The Shambhala Meditation Center of San Francisco has moved to the heart of the city! The new location is at the corner of Stevenson at Gough, just south of Market Street. As one blogger put it, “this utterly urban location was chosen to connect the city of San Francisco and the local community with Shambhala’s mission and services.” This new Shambhala Center is also the new Sharchen Dzong and serves as the Northern California regional headquarters.

What is a dzong?

The term dzong means “fortress” in Tibetan. It is used to denote a Shambhala headquarters which also serves as a seat for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Traditionally in Tibetan Buddhism, dzongs have been akin to state capitals or cathedrals in a diocese. They are located in key spots where power and energy gather.

Inside a dzong, one experiences a sacred and uplifted environment that allows the mind to open and relax. Dzongs contain a “Tenno Room” which serves as the formal seat for the Sakyong. There is also a regional governance office with staff who offer administrative services to the sangha and do outreach to the surrounding community.

In San Francisco, the Dzong will also house the San Francisco Shambhala Center. The building we have now rented has two shrine rooms, a bookstore area, two kitchens, a community gathering area, a suite for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and an office for both the regional and San Francisco center directors.

In a posting for One City Blog on Beliefnet this fall, Davee Evans said:

Some things poignantly remind me that I’ve just moved back to San Francisco — a city that I so dearly love — like cold, foggy evenings; bells ringing from street cars; or discovering my housemate has a naked yoga practice (nothing quite like urdhva dhanurasana to greet you in the morning.)

And I’m excited to move back just as the SF Shambhala Center takes a leap: more than doubling in size and moving from the boonies to downtown, assuming the final permits are approved. This will crown the center the regional dzong, a Tibetan word for “fortress.”

Why a dzong in Northern California?

The dzongs of the mandala are places that introduce the world to Shambhala. Through their activity, presence, and community of meditation practitioners, dzongs emanate the compassion, wisdom, and generosity of the Shambhala lineage out into the broader community. One key mission of the Dzong is to create ways for our sangha to engage in the world in generous and compassionate activities. Enlightened society is the vision of Shambhala. A dzong is a place where that society can be experienced.

Also, a region like Northern California that has seven Shambhala Centers needs a hub or center of the mandala that serves as a central gathering place for our widely dispersed community. The dzong staff will also assist centers with consolidated and streamlined services and best practices so we aren’t reinventing the wheel at each Center.

Last but not least, the Dzong will create an office for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, which means the presence of our lineage holder is here both tangibly and on an energetic level.

Why a dzong now?

The world needs the teachings and vision of Shambhala more than ever. Shambhala is a tradition with the skillful means to help individuals contact more peace and goodness in their lives. As individuals joining together, we can bring these unbelievably beneficial practices and teachings into the world to help dispel the suffering that we see every day.

Also, the San Francisco Shambhala Center is a hidden jewel in the city that we want to reveal! The previous location was not centrally located. The Center and its activities can grow and flourish in a more central location.

View photos of the construction this January.
Watch a video of the Opening the Mandala ceremony:video

From: SMCLA News Magazine

“Love” became the theme of the day, appropriately enough. The Sakyong, in his address, emphasized that we work with love and kindness as the basis of our interactions with the world. To access a recording of his talk, click here.

—

And Joel Wachbrit, Co-Director of SMCLA and musician extraordinaire reports our own Shambhala Day celebration:

This year’s Shambhala Day had the largest turnout I have seen in my 21 years as a sangha member in Los Angeles - Kasung counted 130 at one point during the Sakyong’s address. What really impressed this year (especially from my vantage point in the director’s seat) was how happy everyone looked. I never felt the old urge of “speed it up Joel, they’re getting bored!” while Melanie and I went through the morning’s announcements and program events. And when it came time to have our fundraiser for the Westside Shambhala Group I had a ball playing off of Greg Lubkin as auctioneers. We raised over $7000 for the Westside and I think we could have kept going. But Indian food was calling and we still had the I Ching to toss, the Sadhana of Mahamudra to do………

I came home and shut my eyes around 3pm and the next thing I knew it was after 5! I awoke with a tender heart of sadness and delight for my fellow LA Shambhalians.

