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, and progress is being made in replacing the guest lodgings (nearly halfway done), and it looks like soon we’ll be able prepare the ground for a new barn/utility building and infrastructure for solar arrays, electrical transformers and inverters for the planned project. Once these are finished, we’ll be able to move on to the sala itself.
All donations toward the New Sala are of course much appreciated, and will be used to move the project forward in phases, as described.
Lodgings Building
The first building in the master plan to be built is an accommodation building for overnight guests, to replace the existing, rather moldy Triplex. This consitutes phase one of the New Sala project (see above). We have completed about 50% of construction, including the outer shell and septic, and work has now paused until such time when we can continue if and when funds allow.
Eventually this building will become the women's quarters, yet it’s likely that for some period of time it will need to be used by both women and men (residing on separate floors), until we are able to build an identical building for men sometime in the future, as outlined in the master plan.
This project is the most pressing of the monastery’s current needs, and, as of October 2024, work has come to a pause because of a lack of funds.
Moving Electricity Lines
In order to build the Utility Building (barn replacement, workshop, storage, garage, solar battery bank, etc.), which we had hoped to do first, the electricity lines that currently hang over the site will need to be moved. This has proved to be a long and expensive process with uncertain timing. We have therefore changed plans and are starting on the Lodgings Building before the Utility Building, and moving ahead whenever we can with the electric/phone lines project in parallel.
New poles have now been installed on Converse Rd. Next steps will require:
putting in new lines to the monastery (underground or overhead, depending on costs and what the electricity company allows);
installing a transformer and laying trenches and lines to the buildings in the master plan;
convincing the phone company to move their lines without charging a fortune to do so;
and installing a large solar array to connect to this system, in a way that will power the site and allow for self-sufficiency if the grid goes down.
Eversource contractors laying in poles, October 2023
No more kutis for now
We are very grateful for the support over the past eight years which has allowed the sangha to build seventeen kutis in the forest. This is enough for now, and we won’t plan to build any more for some years at least.
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.
