Good Morning!

I would like to take this opportunity as we transition into the new year to look back at the Year of the Iron Hare and reflect on it, as well as to offer some thoughts on what’s ahead for us as center and a community in the Year of the Water Dragon.

Reflecting on the Past Year
The Year of the Iron Hare was quite full for the Boston Shambhala Center, and considerable changes occurred. The full time staff of the center is now a completely different team than it was at the start of the year. In the late spring, we had the departure of long-time Center Coordinator Sarah Lipton, beloved for her warmth and nurturing energy and her diligent efforts on the half of the center for over three years. We then saw Executive Director Jill Blagsvedt step down at the end of the summer, also after over three years of serving the sangha with tremendous kindness, insight and vision. The leadership and community went through a process and decided to add a full time Head of Practice and Education position, which Barbara Hopcroft was hired for in May after serving in that role in an interim capacity following her time as Resident Director of Shambhala Training. Also in May, Ashley Hodson (now Goodwin – even her name is different than it was at the start of last year!) was brought on board to fill the revamped role of Head of Communications and Operations, and I stepped into the Executive Director role at the end of September.

The center’s expansion process was a major focus of the Year of the Iron Hare. In April, the leadership identified 338 Newbury Street as a prime location for an auxiliary space, with a plan to increase membership and double the operating budget over five years to then put us in a strong position to move to a more vibrant and magnetizing location in Boston. We came very close to making this our second home before obstacles hit and the situation ended up not panning out. This was a definite disappointment for many as we headed into the winter and dön season. At the same time, the work done as the center leadership planned for the space was invaluable, both in terms of financial preparation for the future auxiliary space as well as architectural drawings from Greg Smith, in conjunction with Eva Wong and Steve Vosper.

We also saw some exciting opportunities emerge for the center to shine in the spotlight in the local community. In November, Shastri Carolyn Krusinski represented Buddhism in Boston at the 48th Annual Rotary Club Governor’s Prayer Breakfast with almost the entire Board present. A week later, the Shambhala Center hosted a screening of Crazy Wisdom, Johanna Demetrakis’ new film about Chögyam Trungpa, at the historic Coolidge Corner Theatre.

A large contingent from Boston participated in the Kalapa Governance Gathering at Karmê Chöling in September and many also attend the Sakyong’s teachings on governance and leadership in October in Halifax. We also enjoyed a visit from President Richard Reoch in October for our Center Director oath ceremonies.

Other key developments from the year included our “Mindfulness for Children” program, thanks to our Head of Families and Children, Jennifer Lacy, a revitalization of Nyida Days (community celebrations such as Midsummer’s Day, Children’s Day, and Shambhala Day), and a multitude of sangha members attending key path programs, including Warrior Assembly and the first-ever Enlightened Society Assembly (formerly Sutrayana Seminary), which just wrapped up at Karmê Chöling.

Looking Ahead
As we look ahead at the Year of the Water Dragon, we see first and foremost a very full and exciting spring that includes four online addresses from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in the span of five weeks! After this week’s Shambhala Day address, we have a March 10 address to Meditation Instructors, Assistant Directors, and Shambhala Guides. Following that, on March 17-18 we have our first ever Shambhala Sadhana Retreat, which will be led by Acharya Emily Bower, include online teachings from the Sakyong, and introduce a new practice to people who have taken the Enlightened Society Vow. Lastly, on April 1, the Sakyong will address the community as part of the 25th Anniversary of the Vidyadhara, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s Parinirvana.

Additionally, the spring lineup includes a seven-week video class called “Celebrating the Life of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche” which is also part of our 25th Anniversary celebration, a visit from Ikebana teacher Marcia Shibata, a very special visit from Lady Diana Mukpo to teach Golden Key, and Acharya Suzann Duquette teaching the Rigden Weekend.

Also in the realm of programming, the Shastris, Ms. Hopcroft and myself are looking at ways to continue to develop and strengthen our “gateway” level programs and offer meditation instruction and present the teachings to newcomers in an accessible way that is relevant to everyday life.

This year will see us continue our expansion process, now with the aforementioned benefit of having done a lot of legwork that puts us in a good position to succeed with an auxiliary space. The Drala Spot committee, headed by John Ranco, is back on the beat looking at possible new locations for this space, and will be asking the community for help with ideas and leads. Stay tuned!

