Wednesday

Chicago report on the 4th Shambhala Congress, Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada November 9-12, 2009

In Shambhala, the biannual Congresses have developed as a forum available to all members for information-sharing on Shambhala activities, and priority development for the mandala. Halifax is considered the capital of Shambhala, where the international headquarters is located. Some very capable members in Halifax are working on a project to build the Kalapa Capital Center, to manifest the presence and confidence of the Shambhala community. This impressive structure will house the Halifax Shambhala Center, as well as the offices of other Halifax Shambhala groups, such as Shambhala Online, Shambhala Media, and possibly host other groups as well.

Several important milestones were observed during the Congress. Fleet Maull of Boulder, was appointed to be an Acharya, and Sangyum Wendy Friedman was named to the post of Director of the Office of Culture and Decorum, reporting to the Sakyong Wangmo. Warrior-General Marty Janowitz was honored for his profound contributions to the energy of the kingdom of Shambhala through his work with the Warriors of the Lodge, the Council of Governors, and Warriors at the centers. All of these Warriors are now retiring. Because manifesting Shambhala, or enlightened society, has been established as the central mission of our mandala, we are all asked to step up and be bodhisattva-warriors for peace and prosperity everywhere.

During the Congress, issues submitted for discussion by centers from all over the world were discussed and recommendations developed. Some of the most popular were
• How do we work with conflict and differing points of view in our community?
• How can we best relate to finances and fundraising?
• How can we best develop and support volunteers?

In addition, the topic One Mandala, Many Paths was discussed in several plenary sessions. To read the preliminary report from all of these discussions, go to
http://www.shambhala.org/community/congress.php

Several of the current Working Groups on the Sakyong’s Council are being included in a body called the Community Care Council, chaired by Mary Whetsell. In part this is because they share many concerns, such as caring for different groups of sangha members. Mary presented an overview of the results of a comprehensive survey of a random sample of shambhala members worldwide. For more information about the survey, see the Shambhala News Service article

The next Congress will be held sometime in 2011, probably in Europe, perhaps Amsterdam. It is open to all members—wouldn’t you like to go?

From: Chicago News Magazine