Karuna School: A High School for Peace

Dear Friends,

It is with immense sadness that we write to tell you of our Board of Director’s decision to discontinue our efforts to build the Karuna School. Over the past few months, we have worked diligently to raise sufficient funds to take the leap from vision into reality. As you know, we hired an extraordinary Head of School, Adrienne Miller, who so brilliantly embodied our vision and was ready to build the team that opening a new school requires. Yet, the economic downturn we have all been experiencing made it more and more difficult to raise the money necessary to take our next steps. We finally realized after much soul searching that our time had run out and that we needed to let go of manifesting our dream in this form.

We feel honored to have been joined in our efforts by so many extraordinary people over the past four years since we incorporated. We want to thank each of you who contributed in so many ways to the Karuna School. You have dreamed with us and cheered us on, many of you devoting time and energy to share your skills and experience with us. We have been deeply inspired by you and will always be grateful for your faith in us and in the dream of the Karuna School.

We are very clear that an idea like a high school for peace can never die. The Karuna School will live on like a seed in each of us and blossom in myriad ways that we could never have imagined. We can all look forward to seeing how this seed will manifest and to watering it in the days to come. Recently we received an unexpected email from Karma Chungdak, the director of the Sambota Tibetan schools in India, who wrote, “I often visit your website to draw inspiration and ideas.” It has been so gratifying to know that people across the world are taking inspiration from our vision.

Yet, as you can imagine, we are heartbroken to have to let the Karuna School go. It is very painful to know that Adrienne Miller will not be creating the Karuna School community of learning that she was so well-prepared to create. We want you to know that, in accordance with our original commitment to Adrienne, Karuna School, Inc. will support Adrienne until she finds her next position. We are confident that she will take the vision of the Karuna School wherever she goes.

Another difficult thing to let go of is the very clear image that we have had from the beginning of the students whom we would have welcomed, nurtured and learned from. We have envisioned these same young people leaving the Karuna School community at nineteen, self-aware, confident, and compassionate, ready to share their gifts with the world. Please join us in praying that others will continue to take up the call to offer young people a new kind of education that is devoted to both the mind and the heart.

We thank you again for all of your love and support. It is our hope that our circle of friendship will continue to flourish in new ways in the months and years ahead. For those of you who can come, we plan to have a celebration of our work together sometime in November.

With love and gratitude,

Prajna and Ted Hallstrom

phallstrom@karunaschool.org
thallstrom@karunaschool.org

Letters From Well Wishers

I am writing to let you know that I am thinking of you and holding you in prayers. It is very sad to hear about Kuruna School, but I don’t want to feel sad because I am sure your effort will never go waste. The seeds of Karuna you have sown to people’s hearts will flower when condition is right and ready to blossom. I just wanted to let you know that your enthusiasm and effort you invested to build a high school for peace has been inspiration to me. I and the staff of Jhamtse Gatsal Children Community here in India will do our best to nurture the seeds of Kuruna you have placed in our hearts through your love, compassionate support and care for this community.

You are in our prayers and thoughts.

With much love,

Lobsang

This weekend I carved out a couple hours to catch up on a backlog of household chores and made my way thru a pile of mail. In there was your letter announcing the closing of the Karuna School. My heart dropped. Partly because I can imagine how upsetting this must have been to you and Ted and all those involved over the past years, and partly for the students who will miss out on such an extraordinary vision.

— H.M.

So sorry to hear the news and also trusting that it’s right the way it is.
…Maybe the soil isn’t quite fertile at this point or maybe some other more important things and projects will grow out of the energy that was built up for Karuna.

Thank you again for inviting us to be a part of the beautiful vision, and our apologies for not showing up in time to help make this happen. We are about to leave for India and then Australia – our winter migration pattern. We keep you both in our hearts and look forward to seeing you again down the road.

With love and blessings from Miten and I,

Deva

The following words are from Jnaneshwar’s commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (1290 AD):

“Perform all your actions with an attentive mind, O Arjuna, steadfast in yoga and renouncing attachment to the fruit of action. Do not rejoice unduly if by good fortune you successfully accomplish something. And if for any reason you are prevented from completing an action, you should not be disappointed. If it meets with success, well and good. If it cannot be completed, even so regard it as good. Such even-mindedness in action whether right or wrong is the state of yoga, which is highly esteemed by the best of people.”

— R.A.

I just read the email… My heart is also broken. Although I was never actively involved my heart was cheering often from the sidelines. Though this dream didn’t manifest as you envisioned, as you rightly say, the seeds and energy do not die. Karma ensures that. And the seeds will ripen in the future in other ways, yet unknown. I hope you are both well. I imagine there has been a great deal of soul-searching in order to come to this difficult decision. Love and Light!

— W.C.

I can only imagine how difficult it was to decide to lay the Karuna School to rest! What a fabulous concept it was (one that I mentioned in a talk at Skidmore last week, eliciting much admiration). Let’s hope that here, as elsewhere, rebirth is a fact, albeit in perhaps unrecognizable form!

— T.C.

It is very sad news indeed! It is always a true heartbreaker when a wonderful idea that fills a huge need tiptoes right up to the edge of possibility. I hope that all your work and commitment have lit some sparks that will catch fire in the coming days and years. In fact, it seems clear that they will. I send you all a heart full of love and admiration for all that you have dreamed and have done. I know that some day we will all look back and locate this work on The Karuna School as the real beginning of a movement.

— B.B.

Wow. I’m heartbroken.

I’ve been putting off responding to your email all week, because I don’t know how to put it into words. I’m so sad for you guys, and Adrienne, and the rest of the team, who have all put so, so, so, so much love and effort and hard work into this project. And I’m so sad I’m not going to be able to see and learn from it. And I’m so sad that it’s not going to exist (right now, in this form!) in the world, since (as you so aptly described in the closing of your newsletter) there are a lot of people who could be so, so well served by a community of this sort.

But you’re right, that it doesn’t end here!!! The ripples of what you’ve started (and continued, drawing on ripples before you) will keep coming to fruition in unexpected ways all throughout forever. In all the stages of your process, you’ve been inspiring all kinds of people. Who knows what rays of peace have already been blooming and flourishing in various corners of the world, spurred by your movement. I definitely saw a lot of those interactions happen when I was so lucky to get to accompany you guys at the peace conference! And, personally speaking, I’ve been so inspired and touched and energized and re-energized by your vision, and the faith and dedication with which you’ve pursued it.

And, from a totally self-relevant side, I feel so, so, so, so indescribably lucky to have been able to be included in this process, and witness and work with and learn from you guys. Thank you so much for all you’ve shared with me throughout this journey. I feel absolutely so humbled and fortunate and deeply grateful. If there’s anything generous or inspiring about me, it’s only a reflection of the generosity and inspiration you and everyone have radiated onto and imbued into me.

I know I for one will do my best to live up to and carry on this work.

Thanks again for everything.
I love you a lot,

Sandy

Sandy Wood
Vassar College student on a service learning semester in Chile

Sad News: The Karuna School is Closing

Letters From Well Wishers

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