Project: The Empowerment and Teachings of Sarvavid Vairochana
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OPEN ISSUES
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- Which Sadhana will be used? Is there English/Chinese translation?
(Sarvavida Vairocana, Manjushri Empowerment, prayers/recitation)
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ACRONYM
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HHST His Holiness Sakya Trizin Rinpoche
PSC Palden Sakya Center
CYM Chung-Yen Monastery
BAUS Buddhist Association of the United States
GBH Great Buddha Hall
KTC Kagyu Thubten Choling
KTD Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
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ASSUMPTIONS
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- about 400 students (max capacity: 600)
- entourage: HHST & family, cook, 3 senior Lamas; total: 8
- CYM provides housing (very limited in number in BAUS guest house
& IKH) for full time volunteers who need to stay overnight.
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DETAIL SCHEDULE
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Mon 06/05
afternoon HHST arrives in NYC
Tue 06/06
morning visit KTC
evening Reception at Brotherhood Synagogue
Fund raising for Sakya schools
Wed 06/07
morning NYC tour
19:00 - 21:00 teaching at Riverside Buddhist Church
Thu 06/08
19:00 - 21:00 teaching at Riverside Buddhist Church
Fri 06/09
19:00 - 21:00 public talk at Columbia's Theologic seminary.
21:00 - 21:45 travel to up-state residence
Sat 06/10
07:30 - 07:55 travel from up-state residence to CYM
08:00 - 09:30 self generation
09:30 - 10:50 students entering GBH
09:50 - 10:00 briefing
10:00 - 10:15 welcome speech, initial prayer, teaching intro.
10:15 - 12:00 request for teaching, silent meditation
12:00 - 13:45 lunch break
13:45 - 14:00 students entering GBH
14:00 - 17:00 teaching, initiation preparation, mandala construction
16:30 - 17:30 dinner for HHST
17:30 - 19:00 travel to NYC
19:30 - 21:00 Chenrezig initiation
21:00 - 21:45 travel to up-state residence
Sun 06/11/00
07:30 - 07:55 travel from up-state residence to CYM
08:00 - 09:45 self generation
09:45 - 10:00 students entering GBH
10:00 - 10:15 brief teaching
10:15 - 12:00 silent meditation
12:00 - 13:45 lunch break
13:45 - 14:00 students entering GBH
14:00 - 17:00 teaching & initiation
17:00 - 17:30 closing speech, offering
18:30 - 19:30 travel to NYC
19:30 - 21:00 Tibetan dinner
Mon 06/12
19:00 - 21:00 Manjushri Empowerment in Flushing (Raymond)
Tue 06/13
morning HHST departs for Boston (LGA/JFK)
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Task List & Conclusion from Previous Meetings
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****** Phase I ******
(1) prepare promotion material
decisions:
- write article about HHST, Vairocana ritual and PSC & CYM.
- only need one version of 4-color English poster or brochure
to save printing cost
- web site needs to be ready by end of March (Ryan Van Meter)
- email list: palyulnyc@aol.com, KTC?, KTD?
- Chinese newspapers: 5/21, 5/24, 5/28, 6/4, 6/11
- Color poster will be made by color photo copier. Need about 1000
extra copies of PCS's color brochure for Chinese community.
status:
- 02/10 deadline for BAUS magazine DONE
- 02/18 deadline for Shambala Sun magazine DONE
- 03/01 flyer in Chinese (Chia) DONE
- 03/08 CYM English newsletter deadline DONE
- 03/13 Tricycle deadline DONE
- 03/18 Snow Lion deadline DONE
- design poster (Michele) DONE
- 03/20 CYM's Dial-Logos deadline DONE
- reservation for Chinese newspaper DONE
(2) design registration form and volunteer form
decisions:
- name, gender, address, phones, email, names of living or deceased
- Chinese registration forms are mailed out with BAUS magazine
status:
- registration form design DONE
- volunteer form design CANCELLED
(3) find housing/transportation
decisions:
- stay at up-state residence on 6/09 evening to 6/11 or 6/12
- may need to borrow/rent a van
- HHST's cook does not speak English. We need at least one
Tibetan house wife as kitchen assistant. The other full
time kitchen assistant can be American or Chinese.
