Wood Valley Temple

In viewing the imagery of Tibetan Buddhist temples as well as visiting their spaces when possible, I am occasionally reminded of famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren's popular red haired child character- Pippi Longstocking. More specifically, I am reminded of Villa Villekula, the house that Pippi inhabited- a charming, chaotic and color bursting scene of love, open hearts and a child's sense of keeping space.

The energy on the scene of a Tibetan Buddhist temple or monastery is certainly more decidedly infused with matters of spirit and ritual- but there too is a playfulness, a bright quirk and twinkle in the eye.

Not to mention, the color schemes bear striking parallels.

All photos by Annika A. Lundkvist

My memories of visiting Wood Valley Temple, Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling, are infused with the memory of road tripping southward on the island of Hawai'i. First upward and over, past Pele's domain, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, and onward towards the verdant and peaceful environs of the town of Pahala. Always a sense of calm, active excitement as I rounded the bend, nearing Wood Valley Temple- this bright, active little node tucked discreetly into the rainforest.

I never saw many people there. Sometimes I saw the monks, or caretakers, or a peacock or two.

A friend and I happened to make the "pilgrimage" on a day that was also a Lunar Festival. Our visit was spent mostly sitting quietly in the shrine room until a small group of monks appeared on the scene, at which point we became active witnesses to ceremony, followed by a feast of the offerings that visitors had left over the weeks on the altar. Oreos, gummi bears and such.

Delightful. Not to mention my introduction to ceremony in the Tibetan Buddhist sphere. My next ceremonial experience (just as rich but more solemn) would not occur for another five years or so, back in the continental U.S., in upstate New York.

Aptly named Nechung Dorge Drayang Ling, meaning Immutable Island of Melodious Sound, this Tibetan Buddhist temple runs in the Geluk tradition, with H.H. the Dalai Lama as spiritual director. The center was established in 1973 and while I don't have the history of the center at my fingertips, I am guessing that there is a hearty tradition of local residents that have served as caretakers of this small but spacious, beautiful space.

Aloha and the Dharma

Over in a state I consider home in a very heartfelt way are dharma centers on the most verdant and peaceful of grounds, colors exploding amidst a gentle rustling of leaves and general serenity.

The center for this post is found on the "Garden Isle" of Kauai, tucked into the mountains on the eastern side of the island. Established by Lama Karma Rinchen in 1990 and directed by Lama Teshi Dundrup, this Kauai Dharma Center offers meditation retreats, Vajrayana Dharma teachings for intermediate students and basic Mahayana Buddhism classes. The center also contributes time and efforts to maintaining the first Buddhist stupa on Kauai. A project born from the efforts of the Dharma Sanctuary, the first Buddhist stupa in Kauai was consecrated in 2009. At the Kauai Dharma Sanctuary a central stupa, dedicated to the lineage of H.E. Kalu Rinpoche in Hawai'i, is surrounded by smaller stupas.

The stupa project in general serves as a further unifying force for Lama's who devoted energy to establishing centers and transmitting dharma teachings throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

Clicking through the slideshows at the Dharma Sanctuary's website also really gives one a sense of the lushness and spacious sense on the island surrounding the centers. The Dharma Sanctuary's main focus is the construction of Tibetan stupas globally with stupas already constructed in France, Hawai'i and New Mexico. As the Dharma Sanctuary states on their website, stupa building....

"is a spiritual technology that the Tibetans have codified over centuries and is now available to the western world....Building stupas is holy work. They only appear when all the conditions are auspicious. "

Stupa Empowerment ceremony at Dharma Sanctuary, Kauai

Source: Kagyu Thubten Choling/Kauai Dharma Center website