be enjoyed by the resident community and Abhayagiri’s hundreds of visitors each year—including us!