Hawai'i Insight Meditation Center
Hawaii's perennially warm climate and the softness of its air and sea provide
a place of perfect solitude and serenity for meditation practice. For over
a thousand years, the beauty, power and nurturing spirit of the Islands has
inspired a culture of people in harmony with their surroundings. For generations,
it has been a gathering place for contemplative traditions from all parts
of the globe. In a safe and support environment such as this, the mind becomes
naturally quiet and supple, and the heart opens of its own accord.
The Hawaii Insight Meditation
Center (HIMC) will be an international retreat center bridging East and West,
tradition and innovation. The great forest monastery tradition of Southeast
Asia merged with the spiritual geography of the Hawaiian Islands will provide
a unique environment in which to offer these accessible contemplative practices
of Mindfulness and Loving-kindness. It will be a sanctuary of land and sea
in which the contemporary transmission of an ancient wisdom will take root
and flourish. We are looking for a sacred region inspired by the ancient Hawaiian
geographic zones called ahupua'a, a place of nurture and refuge.
Extending between ocean and mountain, and inclusive of diverse bioregions
of flora and fauna, streams and valley, the ahupua'a models an intimate interrelatedness
between people and their surroundings.
Our land vision is founded upon an ethic of earth/sea stewardship. Our planned
mini-ahupua'a includes projects such as preservation and protection
of the land, reforestation of rare and endangered native species and restoration
of traditional agriculture. In all of our activities we are guided by the
traditional Hawaiian values: malama -- to care for and preserve (resources,
values); to serve, honor (what is worthy of honor); and pono -- the
sum total of all human virtues and the foundation of moral leadership in goodness.
Incorporating sustainable tropical design
elements, our retreat facility will reflect both Eastern and Western influences while
resting gently on the land. We will offer retreats for all levels of students, lasting
from three days to several months, as well as specialized young-adult and family-oriented
meditation courses. Retreats for environmental, medical, educational and corporate leaders
will also be included in our programs. A clear demand for such increased services has been
demonstrated over the past two years through retreats offered by HIMC teachers in
conjunction with The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society.
Science and medicine both agree:
human wellbeing is enhanced on many levels by the healing powers of the mind
achievable through mindfulness meditation. The Hawai'i Insight Meditation
Center will be a place of healing, nurtured by meditation practice and an
environment conducive to the health of the whole person; a place for discovering
new ways of integrating contemplative awareness into the challenge of contemporary
life.
Land, Architecture, and
Building Plans
HIMC has been consulting with an Islands-based design firm to develop plans
for the construction of the Center. It may be possible to partner with like-minded
conservation groups in order to maximize the amount of land under our protection,
and to this end discussions have been initiated with, among others, The Nature
Conservancy and The Trust for Public Lands.
Architecturally, we will chose
materials and a design style authentic and appropriate to life in the tropics.
This means using, to the greatest extent possible, the elements that have
been indigenous to islands cultures for centuries, i.e., sustainable exotic
hardwoods, passive solar, flow-through ventilation, outdoor garden showers,
large lanais, etc. There is an array of sustainable, low-impact systems to
choose from that are environmentally appropriate and the perfect solution
in remote areas (e.g., wind, solar, catchment, ventilation, distillation,
composting toilets, hydroponics, gray-water irrigation, and so forth). Our
consultants tell us that a traditional approach could save hundreds of thousands
of dollars. Depending upon the features and accessibility of the actual land
purchased, however, even a low-impact approach might involve extensive infrastructure
costs. We will want to utilize all of the existing available flora and natural
water sources, and supplement with indigenous plants, an herbal garden, kitchen
gardens and Hawaiian exotic flowers.
The main structures of the center are planned as followed:
Meditation Hall of approximately 5,000 square fee to seat 100, with
covered, paved terraces for walking meditation
Residence Buildings that will provide housing for 60 participants,
twelve residential retreat staff and teachers and guests
Kitchen/dining Hall which will be used for meal service for retreat
participants and will include facilities rooms for staff
-
Multipurpose Community Building which will be used
for community gatherings, office and administration, a library, and for
individual meetings between teachers and students
Parking lot, Maintenance and Storage Buildings
-
Individual Cottages for long-term retreatants and/or
teachers-in-residence
Residential retreats scheduled year-round
will include: up to 10 ten-day courses; one 30 day course; retreats held in conjunction
with the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society; and family, youth and weekend retreats.
Seminars and day-long retreats will be held in response to local community needs. To
satisfy the special need for long-term practice facilities, HIMC will offer two and
three-month retreats for experience students as well as provide a hermitage-like setting
for extended individual retreats of even longer durations.
