Monday

Boulder Harvests after Sangha Retreat

Emma Hessey stands next to photo of Kyoko Kita, Sensei at Harvest of Peace in Boulder

Purple and yellow flowers were handed out as people entered the shrine room for the Harvest of Peace festivities in Boulder yesterday. Harvest of Peace is a celebration, held annually around the time of the autumn equinox, in which local Shambhala communities gather to share inspiration, witness local oaths of office, and hear the international address.

The energy in the Boulder Shambhala Center was palpable after a two-day sangha retreat. The retreat launched Thursday evening with a talk by Regional Shastri Dan Hessey. More than sixty people came to the Shambhala Center to practice together over the weekend, punctuated by a Padmasambhava feast on Friday night and dance party Saturday night hosted by the Dorje Kasung.

View the Harvest of Peace letter by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche: hop2010_letter

The morning ended on a minor key with a gracious poem, dedicated to the Ikebana teacher Kyoko Kita, Sensei who passed away on September 10th. The poem emerged from a collaboration by Sensei’s Ikebana students in Boulder and was read by Alexandra Shenpen. (It will be posted to the Shambhala Times in an upcoming eulogy to Kyoko Kita.) At the brunch that followed, community members were invited to leave their flowers by her photograph.