In Buddhism, there are three principles for establishing and maintaining the Buddhadharma: Shed, Drup and Le. Shed refers to teachings and listening, Drup is our meditation, and Le is talking about activity. Orgyen Khamdroling Sangha is focused on firmly rooting the Dharma here in the West, and has been working with great diligence and effort over these past years. We are refining our understanding of the Nyingmapa view, with the motivation of helping not only ourselves, but also all other beings.  These principles of Shed, Drup and Le are evident in our Sangha, here in the West.

Our Shedra is the principle of Shed – teaching and listening. Our Sangha has been fortunate enough to study Madhyamaka logic under the direction and guidance of our amazing lama, Anyen Rinpoche. Through the study of great texts, Rinpoche has helped us to deepen our understanding of  the two truths, valid cognition, the difference between sutra and tantra, to name a very few topics. Rinpoche has led us in our study of Madman’s Middle Way by Gendun Chopel, Beacon Of Certainty by Mipham Rinpoche, and just recently completed Distinguishing the Philosophies and Views, by Popa Tulku. He has encouraged us to make a regular commitment to reviewing such texts as The Way of the Bodhisattva, Words of My Perfect Teacher, and 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva.  How many beings in this world have the chance to study these kinds of texts so closely with a lama who has such strong scholarly background, such experience with putting these teachings into practice, and such a short and unbroken lineage ? What merit each of us must have accumulated to have this precious opportunity, it is no accident that each of us is a part of this!

The principle of Drup, or meditation can also be seen here in our Sangha. Just as our intellectual understanding has developed with Shedra, so has our meditative experience and stability improved. We have been putting great effort into increasing the frequency and consistency of our meditation together at the center. Our calendar includes annual events such as the Medicine Buddha Monlam and Nyungne. What’s more, regular monthly practices are attended for Tsok, Vajrasattva, Phowa, Medicine Buddha, and open meditation. Not only this but many of us are committed to regular daily practices, such as Ngondro. How much more time and effort we now spend on practice, both as a group and individually, compared to seven years ago! Purification and the accumulation of merit are continuing for us – how wonderful!

Le, or activity, is not difficult to identify within our Sangha. In a very short period of time, we have obtained our own Dharma center and made significant renovations to the building. We have put in hours of physical labor and effort, working together to complete projects. Our Sangha works hard in keeping our center clean, making fresh flower and fruit offerings, and supporting the ongoing efforts of the physical work on the center. Not only has the scope of our activity expanded here in Denver, but even further – recently, Orgyen Khamdroling Canada became incorporated. The Phowa Foundation’s outreach with Dying with Confidence training is expanding to new locations, and the first level III group training will be complete this April. Our activity in Denver continues with the creation of an incredible shrine room – supported by Sangha near and far, complete with large golden statues that will inspire many people!

Shed, Drup and Le are not independent of one another, they are interrelated. As one increases, so will the others increase. Over the past seven years, our Sangha has flourished with regard to these principles. What’s more, Orgyen Khamdroling Sangha has so many new experiences and opportunities on our horizons. Rejoice in our development of the three principles of Shed, Drup, and Le!

By Clemma Dawsen

I’m here to talk to you on behalf of our tiny sangha in rural Vermont and how

together we experienced the teachings of Anyen Rinpoche in a very immediate way as

we shared in the dying of one of our members. It’s our hope that reading this will give

you an idea of how amazing and beautiful and possible it is to die with confidence. We

should all aspire to be surrounded by trusted dharma friends. One of life’s greatest gifts

is to be a dharma friend; if you are asked to be one you should have no doubt as to

your good fortune. As the hours and days passed leading up to Bob’s death, tangible

benefits of each of our particular practices arose spontaneously and we came to a

greater understanding of how important the sangha truly is. No matter how large or

small, no matter the level of expertise of its members, the sangha holds things together.

I dedicate the merit of writing this story to Bob’s wife, Sally, who by selflessly

opening her heart as her beloved Bob was dying offered each of us the opportunity

to accrue astoundingly good karma and gain the depth of understanding that can

only come from experience. May she be strengthened and blessed with clear vision

for her future. It’s her wish and ours that continuous benefit radiate in ever widening

circles from our sangha to yours and beyond. On behalf of our sangha, I offer deepest

gratitude to Anyen Rinpoche for first accepting Bob and Sally’s invitation to come to

Vermont, and for supporting us from afar as he traveled to Bodhgaya at the time of

Bob’s passing; and to Ven. Konchog Norbu who committed to Sally in October that he

would return to Vermont to be with Bob in his final days and made good on his promise.

