Meditation.

When I began, one of the stated requirements of the building project was a meditation room. Well, if not a room, an area. A space for contemplation. Something intimate. Something small. A chapel.

Somehow I thought this might be lost in the shuffle, but Guillermo and Sandra took special care to preserve this element. They toyed with the idea, and polished it, and returned it to me, with a whole new finish. They confronted me with the idea of moving the space off site. Of making a special sanctuary, a hidden escape enclosed in green. Did I mention I like them?

The compact model has a meditation room. If I am to go the that model, and use that space for meditation, I would want most of the southern and western walls glass. But not all of it.

DZ asked me what I envisioned? A space for 1? or 2 or 3? 4 or 6? 1 is too small. The purpose of zazen is not to exclude the world around you, but to sit purposefully in it. 6, though, is too large. I want this to be an intimate moment. 4 people though, should be able to sit there, 2 facing two, with some room in the middle. maybe 8 by 8. Yes, 8 by 8 seems nice. And, I had not thought of it before, but seeing the compact model with an illustration of someone mid-sun asana, got me thinking at a small porch for yoga, for one, or two, but no more, would be wonderful.

I had an idea. What about lifting up the soil, to create a sod roof over concrete, and build into the hill? A cave, almost a hidden temple. Two pillars, or an arch, shallow wood porch, then a sliding glass front. from the house, you could not see it at all, even if you were looking right at it. From inside, you would look out onto the forest. Not to geek out on you all, but an earth work, a hobbit hole, a lair.

Or alternatively, a pagoda of sorts, a small simple structure, built by friends, with a short door that requires that you bow your head to enter, and then open doors on the other side. Simple, austere, but pretty. Blurring the line between indoor and outdoor like Japanese traditional structures. The idea of building it with my friends is one that is older thant he current building project. As soon as people learned I had land in Costa Rica, they wanted to go. But, suprisingly to me, they wanted to go and build. I think the call to create a structure, a shelter, is indenable and ancient. Kim, Stacey, Ken, Julie, Anne, Forest, Wendy, Jeff, Jason, Jennifer, Goldie, Farzin, Jeremy, Ian, Brian, Pickle, Jill, Eric, Amy, Steve...they all volunteered to go to CR, to Nosara, and to act as laborers, planners, electricians, painters, brick layers...each according to thier ability. The outpouring was something that I did not expect, and once it came it really overwhelmed me. I wanted to hold onto that energy, even past the point where it made sense to erect a simple surf shack. I thought, if they build it, they will feel that this land is thiers too, and will come and visit more often. I hold onto that idea.

The meditation area could, one day, be used for housing. In case of an overflow, or children. But for now, I want an escape, something dim and close and quiet.