Building the Retreat Centre
The following is taken from the “Crystal Mountain Visioning Session Report, Sunday, 19 August 2007”.
The vision of use for the land at the time it was bought was to have at most 30 to 40 meditators staying in small cabins spread out over this 20-acre property, identified as Lot 9 and 10 on the map. In 1999 Lot A was purchased, adding a further 51 acres and Lot 10 was sold to two of our members, equalling 61 acres in total. Permission to build one large house and one cabin is intrinsic with Lot 9. Unfortunately, for the purpose of meditation what is needed is many small cabins or “huts” rather than one major building. Our tradition is historically a wandering one, with the teaching of meditation as the goal, not the building of a monastery. The problem is to build an easily sustainable centre without incurring a large monetary drain on the teachers or the meditators.
The Island Trust is the political body that makes the decisions about how land on Galiano may be used (including a public process for the community plan and land use bylaws). The primary difficulty is that no existing zone is applicable to a Retreat Centre. We submitted an application to the Island Trust 3 years ago. We have been discussing with the Trustees the advantages, to the island, of having an ecologically-minded group of people meditating on the land for the past decade. The trustees are elected every 3 years, we are now in discussion with the 3rd set. A possible solution is the creation of a “forest retreat” zoning category, it will become the prototype for all the Gulf Islands.
The land which has been purchased by Lama Mark Webber is Lot 10, part of our original purchase. Mark plans to begin building a house in May 2008.
It was proposed that a teaching building be built on Lot 9, as allowed, and that a number of small huts that are moveable be acquired so that retreats could be arranged easily as desired. The teaching building should accommodate up to 16 people for classes, possibly 650 square feet. The huts could be around 100 square feet, located on cement pads, with room for a bed, some cooking facility, and a simple shower arrangement. An outhouse would be located nearby. The huts should be low impact and easily sustainable. Effort will go into a design, first on paper. Then a prototype will be built so that cost per hut can be determined and funding for 4 or 5 huts can follow quickly. The vision is that as soon as Mark’s house is finished, retreats can commence on the property, finally on a year-round basis.
It was noted that this model of a retreat centre, without a central cook and main dining room, cuts down on the need for communication between meditators and allows for more time to be meditative, each person being much more self-sufficient. The overhead and difficulties of having a paid staff are avoided, so money can be used to support the property more directly.
Large summer retreats are still possible, making use of the existing outdoor kitchen, and having cooks who attend classes, as has been the plan in the past. During such a large retreat, one person can be designated as contact person, having a car and a cell phone to facilitate co-ordination according to the needs of meditators and the problems which arise.
There is a recognition that access to the property on roads that are easier to navigate will happen along with other developments.
Discussion ranged over a number of topics: The development and operation of the centre should be scaled to the available human resource capacity of the society, and, as is the practice at light retreats, directed chores would focus on looking after the land and the buildings thereon. The forest as it exists should be used in the near future for harvesting trees chosen very selectively to be used in the building of the centre. The old growth area would be protected. Possible future revenue generation could come, for instance, from growing fruit on the property for the production of jams. A suggestion to create a fund, to offer first retreats free, then supporting the work as confidence increases. Work retreats could be implemented to further goals on the property. The existing sky huts could possibly be winterized to further increase accommodation in cooler weather. It was also acknowledged that teaching could someday expand to include the teaching of arts and crafts, but that is a possibility for the future, not for now when the focus is more strictly on meditation.
Committees were set up, as follows:
Hut Committee: Mark, Jamie, Kim : this committee will come up with suggestions for the prototype, and costs.
Short Retreat Model Committee: Janice, Steve G. : committee to develop a plan for a step between the public classes and a full retreat.
Fundraising: Stephen F.
Communication: Jamie, Arlene, John : this committee will produce a good quality colour brochure with architectural drawings of a proposed hut
An attempt will be made to reconvene for a report on the work of the committees. Date TBA.
We welcome your responses to these ideas and the development and implementation of our plans. Thanks to all who attended, to John and Steve, and to Arlene for taking notes. Thanks to Mark for inspiring the gathering.
With Metta, Helen
Our Footprint- Based on our recent ecological study of the entire Crystal Mountain property, Crystal Mountain is aiming to create an ecologically sensitive and sustainable retreat centre.