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Author: cghenderson

Number of entries: 514
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://shambhalanetwork.org/members/cghenderson

Jan 02
Tuesday

Feeling and Touching Kindness

Filed underCommunity Articles

Reflections on the Social Engagement Think Tank at Sky Lake, New York, October 2017

by Lourdes de León

Since our Social Engagement Think Tank, I have been processing my experiences,  connecting to emotions that continue to arise. I have been trying to put my experience into words, first in Spanish and then in English, so that I can share them with the group. I read Shastri Leung’s article for the Shambhala Times and felt again the same very powerful energy that ran through me during our gatherings with the People of Color.

For me, as a Latin American, the experience was very deep in both familiar and mysterious ways.  I know what it is to be discriminated against as a person of color in the United States, as I have experienced discrimination in a number of ways: as a Mexican, as a Spanish speaker, and as a Latina woman; and in different circumstances: as a patient in a hospital bringing my daughter to the emergency room, trying to cross the border and enter the United States by car and being unjustly accused of carrying drugs just because I am Mexican, being treated as a liar by an immigration officer, or being considered a threat to the United States for not choosing to become an American citizen.  I also feel it in my bones when I see my people treated as delinquents, abused by police, disrespected, and treated as second-class citizens in the United States. Continue…

Author Archive


The Snow Man
The Snow Man – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 12.31.17
by Wallace Stevens One must have a mind of winter To regard the frost and the boughs Of the pine-trees crusted with snow; And have been cold a long time To behold the junipers shagged with ice, The spruces rough in the distant glitter Of the January sun; and not to think Of any ...continue
Wisdom of Staying in the Moment
Wisdom of Staying in the Moment – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 12.29.17
Reflections on our tendency to escape whatever is actually happening, right now by Susan Firer The Wisdom of No Escape was the first Dharma book I read. It was written by Pema Chödrön, an American Buddhist Nun and Amazon has this to say as a summary of the ...continue
The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour – HIGHLIGHT
2 responses - Posted 12.27.17
I believe the eleventh hour to be upon us, and perhaps coincidentally, I have witnessed a thrilling shift within Shambhala. by Anne-Marie Keppel October 2017 was a new dawn in Shambhala for me. Though I have been sitting on cushions since I was five, and gobbling up any available ...continue
PoCS: Creating Enlightened Society
PoCS: Creating Enlightened Society – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 12.25.17
The People of Color Scholarship Fund supports a warrior’s journey by Eugene Castillo In July 2017, over 100 people gathered at the Berkeley Shambhala Center’s large assembly hall with Acharyas Adam Lobel and Melissa Moore. Also present was Minister Jane Arthur, with shastris and senior students from Northern ...continue
Bringing Shambhala to Diversity Work
Bringing Shambhala to Diversity Work – HIGHLIGHT
2 responses - Posted 12.23.17
Addressing harmful aspects of social conditioning by creating a brave and caring community by members of the Shambhala Diversity Working Group We are pleased to see the Shambhala mandala bubbling with awareness and curiosity! What range of life experiences do we bring to our community?  Can we create ...continue
Children's Day Song
Children’s Day Song – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 12.21.17
A lively tune to share in cheerful celebration from Jay Lippman In preparation for the Children’s Day celebration at the West Chester Shambhala Center, center member, mother, musician, and music therapist Carin Smith, along with technical assistance and support from Center Director Alice Goguen and member Jay Lippman, ...continue
Children's Day is Every day
Children’s Day is Every day – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 12.19.17
by Larry Steele Iliana the warrior-girl was afraid. Days had turned dark and everyone feared the sun would never return. But Iliana vowed to find the sun and bring it back to her family and community. Seattle Shambhala children dressed up in warrior crowns and tiger stripes to ...continue
Beyond Filters
Beyond Filters – HIGHLIGHT
2 responses - Posted 12.17.17
How to meet our young adult and teenage children as and where they are by Anne-Marie Keppel What is the ultimate goal we are seeking regarding educating and caring for our children, in our sangha and on the planet? The truth is, at present, they instead need to educate ...continue
Meet the Nuns of Surmang
Meet the Nuns of Surmang – HIGHLIGHT
2 responses - Posted 12.15.17
A day in the life of a wonderful community of nuns in eastern Tibet by Jessie Litven and Gaye Carlson Surmang Nunnery is a special place—in the vicinity of Surmang Dutsi Til, the home monastery of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in eastern Tibet. We feel so fortunate to ...continue
An Atmosphere of Kindness
An Atmosphere of Kindness – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 12.13.17
The Sakyong concludes his annual winter pujas by Walker Blaine The Kongma Sakyong concluded his annual winter practice intensive, or puja, Sunday evening at the Kalapa Court in Boulder, Colorado. This year’s pujas were devoted to Kurukulla, a feminine deity renowned for magnetizing prosperity, and Vajrakilaya, one of ...continue
The Tiger Has Teeth
The Tiger Has Teeth – HIGHLIGHT
11 responses - Posted 12.11.17
A Shambhala practitioner brings her understanding of Meek to the challenges and realities of sexual harassment by Allison Conant When considering the Shambhala Dignities, I was initially struggling to make sense of connecting the word Meek with Tiger. I have always associated the tiger with beauty, ferocity, unabashed ...continue
Inviting the Magic of Play
Inviting the Magic of Play – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 12.10.17
Why Children’s Day is not just for children by Leslie Gossett Every year, I get so excited about Children’s Day. I love planning the celebration, taking the Emperor and Empress dolls out, inviting the delight and magic of play into the Shrine Room in a very intentional way. Also ...continue
One Really Good Idea
One Really Good Idea – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 12.07.17
Supporters of Sky Lake bring a great idea to fruition: holding an online fundraising auction with items donated from local friends and all around the mandala by Irene Woodard First, let me answer a question that may be on your mind: Where is Sky Lake? It is located ...continue
Applying the Teachings
Applying the Teachings – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 12.05.17
The first of two excerpts from An Ocean of Blessings, a book of teachings by Penor Rinpoche; this one emphasizes putting the Dharma into practice The most important thing is to have faith and trust in the Buddha’s words. The Buddha’s teachings were not taught to deceive ...continue


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