In the early hours of Thursday 23rd January, the oldest building of Lower Hamlet went up in flames. In this article we share what happened and how you can support us.
Thanks to the buddhas and bodhisattvas, one sister woke up and the nine sisters asleep on the upper floor were able to get out just in time.
The Purple Cloud building is more than just a building: it is the heart and hearth of our hamlet. It’s one of the first structures to be renovated after Plum Village was founded. It’s where Thay’s room was located, and where ten sisters lived. When Thay was still with us, it was here that he rested after Dharma Talks, welcomed guests for tea, guided his students, listened to chanting, signed books, and relaxed in his hammock.
The sisters of Lower Hamlet are hugely grateful for all the support and help that has come to our aid in the last 36 hours. Three large volunteer firefighting teams mobilized from the surrounding countryside, thirty men and women all woken from their sleep. They arrived by 3am, along with our beloved local mayor, the police and ambulance, and stayed throughout the night.
Community spirit
It took almost 3 hours to contain the flames which took hold and ravaged the building. The fire crews did their best to save as much as they could of the structure, including the front, north, and south facades. The rest was gutted. At different moments of the night with the help of the firefighter teams, we were able to evacuate some precious items, including original calligraphies by Thay, Dharma and vinaya books, and whatever we could of a few cherished items in Thay’s room that survived the first gust of flames. We are awaiting the results of an expert investigation into the cause of the fire, which seems to have begun in the walls.
The Lower Hamlet sisters are heartbroken by this loss, and still in shock and recovery. At the same time, we are resolved to rebuild this sanctuary and preserve all we can of the energy of our dear teacher that remains in this space and in everything we could save. Rebuilding and restoring Purple Cloud for all of Thay’s students to enjoy has now become an urgent part of our plans, already underway, to construct a new ecological building that can accommodate all 60 sisters together.
Your generosity can help us as we rebuild. Any donation will help:
Solidarity
In this moment, we feel a deep sense of interbeing with everyone around the world who is also enduring loss at this moment—the loss of homes, safety and sanctuary. In California, in Gaza, in Ukraine and in places around the world. We are keenly aware of everyone who is struggling to rebuild, and of the strength and resilience we have in our communities, to hold our hearts and values together in the face of destruction. We send out wishes for all of us around the world in our various communities, that the power of our collective energy may enable us to build (and rebuild) spaces of peace and sanctuary that we can pass on as a sacred refuge to future generations.
