Ven. Kunga, visiting form Sravasti Abbey, speaks about her experience with Clear Mountain during the annual Almsgiving Celebration in June of 2025. The community’s warmth and welcome were heralds of a greater summer! A photo album of this, and other events, can be found here.
“When I met Clear Mountain Monastery, I walked into a me-shaped hole.”
Clear Mountaineer Tyler couldn’t have said it better. Tyler was one of the participants who volunteered mid-way through the Almsgiving Ceremony to share the impact that the Clear Mountain Monastery Project has had on his life.
Personally speaking, I knew exactly what me meant. The moment I stepped off the plane and into the Conovers’ car, I felt completely at home.
I had checked WhatsApp and read a message from Ajahns Nisabho and Kovilo: “We’re so glad you’re here. Let us know if you need anything.”
The Ajahns have the beautiful ability to make anyone and everyone feel welcome. I certainly felt it myself when I joined in the community walks, Volunteer Park picnic, and alms round at Pike Place in the days before the June 28 ceremony. A young couple with a 4-year-old were some of the out-of-towners attending the big event, and I saw how welcomed they also felt.
The inclusivity of the Clear Mountain community blew me away, which includes people of all genders, ages, ethnicities, and even nationalities (a family from Thailand donated the robe of merit).
Again and again, people shared how much Clear Mountain meant to them as the loving and inspiring community that they had always longed for. A man who was visiting after having moved away shared that he hadn’t realized the preciousness of the community until he left.
Another Clear Mountaineer revealed that, due to the community the Ajahns have built, his Seattle wasn’t as lonely and cold as others’.
It’s not every day that one sees a monastery built from the ground up, and being part of such a rare process generates tremendous merit. We all rejoiced in the news that land had finally been found to provide a physical home for Clear Mountain. I could not forget the Ajahns’ joyous effort over the past four years to build a vibrant community is what made this possible.
The beautiful atmosphere of caring, sharing, and belonging that I entered into this past weekend showed me that the real work of building a monastery is not erecting the walls. Rather, it is creating a community by tearing down the emotional walls that separate people from one another, the walls that prevent friendliness, generosity, and joy from flowing freely from one human to another. All of us want happiness and connection, and it is only our habitual misconceptions and fears that prevent us from realizing our interdependence with every living being.
In these angst and fear-ridden times, the elusive holy grail is an open, welcoming community where everyone feels welcome and cared for. Ajahns Nisabho and Kovilo – along with their many dedicated “Clear Mountaineers”, board members, and supporters from around the world – have been able to bring this about in Seattle.
I will continue to join this flourishing Dhamma family from afar as they enter their exciting new stage of establishing Clear Mountain Monastery. I am so thankful that the Dhamma still touches the lives of many people in these dark and distracted times. I hope that Clear Mountain Monastery serves as a shining beacon of Dhamma for many generations to come.