Shambhala Day at the Boston Shambhala Center this year was full of energy, celebration, laughter and tears. The shrine room was packed with almost 100 people. We started early with the set-up (and a big huge thank - you to the 15 and more people that helped with the Neutral Day Cleaning on Saturday and all the setup work!!!). People started to stream in to the Center at around 10 am in time to practice together the Sadhana of Mahamudra and the Elixir of Life. We had a boisterous and crowded lunch break in the community room and then resumed to watch the Year in Review followed by the Kasung’s presentation of the colors and then a delightful shouted ROAR to the entire Shambhala mandala through Shambhala Online.

Tears and joy were shared by all as we listened to the Sakyong’s recorded message of love and exciting tidings of a Royal Baby. Then the usual assortment of Board and Director addresses, a successful fundraising appeal, the throwing of the I-Ching and various Oaths and De-Oathings. The event at the Center culminated with a rousing rendition of the Shambhala Anthem, we quickly cleaned up, and a few of us even went bowling.

Enjoy the photos! And thank you for celebrating this new year of the Iron Tiger with us!

Moroccan-Spiced Warm Carrot Salad

This colorful, fragrant salad is just as much a joy to prepare as it is to eat. I enjoy watching the colors of the vegetables change as they are heated. I also like adding the spices to the oil one at a time so that I can notice how the fragrance of the dish slowly builds. Serve over long grain brown rice cooked in either chicken or vegetable broth. Long grain rice takes nearly an hour to cook all the way through, so put it on first, and take your time.

Ingredients:
½ lb carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1-2 large minced garlic cloves
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cup spinach leaves
Black olives

1. Place the carrots in a steamer above 1 inch of boiling water, cover and steam 5 to 8 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat, rinse with cold water, and drain on paper towels.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the garlic, cumin and lemon juice. Cook until the garlic smells fragrant, and stir in the carrots, pepper, and salt to taste. Stir together for a few minutes, until the carrots are seasoned.

3. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust lemon juice and spices as desired.

3. Serve over brown rice cooked in either chicken or vegetable broth. Arrange with black olives.

The first day of my Level 1, I brought a frozen meal to heat up for lunch. An “all natural” bowl of rice, vegetables, and tofu, it looked like a fairly healthy choice, as frozen meals go. It was steaming and ready to eat in five minutes, and marginally cheaper than my take-out alternatives. Presumably, the bowl had enough protein and calories to get me through a long afternoon of practice. I ate a cheerful, invigorated lunch over good conversation, and followed it with a fragrant cup of green tea.

Lunch ended. The gong rang. We sat. My focus was suddenly poor, and I felt fatigued and fidgety at the same time. My mouth was parched and salty. My muscles felt weak and tired, as if I had not eaten at all. Food has never been a substantial source of distraction for me while meditating, but that afternoon it was all I could think about. My stomach felt both heavy and unsatisfied, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to be served at tea-time and what I was going to make myself for dinner.

Since my Level 1 I have had several wonderful weekends and half-days of sitting, bolstered by the experience of eating fresh, simple meals that just can’t be replicated on a supermarket shelf. Mindful eating – in which every aspect of the food is noticed, during and after eating – has become one of the most pleasurable parts of my practice. I pay attention to taste, texture, temperature, and aroma. The flavor of food changes when it touches different parts of the tongue, and this makes a one-dish meal exciting down to the very last bite. I enjoy the slow, rhythmic movements of chewing, and the changes in my body as energy sifts into my bloodstream – a feeling of relaxation, a warm limberness building in my muscles. Eating is a truly remarkable process.

The joy in eating mindfully isn’t just about the taste, nutrition or satisfaction – it’s about the preparation, too. I found peeling potatoes to be incredibly dull until I first paid close attention to the qualities of a raw potato: the clean and earthy scent, the patterns of the eyes, the crisp, even texture, the slipperiness under the skin. I now enjoy peeling carrots just to spend time with their vibrant color. Food preparation is a daily opportunity to engage my senses, to forget about anything other than the process of offering my body something that it needs and wants. Worrying about a meeting? Back to the sweet smell of the pear I am cutting into yogurt for breakfast. Stressed about a deadline? Back to perfecting the thickness of the risotto I am stirring.

For the next ten weeks, I will be posting a weekly favorite recipe from either myself or another member of our sangha. The emphasis will be on freshness, simplicity, and joyful preparation. Have a recipe you would like to share? Email magazineeditor@shambhalaboston.org.

It was a small voice piping up near the back row: “Are you enlightened?”

They were 66 squirmy but attentive 5th graders sitting in the main shrine room on cushions that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. The gong rang once, twice, and the group quieted down to silence.

From my position at the back of the room, I could watch them watching each other and watching the teacher, Gail Flynn of the Trident Booksellers and Cafe. Upon receiving meditation instruction, they each settled into a form that looked reminiscent of a meditation posture. What was striking to me mostly was the power of their silence - that 66 10 year olds could quiet down together and begin to question what it might be like to discern their thoughts, questioning what it means to open your heart.

They were curious - about the room, about the Buddha, about the shrine and the water and how to do walking meditation, about the banners on the wall, and about why we keep our eyes open when we sit. Gail rang the gong again and asked them to listen, to listen until they couldn’t hear anything anymore, saying: “Where does the sound go?”. Some of them giggled in response, and another one said: “nowhere, it just goes away.” The same question was asked about anger: “When you are angry at your friend, where does your anger go to?” “We forget about it” was one response, another was: “We feel bad about it so we let it go.” I’m telling you, these kids were insightful.

