On Sunday, Tahn Pamutto and Tan Santi joined fellow monastics with Wat Thai Thavorn in visiting their Albany branch temple – along with a large contingent of of the Indonesian Buddhist Family.
The purpose of the trip was to inter the ashes of friend and family member Robby Mulyadi, as well as three others, at the base of freshly planted trees. The afternoon, from the generous potluck meal to the gathering of friends to the planting of the trees, was a wonderful example of how many facets of life are tied together by a temple.
The land was donated only a few years ago, and has needed work and donations to be ready to receive guests and host both laypeople and monastics for meditation. But, wanting to give charity, where better than the place where you and your family can go to get out of the city? Children played and adults shared stories, all in the peace of the quiet country neighborhood. When nobody is visiting, the resident monks use it as a quiet retreat for practice.
Looking around, one can’t find anything that doesn’t have someone’s fingerprints on it, and they’ll be able to reflect on their part in getting the place running for years to come. Most importantly for the task of the day, when loved ones come to remember those who have passed, they’ll be combining it with the support of community and activities they enjoy.