Work Continues on Arlington's Kadampa Center

I mentioned before that my family's construction company is renovating a Buddhist meditation center not far from my house. You can see more of their progress, along with Dad, Matthew, and Grandpa George in some of these pics. For more info, you can also visit: http://kadampa.org/en/centers/kmc-texas/ (My comments are in parentheses!)

It’s October and work continues at KMC TX

Buddha, Tara and Avalokiteshvara will stay in the meditation room

But they will need to be protected during construction

The statues will match the other KMC shrines

Day Courses continue even during the construction

The roof of the temple will need to be washed before painting

All the other statues have to be packed away

Two local Baptists stop by for a tour

And kindly offer to help us move the Protector

There’s not much storage space left

Everything fits perfectly

Everything has to come down

Hey, this is kind of fun (That's Ralph, our A/C guy watching)

The scissor lift arrives to help remove the ceiling (That's my brother Matthew)

Meanwhile, the outside roof is primed for paint

The old windows in the meditation room will become walls (There's Dad!)

A temporary shrine is set up every day after the work is finished

Buddha is moved many times to make room for construction (Dad supervising)

All the construction workers are getting well aquainted with the statues

They certainly don’t waste anytime

Even passers by can see change happening here (I think this color looks great)

The extensive ceiling network will have to be removed

Steel beams are specially crafted to connect the vajras on the roof

They will be gilded to match the vajras

The roof will be stunning with gold and red

There are many workers here each day (There's Grandpa on the left walking towards Dad)

Deciding carpet colors can be difficult

Make sure the staff are well fed

The walls in the meditation room are raised even higher

It’s looks as if there was never a window there (Matthew's painting up a storm!)

All the air-conditioning vents will be redirected – an imortant issue in Texas! (The whole family is getting into the act!)

The hidden temple beams are finally revealed

And the previous alcove dissapears

And a new closet behind appears!

Lazer-like precision to do the job right

Wait to see what will appear in next month’s issue!