His gentle presence and pure honesty gave us all room to simply be.

As one friend wrote from Colorado upon Bob’s passing, “…I am so deeply touched

to see Rinpoche’s vision– for sangha to come together and transform the experience of death-

- happen for Bob and Sally. We may not have all the skills yet, but the compassion and loving

motivation to help is flowing from your hearts. Thank you all so much. Those of you who have

been with Bob and Sally this past week wrote such beautiful poetry about your experience–it

seemed quite magical. You were obviously surrounded with Buddha’s blessings. And Bob gave

us a gift from his heart as well. His practice over the years supported him even when his mental

faculties could not…”

Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2010. By last fall he was failing

fast and yet still eagerly wished to be with Rinpoche and attend Level I Phowa training

in Manchester. Although he did not express it in words, it seems Bob had chosen to

prepare for death. Sally, ever devoted, set out purposefully to see him through.

At the retreat Bob’s open-hearted acceptance of the compassion we showed

toward him opened our hearts to receive his in return. It works that way. Those of us

who knew him, as well as those who traveled from all over the U.S. and Canada to

attend the training were blessed by his company. While he struggled to remember

names and faces, directions and schedules, Bob somehow remained more present

than seemed possible, more present at times than those of us consciously aiming to be.

Whenever I was with him, I understood bodhichitta in a way I never had before.

On the final day of the retreat, each of us came quietly forward with bowed heads

and folded hands to receive Rinpoche’s blessing. When it came time for Bob to step

up, he raised his head and approached Rinpoche with a determined step and an open

smile. Before Rinpoche could extend his colorfully wrapped bamboo staff to bless Bob

with a touch or a tap, Bob reached out with both hands, seized hold of the staff and held

fast. The long moment that followed enveloped us all as we were suspended in pure

dharma. It was as if Rinpoche and Bob formed the center of a great lotus while the rest

of us became in turn its many petals, fanned out in translucent light that could not be

contained by mere walls.

It was an image I returned to time and again in the weeks that followed the

retreat as Bob began to fragment into ever more random bits of being. Sally continued

to be his anchor but was at times fraught with despair and exhaustion. At times fearful,

agitated and confused, Bob could also become very angry, or simply seem to disappear

altogether. When he was hospitalized yet again in late December, it seemed logical to

use the time to figure out how to not bring him home this time, to find somewhere to

“place” him. People on all sides encouraged Sally to take this obvious next step. Sally

however, was not so sure. In fact, she was pretty much against it right along.

Over the next couple of weeks, as Sally agonized over what to do we shared

her uncertainty. We continued to meet as a sangha, to offer prayers and dedicate

merit. This was to prove especially crucial during this painful and tumultuous phase of Bob’s

dying. We Westerners are prone to getting into our heads, bypassing our hearts when

decisions have to be made until the balance is so skewed we abandon logic and swing

to the other side, often making rash choices based purely in emotion. Yet the teachings

remind us again and again to maintain mindfulness and discernment so as to balance

the logic of our heads with the loving kindness of our hearts.

This is why we take refuge in the sangha. It’s critical that we do this as

practitioners; otherwise confusion will reign, and lead inevitably to more uncertainty and

doubt. Sally needed support for her practice in order to keep her heart open and her

mind clear. The sangha needed to practice together to build confidence in our ability to

be present for Bob and Sally. Our busy lives somehow supported rather than thwarted

our endeavors, dishing up the sort of signs we needed that we were doing it, we were

being mindful, living our practice in the day-to-day, seeing how the dharma permeates

everything and everyone. Instead of falling further into doubt, one day in early January

Sally simply knew what she had to do. She took a leave of absence from work and

brought Bob home to die.

What we had talked about for months—the inevitability of Bob’s passing and our

sangha’s role in the process—was suddenly upon us. Sally prepared a room for Bob

based on what Rinpoche’s teachings said would support his passing. A fire burned

gently in the glass-fronted stove at the foot of the bed, candles and flowers adorned

the room and a small shrine upon which she placed photos of Bob’s teachers and other

personal dharma objects stood against the wall. Entering their home, one was met with

profound peace and a sense of everything being in right order and ready for what was

to come.