Another development is that the leadership (Shastris, Board of Trustees, and Shambhala Council) will be spending time with our very own Joe Inskeep, who serves as the Chair of the Mandala Structure and Governance Working Group for Shambhala, to explore whether Boston is ready to take on the new governance model that the Sakyong and President Richard Reoch are encouraging centers to put in place. Information about the Kalapa Governance model can be found here. We will keep you posted on any further developments in this area!

In April, the Sakyong’s new book, Running with the Mind of Meditation, will be released April 10, and the team of Running Meditation Instructors have been working with Barbara and myself to plan some events out in the community this spring in support of this book and offering these teachings. This will be one of many increased opportunities that are arising for us to get involved in the local community and offer programs and participate in events in the Greater Boston area.

We are also thrilled to be partnering with the Museum of Fine Arts and exploring our auspicious connection to their Seeking Shambhala exhibit of 17th century paintings of the Rigden Kings. Shastri Diana Evans will give meditation instruction at the exhibit opening and we are working with the museum on putting together a program at the center, as well.

We will also be paying close attention to a recent Shambhala News Service announcement about the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo’s meeting with the Kalapa Council, their senior leadership team, about moving forward with our “2020 Vision.” In 2010, the Sakyong wrote in his Letter of the Morning Sun:

If Shambhala as a vision, a lineage, and a community is to have any real effect on the world, the next ten years are essential. We must now begin to organize, train, and develop ourselves with greater commitment and determination. Therefore, I ask all Shambhalians to see the next ten years as a time to truly challenge ourselves. If we can make substantial progress over this time, I believe we will have shifted the momentum of the lineage and vision toward being able to fulfill the Dorje Dradül’s intentions.

You can read the full document about the gathering with the Kalapa Council here – it’s quite inspiring! There are a number of ways we are already working with these areas here in Boston, and we will continue make them an increased focus.

As you can see, the months ahead are exciting and full. I am looking forward to continuing the journey with all of you and stepping into my first full year in this role. I offer you all a humble and heartfelt thank you for everything you do – from offering financially, to coordinating programs, serving on committees, teaching programs, Kasung service, holding posts, housekeeping and cleaning – all of your offerings of service and support are innumerable.

As the new “Aspiration of Shambhala” chant says:
May the Shambhala Centres radiate kindness and inspiration. May they continue to expand, allowing a multitude of warriors to train.

Yours in the Shambhala Vision,
Dan

Dear Boston Shambhala Community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of our Director of Societal Health and Well-Being at the Boston Shambhala Center. Ms. Martina Bouey has accepted this appointment and we are thrilled to have her serving in this role.

The role of the Societal Health & Well-Being (SHWB) Director is to promote and support the ongoing development of community within a local Shambhala Centre. The Director safeguards the view that a community that enjoys being together, celebrating together and taking care of one another is an integral part of our practice and is as important as meditating and studying together. Community reinforces the truth of interdependence and thus can be taken as a key component of our path to enlightenment. The SHWB Director holds the view that our mission, as Shambhalians, is to create enlightened society, rather than to become a collection of enlightened individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this seat is to foster what the Sakyong has called “a culture of profound kindness” at the local center level.

The appointment of local SHWB Directors is made centrally, by the Director of the Shambhala Office of Societal Health & Well-Being, who receives a nomination of an individual from a local center. The SHWB Director holds a seat on the local center’s Council, Board or other governing body.

The local SHWB Director is the official liaison to the central office of the same name, which is under the direction of Ms. Mary Whetsell. As such, she is the communication conduit for matters pertaining to community, advising the central OSHWB Director about local matters and sharing with the local community pertinent information from the OSHWB. As this post serves in the Pillar of Government, the SHWB works closely with the Center Director. This is a three-year appointment.

The Societal Health & Well-Being Director forms and leads a local committee dedicated to fostering a warm, inviting, and caring community of practitioners, thus polishing and shining the Third Jewel of Sangha. Activities of this committee include:

-Fostering greater communication and contact among community members, including focused community building efforts.

-Ensuring there is a welcoming, hospitable environment for all who enter the center.

-Developing awareness and pro-active sensitivity as regards all aspects of diversity: racial, ethnic, socio-economic, sexual orientation, age, gender, physical ability, etc.

-Making sure there are regular celebrations and social activities, including oversight of all Nyida Days (in collaboration with the Office of Culture and Decorum).

-Caring for the health and well-being of community members when illness, conflict or social difficulties arise (in collaboration with the Desung).

