Nearly thirty people from all parts of the Boston Shambhala sangha gathered Tuesday night for a long and moving celebration to support the long life of our Kongma Sakyong, Mipham Rinpoche.

The evening began a few minutes late, but on time, Shambhala time that is, as we scrambled to arrange the shrine room after the weekly yoga class, and people started streaming in. Acharya Emily Bower lead us in opening chants and gave a short introduction to the Tenshuk, or Long-Life Ceremony that had occurred in Halifax early that morning. We then turned the lights low and sat mesmerized for nearly an hour and a half while watching a video sent to us by Shambhala International that showed various highlights of the day’s events. The room felt close and warm, the energy vibrant as we oo-ed and ahh-ed the snippets of the blessing, seeing familiar faces in the people presenting their offerings to the Sakyong, Sakyong Wangmo, and His Eminence, some of us moving closer to the screen to watch the Lingdro dancers. We cried out when we thought we saw our Director Jill Blagsvedt flash by the camera!

It was incredibly moving to listen to the Sakyong’s address at the end of this video. You could tell that he didn’t quite know how to say goodbye for a year and three months, the length of his upcoming retreat. His messages were of deepening our practice, developing our kindness and compassion for each other within our community and strengthening ourselves to then turn the flower outwards, offering Shambhala to the world at large which so desperately needs our teachings of sanity and kindness. He also mentioned having “garuda bumps”. He left us with the request to devote at least one practice session a week to him, that through our practice we could connect with his mind, and therefore never be far apart.

Once this video finished, servers passed around delicious goodies, and Co-Warrior of the Center, Tom Ericsson gave an impassioned request for offerings to His Eminence for all that he has given to our community, and all that he is offering for the long life of our Sakyong. After that, we again dimmed the lights to watch “Joyful Vajra”, highlights from a feature documentary work in progress on the remarkable life and times of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Tears streamed down some faces, and giggles were also shared - especially at the funny way media reporters pronounced the Sakyong’s name or Shambhala. It was such a joy to see snippets of Rinpoche’s life. We concluded with chants and a very rousing Shambhala anthem, the last note held out long and strong. The lungta in the room was palpable.

We cleaned up quickly and sat around on the couches for possibly another hour, just sharing in the radiance of the evening. I don’t think we left the Center until nearly 11:30pm, on a Tuesday night, the Kongma Sakyong, strong in our Boston hearts.

The Boston Shambhala Center was highlighted on WBUR Friday May 1st, 2009.

The community rallied for this spur-of-the-moment event, and after a flurry of emails back and forth between almost 20 members the day of the interview, we were set up to receive the intern. Thanks to some quick footwork, we re-constructed the first segment of the Open House meditation period to recite the Heart Sutra, which is featured in the story. The intern then attended the meditation and surprised us by recording that too. He then recorded the evening’s talk and interviewed a few of us afterwards as well. There was certainly an air of great excitement among everyone present.

Charlie Trageser, who was teaching that night says: So much excitement! There was an intern from WBUR at Open House last night (an Emerson student), who recorded us doing the Heart Sutra (Michael and I tried hard for throat singing but no such luck) and my talk on contentment, and interviewed almost everyone there. I think he even recorded the sitting practice. He said he was impressed by our “sense of calm and presence.”

Click here to read or hear the story by Meghna Chakrabarti titled “For Buddhists New And Old, Dalai Lama Brings Good Vibrations”

A fundraiser for education in Tibet

May 8 – 9, 2009

A unique triathlon combining sports and meditation. We will all sit together Friday night at the Shambhala Center to begin the Shambhala Triathlon. Then Saturday morning we will come together to complete the triathlon by joining a team to walk or bike, and practice Shamatha Yoga together.

We will gather donations from friends and family, co-workers, and Shambhala and Buddhist community members to support our participation in the Triathlon..

Our goal is to raise $2,000 to help rebuild the monastery. With 30 participants, who are each sponsored $67.00, we will have reached our goal! 100% of the proceeds will go to support the rebuilding the Surmang School in Surmang Valley, eastern Tibet. Konchok Foundation sponsors Surmang Monastery, which is where Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of Shambhala Centers throughout the world, was raised and trained as a young monk. Click here to learn more about Konchok Foundation, and here to learn more about the Triathlon.