Jan. 16  

Sally (in an email to us):

… A soft snow is falling this morning; the wood stove is stoked, sending light and warmth into

the darkened room. I have again awakened with anxiety mixed with peace. I get up each

morning around five or six giving myself time to have coffee and some time alone. I try to sit on

the cushion each morning, either chanting the Heart Sutra or the Meditation on the

Compassionate One. Often my thoughts intrude, and getting down into that deeper state seems

impossible, I practice breathing in and out, feeling my heart pounding in my chest, I then wait to

hear sounds from Bob’s room. Yesterday he stood up by himself and opened the door, the day

before I had to wake him up around 8:30 and when I brought him out into the living room his

legs buckled underneath him. He is taking very little food at this point, preferring smoothies

and liquids; he seems to have lost all interest in solids. He spends a good portion of the day

sleeping. Yesterday and the day before he was only up about three hours each day. He is on very

little meds, whereas before we had him on 7.5 mg of an anti-psychotic twice a day, now I only

give him 3.25 once a day when he begins to get confused and seems a bit agitated. Most of the

 time when he is awake he seems to be very present responding to questions with a clear yes or

no, though he speaks only in a whisper and cannot really form more than a one or two word

sentence. Yesterday the visiting nurse came and has recommended that the

hospice nurse evaluate him. I struggle with my own thoughts of wanting this to be

over quickly, for both of our sakes. I have begun to put together a small team to help me and to

also research the legalities for my wishes to have the body home for 3 days after passing and I

have been assured by a funeral director that this is possible, I wish to make this journey as

seamless as possible and feel the prayers and support of all of you.

 Jan 16 

A sangha member replies:

…I am able to confirm what Sally feels certain of, that Bob is far more present than he has been

for months. It’s important to look with our hearts to see it…as Sally said in her note this morning,

Bob doesn’t speak above a whisper and spends a great deal of time whispering to himself and

gazing past us into the world that he can see and we cannot. It’s good to talk directly to him,

to not assume he doesn’t hear us–with our hearts we are able to sense what Bob is seeing and

hearing and it’s very peaceful where he is abiding. We can convey that energy to him when

we speak, or as we sit quietly with him we can send him love and clarity for the path. This is

what I wanted to tell you all, that Bob is in a state of grace right now that’s very good. His

eyes are clear and the lines in his face are gone. Although he is very thin, thinner than ever,

there’s “more” of him than when I saw him last, he seems fuller, more put together. Sally spends

a lot of time chanting and praying with Bob and the energy in the house is sacred and lovely…as

Sally said, it would be a wonderful thing if this were to continue and Bob were able to die this

way without having the agitation and rage return that he was experiencing not long ago. We

have no way of knowing what will come, but can continue to pray and offer whatever we can to

the process; whether in person or from afar. Making Sally laugh felt really good, there needs to

be room for laughter and joy at such a time–remembering that it’s not irreverent to laugh in the

face of death.

Jan. 19 

Sally:

Dear all…on Wednesday afternoon Bob went to bed at 4:30 and the next day I was not able

to arouse him, he has been semi-comatose/sleeping since, and is now actively dying. Rinpoche

is in Bodhgaya and is offering prayers along with 3000 other monks and tulkus. I am piecing

together necessary details while supporting his process. I will keep you posted…

Jan. 20 

Sally:

…Konchog (Ven. Konchog Norbu) is here and is staying for the duration, he is in the room

with Bob chanting, we are so blessed, please come when you can, much love to all..Bob

still comfortable…hospice came this morning…

Jan. 20 

A sangha member:

This afternoon at Sally and Bob’s house, it was clear that Bob’s condition has declined

dramatically since I last saw him…The earth and water elements appear to have dissolved, Bob

continues his journey toward the bardos.

Konchog, who arrived last night, is staying at the house. I found him seated at Bob’s bedside,

reading aloud from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. During the afternoon, Bob and Sally’s

daughters and families arrived. While strong winds blow through the surrounding hills and

forest, the air within the house is still and rich with compassion, acceptance and strength. When

I told Bob that he was in Rinpoche’s prayers from Bhodgaya, his reaction was immediate and

unmistakable.