When discussing this nomination with members of the Boston Shambhala Center’s leadership, Ms. Bouey was the resounding ideal fit. She has been involved with Shambhala for over 8 years, completed Warrior Assembly in 2010 and currently serves on the Board of Trustees. In addition, she has been involved with the Visiting Teachers Committee, Community, Programming & Leadership Development task force, and the Diversity Committee.

In her professional life, Martina is currently Deputy Director at South Africa Partners, a nonprofit committed to forming partnerships between organization and institutions in U.S. and South Africa in the area of health, education, and economic development. She is also an active member in the local Boston community, serving as a facilitator for the Boston City-Wide Dialogues on Ethnic and Racial Diversity. She has served as a volunteer mediator in the Massachusetts court system, and was President of the Cambridge Women’s Center. While at Tufts, Martina was recognized for her commitment to public service. She received the 2006 Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service and the 2006 Rob Hollister Award for Community Service and Citizenship.

Please join me in welcoming Martina to this post!She will official take her Oath of Office as part of the Children’s Day and Winter Solstice Celebration on Saturday, December 17 at 3:00pm.

Yours in the Vision of Shambhala,
Dan Glenn, Executive Director

Greetings, Boston!

It is with a tremendous sense of gratitude and privilege that I step into this role to serve as Executive Director of the Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston. Having lived in the Boston area most of my life and having been a member of the Boston Shambhala community before moving to Karme Choling, our retreat center in Vermont, just over four years ago, it is a genuinely delightful homecoming. It is clear to me that I am coming on board at a time that the center is flourishing, bursting with energy, and truly poised to take off. This excellent state of affairs exists very much because of the superb guidance and vision of our previous Director, Ms. Jill Blagsvedt, the incredible strength and dedication of all of the leadership at the center.

It is an exciting and potent time for the Boston community. I just returned from Halifax, where Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche taught at a gathering of leaders in the community called “Dignity: Governing Enlightened Society.” The clarity, brilliance, and inspiration behind the Sakyong’s teaching were profoundly moving. He emphasized that our ability as leaders – and I would consider all of us leaders in a blossoming societal movement at this point – depends solely on having a personal, deep connection with and understanding of basic goodness. He talked about his own in-depth, personal reflection on these teachings and asked us all to do the same: to really contemplate the teachings on basic goodness and how they are personally relevant to us on an experiential level. I also felt a strong sense of unification over the course of the weekend – a sense that we may all have our different personal practices, our different areas of work in the world, our different views and experiences, but we are all moving forward together in a vision of building and realizing enlightened society .

The Sakyong also said that this is a poignant time right now in the world – we can talk about human nature without necessarily being seen as “spiritual” or “philosophical” because people are genuinely questioning what life is about. With so much falling apart, there is a window of time before us to genuinely affect change in the world. It is in this spirit that we can move forward with our vision in a myriad of ways. As we continue to come together and strengthen as individuals and as a community, we can go out more and more and be of benefit to the world.

With our expansion of adding a second center located on Newbury Street looking more like a reality, with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche moving at lightning speed and challenging us to keep up, and with a core of teachings that truly can change the world , we find ourselves in an incredibly exciting and fortunate situation. I look forward to working with all of you, continuing to get to know you, meeting those of you whom I haven’t yet met, and hearing your ideas about carrying this vast vision forward. Please feel free to come by the center and say hello or have a conversation any time.

Sincerely yours,

Dan Glenn

Dear Good Shambhala Friends,

I’m writing to say thank you, and to share a little bit about what I’m up to post-Directorship. I have been working in my studio on and off over the past few years, but I am now putting a lot of energy into my artwork again, which feels good. I’ve also been enjoying the natural world around me and working to unpack our new home on the north shore. I will be working, but not diving into anything full time quite yet. I recently assistant directed Rigden weekend, the culmination of Way of Shambhala Year One. I also witnessed over twenty community members take their refuge and bodhisattva vows this past weekend. I am heartened and inspired by all of our budding warriors!

As I’ve begun to digest the profound teachings of basic goodness and enlightened society, I’ve been thinking about how to take them into the world. As anyone on our local Three Pillars or Shambhala Council knows, I’ve continued to contemplate and bring forward discussions on the importance of communication, which encompasses speaking, emails, meetings, phone calls, non-verbal messages and more. By knowing and trusting in our basic goodness, we can raise our gaze and genuinely, kindly and courageously meet each other and communicate. This is one important way we can manifest enlightened society.

Another little jewel I’ve learned to appreciate is that we cannot accomplish anything alone. As the community has grown over the past few years, it has become more and more clear that we need everyone in the community to manifest their basic goodness, share their skills, and to work together. Only this will help us to raise the banner so that all will see us and be welcome.

