The planning of our library project continues! Last week Sidd and I met with Hannah, an artist and architect who has joined our group. It has been a blessing to have her involved in our project, because Sidd and I are both out of our element when it comes to art and architecture. Hannah is very knowledgeable of traditional Tibetan design and architecture, and discussing with her helped Sidd and I form a more complete picture of what our library will look like when it is finished. The three of us reviewed the resources we will need for the library, and have added paint and art supplies to the list. The current list is as follows:

Concrete and wood planks for forms.

Wood planks for floor boards.

Several nails, bolts, screws.

Wood planks (some reused from foundation forms) for rammed earth forms.

Soil with some concrete mixed in for the rammed earth material.

Waterproofing sealant for the walls.

Wood planks for the ceiling.

Tarps for a waterproofing layer in the roof.

Reed, grasses etc. for roof thatching.

Paint, wood stain, and brushes for interior decorations and mural.

Wood for tables and chairs.

Wood for shelves.

Oil lamps, rope, and hooks to hang them from the ceiling.

The visiting Lama made a generous donation of 1000 resources toward our library and printing press project, so the entire project only had to raise 500 resources. Since there are three groups within this project, the scholars deciding what books to print/import, the printing press construction, and the building of the library, Sidd, Hannah and I have decided to work toward contributing about 165 resources, which is approximately 1/3 of the resources we have to raise as a group. I have donated 10 pieces of gold toward buying materials and supplies for our project. Since my house and shed were not destroyed in the hail storm, I have a decent amount of materials and supplies we can use, and as such I have donated 35 building resources toward the project. Since my secondary skill is a trader, I have imported some bags of concrete mix and several planks of wood with 20 trading resources and extra trading resources donated by the group working on book selection and printing press construction. Sidd and I chose to import planks of wood rather than cut down trees so we don’t needlessly violate our sacred forests.

Our schedule for building is approximately 1 month: 2–3 weeks for building the foundation, floor, walls, and roof, and 1–2 weeks for building the shelves and painting and decorating the inside of the library. Though Sidd and I will be participating in and directing the construction of the library, we alone cannot build it all! Rammed earth is a very labour intensive undertaking. We have recruited some labourers from our village, and also some from our neighbouring village who were eager to help with this project after our doctors traveled to cure their naga illnesses last month.

Since our previous library was destroyed in the hailstorm, we have decided to take extra measures to ensure this does not happen again. We are constructing the foundation pillars out of concrete to ensure they will not become eroded or wash away in a future rain storm. The walls will be made of rammed earth, with the exterior sealed to prevent water penetration into the library, and also to prevent the soil used in the rammed earth compound from eroding. The floor will be made from planks of wood, as will the ceiling. Hannah has told us that roofs in traditional Tibetan architecture are often flat, but we think the flat roof on the previous library may have contributed to it being damaged in the hailstorm, so we are adding a slight slant to our roof to help rain water run off it. The roof of the library will be the same thatch roofing of our homes, but we will add a layer of tarps between the ceiling and roof for added water protection.

The door of the library will face southward, as Hannah has told us is common to Tibetan architecture. On the North wall will be a mural of Vajrayogiani, the protector of the Nunnery. She is a very powerful tantric deity, more powerful than any male deities. We haven’t yet decided what depiction she will appear in, whether alone or with her consort, Heruka-Chakrasamvara. Though his deep blue colour compliments her red beautifully, the way Heruka is depicted aggressively grabbing Vajrayogiani disturbs me. I hope we decide to show her on her own in the mural.

Underneath the mural of Vajrayogiani will be a reading and studying area, with a few tables and some chairs around them, with an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling above the table. Not only will be able to preserve and reproduce Tibetan texts, but we can encourage literacy of the Tibetan language as well. I believe this will create merit and produce good karma for me and the whole village.

The interior walls will be lined from floor to ceiling with shelves for the books and for the storing printing plates. Since the books are rectangular the shelves will be approximately 12 inches deep and 6 inches high, and about 18 inches wide. This will allow us to shelve the books horizontally with the spines facing outward. We will also build a few shelves approximately 12" deep, 6" tall, and 6" wide for variety, or possibly for storing the printing plates if the printers decide they would like them stored differently than the books.

I visited a local merchant who donated a prayer wheel to the library project. It consists of layers of paper with mantras written on them, tightly wound on a spindle. With a small post through the middle of the spindle everyone who visits our library will be able to turn the prayer wheel to generate good karma and merit. It is said that one turn of the prayer wheel is equal to reciting each of the hundreds of repetitions of Om Mani Padme Hum written on the layers of the prayer wheel. Although merely spinning the wheel is enough to produce good karma and merit, the spinner can also recite Om Mani Padme Hum outloud or in their heads, or for even greater effectiveness, imagine the mantras on the spinning wheel turning inside their chakras. This is a variety of upaya, or skillful means, where one can hasten their enlightenment through different methods. The effect of the prayer wheel inside our library will be to produce a calm, effective mind that is open to enlightenment through reading, learning, and studying religious texts in our beautiful (and waterproof!) library.