Dear Friends

During Ajaan Geoff’s recent visit to Victoria he expressed interest in having a place on Vancouver Island for Wat Metta monks to practice. He suggested we name the project Aranya Refuge. Aranya means wilderness.

As supporters of Wat Metta, we would like to test the waters to see how much interest and support there is for the project. The current plan is to start with two monks visiting for one month. They will stay at the home of Piriya and David Nowak close to Duncan, BC. We anticipate the monks will come in May 2018.

In consultation with Ajaan Geoff, for this first visit, Piriya and David and Brock Brown will share the duties of being the main stewards.

Once a week, likely on Saturday, there will be an opportunity for those interested to offer food. After the meal, there will be time to meditate with the monks and listen to a recorded talk by Ajaan Geoff.

If you are interested in knowing more about this project, please email aranyarefuge@gmail.com and give your consent to be on the mailing list.
We will soon establish a bank account to receive financial donations.
A preliminary budget can be found at the end of this letter.

The Aranya Refuge project is starting as a non-profit group. It is not part of the Victoria Insight Meditation Society and is separate from the operations of Wat Metta.

If the project proves to be sustainable, the goal is to establish the entity as a registered BC society and a Canadian charity.

It is an honour and blessing for our area to be chosen for a Thai Forest Dhammayut Refuge. Taan Saulo commented on the auspicious start of this project as plans became more firm while watching the solar eclipse.

Anumodana!

Piriya and David Nowak
Brock Brown and June Fukushima
Jacqui Balfour