The global goal for The Shambhala Triathlon for Surmang, Tibet is to raise $50,000, with our local goal being $2000. Two donors to the Konchok Foundation have already agreed to match dollar-for-dollar the first $15,000 of donations!

As of today, May 6th, there are 10 members signed up to participate! Please join us, or sponsor your fellow friends.

“I have now run nine marathons over the past years to support the rebuilding of Surmang Dutsi Til. Thank you to everyone who supported me in this effort. My friends at the Konchok Foundation tell me that these marathons collectively raised nearly three quarters of a million dollars, and have brought us well within reach of achieving our goal.

However, it’s now time for you to take over from me in running (or sitting, or walking) for Tibet, to complete the vital dharma projects that we are supporting there.”

~ Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Schedule:

Friday, May 8th

7-9pm: Group meditation practice and a short talk about Tibet and Surmang, at the Boston Shambhala Center.

Saturday, May 9th

10am: Meet at the Boston Shambhala Center and join team Biking Bodhisattvas or team Windhorse Walkers to complete the second portion of the Triathlon. There will be different routes and mileages available for various levels of participation.

12:30pm: Both teams will meet at Olmstead park on the Brookline side of Leverett Pond (click here to see map) for one hour of group Shamatha Yoga to complete the third portion of the Triathlon.

1:30pm:Following the successful completion of the Triathlon, the entire group will celebrate with a celebratory picnic lunch!

Pre-registration required if you are interested in participating in the Triathlon.

Indicate which team you would like to be on in the comment:

the Biking Bodhisattvas (please bring your bicycle),

or

the Windhorse Walkers.

To sponsor the Triathlon, or someone participating in the Triathlon, please click to register and make a note that your payment is your donation. You are also invited to send a check to the Shambhala Center (646 Brookline Ave, Brookline, MA 02445), please just make a note what you are donating for, and thank you!!

Contact Sarah Lipton to get involved: info@shambhalaboston.org

This is a child-friendly community activity!

The shared experience of staffing a program naturally gives rise to a sense of community. On a recent Saturday afternoon, 16 new and old members of the Shambhala Community gathered to dialog with Center Director Jill Blagsvedt, Center Coordinator Sarah Lipton, and volunteer leadership from the center about leadership in the Boston Shambhala Center. The group contemplated the Six Ways of Ruling in relationship to staffing and coordinating programs and volunteering at the Shambhala Center.

The Shambhala Center is not just a place where you go to meditate, it’s a place where enlightened society takes root, through coming together as a community to study, practice, and serve. The Shambhala Program Leadership Training’s purpose was for newer volunteers to learn about the view, path and skills of program support. Leadership in a program support position is a combination of holding the view of basic goodness and kindness, while also working with other staff and the participants. Volunteering is a way to put the principles you’re learning about in classes into action when working with others. This afternoon training included in-depth contemplation and discussion of Shambhala principles, and training in the various areas of program support.

This program was so successful that we will continue to offer it on a bi- or tri-monthly basis. Newer volunteers learned the view and skills for staffing and coordinating programs, and older volunteers stepped into training roles. Three upcoming programs were filled with staff from the training. To continue the fun of community building, everyone carpooled to local Jamaica Plain’s Bukhara Indian restaurant for a delicious and uplifted celebration.

“It’s people like you stepping into program leadership roles that make it possible for the center to offer so many wonderful classes and programs to the community.”
~ Jill Blagsvedt

Watch out for, and join us at another program training called “Hosting the Lineage”, at which there will be a talk on the view of staffing and serving in the household when a visiting teacher or Tibetan Rinpoche comes to town, and in-depth training on how to serve.

The Vidyadhara Chögyam Trunpa Rinpoche’s Parinirvana on April 4th, 2009 was a wonderful community celebration. We had the good the fortune of hosting our guest Acharya Dorje Löppön Lodrö Dorje for the event, as well as over 80 community members. Food, poems, readings and stories were shared.

After the Parinirvana, we held an auction to raise money for our local Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche CD Archive, which holds over 1300 recorded teachings covering a vast range of topics. With the help of Gail Flynn and Larry Teitelbaum, Louise Miller’s decadent deserts, and the entire community, we raised over $4000. We exceeded our goal! The Archive will be available to the community beginning in May for check-out, or to listen to in the center, or take advantage of the the Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Study Group beginning April 23rd. The money from the auction will be used to pay for the archive (our final payment) and to purchase a shelf to make the rest of the archive available to the community. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Click here to see more photos from the event.