LA LUNA ILUMINA

Greetings from planet America! The buildings here are so tall that we didn't notice the last moon go by... OK, OK... never mind. We've covered a lot of our big tiny planet since last we shed our moon's light in cyberspace, and there's no end to the good news. Here are some high-lights [ahem...]:

The name is hard for gringos to pronounce, but the message is universal: The monks of Gyudmed Monastery (pronounced like 'gyoo-meh', believe it or not) want everyone to be truly happy, and to stay that way forever! Is that too much to ask? Well, maybe not - especially if you are deeply trained in the 2500 year-old arts and sciences of the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. Buddhism is studied and practiced increasingly worldwide for its time-tested meditation practices that people all over find powerfully effective in helping people achieve just that. Gyudmed Monastery is one of the strongest surviving centers for such study, and is sometimes referred to as 'the Harvard of Tibet'.

Unfortunately, since the Chinese army destroyed almost all of Tibet's 6000+ learning institutions and still doesn't allow proper study and practice in the few remaining monasteries and nunneries, Gyudmed Monastery was forced from their mountain home into threadbare exile in the scorching plains of southern India. There, its 500 monks survived mostly on bread and water, until our friend Dianne Aigaki began organizing fundraising tours to bring the monks to the USA for win-win exchanges wherein the monks share their spiritual and cultural treasures with Western audiences, and many Westerners reciprocate by sharing a bit of their monetary wealth with the monastery so the monks and their tradition can survive and thrive.

Earthville co-founder Dara Ackerman [now Dara Ackermoore] has done some of her characteristic fancy footwork to bring the Gyudmed monks for the first time to her home away from her home away from home, Santa Barbara, California. This July 29th through August 5th, the celebrated monks will be creating colorful and astoundingly beautiful sand mandalas (similar in both form and function to some Native American 'sand paintings' of the Southwest USA), performing healing empowerments and blessings and conducting other events that are rarely accessible to Western audiences. If you're in the Santa Barbara area, or can get there, we think you'll be glad you joined us! The schedule for the Santa Barbara events can be found on the web, along with other info about the Gyudmed monks and other destinations on their 2001 tour. We hope to see you there!

UPDATE: The Gyudmed monks returned to Santa Barbara in October 2001. Good friends are a great blessing!

If you've ever longed to explore the beauty and culture of Costa Rica, the coming moon may be the time to go! Earthville Ambassador Zak Zaidman will be leading a group of adventurous spiritual seekers on a unique and exciting eco-pilgrimage to Costa Rica in August to explore the beauty and magic of the country and its people and, simultaneously, the wisdom teachings of the Jewish tradition. This 'Liberation Journey' was inspired in part by the first such expedition which took place this past April, when Zak brought a group of exceptionally sweet people to join us in Dharamshala for the Ohr Olam Passover program. Zak's fluent Spanish, deep cultural understanding and spiritual knowledge will serve as a bridge to help participants connect with the heart of Costa Rica, and with the heart of the Jewish wisdom tradition. Rafting, kayaking, eco-villages and lots of fun and learning, from August 20 to 28, 2001. Interested? Visit www.liberationjourneys.com. Space is limited [on the trip, though apparently not in the universe], so don't procrastinate....

In recognition of the fact that animals are much more like people than they are like plants, Beatles wordsmith Paul McCartney famously said, 'Don't eat anything with a face.' Having confirmed that hens also suffer grief when eggs are removed from their nests (much as human mothers would), Earthville co-founder Mark Moore offered a matriphile amendment: 'Don't eat anything with a mother.'

A respected Tibetan Lama and exile Parliamentarian named Geshe Thupten Phelgye proposes a Buddhist variation: 'Don't eat anything that WAS your mother!' The Tibetan Buddhist tradition teaches that all living beings have been reborn an infinite number of times, since time has no beginning - and thus all of us have surely been each other's mothers. This includes nonhuman animals (feel a strong connection with your dog?). So it follows, according to the Tibetan tradition, that eating another animal is like eating your own mother.

Well, reincarnation or no reincarnation, Geshe Thupten Phelgye's work has saved the lives of countless thousands of animals in India. He founded the Universal Compassion Movement, a nonprofit trust based in Dharamshala, India (exile home of H.H. the Dalai Lama) to help alleviate the suffering of all phyla of animals, including not only those who are often eaten or hunted for sport, but also destitute children, lepers and other humans suffering from natural disasters and other emergencies. Long-term plans for the Universal Compassion Movement include shelters, clinics and media campaigns.

The Earthville Network is honored now to provide a home on the Internet for the Universal Compassion Movement's new website, at www.universalcompassion.org. The site, still in progress, includes information on how you can support UCM in its compassionate work. In India, a little help goes a long way!

There's more to report, as always, but the new moon will shine soon enough (hmm... interesting image...). Until then, keep your corner of the void well-polished and remember, "You are whom you eat."

With generous helpings of humor and heart,

Dara and mark, your neighbors in Earthville