Dear Friends of Vipassana Hawai'i and Hawai'i Insight Meditation Center, 
We invite you to celebrate with us the birth of a 25 year dream: Thursday May 24, 2007 the long awaited acquisition of 200 acres of rural, oceanfront land, lush with streams, dramatic beaches and over a mile of coastline, soon to embrace a unique meditation center in the world.
Ten years have passed since we stood on a pali (cliff) near the sacred grounds of a family temple of the Hawaiian King Kamehameha looking across a deep blue water bay at one of the most stunning land and coastlines on the planet. After eight years of waiting for escrow closure, Vipassana Hawai'i is ready to move forward with strength and resolve to manifest our vision for the benefit of many, far into the future. Following three decades as practitioners and teacher heirs of Burmese lineages, what is being birthed may be a first of its kind in bringing together a confluence of land, lineage, legacy and sustainable living.
Before going on, we wish to offer each and every one of you a deep debt of gratitude for your patience and understanding as well as your generosity, support and faith over the years. Your involvement from the beginning, and now as we move with a tectonic shift into a manifestation stage, has and always will be essential in what is now unfolding. We want to impress upon you: it's been worth the wait.
The Land: it has had a hold on us from the beginning; asking us all to be still and listen. Our intention is to be the best protectors and caregivers; offering a quiet, simple way of life.
The Living Pono: (Hawaiian: what is right, in alignment with Truth): true-hearted relationships practiced and taught; and sustainable living: a goal of a “green” low environmental impact Dhamma retreat center and community with zero-energy solar/wind power systems; compost toilets; community cooperation in “build your own yurt.” Our focus includes silent practice as well as special programs promoting and supporting contemplative practices in mainstream society, geared towards youth, elders, the environment, and the local community.
The Legacy: HIMC has three underlying values for passing on the Gift of Dhamma: Fusion Retreats in direct partnership with our Burmese monastic tradition; focus on youth and the generations to come: with an aim to continue the lineage and pure transmission of Dhamma into the future; and guardianship of the land with a quiet hermitage for senior practitioners.
The Lineage: through revered Dhamma master Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Lakkhana of the Mahasi Sayadaw lineage stretching back to the Buddha, we're entering the 12th year of Fusion Retreats in Burma and Hawai'i. These retreats combine a close relationship between Burmese senior meditation monks and nuns with our own teaching team and trainees.
We now are calling for your involvement in this long-awaited vision. There are a number of ways to be involved: could you help us find a full-time Executive Director who is or willing to be Hawai'i based? We also invite you to keep in mind our upcoming need for Project Management, Administrative Assistant and others with skills in the special projects vision of HIMC: green technology and sustainable living, youth leadership, yurt design and construction. Please email, call or write the address on the letterhead above to get on our mailing list for future updates on the development of the HIMC.
With our deep respect & appreciation,
Michele McDonald and Steven Smith
Read more about the Hawai'i Insight Meditation Center.