—
The celebration continues, fortunately. Don’t miss our Ball, this Sunday at the Shambhala Center. Click here for more details! All are invited!

Post your own Shambhalentines Day memories in the Comments section below!

From: SMCLA News Magazine

While the Shambhala Sun is always in the East, the West Coast Shambhalian certainly knows how to enjoy a good setting sun once in a while. Especially those of us who live on the West Side of Los Angeles, a good 25 miles (that’s L.A. miles, folks!) from our main center over in Eagle Rock.

View Larger Map

Although the hard core amongst us will brave three or four highways through Hollywood and other exotic locale to visit our East Side brethren for a good talk or a Werma Feast or our routine check-ins with acharya and mentor Allyn Lyon, most people visiting the West Side Shambhala group for the first time have trouble believing that we actually drive all the way to Eagle Rock for programs. In fact, most West Siders (myself included!) are reluctant to go east of the 405 very often.

Because of the increased amount of foot traffic at the West Side Shambhala events - Sunday evening sittings (4-6pm), Thursday evening talks about Shambhala Arts, “The Way of Shambhala” courses, Shambhala Levels, free meditation instruction, and so forth - the L.A. sangha is rallying to find a larger, permanent home for the West Siders.

Most significantly, this year’s Shambhala Ball (February 20 at the Eagle Rock Center) will dedicate its proceeds to the West Side Shambhala group and its building search. West Siders have been assigned with the task of planning this year’s party. They have been practicing for this task for months, organizing occasional forays into local dance clubs to sample of the DJs.

Being a West Side Shambhalian is not just party-planning and sunsets over the beach, however. A few dedicated sitters make up the “West Side Steering Committee.” This group meets regularly, discusses administrative and financial matters, and cultivates leadership amongst its ranks. I hasten to add that these meetings often mitigate any fatigue they might engender by featuring delicious cookies and chocolates! This is the sort of committee I can commit to!

And no discussion about the West Side Shambhala group is complete without mentioning the fearless duo that has lead it fearlessly for four years:

Stanley Weiser and Tom Gottlieb, both deeply devoted students of the Sakyong and his father, attend nearly every sitting session, maintain the financial stability of the burgeoning organization, and even make sure all the doors are locked when we leave the Santa Monica Zen Center on Sunday evenings.

So, West Siders, don’t despair! While the trek to the East Side might be long and hard on your gas mileage, and though that trek is usually worth it, you can look forward to a future in which some of those East Siders might venture West. And they’ll probably want to see the setting sun while they’re at it.

From: SMCLA News Magazine

Today Muffie gave a wonderful talk on the Protector Principle and some background on the Mamo Chants and Shambhala Day. Mamo chants will be done on February 5, 7, 10 and 12 at the Center. Please go to the website at www.phoenix.shambhala.org for more info.

Our council also met today and when I got home I realized how really amazing these people I work with on the council are, and that thought extended to all the members and how amazing they are and further to the people who show up regularly for practice and classes. Just the idea that all these people are sharing the Shambhala Vision of creating an Enlightened Society here in Phoenix and that I am a part of that is something I am very, very grateful for. Look for more news about the council and upcoming programs soon.

From: Phoenix News & Information Magazine

Friday evening’s talk is entitled Meditation and the Essential Points of Practice. Beginning with the precision of basic mindfulness, we becomebetter able to transcend ego’s habitual pattern of striving to accomplish something, as we learn to relax in the simplicity of nowness. Progressively letting go of the watcher, we gradually unfold the complete openness of panoramicawareness. At the same time, we develop both relative and absolute bodhichitta as essential elements of the path.

This is a great opportunity for everyone - members and friends alike - to meet and listen to one of our wonderful Shambhala teachers. I really feel like you can connect to the practice and the teachings in a much more personal way when you are able to meet the teacher and have an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas. I hope lots of people will attend. The talk is free although a $5 donation would be very appreciated.