This was a group of three 5th grade classes - the school called us to see if we could host their students for an hour’s talk and meditation instruction. This wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago! And it was only one of 8 phone calls in a week requesting us to teach meditation to children of all ages. It is apparent that meditation has become a house-hold word, that people have heard of it, and that they know meditation has incredible benefits. Compassion was a word these children had heard of. To be in that room with them was inspiring, moving, and full of lungta. It seemed like the Great Eastern Sun was shining very, very brightly, even though it was a cloudy day.

Come celebrate the New Year with us this Friday, February 19th! Jim’s Big Ego - starring Shambhala sangha member Jim Infantino - will be performing live onstage upstairs at the Boston Shambhala Center. Join us from 7-9:30 for drinks, light hors d’oeuvre, dancing and celebration.

Come prepared: There will be a cash bar, donations will be accepted for the musical entertainment, and Jim’s Big Ego’s CD’s will be on sale.

Please RSVP by registering, so we can plan accordingly.

The biggest challenge that I have faced since starting this practice hasn’t been on the cushion – it’s been maintaining my vision after getting back up. One of the first things I learned is how reflexively I harden and begin to ignore both my surroundings and my own body when under pressure. Learning to not snap into my “setting sun” cocoon in response to a frustrating encounter or stressful deadline has been an on-going journey with many unexpected lessons.

I have found the Shambhala Center’s work-study program to be an ideal setting to explore the ways that these ideas can fit into my daily life. During my work-study hours, I help out with a variety of different tasks, some of which I do during my daily life outside of the center, and some of which are totally unfamiliar to me. I try to be particularly mindful of my reactions while I am working; for instance, how I respond mentally and physically when presented with a task I feel I will excel at versus how I respond when presented with task I think I will find very difficult. It is much easier for me to remember to notice these subtleties when working at the center than when I am at my other job or in class. I have learned invaluable things about how my mind works through this process, and just as important, I am learning how to work with these reactions rather than against them. I am learning to be gentler.

Work-study has helped me strengthen my practice, and as an added bonus, it helps me pay for programs that I could not otherwise afford while also giving back to the community. If you would like more information about the Boston Shambhala Center’s work-study program, contact Sarah Lipton at info@shambhalaboston.org.

Days of Sunshine and Storm by guest writer Frank Ryan

Have been told that
Mamo
is a term of affection
for dakinis
of open awake
sunshine and storm
tuning in or turning stone.

Neither casually cruising
nor ponderously proclaiming,
we invite, praise and command
these various women
who fill a thousand realms
to banish into space
these viper mirages of outer, inner and secret.

Only mind itself
nothing but your smiling face
can pacify these raging squalls,
avert sickness, döns and obstacles,
master the glory of profound, brilliant,
just and powerful,
and usher in self-existing kingdom of delight.

I am the new editor of our community life news magazine, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and the capabilities of this web page. This “magazine” can help us communicate about all aspects of this practice both on the cushion and in our daily lives, helping us stay in touch with and learn from one another. Wherever you are on your path, I hope you will find this forum to be an enhancement to your involvement in this community. I will be updating this page 1-2 times a week, and I encourage you to contribute as often as you would like. Here are some loose guidelines for what sort of content may appear here:

Announcements. If there is an occasion in your life that you would like other members of our community to know about, such as a birth announcement or a wedding announcement, you are welcome to submit it to this page. General community news will also appear here.

Your Experiences. You are welcome to share any experiences you have that relate to this practice. Whether you have just completed a program either here or at another Shambhala center and would like to write about it, or you have just had a thought-provoking experience in line at the grocery store you feel is worth sharing, please submit it to this page.

Art. I know that there are a number of very gifted artists in our community, and my hope is to spotlight one artist each month. We have the ability to upload video, audio, images, and of course text onto this page, so whatever your medium of choice is, you are welcome to showcase your work here.

Interviews and Profiles. If you know someone in this community whose life, experiences, or perspective you would like to spotlight, and you have their permission to do this, you are welcome to submit an interview or profile to this page.

If you would like to submit or you have questions or suggestions, simply email me at magazineeditor@shambhalaboston.org. Feel free to approach me at the center - I am always there on Tuesdays for Under 30 Night, and I will now be present more regularly Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. I welcome your feedback, as it will help me create a community life news magazine most beneficial to you.

Yours in the dharma,
Deanna Kaplan

Sitting with Joyful Disappointment, by guest writer Jim Infantino

Recently, one of the bigger mysteries of my life was solved. Not only solved, but tied up neatly, with a big fat happy ending. All of my fears about that situation were, though far from baseless, ultimately not realized. I should be overjoyed, and I am. However, it is also true that part of me feels let down, and I find that fascinating.

The story goes like this: In my teenage years, I had a friend, who was a girl - not really a girlfriend, but someone that I spent tons of time talking to. She seemed to really get me, and I felt like I really got her, and we drank copious quantities of coffee in diners and cafes between classes, and after school all over lower Manhattan. She was a dancer, and very pretty and had a sharp perception that cut through all my bullshit. I was enthralled. Gradually, I began to notice that her life had taken a darker turn. She had quit dancing, started smoking more, stopped eating. She came to school less and less, she cut her hair short, died it black, spent nights out with her older aunt in punk clubs, all the time getting thinner and thinner. I was scared for her. I tried to talk to her, tried to help in some way, but the forces in her life moving her in this direction were beyond me. Our talks became more and more rare, her depression seemed to deepen daily. Then she stopped coming to school at all. Her phone number was disconnected. I asked around about her, but no one knew anything. I stopped by her house, walked around her neighborhood repeatedly, but there was just no sign of my friend anywhere.

Months went by. As I began to accept that my friend was gone, and since I had no further information, I began to make up stories about why she was gone. Read the rest of this entry »