Water has leaked into the residential building at Woodstock’s Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery for more than a decade. Now, the Buddhist community is preparing for a nearly $300,000 copper roof project intended to stop the recurring water intrusion.

The monastery has signed a contract with the Hudson Valley-based J&A Roofing and Siding Company and is close to raising the money needed, President Lama Lodro Lhamo said. Individual contributions have brought in more than $100,000, alongside a substantial undisclosed gift from a major donor.

“So from day one there was already a problem,” she said of the roof.

Known as KTD, the Tibetan Buddhist monastery at 335 Meads Mountain Road is the North American seat of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage. A branch of Kagyu, one of Tibetan Buddhism’s four main schools, the tradition emphasizes meditation and teachings passed from teacher to student.

Established under the guidance of his predecessor, the 16th Karmapa, the monastery offers teachings, retreats, and daily prayers. Its community includes resident teachers, staff, and volunteers, and visitors can generally explore the monastery and its grounds unless a special program limits access.

Temporary patches have provided only short-lived relief for the faulty roof through rain, snow, and the Catskills’ freeze-thaw cycles, according to the monastery’s fundraising appeal. The appeal describes the recurring water intrusion as a threat to the building’s structure.

Kelli Rinchen Lamo, the monastery’s operations manager, said the leaks have also damaged electrical equipment.

The signed contract falls just below $300,000, though Lodro Lhamo said the monastery is seeking additional donations in anticipation of possible cost increases. She didn’t provide an exact fundraising total or remaining gap.

Work is expected to begin later in the fall.

The roof is one of two major building projects at KTD. In the main shrine building, 55 windows need replacement at an expected cost of more than $100,000.

Lodro Lhamo said some of the older windows won’t close properly. Others leave gaps between the window and frame, allowing drafts inside.

“And sometimes once you open it, you can’t close it,” she said.

Heat escapes through the aging windows. Kelli said those drafts make it difficult to keep rooms comfortable during winter practice sessions, with some people bundled up while others across the room feel warm enough. 

The monastery hasn’t launched a separate window fundraising campaign because its leaders didn’t want to run two appeals simultaneously, Lodro Lhamo said.

For Lodro Lhamo, 66, overseeing the repairs is one responsibility among many. Born in Taiwan, she has served as KTD’s president for five years and also oversees the three-year retreat program at Karme Ling Retreat Center in Delhi. She chooses to serve without pay.

“Actually, I don’t have a typical day because every day is different,” she said.

Daily prayers provide fixed points in a schedule that also includes ceremonies, teaching, administrative work, and translating Buddhist texts. She said she has produced about 30 books for use in prayer and ritual practice, and travels to Asia and affiliated Buddhist centers to teach. At the time of the interview, she was in Delhi for a two-month retreat training program.

Most volunteers stay at KTD for a limited period before returning to their previous lives, she said, while paid staff members are mostly retirees.

At KTD, Kelli wants to help a new generation find its way to the monastery, including people with little previous exposure to Tibetan Buddhism.

Kelli, 47, became operations manager about two months ago after arriving as a residential volunteer in November. She initially worked in housekeeping, cleaning the main floor while learning about Buddhist practice.

“I had maybe some seeds of what Buddhism is, but coming to the monastery really opened my eyes,” she said.

Before moving to KTD, she lived on a horse farm in Athens, Ohio, and spent a year and a half in Peru’s Andes Mountains. A hairstylist who also leads sound-based meditations, she said she’s now learning the needs of the monastery’s residents and the details involved in preparing for visiting teachers and retreat participants.

She’s considering ways to make the monastery more accessible, including possible daylong or weekend volunteer opportunities alongside its three-month residential volunteer program. Another idea is a painting class in the courtyard, where participants could draw or paint the temple.

“And everyone can be instructed in how to draw or paint the temple, and they can take that home with them,” Kelli said.

Those ideas haven’t become scheduled programs. For now, her work involves helping the community run smoothly and making sure visitors find a welcoming place to practice.

KTD is accepting contributions to the roof project through the monastery’s Copper Roof Fund.

Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.