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The Diamond Mountain Blog

This is an unofficial blog of news and info from Diamond Mountain University and Retreat Center which was founded by Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of the Dalai Lamas.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Fall Term Registration Open

Hurry on over to DiamondMtn.org/DMU and register for Fall term. Registration closes on September 30th so don't delay. On the site you'll find the campus schedules for both Diamond Mountain and Tucson as well as some info about the empowerment which will take place at the end of the term.

So get going and for the love of the registrar don't forget the additional forms (agreement, medical, etc.)

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Tent Raising and Ditch Witching

Today was the last official work day of this glorious summer. And as usual the tasks on the agenda were fantastic feats. And if not fantastic at least they were fun. The two projects were creating a trench for water drainage and assembling the temporary student union, a 30 x 20 army tent.

The student union will be a place where Diamond Mountaineers can hang, study, debate, and get some shelter from the storm. It will be exclusively for down time activities and will not house any classes, so people can be there at any time for tea and philosophical discussion.

Much work is still to be done before the term starts next week (next week already!). So if you have some time, please come out and lend a hand and maybe I'll even put your picture on a website or two.

Photos of the work day.

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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Last Work Day of the Summer

Come all ye faithful and/or logical. This Saturday will be the last community service day of the summer, that is, before Fall term begins. Help is needed. The project for this day will be ditch-digging, which means everyone who's worked at DM is already quite skilled at this task.

The work will be followed by dinner. There is camping space as well as yurt space available. And if anyone wishes to continue working the next day, that would be most welcomed I'm sure.

So come and get your hands dirty and your hearts cleaned.

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Saturday, September 09, 2006

Raise Funds, Search the Internet

Thanks to a search engine called GoodSearch, you can raise money for a non-profit organization just by searching the internet. One of my favorite non-profits happens to be Diamond Mountain, which is now registered at GoodSearch.com. For each search I complete DM gets one cent. Being the internet hound that I am, I might just pay for 50 retreat cabins by next year. Well, maybe not that much.

Here's how it works. Go to GoodSearch.com. Below the search box is another box labeled "I'm supporting." Type in "Diamond Mountain" and verify that's the org for whom you want money to be raised. Now each time you use GoodSearch a penny will be go to DM (you don't have to type in the organization name each time, it's saved in your cookies). You can even add GoodSearch to your Firefox toolbar search. Now you can generate funds for whatever non-profit you choose just by doing an internet search. And rest assured that the search results will be good. GoodSearch uses the Yahoo! search engine.

If you can't figure this out there is more info at GoodSearch.com or post a message in the comments here and perhaps I can help.
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Thursday, September 07, 2006

Maroke Exam, Sign Up

What's a Maroke exam? It is the end of the 18 ACI courses. After completing all of the Asian Classics Institute Courses a student is sent through the wringer, uh, I mean Maroke exam. This will be the second time we've done the exam at Diamond Mountain and it's a lot of fun. If you have finished all the courses (homework, quizzes, and finals for all 18) then you are eligible to take the public debate-exam. To sign up email the Holder of the Registration List, Bets Greer at dmreg@dmes.org by September 14th. For all those not eligible you are invited to watch and participate with your various peanut gallery activities. The events will take place on October 3rd at 7:00 PM, the first night of Fall term debate ground. Don't miss out.

As for the previous post's message about me being unavailable for two weeks, change of plans. I'm available. Now you won't have to go through blog withdrawal.

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Sunday, September 03, 2006

Deeper Than Love

Registration is now open for the fifth edition of Geshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally's popular talks on spiritual partnerships. The text to be used is another selection from Arya Nagarjuna, Letter to a Friend. Once again the talks will be at Grace St. Paul Church in Tucson for two nights, September 30 and October 1. A great way to kick off DMU's third year. Register here.

That same week Geshe Michael and Christie will be teaching Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training 5 in Tucson at Anjali Yoga Studio. It looks like this one will be the yoga of Marpa. I just happen to have gotten a hold of the text that will be used (I know people who know people), and let me tell you, it's going to be a good one. More info and registration here.

On a more personal note, I'm going to be in retreat for the next two weeks, so no more posts until then (dry those eyes, it's not that long a time). Please check the official DM site for official news, especially about Fall term registration which is coming soon.

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