- A general menu should be provided so we can stock up some
non-perishable food. Nancy should have detail
- The 5-bedroom apartment in Manhattan is not available
- Chris's place is available if she is out of town.
- made reservation for Grand Hyatt
status:
- confirmed two cars with driver
- visited up-state residence
****** Phase II ******
(4) Registration
decisions:
- cost: $80, no transportation / no accommodation
- free admission for Sangha members
- English registration/volunteer forms will be returned to PSC
- Chinese registration/volunteer forms will be returned to BAUS
- PSC and BAUS will use the same database for data entry
- combine enrollment lists and accounts after early May
- mail name tag and a confirmatin letter about driving directions,
bus/hotel info
- provide volunteer list, assign people to task
- volunteers who wish to attend ceremony need to purchase tickets
and will not miss teaching and initiation
- reports: student list, volunteer lists, name tags, mailing labels,
prayer asked for living and deceased
- BAUS maintains the master registration database. PSC will
send BAUS update list weekly.
- Name tags will be used in Vairochana teaching for admission
and lunch:
yellow - Sangya members
dark green - regular students
dark green & sticker - student volunteers
light green - full time volunteers
status:
- database entry panel (Anthony Hu) DONE
- define report format for database NEED VERIFICATION
(5) Public Relations
decisions:
- invite magazines to write special report about HHST & Sakya lineage
- hold press conference
- contact persons: PSC: Emily Darrow
BAUS: Hans Hallundbaek (hans@kvmarketing.com)
- issue press passes
(6) Publication and Signage
decisions:
- print recitation handbook & sadhana in Tibetan, English and Chinese
- Lama Pema will provide a list of Wan recitation and Sadhana for
Raymond to look for Chinese Version. (e.g. Samantabhadra)
- BAUS will make copies of recitation book and sadhana.
Original should be given to BAUS as soon as possible.
(7) Accounting
decisions:
- design expense report form
- income: tickets, lamp offering
- expenses: printing, postage, advertising, food, GBH usage,
rental (car, tent, chair, equipment)
- proceeds = income - expenses => 50% PSC & 50% CYM
- cash is preferred for offerings to HHST
status:
- expense form design DONE
(8) Team Lead Meeting
- April 29, and 6/3
(9) NYC Buses
decisions:
- Shuttle bus information needs to be ready by early May
status:
- reserved 4 buses CANCELLED
****** Phase III ******
(10) Volunteer Orientation
decisions:
- on 6/3 (CYM) and 6/4 (PSC) to help site arrangement after meeting
(11) Site Arrangement
decisions:
- students from previous retreat (5/27-6/3) can help on 6/3 afternoon
- rent folding chairs
- use Dining Hall and GBH basement for lunch, no tents are necessary.
- need to prepare for HHST and family to have lunch and rest
during lunch break at CYM on 6/10 & 6/11
- perfer to use cushions and bow stools for audience
- VIP seats are on the side of stage opposite to the mandala
- Throne will be placed in front of the offering table in GBH.
- After closing speech, everyone should have a chance to come up to
the stage for HHST's blessing and give offerings.
- set up stage, throne, bow cuhsions in GBH on 6/3, test AV.
- meditation chairs can be converted to seats for HHST's sons
- need curtain or shade to reduce glare from glass doors
in GBH (lower portion only)
- BAUS will provide skirt and rug for the platforms
- Chinese translator needs to sit closer to HHST in case she
needs to ask questions.
status:
- reserved 400 chairs for shrine hall and dinning areas
(12) Shrine Setup
decisions:
- lead by Lama Pema on 6/4 at CYM
- borrow throne and other Wan instruments from KTC
- Lama Pema will provide shrine setup layout and inventory list
- Few (2-4) Sakyapa Lama's may need to stay at CYM for preparation.
- Wan substances (stuff used for empowerment) will be prepared by
Lama Pema.
