September 2008 Progress Report

We are continuing to make great progress on the new Center and have also been grading the sites for the caretakers’ and art studio and digging for the footers or foundations for the walls at these two sites just east of the Center.

At the Center, more underground ductwork has been laid and we have been compacting soils for preparation under the concrete floors that will be poured sometime in the future.

A lot of the work at the Academy construction site is taking place underground. Computer lines and conduit are being run, along with our water, electricity and ventilation needs.

A lot of the silver ductwork you see in the photos from this month is for a ventilation system that will pour fresh air constantly throughout the Center. We will always be in an environment of new fresh outside air. And we designed this system so that there won’t be any drafts in the building. The vents are wide so there is a gentle current of air. In addition, these large vents are quiet, so we can work and enjoy the Center in peace.

We have put a lot of thought into the Academy buildings, so that we can be the most comfortable and productive in a beautiful and quiet environment. Our administrative offices will be located on the lower level and bermed into the hill, so as to create a perfect atmosphere of calm, reflective action in the world.

In addition to all the new construction on the Academy land, an unforeseen and wonderful development in the Academy’s future is the decision to construct a stupa on the land near the Academy Center in Seton Village. Aaron Stern has been in extensive conversation with Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, who is among the most preeminent stupa designer/builders in the world. We are extremely fortunate to be connected with him and to have this remarkable opportunity.

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, stupas act, among other things, as beacons of energy, transmitting around the world and to the immediate environment. Rinpoche will incorporate two manifestations of the Buddha associated with learning into this Stupa - the male manifestation, Manjushri, and the female manifestation, Yangchenma, in Tibetan, but more well-known by her Sanskrit name, Saraswati. This will be the second Stupa that Rinpoche has built in Santa Fe, and we feel that it will bring powerful support to the new Center and its mission – as well as to the Santa Fe community.

On Sunday September 21st, a small group gathered to take the first step of consecrating the land at the site of the stupa, and preparing the way for construction. This complex ritual, led by Tulku Sangak, involved the honoring of the guardian spirits of the land, asking for their blessing of the building of the Stupa. It was a powerfully moving ceremony after which a number of people spoke of the peace and welcoming that they experienced as they attuned to the land and the elements.

Now that the land has been consecrated, we will start taking next steps towards the construction. We would like to avoid disturbing the land with machinery and vehicles as much as possible, so a significant amount of the preparation of the land, and even the construction of the stupa, will be done by hand.

If you are interested in learning more about these plans, and if you are interested in volunteering to help with construction, please contact David Gordon at david[at]aloveoflearning.org. We welcome the support of the community in creating this extraordinary stupa – this energetic beacon for learning.

Tulku Sangak Rinpoche and Aaron Stern