It’s clear that Bob is an extremely fortunate being. Sally’s immense courage, great heart, and

dedication to the dharma have allowed this gentle soul to leave this world with unmatched love

and support. We are privileged to be able to share in their journey.

Jan. 21

Konchog:

Bob passed so peacefully in the lion posture at 7:41pm EST, on this, the 10th day of Guru

Rinpoche. Just before he passed, his eyes, which had been closed for days, opened, directed

at the candle Rinpoche had told us to place in his view, set up as an offering to an image of

Amitabha in Dewachen. A light snow had just begun to fall. Sally and the two children they had

together were here, emotional, but holding it together pretty well. After his last breath, I lightly

tapped at his fontanel, said Amitabha’s name many times, and sang his mantra. I then read

the Heart Sutra and Karma Chagmed’s ‘Prayer to be Reborn in Dewachen,’ made incense and

light offerings with Atisha’s extensive light offering prayer, and all of us together did the simple

reading for the first three days of death. Now we are notifying various people while a lovely

recording of the Mani mantra plays for Bob.

Sally had already arranged for Bob’s body to remain undisturbed for 3 days

before being removed for cremation, so when he died the stove was shut down and the

window opened to invite the chill air. The vigil began. Over the next 3 days, Konchog

and Sally remained a steady presence while others from our sangha and from Sally

and Bob’s family came and went, taking turns snugged in a heavy coat or wrapped in

a blanket to sit with Bob’s body. The sacred space that Sally had prepared for Bob was

now fiercely cold and yet magically warm and inviting; lit with candles, fragrant with

incense. Bob’s body, too, was a comforting presence rather than something strange or

off-putting. Outside the open window, chimes hanging from the eaves lightly sounded in

the breeze. On Wednesday night, 2 days after his outer breath had ceased, our sangha

met at Sally and Bob’s house as a group and sat together with Bob’s body. Konchog led

us in the specific prayers that Rinpoche instructed us to use.

On Friday the body was removed for cremation and on Saturday, January 23,

a ceremony of remembrance was held for Bob at the Manchester Shambhala Center,

lovingly adorned for the occasion. The service was a simple, moving event filled with

prayers and ritual befitting the final days of Bob’s life. As with all aspects of Bob’s

passing, the day itself was auspicious, being the full moon Amitabha day. The room

was packed; some guests on cushions, others in chairs or standing, squeezed in

and familiar with one another if only for the hour. Many had never been to a Buddhist

ceremony of any kind; if they felt awkward upon arrival their awkwardness quickly gave

way to a sense of openness and peaceful acceptance. Toddlers wandered through

the crowd, laughing and chattering. Babies were held gently in loving arms. The sense

that we were all being held in fact, was much like the moment at the retreat when Bob

received his blessing from Rinpoche. When nothing separates who we are from what

we do, everything is sacred. Dharma readings and prayers, music, poetry and loving

words mingled as deeply as the styles and hearts of the people in attendance. People

remarked later on that it was like being suspended in time.

Bob and Sally’s daughter, Sam, read the words that Sally had written for the ceremony:

“I would just like to share a little about these last weeks, which have been sad, but also peaceful

 and filled with love. When Bob was in the hospital I was told over and over that he needed to

 be in a nursing home. I got very, very close to putting him in one. I struggled daily with the

 decision but after visiting a nursing home, I realized I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t not bring

 Bob home. So on January third we brought him home, against doctors’ advice. He was weak

 and disoriented and was brought home by ambulance. Bobby and I cuddled into bed with him;

 and we were smiling to each other, saying over and over “you’re home.” Bob was so visibly

happy. Please understand that for someone with Alzheimer’s, it’s hard to show emotion. It’s

all blurred. He knew he was home, that is, he was safe, with family, with us. If he’d been in a

 nursing home, we would have lost him. We would have lost anything of him that we could pull

 back, that we could touch. It would’ve been gone.

In these last weeks he seemed to become more lucid, more present, even though

 his ability to communicate was diminished to only a word or two, he seemed softened.