- Need to prepare flowers
- sand mandala will be built on 6/8 or 6/9. It is a
common mandala so there is no need to close the room.
- need 2 mandala tables: one for 16-arhan one for Vairochana
status:
- visited KTC on 4/8 to borrown wan instrument and throne
(13) Communication Support
decisions:
- contact AT&T Wireless for air time donation
- volunteers bring their own TalkAbout's.
- CYM purchase 20 walkietalkies plus 10 existing ones
- TalkAbout channel assignment
1. Kitchen 2. Dhama 3.Traffic 4. Mobil 5.Audio
6. Hospitality 7. Site Annangement 8.Sanitation
status:
- tested 1/2 watt FRS walkietalkies. Good enough for CYM.
(14) Audio/Video support
decisions:
- PA for English and Chinese
- FM transmitter for other languages if needed
- Lisa Hochman and Bruce will do video-taping of HHST's visit.
Will cover both opening and closing portions of the event.
- hook up outdoor speakers in GBH walkway and towers
- TV sets for seats in the back
- 2 mic's at information desk for external PA system
- PSC will bring their sound system to support audio/video
recording
status:
- wiring speakers in drum and bell towers DONE
- GBH walkway speakers installation DONE
- 2 mic's at information desk TESTED
****** Phase IV ******
(15) Traffic Control
decisions:
- need 4-8 full time volunteers to direct traffic at entrance
and parking lots.
- need clear signage, orange cone, vest, mask
- contact local police
- put up parking lot # sign
- will NOT contact towing service for illegal parking.
- send tourists away if no more parking space is available. Need to
clear U turn route.
- will have about 250 visitors during weekend days in addition
to Vairochana students
- need VIP praking space and vehicle pass
- volunteers and students can park on the side of GBH
(16) Reception
decisions:
- check ticket at doors (8 people from mobile team)
- set up information booth (1-2 full time people)
- reissue lost tickets
- receive donation on site for prayers and lamp offering
- will need extra registration windows for walk-in's on 6/10
and request for prayer for both days
(17) Shrine Assistance
decisions:
- hand out welcome kit: schedule, site map, lamp offering form
CYM and PSC brochure, recitation, sadhana
- to hand out nectar, blind fold, cushion grass, etc
- a list of names of the deceased will be burned in a bowl
on 6/11
- small forms for prayer will be designed for names added after
registration cut off day.
- Lama Pema or someone from PSC will be the master of ceremony.
Pe-kuan will translate so there is no need for Chinese MC.
- Raymond will set up body/speech/mind offering at begining and end
(18) Mobile (multi-functional) Team
decisions:
- assist Reception group to check tickets
- clean restrooms, dump trash, etc.
- deliver water & lunch boxes to lunch locations for students and volunteers
- need 4-6 full people
- do we need to pick people from Cold Spring or Brewster stations?
(19) Kitchen
decisions:
- CYM provides lunch for students at $5 per person
- may need to hire temporary cooks
- sell bottle water and soft drink
- CYM abbot would like to invite HHST for lunch on 6/10. Need
to know HHST's dietary constraints in advance.
- provide breakfast and dinner for full time volunteers
- HHST will have an early dinner from 4:30 - 5:30 pm on 6/10.
- HHST's cook will prepare vegetarian meals for both lunch and
Saturday's dinner at Dining Hall.
- need 12 helpers. Chin-Feng will take care of it.
- HHST's menu may be found from Jin Yeo in Vancouver
- HHST's cook will use Dining Hall kichen. Dishes for students
will be served along with meal prepared by HHST's cook
- lunch boxes will be served. Tables and chairs will be provided
in GBH basement. It will be a casual lunch, no prayer is needed.
- a Chinese Chef will offer 12-people veggie lunch for VIP's.
- low fat, low sodium, non-fried food for HHST;
dinner: noodle, veggie dumplings;
breakfast: plain yogar, oak meal, bread, milk tea
(20) Clean up and restoration after teaching
- make sure throne and wan instrument is returned to KTC
for HHST's 6/12 visit
- clean up and restoration should start only after HHST left