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A Unique Place for Buddhist Meditation Retreat

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A Unique Place for Buddhist Meditation Retreat PSC REF#:226849 Public Service Commission of Wisconsin RECEIVED: 12/31/14, 6:15:23 PM The Heartland Retreat Center: A Unique Place for Buddhist Meditation Retreat Why Buddhist Foundation Diamond Way opposes Segment O14C of the Badger-Coulee transmission line Summary of our position on the Badger-Coulee project • Buddhist Foundation Diamond Way opposes Segment O14C of the Badger-Coulee transmission line. Reasons why we oppose: • Buddhist Foundation Diamond Way purchased the Heartland Retreat Center (HRC) property specifcally for its inspiring, unspoiled views of nature conducive to Buddhist meditation retreat. • Meditation retreats in nature are an integral part of practicing the Buddhist religion since it was founded over 2,500 years ago. • The Heartland Retreat Center’s topography and scenery are uniquely suitable for private meditation retreats, small group retreats, and large meditation courses. All three types of retreat would be severely impacted by proposed Segment O14C. • The HRC is of great importance to Diamond Way Buddhism worldwide because it has become a coordination hub for national and international projects. • Without the support of visitors who travel long distances to meditate in the HRC’s scenic environment, the HRC will not be able to maintain its operations. Buddhist Foundation Diamond Way appreciates the challenges of transmitting and providing reliable cost con- scious electricity to Wisconsinites and our Midwest neighbors. This is no easy decision for the PSC. Therefore we ofer the following observations in order to propose an alternative solution. • After attending all six PSC Scoping Sessions our representatives observed less opposition overall to Segment N and greater opposition to Segment O. • The CapX2020 Alma-La Crosse 345 kV project (docket 05-CE-136) north of the Briggs Road Substation was authorized by the PSC and is not yet constructed. • Residents in Holmen object to additional lines on Segment P. • Past economic projects authorized by the Commission, such as the Paddock-Rockdale project (docket 137-CE-149) indicate the new transmission line in the area north of the Briggs Road Substation could be constructed in a multiple-circuit confguration. Based on these observations, we propose an alternative solution: • A multiple-circuit confguration on the alignment already authorized for CapX2020 north of the Briggs Road Substation would allow the lines to run through Segments P and N without additional hardship to the people of Holmen. It is our hope that the Commisioners will choose to preserve the Heartland Retreat Center’s unique religious and cultural contribution to the state of Wisconsin in their decision. We believe it is possible to place the power lines on Segments P and N where fewer parties oppose and there are more existing corridors. Thank you for your consideration of Buddhist Foundation Diamond Way’s opposition to proposed Segment O of the Badger-Coulee transmission line. Please see the pages below for more detailed information about who we are, what we do, why meditation retreat is essential to Buddhists, and how the transmission lines would harm our meditation retreat activities at the Heartland Retreat Center. We will gladly make ourselves available to provide any additional information that might aid the PSC staf in their task. What is the Heartland Retreat Center? The Heartland Retreat Center (HRC) near Ontario, Wisconsin is a place where Diamond Way Buddhists go for meditation retreats. The HRC hosts private meditators, group retreats, and large courses. What is Buddhist meditation? Buddhist meditation means “efortlessly remaining in what is.” Practitioners meditate to uncover their Sweeping nature views at the HRC help meditators forget mind’s natural abilities to be clear, happy, and at their city lives and turn their focus inward. home regardless of circumstances. In the meditation practice, one frst learns to focus and calm the mind. Then one applies techniques to see the mind’s nature. By knowing how the mind works, the practitioner becomes increasingly able to let go of limiting habits and express useful actions that beneft others. Diamond Way Buddhism keeps meditation practices from Tibet alive in the West Our religious practice comes from the Karma Kagyu H.H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Lama Ole and Hannah lineage of Tibet. It is special because our meditations Rangjung Rigpe Dorje Nydahl became the closest may only be practiced when they are passed directly (1924-1981). He was Western students of H.H. from master to student. The word Kagyu (pronounced known throughout Tibet 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. “Ka-Joo”) in Tibetan means “orally transmitted.” as the “king of the yogis [meditators].” Ole and Hannah Nydahl met the head of the Karma Kagyu Lineage – the great 16th Gyalwa Karmapa – while traveling the Himalayas in 1968. After recognizing them as his close students and training them, he instructed Ole and Hannah to teach Buddhism and meditation in the