Railing was Painted This Morning by Volunteers

Clay Colley, top right
Wetlands also can be seen to the right.

Joanna, above

A Rain Garden is Being Prepared

Eventually rain from the roof will water the gardens and drain,
if necessary, into the adjoining wetlands.

Lama Pema Clark has supervised the construction and design of
every phase of the temple.
Her commitment to sustainable, ecological building
is demonstrated throughout.

"Magic" Stones

Crystals and rocks regularly appear anonymously in the gardens.

The neighboring wetlands show in the background of the above photo.

Stupa Added to the front of the Temple

Lama Chodrak, the executive director of the worldwide Kagyu Monlam (prayer festival), has made a generous gift of a fully consecrated stupa to KSC. The stupa was made by Richard Jackson and Monica Martinez of Questa, New Mexico, and the Lamas were able to bring it back to KSC at the end of their retreat. Clay Colley and Tom Stammers are finishing it with the traditional painted decorations. It will stand in the center of the stone mandala of the front patio when complete.

The Stupa can be seen on the far left.

ACCORDING TO THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITTANICA:
Buddhist stupas were originally built to house the earthly remains
of the historical Buddha and his associates and
are almost invariably found at sites sacred to Buddhism.
The concept of a relic was afterward extended to include sacred texts.
Miniature stupas and pagodas are also used
by Buddhists throughout Asia as votive offerings.