Finally, thank you all for the opportunity to hold this post for the past few years – I have learned a tremendous amount. Thank you also for the wonderful farewell party and lovely parting gifts in early September. I was overwhelmed with your generosity and kind words! I look forward to continuing this Shambhala journey with you, and to welcoming Mr. Dan Glenn as he begins his work this week. I know that he will do an excellent job, and hope that you will give him a warm welcome and all of your support.

With love and appreciation,
Jill

Thank you to all of those who came out on a rainy night for our community meeting! For those of you who could not attend, I’m including the powerpoint presentation, a video of the space, and a brief account of it here.

338 Newbury Walk-Through Video Link

Honoring each other

After a period of contemplation on what it means to be part of our society, the Board of Trustees presented a brief review of how we got to this point and the work that’s been done to this point. Before getting into the details about a potential available space on Newbury Street, we paused for an open discussion where community members shared their excitement and trepidation. All comments were heard and will be considered by the Board. Next, we dove into our initial programming plan, some initial floor plan renderings of the Newbury space, and a presentation and discussion on the financial plan. We closed with more practice, one of which was an exercise to honor everyone in the room (see picture).

The Board had planned for more discussion time which we unfortunately had to cut. We have started a discussion on the Shambhala Network page here: Shambhala Network “Boston Shambhala Meditation Center” group – please post your questions and comments. If you do not have a Shambhala Account Login yet, CLICK HERE.

If you cannot get onto the Network please send questions/comments to: expansion@shambhalaboston.org

We will be collecting questions through the summer and then creating a Frequently Asked Questions document.

Thank you,
The Board of Trustees

It is an exciting time in Boston. Our expansion plans are encouraging us to strengthen, reach outside of ourselves to connect with others, and trust in each other’s basic goodness. They have also led us to the hire of our new full time Head of Practice and Education.

With all of this change, how do you know who to contact for what kind of questions and support? I will try to answer this question, although will not hit every area of the community in this post.

Our governance is set up as a volunteer network with “Heads” of areas, or mandalas. The Shambhala Council is comprised of these “Heads” and is the core governing body of our community.

The Shambhala Council

Chair: Executive Director: Jill Blagsvedt
Rusung of the Dorje Kasung: Brian McCorkle
Head of Practice & Education: Barbara Hopcroft
Head of Culture & Decorum: Elizabeth Latchis
Head of Societal Health & Well-Being: Open: also a member of the Health and Well-Being Committee
Head of Communications & Center Operations: Ashley Hodson
Head of Finance: Caitlin Cianflone
Head of Membership: Joe Snowdon
Head of Family Life: Jennifer Lacy

Each member of the council leads and supports their area of the community by working with volunteers and committees. Please feel free to contact any of these people directly with your questions regarding their area. Boston Shambhala Center Leadership

As the Executive Director of the center, I support, oversee and help facilitate all area initiatives. I work with the Three Pillars and each Council member to ensure that their area is supported and connected with other areas of the Council or community members as needed, and to see that they have good working practices and policies in place. In addition, I present proposals for policy changes and budgets to the Board, and they receive updates and give input about all areas of the community. Within Board work, I also help set the vision for the center and steer our expansion process and work.

The Board of Trustees oversees my work as Executive Director, as well as holds the trust of the community in the areas of finances and long term planning. You may contact any member to find out about long term planning, expansion or our financial planning.

The Dorje Kasung were created by the Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to protect the Shambhala community. Most visibly, they provide outer protection by attending to the physical safety of our teachers, community members, and property. They also protect the community through promoting healthy relationships among community members and assisting as needed in cases of conflict or harm. Finally, they safeguard the integrity of the wisdom teachings we receive from the Sakyong and other lineage holders. There are specific teachings to help Kasung deepen their path which are available to those interested. More Kasung are needed in Boston, so if you are interested please contact Rusung McCorkle .

