Garden Parties Begin This Weekend
The first Garden Party of the season is this Saturday, April 5. As always, the transition from winter to spring brings much work to be done, from cleaning up the winter debris to work on the flowerbeds and other land maintenance. No special skills are needed, and there’s a variety of different tasks to be done – something for everyone. It is a great generosity to participate and help care for the Hermitage in this way, anumodana!
These days are also a wonderful opportunity to connect with the monks and chat with other members of the Pacific Hermitage community. You can join for any part of the day, schedule is shown below.
Meal Offering: 11:00 AM. Feel free to bring a dish for the potluck style meal offering (please arrive by 10:30 if you’re bringing food).
Garden Work: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Please also feel free to bring any extra garden tools for the day, and dress in your ‘garden clothes.’
Tea: 3:00 pm – 4:00 PM.
If you can’t make it this day but would like to help another day, email Ajahn Sudanto at hermitage@abhayagiri.org.
And mark your calendars: other garden parties will be on June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, and October 4. (Note that there is no May Garden Party due to the Birken retreats.)
Comings & Goings
Ajahn Jotipālo will be visiting the Hermitage from June 7-16. He ordained at Abhayagiri and has been a bhikkhu for nearly 25 years. Ajahn Jotipālo has spent time at the Pacific Hermitage a few times, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming him back.
It’s been a joy to have Tan Hemako at the Hermitage for the winter retreat period. He will return to Abhayagiri to resume his training on April 16th, as planned.
Ajahn Sudanto will leave on the 16th with Tan Hemako to visit Abhayagiri, returning on the 22nd. The following weekend of the 26th & 27th is still open for meal offerings at the Hermitage; it will be a good opportunity to see Ajahn Sudanto before he leaves for the Birken retreats on May 2nd. Ajahn will return from Birken on May 26th.