June 2006
Miracles and Manifestation at Shambala Retreat Centre

Dear Friends of Shambala,
I would like to update you on the latest manifestation related to Shambala Retreat Centre.

In April, a very generous offer was made by Venerable Patricia Devoe to partly sponsor a life size statue of the Buddha of Compassion. Known as Chenrezig in Tibetan and Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit, this Buddha has one thousand arms signifying his universal service to all living beings. Within the palm of each of his thousand hands is an eye of wisdom, embodying his ability to see directly the minds and specific needs of all beings.

It is very beneficial to have holy objects in the centre. To quote Lama Zopa Rinpoche: "Every time you look at holy objects — pictures of the Buddha, statues, scriptures, stupas — they plant the seed of liberation and enlightenment in your mental continuum... Holy objects only leave positive imprints, no negative imprint. When we watch TV or go sightseeing in the city many of the things we see can leave a negative imprint on our mind, depending on how we look at them. But the benefit that we get from looking at holy objects is like the limitless sky. So it is very important to have as many holy objects as possible outside the house and inside the house." (Lama Zopa Rinpoche, 2002)

Yet another miracle happened last Sunday, on June 11, the celebration of Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing. After strong prayers by Shambala staff and students, we received another large donation, enabling us to pay for the remaining costs of the statue.

On behalf of Shambala staff and all beings who will receive immeasurable benefit from this statue, we wish to express our huge appreciation to Venerable Patricia and our other very kind sponsor, who wishes to remain anonymous. We wholeheartedly rejoice in your generosity and the benefits this will bring to our community.

Many millions of sacred mantras also have to be placed inside the body of the statue to enhance its spiritual power and quality of blessings. Our staff will require lots of "hands" to roll and prepare these sacred mantras and we will soon be requesting volunteer help! The statue is expected to arrive in a few months time, after which it will be filled with these sacred mantras by Geshe Tashi Tsering, the resident teacher at Jamyang Buddhist Center in London. The statue will then by consecrated by Geshe Tashi in a special ceremony to which you will all be invited.

Having holy objects in the centre also creates the wealth and resources needed to fulfil the spiritual goals of the Trust. Over the next 3 years, we need to raise £1.4 million, ideally as gifts, or as interest free loans in order to repay the original loan we received to purchase the house.

If you feel inspired to give any donations or loans towards this amazing and inspiring project, please contact Thomas or Maris Warrior on 690690, or email: info@shambala-retreat.org

With lots of love, Margo van Greta on behalf of the Shambala Family