tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77356362026-02-17T01:59:04.877-07:00This 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.Evan Osherowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13339656797303267262noreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-72393143760921459412012-05-26T11:01:00.000-07:002012-05-26T11:01:20.075-07:00

I've been trying to write something about Ian's death for several weeks. I've written a few drafts and then put them aside. It's been a stressful and weird time for everyone up at Diamond Mountain and for people all over who are connected to this place. All the normal emotions around losing someone you care about have come up mixed in with, for me, new and more complex emotions. In my

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-5378150503818363892012-05-01T11:33:00.002-07:002012-05-05T09:06:32.518-07:00

I wanted to post this letter from Geshe Michael Roach before I started writing about this whole situation up at DMU. http://diamondmountain.org/an-open-letter-from-geshe-michael It's a very good letter that describes what's been going on up here since Feb. Here's a letter from Lama Christie McNally with her version. http://www.scribd.com/doc/90220087/A-Shift-in-the-Matrix

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-33922101701036431152012-03-28T21:40:00.002-07:002012-03-28T22:51:11.747-07:00

My time as care taker of the Great Retreat is rapidly coming to an end. I spent my first year at DMU coming back and forth between terms. I'd camp for a month in a tent then pack it up and head east to make money as an itinerant house painter. The next two years I had the luxury of a home in Bowie while we were building cabins in the most difficult terrain I had ever worked in. All the while

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-1370084990475084932012-03-06T18:04:00.003-07:002012-03-06T19:01:31.649-07:00

I had the great fortune to play music with my friend Jarrett while his Lady, Mira, taught yoga at Yo downtown this weekend. I like to do asana but I admit I like playing for yoga classes more. Jarrett and I played guitar and the students sweated. At the end of the class, while the students were in corpse pose, I was looking out the window. I was thinking of a friend who is having a very

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-81058497004803995412012-02-20T13:59:00.003-07:002012-02-20T14:13:19.548-07:00

I'm attaching a link to the Diamond Mountain main page. There's a letter there that the DM board and Geshe MIchael Roach put out that sums up some of the recent major events of the Great Retreat. Personally, I've very happy about how it has turned out. It seems to be about the best solution to a potentially big problem. I am continually amazed at the example all my teachers set for me.

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-90143496005913412192012-02-10T16:02:00.003-07:002012-02-10T16:17:14.306-07:00

It has been entirely too long since the last post. I lot has happened in my world. Way too much to cover in one blog post. We just finished up the second Quiet Retreat Teaching event at DMU. All in all a great time. Lots of high lights. I'm sorry to be so brief. I'm still a bit exhausted and will require time to let everything sink in. I hope to be starting a big job in Tucson in

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-46075431832514958742012-01-16T12:05:00.003-07:002012-01-16T12:43:28.244-07:00

I'm sitting in the Bowie community center using their internet connection. They have a couple of desk top computers for folks and a strong wi-fi signal. Some kids are watching a VHS of the Disney movie "Alladin". The kids love it. It is an engaging movie, I had forgotten. Gilbert Godfrey is the voice of the villain's parrot. Hysterical. Robin Williams as the Genie of the Lamp. In the

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-91159556960049390462012-01-14T21:26:00.002-07:002012-01-14T21:58:33.113-07:00

"It may be the devil, it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody." Those lyrics are running over and over in my head. Bob Dylan, for one, sang it. It's his version I'm hearing. Why? Because I realized that I serve my cat. Yup, my cat. The primary living being I am living for is my cat. I remember hearing that H.H. the Dalai Lama said once that he was surprised to find out that so

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-48661127320653607002012-01-09T17:47:00.002-07:002012-01-09T20:31:51.715-07:00

This new year, 2012, marks the end of my one year care taking commitment. I didn't know how I'd feel, of course. Part of my nature is to not expect much or just be happy with whatever are the results of my efforts. So I was surprised by the positive changes I am experiencing at the start of this new year. Positive is kind of a flat word, actually. I remember talking to one of my friends

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-36281023221434179892011-12-17T10:46:00.003-07:002011-12-17T11:16:55.117-07:00

More and more I have little to say about the care taking experience out here at DMU. It's not that there is nothing to talk about. It is that what there is to say sounds too much like gossip. Even if one didn't have vows steering one away from gossip and therefore it's harmful effects, it wouldn't be cool. There will always be interpersonal drama large and small in any small group of people

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-75019065024347046412011-12-05T11:24:00.002-07:002011-12-05T11:50:32.271-07:00

We have had our first freezing temperatures this year at Diamond Mountain. I think that all the care takers who were around at the beginning of retreat (in other words, all of us still here) have been thinking back to the record breaking freeze we had back then. I think the retreatants will all be taking new measures to keep their lines from freezing. We insulated everything we could think of

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-8162715520699757792011-11-26T10:29:00.002-07:002011-11-26T10:47:14.628-07:00

This blog entry has not much to do with the Retreat. I went to a dance party/fund raiser at the Three Jewels in Tucson. It was a Black Friday dance party. The whole thing was a great success. There were familiar faces, old heads, and lots of people not associated with 3J's. Random people from the street or who saw a flyer. At the turntables was DJ Crimson Joules (Tyrone) calling up the ill

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-72898380234790279792011-11-15T13:22:00.002-07:002011-11-15T13:47:59.250-07:00

