On Sunday 22 May we ritually enacted the handing over of the chair of Akashavana from Mumukshu to me. Maitreyi, as president of Akashavana, led the ceremony, which Punyamala (who is leading the summer ordination retreat which is currently underway) very generously agreed could take place in the shrine room up at the retreat centre.  A number of the women on the ordination retreat came to witness and take part in the ritual, adding to the depth and luminosity of the sangha jewel shining throughout.

There were a number of synchronicities that occurred in relation to the event, including the fact that Vikasini was able to be present, meaning that there were 4 generations of Akashavana community members, all with an overlap (from Vikasini, to Mumukshu, to me, to Padmasakhi as the newest member of the community).

We concluded the ritual by circumnambulating the stupa, which is becoming/emerging/arising as a deeply significant energy and presence within the mandala of Akashavana. A recent addition to the landscape that perhaps has always been here.

I accept the responsibility of chair with both seriousness and a lightness of heart and the understanding that Akashavana is a collective endeavour, that could not exist without the energy, involvement, inspiration, commitment and support of so many women in so many ways, from the very beginning of the project to the present day. Our lineage is very much alive and tangible in everything that happens here, from the mundane to the mysterious. Long may this continue…

I offer these verses from Shabkar:

In wild places where no one lives,

Are pleasant caves in which to dwell and practice.

In wild places where no one lives,

One’s consoling friends will be wild animals and birds.

In wild places where no one lives,

One’s nourishment will be wild roots and berries.

In wild places where no one lives

Is the market where samsara is traded for nirvana.

In wild places where no one lives

Are the conditions favourable for realisation.

In wild places where no one lives

Is natural beauty delightful to behold.

There is no possible way to express

The many virtues of staying in remote and lonely places

Far removed from human habitation.

Therefore, heir of the Victorious Ones,

Go to a secluded place and practice!