The Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala lineage, discusses the synonymous quality of relating to one’s day and relating to one’s life.

It is the Shambhala view that every human being has a fundamental nature of goodness, warmth and intelligence. This nature can be cultivated through meditation, following ancient principles, and it can be further developed in daily life, so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society.

In the course of our lives, this goodness, warmth and intelligence can easily become covered over by doubt, fear and egotism. We tend to fall into a kind of sleep or stupor, believing in the conditioning we have as the ultimate truth, and coming under the sway of fear. The journey of becoming fully human means seeing through fear and egotism, and waking up to our natural intelligence. It takes kindness—to ourselves and others—and courage, to wake up in this world.

The journey of awakening is known as the path of the warrior, as it requires the simple bravery to look directly at one’s own mind and heart. The essential tool for doing this is mindfulness meditation. As we continue on the Shambhala path, we learn many other practices, to help us break through the ancient crust of ego and awaken to the joy of fully living in this world. Awakening and opening, we discover the world to be naturally sacred—pure and full of beauty. We begin to see clearly the goodness and wisdom of others, and to feel compassion to help them in myriad ways.

Shambhala vision is rooted in the contemplative teachings of Buddhism, yet is a fresh expression of the spiritual journey for our time; it is available to practitioners of any tradition. Our lineage draws on the wisdom of the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism as inherited by founder of Shambhala, Chögyam Trungpa, and his son and spiritual heir, Sakyong Mipham. In the mid-1970s Chögyam Trungpa began to introduce teachings on Shambhala vision, based on his encounter with the Western world, and on the specific wisdom imparted from the Buddha to King Dawa Sangpo, the first sovereign of the legendary kingdom of Shambhala. This tradition teaches how to live in the secular world with courage and compassion.

Buddhism offers methods to clarify our mind, open our heart, and face the realities of human life, while the Shambhala teachings offer practices for rousing our life force and connecting with the natural power and energy of the phenomenal world. The combination of these wisdom traditions offers a contemporary, effective spiritual path. Following it, we can reclaim our natural birthright of wisdom and compassion, and work with others to bring about the best in human society.

“In essence, the emphasis of the Buddhist path is to help us attain enlightenment, and the emphasis of the Shambhala path is help us create and maintain a good society. When we put these two together, we have the Shambhalian Buddhist view of enlightened society.”

— Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

~ article from Shambhala.org

Dear Sangha Members,

It has been several weeks since our community meeting to reflect about how the Shambhala Center can most effectively expand and extend outward toward Greater Boston. Our programs continue to experience record attendance with space at a premium. With the leadership of the Sakyong and the continuous growth of our programming and community, we find ourselves in a unique moment in history where we can make significant contributions toward building an enlightened society here in Boston.

We want to keep all of you abreast of our activities and ask for your continued support. There is so much to be done…and we know we can only achieve this by working together.

We have expanded the board of trustees in an effort to add specific skills and wisdom from the community. We know that we must meet the challenge of expansion with a wise mix of both prudence and possibility.

We have also organized the five task forces listed below to continue moving forward with our reflections and actions. Two of the committees will meet next week. Please consider how you would like to support the sangha in this endeavor. We would love to have you join a task force or offer your ideas and energies in other ways.

1. The Community, Leadership and Program Development task force is working on two primary tasks:

a. To develop human capital to meet our current growth by encouraging new and intermediate students to continue on the path of training, and to take on leadership positions such as coordinating, and becoming Meditation Instructors and Assistant Directors.

b. To develop programs and collaborations with the broader Boston community such as the recent volunteer group working at Haley House, a non-profit providing support for the homeless of Boston.

Contact: Tom Ericsson abundancesun@gmail.com and Gary Shapiro garyischapiro@aol.com

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 at BSC

2. The Membership task force is contemplating the sense of belonging and what membership means to our community. They are also working on ways to clarify what membership is, and on attracting new members.

Contact: Andrea Sparks membership@shambhalaboston.org

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 at BSC

3. The Communication task force is working on developing a communication plan that will help us communicate the expansion efforts to each other and to the broader community. There is also a smaller group working on developing a logo for the expansion efforts.

