Aryaloka News

Thanks to the generous support of many Sangha members, Aryaloka offers the Dharma freely to all who come to our center – virtually or in person. Some 100 Sangha members currently pledge their regular support to Aryaloka. Will you join them? 

Will you pledge your support and become part of the Mandala of Supporting Friends?

Their generosity is fueled by many reasons. Dharmasukta, one order member, offers his reasons for giving:

If you’ve recently been down Aryaloka’s winding driveway, you’ll have noticed that there are several large trees that have been felled and now lie in piles along the side of the driveway. The trees had to be taken down in order to install new utility poles. 

Just over a year ago, the garbage truck hit some of the lower hanging phone lines. This resulted in a pause of our trash collection, and a year of phone conversations with three different utility companies to arrange for the lifting of the lines. Basically, neither the phone or the cable company could lift their lines unless the electric lines could also be lifted, and in order for the electric lines to be lifted, we needed taller poles.

Lona, in her service as Assistant Manager, spent hours and hours on the phone with all three companies until finally the project was complete — the garbage truck can now access the dumpster! All of this happened at no cost to Aryaloka.

“...everyone present gives to create an effective environment for Dharma practice and the development of spiritual community at Aryaloka — we’re all here because we care about each other, we care about Aryaloka, and we care about everyone who hasn’t yet walked through the doors. We care about those who will walk through the doors after we have passed.” excerpt from a recent talk by Suddhayu

It is a joy to see the new life of spring emerging in Aryaloka’s gardens, forest and river; it is a joy to welcome our sangha back to in-person gatherings, workshops and retreats!

With the spring comes Aryaloka’s annual pledge drive. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, giving in the pledge drive was again strong in 2021 with more than $40,000 in gifts from nearly 100 donors. If you have pledged or given your support, thank you! We can only do this with your help.  

Dear Friend ,

At the beginning of 2021 Aryaloka was still physically empty as our sangha continued to engage and grow on Zoom. We held six online retreats of varying length and hosted many people in the solitary cabin and Akashaloka for personal retreats. Our Tuesday Friends’ Evenings continued online as a weekly opportunity for the sangha to gather and practice together.

In July we began holding in-person and hybrid activities at Aryaloka. We have had a welcome home weekend, two yoga and meditation weekends, Shantimukta’s ordination retreat, a ten-day women’s training-for-ordination retreat, a week-long Zen rental and a week-long Noble Silence Retreat. Most of these events were fully booked, and all of them were run with covid related precautions. We also resumed weekly outdoor or screen-porch meditations, as well as Sangha Hikes.