In 1987, Ajari was invited to visit Vermont, soon after which he moved to Lincoln Vermont, relocating Mandala Buddhist Center to an rambling Quaker farmhouse on 80 acres of land below Mount Abraham. Ajari lived there on and off until 1999, spending anywhere between three and six months a year in residence. During his time here, besides teaching local and visiting students he became a prolific author, publishing over a dozen books in Japanese. He would spend endless hours creating beautifully hand written manuscripts on various topics- poetry, essays, travel experiences and of course Dharma topics. Also during this time, Ajari traveled regularly to Japan and Europe to teach.

This was also an very interesting time for Ajari concerning his personal practice. As he did when he was younger, he spent a lot of time hiking in the mountains, practicing according to the yamabushi tradition he learned from his grandfather. Also in this period he did an intensive practice of the Heart Sutra. Cherished by Shingon as containing the essence of Dharma, Ajari would recite the Heart Sutra hundreds of times each day. He has often said he completed a million recitations over a number of years. Ajari tells very funny stories of how this intensive practice made him go "crazy" or "broke his brain."  In 1999, Ajari's longtime friend and benefactor who supported his activity in Vermont, let us know that he could no longer support the property in Lincoln. A small group of Ajari's students closed the old Center and Ajari moved back to Japan.

These are photos taken in Lincoln during the period of 1987 - 1999.

        

The Barn Dojo circa 1996