Sayadaw U Pandita, Abbott of
Panditarama Monastery and Meditation Center in Rangoon, and Sayadaw U Lakkhana
of Kyaswa Monastery, renowned Burmese meditation masters with international
followings, have indicated their willingness to lead retreats at the new Hawai'i
Insight Meditation Center. The rich mixture of cultures in Hawai'i, the temperate
tropical climate, and opportunity to offer traditional-style instruction make
it a place in which they feel quite at home. Sayadaw U Pandita has long advocated
a thorough training of Western teachers to transmit the Buddha's wisdom to
Westerners ("cooking a fish in its own oils," he would say) and
he has encouraged the establishment of a retreat center in Hawai'i since he
first visited in 1986. Guiding teachers Steven Smith and Michele McDonald
will also be joined by well-known visiting teachers from the West: Joseph
Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Carol Wilson, Christina Feldman,
Steve Armstrong and, Kamala Masters.
Special Young Adult Retreats
One of the best ways we can nourish
the lives our children is by helping them to discover their spiritual "roots"
and "wings" -- the wisdom and compassion they have within that will
come forth as skillful action in the world. At the urging of Sayadaw U Pandita,
who had the experience of including young adults in meditation programs at
his monastery in Burma, Steven and Michele began to operate adult retreats
in 1989. There was some doubt at first that American teenagers would want
or be able to meditate, but with each succeeding year the number of participants
has grown. All 60 places in each retreat now fill quickly and some young people
return year after year, even "graduating" to adult courses
The goal is to offer young adults
the tools of meditation practice so that they can learn to relate to the experiences
in their lives with as much wisdom and compassion as possible. We've seen
that, with a lot of support, they can readily discover, develop and value
their natural spirituality. The intensive mindfulness practice of nonjudgmental
attention leads to and intimate self-knowledge and an atmosphere of trust
wherein many of the young people experience truly close friendships for the
first time. Young Adult Retreats will be essential part of our course offerings
HIMC.
Staff and Direction
The organization of HIMC will
draw upon the complementary strengths of its Board of Directors, administrators,
teachers, staff and volunteers to govern, direct and operate the facilities
and its programs. Current staffing projections are based on the more than
20 years of experience of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts
and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California.
HIMC will be managed and run by residents
staff, including administrative, housekeeping, culinary, maintenance and grounds
personnel. There will be direct embodiment of the spiritual and ethical values that
underlie the philosophy of the project in its organizational management and operations,
with an emphasis on community participation. Ongoing evaluations, surveys and discussions
will help ensure that we are responsive and informed about the needs and concerns of the
participants and retreatants.
The Tradition of Dana
The development of HIMC will
depend on the generosity of committed supporters, philanthropic institutions
and community organizations. The Buddha taught a path of spiritual awakening,
a way of practice that we can use in our daily lives. This path is comprised
of three uniquely supportive aspects -- compassionate conduct, meditation
and wisdom -- which form a "circle of virtue". Dana, or
generosity, can be both a virtuous and compassionate act as well as a source
of genuine happiness and awakening in our lives. This practice of dana
has kept the Buddhist tradition alive for more than 2500 years in Asia, where
committed supporters have given generously to establish monasteries and retreat
center for millions of teachers and practitioners. As the ancient teachings
move to the West, we hope to maintain this honorable tradition.
Your support of HIMC, its teachers,
students, and community will allow the teachings to flourish for the benefit
of all. In keeping with the tradition, our teachers do not receive a fee or
salary for their work, but instead support themselves and their families by
donations from students. The teachings are offered in the spirit of utmost
generosity. For most events and, the fees charged are used to cover only the
cost of running the event. In Hawaiian culture, the ultimate gratification
for a person of wealth is the prestige, the mana, gained by acts of
social and spiritual distinction -- and generous giving is foremost among
these. In Hawaiian and Buddhist traditions alike, then, it is understood that
we most realize our essential nature through liberal giving. Our highest altruistic
aspirations are the expression of an enlightened heart.
We expect that the funds still to be raised will come from a mix of farsighted
individual donors and foundations -- those wholeheartedly committed to personal
or social change and dissatisfied with the solutions they have been offered.
Key individuals will see that insight meditation deepens people in a way that
makes a real difference in the world, for it shows us a way to live an act
with true wisdom and compassion. We have confidence that the vision of HIMC
-- a place of deep teachings -- will be recognized and generously supported.
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