The Practice and Education mandala is currently being re-formed under Barbara’s leadership as our new Head of Practice and Education (HP&E). Barbara will work closely with the Shastris and volunteers in all of these areas to more fully support our practice and education in Boston. She also holds the master calendar for the center, so if you have a question regarding rooms at the center, please contact her. Our P&E committees will include:

Practice and Education Committee: Being re-formed. Chaired by HP&E Barbara. Will develop and oversee the master calendar, teaching invitations, and make P&E policy decisions. Please contact Barbara Hopcroft if you have questions or suggestions regarding programming and practice in the community.
Way of Shambhala: Co-Resident Directors and Executive Committee: With support from their Executive Committee and in conjunction with the HP&E, develop and oversee all WOS programming and implementation. Contact Greg Smith or John Clancy with questions, or to Direct, Assistant Direct, and to volunteer to staff and coordinate programs. We need your help!
Teacher Development Committee: Oversees the development and placement of local teachers for all local programming.
Advanced Practice and Education Committee: Being re-formed. Chaired by Barbara. Will develop and oversee all advanced practice and education for the community.
Members include: Shastri Ryan (and Shastris Evans and Krusinski when time permits), Feast and Sadhaka study coordinators, and a Vajrayana practice & study coordinator.

The Health and Well Being Committee is always available to provide support to community members who are in need of advice or help. Check out their Committee Website Page

As Head of Communications and Operations Ashley Hodson develops and implements the publicity, marketing and all communications for the center for as well as oversees all building maintenance and ongoing housekeeping needs. Specific areas in which she relates:

Website Maintenance and Program Listings
Developing the Monthly Newsletter
Wake Up Boston Blog content management
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter).
Volunteers and Work Study Program which work on a variety of things from facilities and housekeeping to office projects.
Lending Library, Bookstore and Vidhyadara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche Audio Archive

The Membership Committee is revising our membership policy, exploring ideas of building community, and helping to revitalize our Nyida Days – such as Midsummer Day this June 18th! Please contact Joe Snowdon with any questions, comments or ideas regarding membership.

I hope that this guide will help you to connect with our leadership more directly. Please feel free to contact any of them with questions. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Yours in the Vision of the Great Eastern Sun,

Jill Blagsvedt
Executive Director
Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston

Dear Boston Sangha,

Since November, we have made great progress as a community toward the goals of Offering Shambhala to Greater Boston.

With this message, the Board of Trustees begins an effort to regularly inform the community about where we are in relation to our goals: to increase our presence in Greater Boston, double membership, increase monthly giving/dues, sustain the new Practice and Education position and lease an additional ancillary site to support our growth.

There is an important role for you in this effort to build enlightened society right here, right now. Please contact any of the Board members, listed here, with your ideas and interest: http://www.shambhalaboston.org/contact_dept.php

Yours,
The Shambhala Center of Boston Board of Trustees

Finances:
* In response to individual conversations with many members by the Resource Development committee, we can report an annual increase of almost $26,000 in monthly dues, thanks to the generous response of current sangha members.
* Resource Development will continue to have individual meetings until every member has been contacted to talk about Offering Shambhala to Greater Boston.
* 10 new members have joined this year, contributing an additional $3324/year.
* This total increase is $28,944 per year.

Program expansion:
* Our programs are thriving and our program income is increasing, with a total of 62 people in Level I in either January or March and 18 people progressing through the Sacred Path levels.
* Increased program income plus increased dues from new and current members puts us more than ¾ of the way towards fully funding

Ancillary Space:
* In March the Board felt we were ready to begin planning in earnest for opening an ancillary space with a goal of late fall. The vision of that space is:
o Around 1500 square feet
o In a well-traveled, visible location
o Handicap accessible
o Able to accommodate up to 40 people in meditation or a class
o Hospitality, office space and one meditation instruction room
* The programming we envision would be additional gateway programs, such as Meditation in Everyday Life, Contentment in Everyday Life, Heart of Recovery, Open House, Under 30, LGBT, and weekend Turning the Mind into an Ally.
* The space would allow us more flexibility in scheduling, to offer a wider range of classes, more space for advanced study and intensives, as well as daytime open houses or book groups, either there or in Brookline.
* A group of Board members led by John Ranco is exploring the business model for this space and determining a workable budget, as well as understanding the staffing requirements.

Dear Friends,

Cheerful Spring! I’m writing to share some important community news with you.

Practice and Education Updates

We were not successful in finding a permanent Head of Practice and Education person. The hiring committee has reconvened and is opening the search to all Sutrayana Seminary graduates. If you are a Sutrayana Seminary graduate and inspired by the Shambhala Buddhist teachings, consider applying for this important and exciting position. You will work with our three Shastris, the vibrant Shambhala Council and others to manifest Enlightened Society through our diverse local practice and education offerings.

Barbara Hopcroft was recognized on Shambhala Day as our Interim Head of Practice and Education and has been a wonderful addition to our core staff. She has organized our practice and education calendar through 2012 and is working with the Shastris and others on a number of projects. As we expand and attract more people, it’s important that our community is being fully supported in this area.