Contact for the Communication Task Force: Mary Lang mslang@comcast.net and for the Logo group: Anne McLellan annemclellan@verizon.net

4. The Drala Spot (Building) task force is looking for appropriate, affordable spaces for a new center, and is looking into other options for expanding. They are also working with the Resource Development task force on financial projections.

Contact: John Ranco info@johnranco.com and Anthony Miller Anthony.L.Miller@Verizon.net

5. The Resource Development task force is working on obtaining the necessary financial and other resources for the expansion and move.

Contact: Larry Teitelbaum lteitelbm@aol.com and Tara Hawles tarahalwes@gmail.com

We welcome and encourage your participation and feedback. Please click on the Expansion News tag/category for updates, and feel free to contact any of the task force chairs or me with your ideas. We look forward to the journey together.

Mary Coonan

Chair of the Board of Trustees
Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston
coonanma@comcast.net

Below are photos of a quilt designed by Judy Seelye, who is an active member of both the Boston Shambhala Center as well as the Nashua Shambhala Group, in New Hampshire. While Judy was going through the training levels in Boston and in Nashua, she was inspired, and this quilt was the uplifted result. It was first displayed in the meditation hall at the Nashua group’s Shambhala Day celebration.

Get a preview of Shambhala community member Jim Infantino’s music at his upcoming Solo Show: “Voice and guitar, mostly”.

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival “most wanted to return artist”,2006

Jim Infantino

@ Jackson Homestead

527 Washington Street, Newton

Friday, January 29

Doors 7:45, Concert 8:00

Minimum suggested donation $15, $5 children under 12, $50 immediate family max. 25% less for museum members.

All donations go to the museum and artist.

Singer Songwriter, Rockstar Geek

CMJ Music Report says:
“Jim Infantino wields his razor-sharp poetic flair like a weapon, offering thought-provoking commentary that can sound both humorous and poignant at the same time. Infantino mixes a down-town Lou Reed-style hipness … that best illustrates the band’s smart, imaginative approach.”

The Boston Globe says:
“Jim Infantino, ground zero of the Boston trio Jim’s Big Ego, is one of those rare songwriters whose wit is as sharp as his sense of melody, and whose intellect is broad and beautifully skewed as his jumble of musical influences.”

These images were created by Katherine during the Miksang workshop held at the center in June, taught by Lance Brunner. Miksang is a Tibetan word that translates as “Good Eye.” The Miksang program of contemplative photography brings together the art of photography, the discipline of meditation and the Dharma Art teachings of the meditation master and scholar Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

For more information about Miksang, click here.

Seven members of the Boston Sangha, under the teaching, care and guidance of Acharya Emily Bower, took their Bodhisattva vows on Sunday, May 30th.
here we are!
back row: Edward Reitman, Thomas Noviello, with Acharya Emily Bower
middle row: Kyle Courtney, Sarah Kimball and Martina Bouey
Front row: Louise Miller (that’s me) and Scott Robbins

Congratulations to my fellow Bodhisattvas! It was an honor to study, practice, and take vows with you.

You know you’ve hit gold when you come to a Shambhala Center reception and sangha member Louise Miller is there, because that usually means she’s brought some of her exquisite cookies!! Enjoy the recipe she has shared with us, and be sure to come to an event sometime to try her hand made delights.

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Warrior is GenerousEvery Wednesday we host an Open House where senior teachers and special guests guide community members in meditation and give a dharma talk. Enjoy the talk that senior teacher Carolyn Krusinski gave on Wednesday February 4th, 2009 called “The Warrior is Generous”.

Acharya Emily Bower - Boston Shambhala Center Open House - Wednesday January 21, 2009

Charlie Trageser gave a talk at our Open House on Wednesday February 10, 2009 called the Dawn of the Great Eastern Sun. Every Wednesday we host an Open House where senior teachers and special guests guide community members in meditation and give a dharma talk.

Charlie Trageser - Boston Shambhala Center Open House - Wednesday February 10, 2009