Dear Venerables,
First, Ajahn Kovilo and I have been extremely grateful for this forum and community; an sincere “anumodana” to the Bhante Sujato, and all the monastics and volunteers who continue to steward the rich discussion. My work here at Clear Mountain has left me little time to attend to a project I began several years ago: https://www.fourthmessenger.org/ - a website meant to showcase monastic art and writings. A pivotal point in my monastic life was realizing my heart had begun to dry up in the absence of a creative outlet, and my hope was this site might encourage wholesome expression in other monastics as well while showcasing uniquely monastic art and scholarship in service of the Dhamma.
As I don’t have time to honor the project like it deserves, I’m hoping to find another (a monastic would be the first choice, but a lay person with familiarity with monastic ethos and ability to consult with a monastic advisor would also be alright) who shares my love of such Dhamma expression, and would be interested in being the site’s steward. Chiefly, this would entail receiving and publishing monastic art you found appropriate and high-quality, though you would also have to find funds to help cover the annual hosting fee for the site. The site also features an international livestream calendar looked after by two very reliable volunteers, along with a password-protect “monastic-only” section, for more fun work (we had some great comics from Ajahn Kovilo there! And were, for a time, working on a course in Dhamma and Vinaya). Of course, whoever took on the site could adjust it depending on their inclination; perhaps it could even become simply a place to showcase monastic stories of tudong, or scholarship. The site’s title and theme are a wide umbrella.
Please feel free to reply if you have any interest, or know a monastic who might. I’ve always felt, of Emerson’s three Transcendentals; Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, we could stand to cultivate more expressions of the third in expressions of Western Buddhism. Hopefully the site will pass into the hands of someone who can do just that.
Anumodana, all!
Nisabho Bhikkhu