West. From 1972 to present day, Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl established over 626 Diamond Way centers in the Western world. Hannah died of cancer in 2007. Among these hundreds of centers worldwide there are Over 626 Diamond Way centers and groups worldwide. a small number of retreat places like the HRC. Retreat The Heartland Retreat Center is the only retreat center in centers are essential. A retreat of a few days or weeks the United States with the right conditions for individual tremendously amplifes one’s meditation results by retreats, group retreats, courses, and organizational activity. creating more distance to everyday life. Practitioners leave the city and go to places with inspiring nature for deep meditation, just like masters in Tibet did for over a thousand years. The HRC hosts individuals on retreat, small group retreats, and large courses The land at the HRC is uniquely able to support three types of retreast because of its location, topography and surroundings. Large groups (200+) gather in the central open spaces for multi-day courses (area C in the fgure at right). Meanwhile individuals practice undisturbed in the woods to the north (A). The “Pine Grove” (B), a secluded clearing between the two other areas, attracts small groups who meditate together and share special practice instructions. The natural environment at the HRC is critical for producing The sight of power lines at the HRC states of deep meditation using Diamond Way methods. would destroy the inspirational environment that meditators seek Private retreats Small group Large courses retreats The HRC ofers uninterrupted nature views in all Proposed power line directions – a rare treasure for meditators. If these A views are marred by power lines, practitioners will no longer have a reason to travel to the HRC. B Private retreatants on the northern boundary would directly encounter the towers. The noise from C corona phenomena and EMF efects are acutely disruptive to private meditators who practice in deep concentration near the northern border. The sight of power lines would disturb the HRC’s unique panoramic nature views. Visitors would no longer experience the HRC as an oasis of nature away from the city. Power lines evoke the industrial The HRC is the only Diamond Way retreat center in North surroundings from home that they intended to leave America that can facilitate all three types of retreat. behind. Large group courses in 2011, 2012, and 2013 were held in temporary structures. Over 200 people attended in May 2013 from North America, Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe. Buddhists travel from cities throughout the Midwest to meditate at the HRC Buddhists regularly travel from Diamond Way centers in Minneapolis, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago to meditate in nature at the HRC. A typical weekend gathering includes 15-25 travelers from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Special weekends with touring meditation teachers have attracted 60-80 who all drove for hours to participate. The latest national course held at the HRC in 2013 brought over 200 visitors from throughout the Americas and overseas. It would be extremely detrimental Diamond Way Buddhist centers and groups throughout the to the development of Diamond Midwest depend on the HRC for meditation retreats. Way Buddhism in the USA if the HRC stopped attracting visitors and volunteers Diamond Way Buddhism is the largest lay lineage of Buddhism worldwide, with over 626 centers in 50 countries established since 1972. However, growth in the USA began only recently. Momentum in the US accelerated in the last fve years thanks to the unique qualities of the HRC and the activities happening there. Because so many people travel from other cities, the HRC became a central place for coordinating Diamond Way activity nationwide. People who are frst attracted by the inspiring nature meet over meals and between meditation sessions to coordinate projects at a national and even international scale. Since 2009, teams that formed and now meet at the HRC manage budgets and fnances, book publishing, website operations, and plan course programming that spans North, Central and South America. This coordination is essential because the Diamond Way organization operates solely through the volunteer eforts of people who share friendship Meditators and volunteers who live hundreds of miles apart and idealism. All the eforts to establish the HRC (listed meet and connect in the free time between lectures and in the timeline below), including labor and construction meditation sessions. projects, were performed by unpaid volunteers. Timeline of eforts to establish the HRC It took years to fnd a property with the unique qualities of the Heartland Retreat Center, and still more to establish its current operations. 2001 • Fundraising for a retreat center in North America kicks of with a $10k donation. 2001-2008 • Pursued properties in California and Colorado. Both proved unsuitable for national retreats. 2008 • Decided to search for a property in the Midwest 2009 • Midwest practitioners held a vision meeting in Madison, WI.
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