Shed Raising Anumodana (rejoicing together in generosity and gratitude)

[Lulu]

Greetings, Sangha ~

Last weekend we enjoyed a wonderful sangha service weekend at Aranya
Bodhi, in joint community effort toward the goal of building a new
shed. Much gratitude and appreciation overflow for everyone who
contributed, whether by muscle power, meal dana, or mouse proofing
prowess!

I can't begin to describe how hard some of our strongest supporters
worked - I mean physically strongest! Udana, Janaka, Julie, and Justin
were super-troopers at boring holes for foundation posts into thick,
heavy clay soil. They eventually prevailed against the dirt, and the
following day, our younger participants, 11 year old Ais and Chi,
helped mix and pour the concrete for the foundation.

The children, along with Parami (2 years old, so definitely the
youngest!) also enjoyed mindfulness walks in nature and Dhamma
stories in the temple yurt with Venerable Ayya Sudinna Theri, and Ven.
Suvijjana. Many thanks to Naranji, who not only brought her delicious
Sri Lankan food for us all to enjoy at meal time, but also helped with
herding all the kids around. This beautiful opportunity to connect our
children with the Dhamma felt so precious to me, and I am very happy
to report that with Ven. Suvijjana at the lead, we will be sending out
an invitation for more Sangha families to consider joining us in
another Family and Service Weekend later in the season.

The children, along with Ven. Suvijjana and Erika, also laid down some
very helpful bog bridges along the walking path in the forest. It was
muddy even in this dry season, so you can imagine how much of a
benefit it will be to have a more solid foothold for those Bhikkhunis
who winter over through the rains at the Hermitage!

Erika and Ayya Sobhana did a bang-up job generating creative
approaches to gently discourage our mouse friends from continuing to
consider the temple their own private hotel...time will tell if these
possible solutions will be enough to send the little critters packing,
and if not - we may need to borrow Ann's power drill again to do some
more mouse-proofing!

Down at the Lower Landing, a team of awesome women tackled a variety
of tasks to keep all these projects moving forward. Thank heavens we
had a skilled builder with us, in friend Jamyrson, and able,
enthusiastic assistance from Kat, who were in charge of "measure
twice, cut once" action with the power saw, as well as an epic errand
to town with Ayya Sobhanna to secure more supplies. Kelly and Lisa
were in another part of the space, either putting together or taking
apart shelving for the tool shed - it was hard to keep up, with all
the action! Lisa took a break from all that by putting her back into
filling ditches for a while, with Julie and Shari wielding the
pickaxes.

It was a full and fun weekend, and I am so grateful for the good
efforts and even better spirits shown by all those who participated.
If I forgot any of the particular contributions of supporters, please
excuse it by the overwhelming amount of generosity shown, and my own
limited ability to take it all in! It was a privilege for me to spend
such sweet time in the forest with friends, and seeing the generosity
of time and energy and caring poured out by others seemed to have the
effect of increasing my own. Of course, it may also have been the
gentle and beautiful Metta meditation led by Ayya Sudinna, too...

We have further service days scheduled on the weekends of June 9th
and June 23rd, as well as July 14th and 21st. Please reach out and
let me know if you are ready to jump in and enjoy the fruits of
participating in a service weekend yourself, or if you have any other
questions or thoughts.

May all the blessings of the Dhamma be yours ~ Lulu

[Aranya Bodhi Hermitage]

Appreciation as well to Julie and Sherene for a beautiful coat of
stain on Kalyana Kuti's deck and stairs. It seems that they found a
few minutes to dash up the hill and complete this task. The deck
looks very spiffy now. It will be enjoyed by our newest Vassa
Resident, Sayalay Santacari. Anumodana ... Ayya Sobhana

[Lulu Garrett Cook]

Dear Friends of Dhammadharini-

Transparency is a core value of all healthy organizations. Those who are
truly committed to transparency go beyond the legal requirements and state
for all to review the ethical, moral, financial or strategic intent of the
organization. To assist Dhammadharini in being as transparent as we can be,
the Dhammadharini Board of Directors has decided to file annual returns with
the IRS, and we seek the assistance of a knowledgeable tax preparer to
support that goal.
Filing annual returns is optional for a church 501(c)(3). However, when we
file the IRS returns, our financial information will be available online for
anyone who researches Dhammadharini. We are expecting this will inspire
confidence among members of the sangha, especially in those of you who have
been generous with your financial support and you who are evaluating how you
might contribute to Dhammadharini's ongoing operations and the development
of our monastery.

We need the help of a tax preparer who can prepare and file the IRS returns,
someone who is knowledgeable regarding a church 501(c)(3). We would be happy
to consider someone who is not necessarily skilled in this specific area but
is experienced as a tax preparer.

I volunteer to work on the board of Dhammadharini because I deeply love the
Dharma and Sangha and of course the teachings of the Buddha. I feel honored
to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile endeavor as Women Upholding
the Dhamma.

We would like to extend the opportunity to use your skills and knowledge to
help us be able to communicate fully our financials in the spirit of
transparency and accountability.

If you are interested, please contact the Dhammadharini Board Secretary Ann
Valliant, annva...@gmail.com or 510-499-1686.

Warmly,
Elad Levinson LCSW