Wildfires: Horseshoe 2 blaze looms at Buddhist center
By Bob Berwyn, Summit County Citizens Voice, June 18, 2011
Wildfire burning within a couple of miles of Diamond Mountain retreat center
<< The Horseshoe 2 Fire in Arizona is burning within a few miles of the Diamond Mountain Buddhist retreat center.
SUMMIT COUNTY — A group of 40 American Buddhists in Arizona is hoping that the U.S. Forest Service will continue to hold the line on the Horseshoe 2 Fire to keep the flames away from the Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, near Bowie.
Along with retreat director Christie McNally, the Buddhists are six months into a three-year solitary and silent retreat focused on praying for world peace. McNally is one of the first women in the world to be recognized as a lama in the Tibetan tradition. She and the rest of the group believe that the power of prayer and meditation can help create peace in the world — but they’re concerned that the approaching fire could interrupt their meditation.
The fire is on track to reach the small town of Bowie, endangering the lives of the participants and the experiment in world peace itself. The retreat will stop prematurely if retreat participants require evacuation.
Scott Vasek, a spokesman for the retreat center, said firefighters and U.S. Forest Service officials are hopeful that they can maintain protection for the retreat center.
More than 1,300 firefighters are battling the fire. Inspired by the teachings of the Dalai Lamas of Tibet, Diamond Mountain was founded to promote world peace, understanding, and the eradication of poverty, war and environmental damage. It has attracted students and staff from all five continents, and graduated its first class of more than 130 highly-trained teachers in 2009, of whom forty are currently on retreat.
Diamond Mountain founder Geshe Michael Roach is asking people to immediately contact their local, state and federal officials to request that every available resource, including money, personnel and equipment, be employed to stop the fire before it reaches the site.
“We want to convey our deep gratitude to all the rangers and firefighters for their heroic efforts,” said Sumati Marut, a popular teacher, author, and podcaster about Buddhist values for modern Americans. “As the fires advance on Bowie, my plea goes out to the U.S. Forest Service, state and local officials to continue to do their utmost — as I know they will — to fully support these brave men and women as they struggle to control the fires. So many precious lives and futures are at stake.”
The Buddhists have been in silence on retreat since December 2010, and have more than two-and-a-half years to go to complete their commitment. The 40 teachers are not scheduled to leave the retreat valley in the Arizona desert foothills until March 2014, unless the Horseshoe 2 Fire forces their evacuation.
