Rev. Danny Fisher

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship recently posted a new action alert at their website. It is a petition against a development plan that would adversely effect the Bhāvanā Society in High View, West Virginia–”the only Theravāda Buddhist forest monastery in the eastern U.S. and one of only a handful in all of North America.” The petition explains:

[The Allegheny Power Company] is now considering a route change for it’s TrAIL 500 Kilovolt line through Hampshire County, West Virginia. The Bhavana Society Forest Monastery and Meditation Center is located on Back Creek Road in the Capon Valley of Hampshire County. We recently learned that a new route has been proposed to avoid an auto junkyard which would severely encroach on the monastery property. Apart from the health concerns due to close proximity to electromagnetic radiation, this would seriously infringe on the peaceful nature of our place of worship and the integrity of our contemplative way of life…A unique cultural and spiritual resource, visitors spend time here in prayer and meditation in the peaceful setting of the forest.

[...]

We protest the disfigurement of a beautiful forest monastery and spiritual refuge in order to save a junkyard. We, the undersigned, strongly urge the Power Company to move the power line route so it would traverse the center of the junkyard property, so as to keep the Bhavana monastery intact and relatively secluded from the ugly eyesore which the wide swath of the power line will create.

In the fall of 2001, I was very fortunate to spend some time at the Bhāvanā Society, living in the kuti (meditation cabin) pictured to the left. It is a very special environment indeed and it would certainly be a shame to see it unnecessarily disturbed.

I encourage you to sign your name to the petition here.