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The missing piece of the puzzle

Dharmakaya

 

The timber frame pavilion at the Dharmakaya Wellness Center is located high in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and was the last of a planned group of buildings at the center that host wellness, yoga, and meditation retreats that are open to the public.

“The Wellness Center had a vision to build this outdoor pavilion space and they reached out to us to help them realize it. We recommended that New Energy Works provide the timber frame because of a relationship we had built working together on other projects in the past,” explained Daniel J. Salvatore of PC Construction, the project superintendent on the pavilion. “The pavilion space is intended to be used as a functional outdoor area for the activities Dharmakaya offers to guests visiting the wellness center which include meditation, yoga, and various other spiritual trainings.”

 

Dharmakaya

 

Perched high on a hillside in Cragsmoor, a rural corner of New York State just north of New York City, the ninety-acre campus of the wellness center is as inspiring as it is breathtaking. Far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the grounds of the center are tailored to promote a feeling of calm serenity in a quiet natural setting.

“There is no nicer place to watch the sun rise, I can tell you that. The sunrise coming up over the mountains was picture perfect every day when we were on-site,” Daniel shared. “The area is very secluded off a winding country road. Once you pull off the main road you actually drive up to the center another half mile through the mountains to get there. It is a very peaceful place. You get an overwhelming feeling of calm once you drive through the gate. It is really a wonderful place to visit.”

 

Dharmakaya

 

The word Dharmakaya is derived from the Sanskrit word for “truth body”, one of the three metaphoric bodies of a buddha in Mahāyāna Buddhism, and those concepts are at the core of what the wellness center offers the public through its classes and retreats.

“The pavilion is the piece that brings the whole complex together. The trustees of the center had a vision for an outdoor area that could extend what they offer indoors out into the idyllic mountain surroundings. It was the final piece to the puzzle,” Daniel explained. “The folks who run the center are super nice people. It was probably the first project that I have ever done where the clients were actually hugging us when we left because they were so happy with the results.”

 

Dharmakaya

 

Offering a wide range of inclusive teachings, the center hosts afternoon and weekend programs, short-term retreats for individuals and groups along with more traditional longer-term retreats for dedicated practitioners. They also offer hotel-style accommodations with included meals that are wholesome and vegetarian in nature, made with locally sourced organic ingredients in the centers on-site kitchen.

“The center is open to the public, and it is a very nice, friendly, and warm place to visit,” Daniel surmised. “The center encourages people, anybody, to stop in and relax. Regardless of what you might think this place is all about, I would recommend stopping by to anyone and everyone. It is a very special place.”

 

For more, please visit: www.dharmakayacenter.org

 

Dharmakaya