From: Phoenix News & Information Magazine

Let us see.
Let us do.
But do before we see.
On the other hand see before we do.

from Mantric Keltic Incantation
a poem by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

available here

Chat with Alexandra Milsom, August 7, 2009
(Excerpt)

10:17 PM
me: u there alex?
10:19 PM
Alexandra: yes! hey!
me: ah it works
Alexandra: where you at?
10:20 PM
me: home
just set up ichat to work with google talk
nice
welcome back
Alexandra: yep
thanks!
how was WA??? did it happen yet?
me: i leave tuesday por la mañana
10:21 PM
me: =]
Alexandra: coooooo
10:22 PM
are you going to write up a blurb for the la.shambhalatimes.org?
please?
thanks!
me: taking photos
i think allison c is gonna write something
Alexandra: and a little bit of stuff for your trip to kalapa valley
cooooooo!!!

Allison Conant’s Response (Photo-Commentary by Edgar Anolin)

Ah, Alex Milsom…

What did I learn at Warrior Assembly this summer, you ask? Mmm…. Not easy to put into the words. Not easy at all.

Well, here goes:

I learned where Nova Scotia is. I learned that the Official Shambhala Breakfast of Champions the world over is oatmeal and hard-boiled eggs. I learned that they do give speeding tickets in Halifax, but the police are very friendly. I learned what a tidal bore is and I learned what a busker is. I learned that you really do need a sheet when sleeping on a plastic mattress. I learned about Retreat Smokers. And I learned that if you keep your sunglasses on you can chop twenty-five pounds of onions every day for ten days without crying.

I learned that the strangers I first judged and kept at bay would, if I let them, become people I cherish, people that I know I will love until the end of my days.

I learned that the end to all wars lies within our grasp, and that it takes the strongest and most courageous of warriors to comfort someone in tears.

I learned that the rudest little places, bunks made out of two by fours become havens, especially when shared with folks you care for. That no matter how hot or cold or wet and windy it gets, there is always a place to call home.

I learned that astonishing things happen in the most unlikely places — in the middle of nowhere, on a hayfield laid bare by hurricane winds there can be ladies in tea dresses and sparkling jewels, men in suits, china and silver, bagpipes, and Chopin.

I learned that there is beauty in everything – mildewy towels, stacks of cereal bowls, squash on a red table, and plastic-walled shower rooms.

I learned about some ineffablesomething, call it dralacall it enriching presence call it whatever you like. I know it exists because even though I am a thousand miles awayI can still hearthe anthem ringing in my head, still hear the soundof the flags snapping in the wind, can still see the sun shimmer through the green of [aspen?] leaves above me. And every time I look at Ed’s pictures I see andsmell andtaste andfeel it all over again. Because it’s in me. I don’t know what it is. And I don’t care to give it a name. I’m just glad it’s there.

I learned that those days of great warriors and great queens and wise ministers are no mere myth, no fantastic legend – these people exist. I’ve seen them, listened to their council, been buoyed by their courage, and been inspired by their generosity.

I learned about Kalapa Valley - an ocean of gold and butter. It is what I always dreamed home would be like – comfortable, beautiful, welcoming, a haven. It is a gift from a King to all his people. Magnificent and vast, familiar and close, unbreakable and broken wide open — like my own heart.

Click any image to open gallery

I learned how precious it is to be the given the opportunity to fall and get up again, and again, and again.. How rare to be the freedom and license to be truly outrageous. How easily laughter follows tears and how much comfort there is to be taken in the smallest of things – a clean sheet, a pillow, a shoulder to cry on.

Open your eyes wide and let it blind you with brilliance.
When this transmission is complete, nothing will be left-
Only a rainbow.
Looking close, you will see Shambhala vanishing into the heavens.
That is where I will go,
Since that is where I came from.

from “Shiwa Ökar and the Valley of White”
a poem by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

I learned that we have been given a directive — to go out into the world and engage as best we can. That in this lifetime we “manifest no retirement”. That we are all truly kings and queens and that we can reveal the sanity of a situation in any moment. I learned how precious it is to be given the weapons we need to manifest our best selves. To be given a command and to be trusted to carry it out. And when I begin to doubt myself, and I do – Lord knows I do – I learned that there are a thousand, thousand warriors ready to come to my aid at a moment’s notice.