 On Monday the 7th we laid in bed together and we talked; again, you have to understand

 he had lost the ability to speak in sentences of more than one or two words. We talked

 about Alzheimer’s and he said, “it’s killing me”. I asked him whether he wanted to continue

 to fight this or whether he wanted to just be home, no more hospitals… He said home… I

 said to him a couple of times, “do you understand what I am saying?” and he said “yes.” I

 repeated, “do you understand what I am saying?” and again he said “yes.” …later I helped

 him walk out into the living room and when we sat down Bob looked over at me and said, “talk

 more”… I said to him, “do you want to fight this, ‘cause I will do anything in my power if that is

what you want,”…. He nodded his head yes. He immediately looked alarmed and then said to me

 so very clearly “other, other.” So I said, “do you just want me to support you spiritually?” His

 face visibly relaxed and he said “yes, yes…”

Over the course of the next week Bob stopped eating solids. He slept more and more. On

Wednesday of last week he slipped into a semi-coma. We were told by hospice that he

 probably had less than a week. On Saturday night, Konchog came to be with us and began

 chanting and saying prayers throughout the day and late into the evening. On Monday night

 Bob peacefully died at home with Bobby, Sam, Konchog and I at his side. We continued to say

 prayers for him for the next three days after his passing.

This has been an incredible journey; one with acceptance, rawness, beauty, and love, I can’t

 put it all into words. When I was younger I loved Dylan Thomas’s poem “Do Not Go Gentle into

 That Good Night”, but today…I stand here, older, and a little wiser. Death had always seemed

 a great mystery, full of fear and sadness. Bob has shown us grace, courage and a deep knowing.

 Together with my children and grandchildren we have cried, and laughed, and sobbed and

 prayed and we have learned that this great rite of passage holds unbridled compassion.”

After the service, Sally and her family threw a fine party. The Bob I knew was

fond of saying, “I’m Irish.” He would attach this addendum to the increasingly abstract

things he came up with that nonetheless made perfect sense. We’d be pondering the

dharma and Bob would just come out with something so strangely yet perfectly put

together that we knew exactly what he meant but would be hard pressed to explain it. A

sort of Alzheimer’s koan, if you will. Then he’d get that twinkle in his eye and say, “Hey,

I’m Irish.” So although he didn’t have the traditional Irish wake, Bob didn’t leave without

a celebration in his honor. Afterwards, we all went home, one by one, back to our lives,

leaving Sally to hers and yet not. The inevitable grace of the sangha remains because

that’s how it is, that’s how it works.

…and on January 28th, seven days after Bob’s passing, as I was sitting on the deck early

 one morning, after a deep snow, a small finch lit upon my shoulder. om mani padme hum.

—-Sally Leonard, East Dorset, Vermont

Anyen Rinpoche’s book, Dying with Confidence includes Rinpoche’s heart advice to support practitioners through the dying process.  The Dying with Confidence training program will give students the guidance and opportunity to master all the skills necessary for a practitioner to use death as an opportunity for enlightenment and to help all sentient beings. The next Level I Training will be held September 26-30, 2013 in Denver, CO.

For more information and an application: http://www.phowafoundation.org/PFCrestone%202012.php

Please take a look at a guest blog written on the Tricycle site by our own dear Chris Lemig, and please add your comments if you like. Thank you, Chris, and safe travels! We are looking forward to more of your writing.

With Love,

Sarah

The hard work and cooperation of our Sangha is breathing life into Rinpoche’s dream of a Dharma Center in the West. Think of how many things had to come together perfectly for the acquisition and renovation of the building to be as it is now, and how many other things will need to come together as we continue to move forward single mindedly. Contributions of money, time, materials, and skills are creating a place where the Dharma can benefit not only ourselves, but others in generations to come. Let us celebrate this two fold benefit, it is a labor of love!

We have heard Rinpoche speak of the Shedra in Tibet which was started by his root lama Tsara Dharmakirti. In Tibet, the construction of stupas, statues and temples is very important, viewed as the best way to accumulate merit and purify obscurations. Rinpoche participated not only in fundraising for the creation of the Shedra, but also in the actual physical construction of the building. When they first began the creation of the Shedra, there were only 13 monks! Tsara Dharmakirti performed a special ceremony to bless the land, and foretold that this Shedra would become well known in time and be of great benefit to the dharma.

A tent was the only shelter for Tsara Dharmakirti and the monks at first. The elderly monks knew how to construct stone walls and to do carpentry work, so they taught the other monks. When they broke ground for the first time, they built a cabin/hut for their lama, and a wing of small rooms that housed three monks each. This was a long shelter, with walls separating one room from another, all in a line. A tarp was used for the roof.