Community Updates

Thank you to everyone who helped make Shambhala Day such a special weekend! The Sakyong has come out of retreat and he is ready to go! We celebrated the new Year of the Iron Rabbit together with practice, celebrations and new leadership appointments.

A number of people took their oaths and stepped into new leadership positions on Shambhala Day. In particular Brian McCorkle as our new Rusung, Charles Styron as our Chagdzo and Treasurer to the Board of Trustees, and Elizabeth Latchis as our Representative of Culture and Decorum. You can see our full leadership listing on our website’s “Boston Shambhala Center Leadership” page.

Finance Updates

The Boston Shambhala Center is on stable footing financially. Membership dues, our primary source of stable income, is up by 4.23% in 2010. We have $36,000 in cash reserves, $13,000 in our bank accounts and $23,000 in a money market account. Click here for 2010 year end financial details.

Our Resource Development team is meeting with members one-on-one to raise awareness about the expansion, “Raising the Banner,” and to raise dues so that we can support our new full time position – Head of Practice and Education. Thank you to everyone who has increased their dues in support of the campaign. We are very close to permanently funding this position!

I hope to see you around the center soon, and that you will join me for our upcoming community celebrations!

Over 40 community members gathered in October to share inspirations and explore our goals for “Offering Shambhala to Greater Boston.” I’ve posted parts of the gathering in previous posts, but the full report is now available here: Community-Gathering-Notes-Oct-2010 It includes our opening contemplations and responses, small group notes, and all aspirations (that we could read!).

A sampling of aspirations from our Shambhala community:

- I aspire to practice in my household in a way that will bring liberation beyond its walls because we have been able to go deeply into kindness and compassion.
- Expanding the Boston Shambhala community should include further cultivation of inter-generational relationship between practitioners of differing experience, reducing the cliquishness, and increasing the sense of united love, respect, support, and worth among and between members of our sangha.
- May we cut through the distractions of our lives and focus our attention on what is really important.
- I want the physical, financial, and emotional health of the BSC to flourish.
- That we not be to meek in our body, speech, and mind in terms of offering to ourselves our family, our sangha, our world.
- May we find a building and afford it that will inspire the Sakyong to unite guests for tea and give many teachings.

All community members also received from me a letter in the mail which included the Raising The Banner campaign brochure and the Executive Summary – Boston Expansion Plan. With these three documents you should now be up-to-day with our community process. Please contact me or any members of the Board of Trustees to become involved or get more info.

Our Expansion Plan includes goals to help us deepen and expand. Some goals are to: increase our offerings and deepen our connection with the participants of the Way of Shambhala and Gateway programs, connect different levels of practitioners with each other, double our membership, clarify our communications, raise awareness around teachings on generosity, double our operating budget, and open an ancillary space (and more, see the Executive Summary – Boston Expansion Plan in previous post).

The result of these goals and this process is that we will lay the ground for our future, and for Offering Shambhala to Greater Boston.

At the community meeting in October, we asked:
“How do you see the plan benefiting the community in ways you might not have expected or considered?”

You answered:
- We have internal strength – inspiration from clear view of path
- We have external strength – presences in community = Haley House, etc.
- New inspiration – more people seeing serving as potential teachers
- Seeing a place for oneself
- Seeing an actionable plan in community
- Ongoing link to community and national – beyond Greater Boston
- Question: How would we use ancillary space?
- DPE can help coordinate bottleneck of organizing teachers
- Idea of circles mixing newer, older students is great
- Get rid of walls = Be a lamp = Step out
- Right now – feels like strong community
- Concern about weakening with experience
- Clear plan to be a part of – beyond just programs
- Give groups/circles something to do
- Re-purposing our practice to be of benefit to new people coming in
- Demand calls for intermediate students to move to become teachers
- Membership = giving time

Next, we asked:
“What are the challenges facing the community to move us forward?”

You answered:
- Sustaining energy, participation
- How to connect as warriors with people not in room, who can help with resources
- How to build sense of community
- 10% of members come to major community gatherings
- Regionalization – can we reach Greater Boston via one location?
- Really consider goals in offering programs: more meditators? The full path?
- Need concerted effort to build greater diversity
- Economic climate
- Create gaps to work together
- Challenge of overextended people
- Satellite challenge – it needs focus for drala
- Keeping 200 members without real connection – may lose
- Awareness of outer hostility to Buddhism

Check back soon to learn more and hear what aspirations the community has for our future deepening and expansion.