Earth Sanctuary Mourns Earthquake-Tsunami Victims

To ease the suffering of the millions of people still affected by this devastating event, the public is invited to visit Earth Sanctuary to spin special prayer wheels on each weekend in January. The usual $7 day visitor fee -- which usually goes toward Earth Sanctuary upkeep -- will instead on those January weekends be donated to agencies aiding victims of the disaster.

The prayer wheels each contain 1.3 trillion prayers, more than any other prayer wheel ever created. As the prayer wheels are turned, Tibetan Buddhists believe that they radiate an incalculable amount of peace, kindness, and relief from misery for all beings.

The largest prayer wheel in Old Tibet once held 100,000,000 prayers, traditionally printed with hand-carved wood blocks. The "modern" Tibetan prayer wheels, created by Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism and Earth Sanctuary, dwarf that, containing 1,349,580,000,000 mantras stored on DVDs.

Earth Sanctuary integrates spirituality with art and nature. Its forests contain a variety of trails, abundant wildlife and unique sacred sites, and has been re-planted with over 8,500 Northwest native plants.

Earth Sanctuary is open to visitors during daylight hours. It is consecrated ground, blessed by the prayers of spiritual leaders as well as the concentrated effort that has gone into its ecological restoration; over 8,500 native plants have been planted in the past four years. The site was created and funded by Chuck Pettis, who conceived of Earth Sanctuary during a meditation retreat in India.

The two miles of trails at Earth Sanctuary lead to a variety of sacred sites that support prayer and contemplation. There is a labyrinth, stone circles, and a dolmen, each located in areas where the earth's natural energy lines (ley lines) flow and intersect. Earth Sanctuary is multi-faith in orientation. Visitors are free to practice prayer and meditation in whatever manner feels right, whether traditional or not.

More information about and directions to Earth Sanctuary can be found at our Website: www.earthsanctuary.org.

Contact: Chuck Pettis, 425-637-8777
Elaine Porterfield, 206-760-2879