Open House at Nalanda West was held December 12-14. By all accounts, it was a very successful event. We were fortunate to have a visit from Lama Dudjom Dorje who was teaching at the Shambhala center this weekend. It was wonderful to have him say blessing prayers in the shrine room. He remarked that every major city in the country should have such a large and beautiful center as Nalanda West so the dharma can flourish in the West. Indeed! Many neighbors stopped by, many representatives of other local sanghas, and other invited friends and acquaintances. One guest remarked that she thought the new center was going to be a wonderful resource for all Buddhist sanghas in the Pacific Northwest.
On Saturday and Sunday we had a Maruca handbag sale that was advertised and open to the public. This raised $900 for Nalanda West. Marion and Katherine Power organized a kids activity table. Their face-painting, balloon animal making and origami were amazing and created an atmosphere of sheer delight. We gave building tours, chatted with guests about our programs and plans for the future and helped everyone feel welcome at our new home.
This was another great example of the coming together of causes and conditions which continue to create an auspicious beginning for Nalanda West. (submitted by Lynne Marvet)
A quick visit to the monthly calendars shows that Nalanda West offers a wide variety of programs in meditation and study, as well as programs which are intended to help integrate the arts and activities of daily life with one's practice and into the community.
Posted by Jean at December 30, 2003 03:36 PM