As you can imagine, the tarp did not provide much protection from the cold of Tibet, so after about a year, there was more construction to do. A tiny shrine was built; the walls were of dirt. At this time the monks numbered about twenty – and increasing. As more monks arrived at the Shedra, another shelter was added, and so the earthen building continued to grow. It took about two days of work with mud and rock to add on a single shelter to the building.

Tsara Dharmakirti, who was in his seventies at the time, was always present during construction. He came and would help or simply sit and be with his students/monks. His presence was inspiring and supportive for Rinpoche and the other monks, and was of great significance in keeping a pure motivation for those working so hard on the building.

Many years later, fundraising for an even larger building began. Rinpoche and other monks departed to travel throughout the region of Amdo. For several months, the monks begged for offerings of money and yak butter for the construction of this large temple, as well as food. In gathering the resources for the new temple, Rinpoche and the other monks did not taken even a penny for themselves, all was for their lama and the new temple.

In Rinpoche’s own village, every single family made a donation which was equivalent to one year’s salary – and this with pure motivation and rejoicing. The energy towards creating the temple only grew as people came and saw for themselves what was happening. The villagers worked alongside the monks, not only volunteering their time and skills, but also bringing their own food and clothing. Trees and stones were cut, trucks came in to help move materials and this inspired cooperation allowed the building to be completed in only 8 months. The temple was easily raised through the single mindedness and generosity of many with time, energy and material support. Imagine the dedication and devotion that the monks must have had to donate everything they could, and this for years. Today this temple is home to 500 monks!

If you have spent time at our new building, you certainly have seen Rinpoche in attendance. Like his lama before him, Rinpoche is present with students that are working for the Dharma. His presence and support is an excellent remembrance for us to keep the pure motivation of Bodhichitta as we work together. We as the fortunate students of Rinpoche can aspire to emulate the monks who gave it all to the Dharma for years.

As Westerners, we have a tendency to give with the unspoken expectation of receiving something in return. If we give with this anticipation of what might come back to us, we are short changing ourselves as well as others. Thinking in this way, we are unable to accumulate merit; we are unable to purify our karma and obscurations. Without accumulating merit and purification, how can we hope to help ourselves or others?

We should not limit our motivation, thinking only of the benefit we personally will or might receive. We should keep in mind the greater purpose we seek, the benefit for ALL. The smallest act can have the greatest result when it is done mindfully with pure motivation. If we can keep this pure motivation in our hearts and minds as we work, dedicating our efforts to the benefit of all, then we can we certain that our merit will be increasing day by day, week by week, month by month, until we establish ourselves and all beings in the state of enlightenment.

Emaho! Amazing!

Love from
Sarah

THIS WEEKEND!

October 1st at 5 PM until October 2nd at 6 PM, 2011 at Orgyen Khamdroling Dharma Center : an exciting opportunity to practice with Rinpoche and raise money at the same time! Similar to a charitable sporting event like Race for the Cure, each participant will be getting sponsors to donate money for him/her to do this 25-hour Practice Marathon.

FAQ’s:

Do I have to attend the whole thing? You don’t have to attend for all 25 hours.

Is there a cost to attend? Aim to bring at least $100 in donations- this is in place of any entrance or registration fee.

What if I have never done this practice before? No problem! The intention to do something good for others is the only prerequisite.

How do I collect donations? Direct your sponsors to this website to donate by PayPal, or collect cash or check donations and bring them to the event.

How do I sign up? RSVP to Ananda, moontara@hotmail.com, or if you are on facebook, sign up at the event page:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200278176705999

Please find more information here!

Please sponsor a participant by the hour or with a donation! 100% of the proceeds will support the upkeep of our new Dharma Center.PLUS, Sponsorship/donations to the Medicine Buddha Marathon are tax-deductible! Orgyen Khamdroling is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization!

P.S. Additional fund-raising opportunity – we are also collecting gold –old, broken jewelry or anything else made of gold. This is a great way to trade unwanted stuff for cash for our Dharma Center. Also, please ask your friends and family if th…ey might have pieces to donate- this allows them to generate merit as well! If this interests you, please reply to this or bring your gold to the next Sangha gathering and ask for Leigh Ann.