June 9, 2019
June 9, 2019
Dear Sangha,
I hope you are well. Daido Roshi used to speak of Zen Mountain Monastery and our Sangha as a refuge of sanity. It is my hope and vow that all who come to the Monastery are able to encounter true Dharma, raise their aspiration, and find support and guidance in their spiritual path. Whether you come for an intensive meditation retreat, a weekend exploration of Buddhist teachings, Zen arts, or body practice, my desire is for you to enter into a living practice community that seeks to support and nourish your spirit and path to liberation, at any age or stage of life.
Your ongoing practice and presence within the Sangha is what brings our community to life. Over our years of practicing together, your financial contributions (in the form of student dues and annual gifts) have also helped make Zen Mountain Monastery an important practice center in the U.S. and abroad, and one of the few monasteries that supports full-time monastics.
To continue to support our practice and that of our sangha, particularly aging members (including aging monastics) and people with disabilities, our buildings and grounds need upgrading in multiple ways. The Jizo Project seeks to do this by building a new Jizo House, installing a lift in the main building, and making other improvements, all of which align with our shared values and vows, as these webpages and our Jizo Project brochure detail.
We’re requesting your support now to realize this vision of a more accessible and inclusive place of practice. The sangha has already demonstrated great support for this work in the initial phase of our fundraising, generously contributing over $800,000 towards our goal of $1.2 million by December 2019. Now we want to open this up to the larger sangha and invite you to help make this important project a reality.
Please consider making a generous contribution, within your means and circumstances. Methods for donating to the Jizo Project are included in the brochure and in these Jizo Project webpages. You may also track progress towards our fundraising goal and the construction projects via the webpages, where we will be posting regular updates.
I sincerely hope you will support this effort. In this way, we help insure the health, vitality and longevity of our sangha and training throughout our lives, and for future generations.
Please reach out with any questions by writing to jizoproject@mro.org or calling us at 845-688-2228.
Sincerely,
Shugen Roshi
Abbot