The past few weeks have taken me away from Bowie and DMU for short trips. I've found some work in Tucson. This is the first job I've been able to land in about 6 months. As a house painter I've never had trouble finding a little work here and there so the last six months has been exceptional. Such is the state of the world at large, I hear. Being in a big city like Tucson has been

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-3032754210493873942011-10-23T16:56:00.002-07:002011-10-23T17:50:28.468-07:00

The folks in retreat are in a deep retreat period right now. The caretakers like these periods because it means we do not do maintenance projects in the valley nor do we deliver large packages. We only deliver groceries and take out the trash. The other day, I went up and helped Ven. Chandra do some mouse proofing at Jamyang house. There are many little gaps in that house that the mice use as

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-87925039805428430442011-09-24T16:26:00.003-07:002011-09-24T17:13:24.644-07:00

I just got back from four days in the Lake Tahoe area. I went there to see my buddy Steve and two friends, Mira and Jarrett. Steve was my 'boss' during a couple of the building projects we did in the retreat valley. He, Johneo, and I got past that 'boss' thing real fast and became good friends. I went to Steve's home in a little town over the pass from Tahoe. It was green there. Water

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-72701005060378747632011-09-10T13:21:00.002-07:002011-09-10T14:14:15.802-07:00

The Great Retreat goes along. A few people are still building on a small scale. Some gutters need to go up. A porch is being finished. The care takers deliver materials as needed. Some electrical work is being done. Some burned out batteries from Solar voltaic systems being replaced. The retreatants are learning about how to care for and not over burden their systems. I feel like it will

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-10110615200706077482011-08-27T16:22:00.002-07:002011-08-27T16:28:49.135-07:00

I logged in to this blog and almost logged out. I don't have much to say, I think. But here I am. I can say that DMU has some volenteers. Two folks from Germany. One man from Israel. Very good to have them here. Bowie is Bowie. I've been looking for work and not finding any. I'm in good company I hear. May have to move sooner then I thought. Yup. Turns out I really didn't have

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-33038905101708094192011-08-07T20:10:00.004-07:002011-08-07T21:11:00.278-07:00

A couple of years ago when I had health insurance for a couple months, I did a sleep study at the local hospital. I'm narcoleptic. My first study was done in the early 90's. No records remain so when I get a new doctor and say "I'm narcoleptic. Please give me drugs" it is sometimes strange. I went to the Willcox hospital which is very small but happens to have a sleep study center. Lot's of

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-58361498643449119422011-08-02T19:00:00.003-07:002011-08-02T19:06:43.784-07:00

I am sitting at the gas station off the interstate right outside of Bowie. No, not the RV park gas station, the other one. The one that used to have ice cream, and a Subway, and a pizza place. Now it has fresh jerky and local nuts and sweets. Not bad, really. I'm here for the wi-fi. It's dark out and even with the glow of the pumps the stars are multitudinous. When you get out into the

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-54406771665045226612011-07-27T16:06:00.003-07:002011-07-27T16:33:15.506-07:00

The rains finally came. We had a real monsoon storm up at DMU and down in Bowie a few days ago. It's not much but enough for the ocotillo to put on green leaves. They look fuzzy now. For those that don't know, ocotillo are like 8 to 10 foot whips with inch long spikes that grow in clusters out here. But the leaves give them a come hither look. We got the new black out shades up in the

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-75078200183060831792011-07-19T21:38:00.003-07:002011-07-19T22:14:17.935-07:00

I went to Willcox to see the new Harry Potter Movie tonight. The final one (gasp). It was four dollar movie night. The theater is called the Rex Allen Theater, named after the man himself. I've never seen a Rex Allen movie but my parents did. I like the theater because it's run by a family and it feels like a family affair; kids and babies and such. They use real butter on the popcorn and

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-41462442262134348912011-07-15T14:00:00.003-07:002011-07-15T14:10:17.577-07:00

When the end came we thought we'd be ok. After all, there was still some money in the food stamp card. The bank account had enough in it to pay car insurance and cell phone bills for another month. A little left over to cover the minimum payment on the credit card. I won't be one of the lost ones, we said. I won't wonder what to do with myself, awash with confusion. All we needed was

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-28219122525437966722011-06-20T12:25:00.002-07:002011-06-20T12:56:41.277-07:00

This morning there is no smoke visible from my vantage in Bowie. The back burns are out and the apocalyptic mushroom cloud that has become a fixture in the southern sky is absent. Yesterday we had fifty mile an hour winds all day. I found this stressful as fire likes wind. Over the years of living and working at Diamond Mountain I rarely knew how fast the wind was blowing. I realize now that

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-10102227035463142972011-06-15T21:39:00.002-07:002011-06-15T22:04:45.800-07:00

Again, I apologize. That title brought a much needed laugh. Tonight is a big night. Fire fighters have trooped in to do battle all night as to be ready for the morning. There is a windy day in the forecast tomorrow. If you don't know, the wind here is epic. Old men in sea captain hats write books about wind like this. It is a heart breaker of a wind. A mind splitter. A wind that elicits

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7735636.post-50093064675171465432011-06-12T21:56:00.002-07:002011-06-12T22:06:17.448-07:00

Again, sorry for the dramatic title. I could not resist. It's true, however. As it stands now, the fire fighters plan to dig a huge fire break about three miles from the Lama House. Yup, three short miles over the mountain behind the Lama house. They have confidence that they can stop it there. Lots of money and people power is going behind this fire break. No problem. Yes, we have all

Matt Galluphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01827626389079892870noreply@blogger.com1