Plans & Projects
Many supporters have asked what the monastery’s plans and needs are. These are some of the major projects the sangha is currently planning to further the monastery’s development. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like to know more.
New Sala Project
Over the past few years, with increasing numbers of monks, guests, and visitors, and the deterioration and limited size of some of the existing farm buildings (leaks, mold, rodents, etc), it has become apparent that new buildings are needed sooner rather than later. The current farmhouse space we use for gatherings is often too small to fit people who come for Dhamma Talks and events, and the utilities are straining under the load we put on the building with so many monks and visitors using it so constantly.
Therefore, the building the monastery needs most is a new “sala” – the central gathering place which serves many functions in a forest monastery: gatherings, teaching/reception, meal offerings, cooking, eating, offices, monastic facilities, and more – all in one big building. Because of the nature of the site, the plan for a new sala requires first taking down the existing buildings currently used for guest lodgings, storage, workshop, grounds maintenance machines, and more. And because these are necessary functions, those buildings will need to be replaced before we can take the current ones down.
Therefore, to build a new sala, the work must be done in phases:
New Sala Project:
Phase One: Build one of the two planned lodgings buildings, a new barn/utility building, and the solar/electrical infrastructure for much of the site.
Phase Two: Demolish the rapidly deteriorating offices currently used for guest lodgings, disassemble the old post and beam barn and workshop, and lay down electrical and septic infrastructure needed for the new sala.
Phase Three: Build the new sala.
Currently we are proceeding with Phase One: The new guest lodgings building was completed in December, 2025. The infrastructure for the solar-electric system, including solar panels, transformers, batteries, inverters, racks for the panels, conduit, and heavy electric wires to bury, have been purchased or pledged and are planned for installation in 2026. The electric company has moved the poles and we are currently waiting for them to install the two transformers for which we have trenched and layed conduit for the underground lines which will connect the present and future buildings. This solar system should provide more than enough electricity to power the whole site year-round, including all the heat for some buildings. Now that both these projects are reaching completion, we must begin building the replacement barn/utility/workshop/garage building, which is the project most in need of funding going forward as of summer 2026. After this, then we will be able to move on to the new sala itself.
All donations toward the New Sala project are of course much appreciated, and will be used to move forward in phases as described above: first the New Barn, then the New Sala.
New Barn Project
The New Barn – what we have previously been calling the Utility Building – will need to serve many functions. It will replace the existing four-story barn which houses many tools, supplies, and machines needed to maintain the monastery, as well as storage areas for lumber, furniture, seasonal tents, and much more. In addition it will replace the workshop, and the three garages and two sheds currently used for vehicles, tractors, and larger machines like log splitters and a hole digger. Also everything currently in the old storage building such as hundreds of chairs used for big events. Etcetera.
Therefore the “new barn” will need to be a large building. It will be located at the end of the drive circling down from Derbyshire Ln, after Karunasom and where the storage building sits.
Solar Electric Project
In order to build the New Barn (barn replacement, workshop, storage, garage, etc.), which we had hoped to do first, the telephone lines that currently hang over the site needed to be moved. With utilities rising in cost, we have been proceeding to move the existing power lines and install the solar electrical infrastructure laid out in the monastery’s Master Plan.
We are happy to report that donations and pledges have been made which should cover the remaining solar infrastructure work, and we hope to have that completed by the end of 2026.
The remaining piece will be to have the two phone companies whose lines still hang over the site, move their wires to follow the electric lines which have already been moved.
Karunasom
We are happy to report that work on Karunasom (the name of the new lodgings building) is complete. Thank you to all who have contributed, both funds and manual labor, to help the monastery reach this milestone. The first building in the Master Plan is done.
Anumodana
Master Plan
Developing plans for the future of the monastery
These are some preliminary drawings for the buildings we envision eventually needing as the monastery grows. Some of the designs and details are likely to change somewhat and will be updated accordingly, as and if we are able to move ahead step by step. Obviously, it’s a huge plan. We expect it may take many years to fulfill. The full vision is required at the outset, however, so that we know what to build where and when, and how it will all fit together if indeed there is enough interest and support to eventually see it through.
