Dear Friends,
As you may know, before Ishwar left his physical body, he established a new ISHA Dera Building Committee, which he authorized to have complete responsibility for building Dera Baba Sawan Singh on the ISHA lands in Bruce, Wisconsin. This committee has been actively working on the design and planning for the new Meeting Hall, which will be located on ISHA Hill along the Chippewa River. Today’s blog is a letter from the committee to the fellowship of Ishwar’s friends.
With warmest regards,
Paul Bauer
ISHA Dera Building Committee
Hello Dear Friends of Ishwar Ji,
For many years, Ishwar Ji has spoken of building a dera as a humble tribute to his own Master, Great Master Hazur Maharaj Baba Sawan Singh Ji.
During the last eight years, Ishwar Ji has directed the ISHA Building Committee to manage ISHA lands and to plan for the construction of a meeting hall in which future Masters can meet and speak. Ishwar Ji always emphasized that the building project was about people, not about the building. He also made it clear that all of ISHA’s construction work would be done using voluntary contributions, and that work will only proceed when there are enough funds to pay for the building. In his own words: “I want every satsangi, even the poorest of the poor, to be given the opportunity to offer something in seva, even if it is only a dollar. I would also like all satsangis, rich and poor, young and old, to participate in the construction, even if they can only carry one brick. Your smallest efforts are precious to me and to Great Master. This is seva of love and devotion.”
Since the building committee was established in 2012, the Meeting Hall design has evolved and changed many times, all under the leadership of Ishwar Ji. During the last nine months, the project has continued to evolve as the committee has endeavored to finalize the design of a building that ISHA can afford to build. The cost of the previous design turned out to be significantly higher than the budget that Ishwar Ji approved, so we are currently working to finalize a less expensive building that contains all of the same components at a lower price. The revised building design seats over 400 people in the auditorium, and contains a kitchen and dining hall that is capable of feeding the sangat.
The project has benefited greatly from many donations of equipment and materials from Ishwar Ji’s friends, including a pickup truck, lumber, a fiber-optic cable hookup for the dera internet, use of a backhoe and excavator, loan of a Bobcat, a riding lawn mower, a cement mixer, tools, an engine and transmission for the dump truck, and so much more!
The committee hopes to have a final design this summer, and to have engaged a Wisconsin architect soon thereafter. If all goes well, and donations are sufficient, it’s quite likely that we may begin construction next year. We pledge to keep you all informed of our future progress through the ishanews.org webpage and the Construction Chronicles blog.
“Great Master said — and I agree with him — that if you do seva service for the Master, for a friend, for people in general, without expecting any reward, it prepares you better for meditation. Indeed, at one time Great Master said it is equal to meditation, and that you can see the result in meditation by how quickly you can make progress. So that is why service is so important in our spiritual lives. I thank all of my friends for their service to my humble tribute to Great Master Baba Sawan Singh in Bruce, Wisconsin.” – Ishwar C. Puri Ji
Any questions related to Ishwar Ji’s dera project can be directed to Jagannath at chairman@ishanews.org.
Sincerely yours,
Jagannath Kerai (Chairman of ISHA & Chairman of the Dera Building Committee) and the members of the Dera Building Committee
