Every visit to the stupa brings a wonderful opportunity to meet someone new, and the potential to deepen their experience. Tonight I went fairly late, after the sun had set and the light set the red rocks ablaze - but before darkness had fallen. There was a man sitting under the shade structure, a man circumambulating, and three women gathered around the information board, talking animatedly.

The women eventually made their way to the stupa, where they each put a water bottle on the stupa itself. Because it is considered inauspicious to put offerings directly on the stupa - we have a beautiful marble top table for just that purpose in front of the stupa - I gently directed them to make their offering on the marble. When they replied that they wanted to bless their water and was told by such-and-such-a-person this was how to do it, I was taken aback for a second. Even though we have guidelines about how to use the stupa, how to benefit from it, there is always a situation that is not covered, a question that is not answered. So, I told them to carry the water around the stupa with them as they were making prayers. They smiled and thanked me, and the first woman - a frequent visitor who was bringing her two friends - told me that it was only a matter of time before the stupa was visited by thousands every day and moments like these, with just a half dozen of us, would be rare. It made me even more determined to create the rest of the vision, the temple and activity center and stupa park, so that we can at least offer our visitors a place to sit and a cup of tea!