But I didn’t know until I got back, until I sat down in my room far away from the pure fine air at DDL, far away from the sound of Handel’s Water Music mixing with the rain on the roof of the pavilion. Back in LA where there were no warriors poised beside me taking their oaths, nor was there a dragon in the corner keeping watch. There was only me in my bedroom with the inkpot I bought at Target and the paper I got from Staples wondering if it would be the same. There were fires raging, and work starting, and my checkbook tightening, and my head aching. And there was doubt. Would this practice ground me? Give me the strength it had? Would I see the beauty? The magic? Or would I just feel duped?

It was in that moment, bringing brush to paper that I learned how truly unbreakable the Vajra Grip is. And I learned that there is enduring magic in the practice. Transformative magic.

And that, Alex Milsom, was what I learned at Warrior Assembly this summer.

From: SMCLA News Magazine

Angelinos, mark your calenders: On October 10, 24, and November 7, our center in Eagle Rock will host the second annual International Social Action Film Festival (ISAFF). After running festivals in nine countries, sixteen cities and seventeen different venues in its first year, this extraordinary social entrepreneurial effort returns home to Los Angeles.

Join us over the course of the three nights of the festival and see a variety of films, from short-shorts to a feature length documentary. All of the films screened highlight the remarkable and often selfless work of local and international social action organizations and the efforts they are making within our communities. These films are a heartening and uplifting testament to our ability to help others and realize our connection to our community.

We will screen the only feature-length film of the festival on November 7: the award-winning documentary — War Dance. This moving story of the struggles and resilience of children living in a Ugandan war region and their remarkable presence in a national performance competition demonstrates the powerful impact our actions can have on the most difficult situations.

On October 10th, join us for a pre-festival screening of a feature documentary — Recalling a Buddha, about the life of the 16th Karmapa.

For a special treat, stay late on November 7 for a post-festival screening of Waiting for Tomorrow, the work of local filmmaker and sangha member, George Gomez.

For a full listing of ISAFF events and screenings, click here.

To make reservations. click here.

Admission by donation.

From: SMCLA News Magazine

Fortunately, I ran into some fellow Angelinos – Pearl Werbin and our fearless center co-director Melanie Klein. They seemed to be better-prepared with elegant some shawls and jackets. Despite the threat of zero-degree weather (that’s Celsius; and whatever that is in Farenheit, it sounds cold to me!), we managed to remain cheerful throughout.

Tatamagouche, a little outpost village a couple hours from Halifax, is the closest urban area to Dorje Denma Ling, the Shambhala land-center located in Nova Scotia. For those of you who resemble me in your total ignorance of Canadian geography, Nova Scotia is a peninsula – quite nearly an island – connected to the Province of New Brunswick. It is nearly at the same latitude as Maine and is also nearly the size of that state. In other words, it is quite remote. People there say “eh” sometimes, they don’t switch lanes gratuitously like we do in L.A., and are even friendly at ten at night in the drive-through line at the fast-food restaurant when you can’t figure out their coins and you are used to nice weather.

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Did I mention that it’s cold there?

Despite my early-program jitters and my fear that I would freeze to death in my cabin, upon seeing fellow Angelinos and seeing all the people with whom I had endured dathüns, oryoki meals, endless toasts, long hours in shrine rooms all over the world, and Vajrayana transmission, I knew I was where I belonged. Next time, though, I will bring a warmer jacket.

From: SMCLA News Magazine

http://karmapaxvi.com

“Recalling a Buddha” is a 97-minute documentary on the life and activity of His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and features commentary from thirteen Tibetan Buddhist teachers.

The DVD has two hours of extras and is available for pre-order on the website. The final output is being mastered this week and DVDs will ship in the next few weeks.

Many teachers have participated to this movie: Thrangu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, Tai Situ Rinpoche, Gyaltsap Rinpoche, Shamar Rinpoche, Beru Khyentse Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Traleg Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche. Via archival footage, there is commentary from Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

Also participating are the British nun, Tenzin Palmo, the scholar Gene Smith, the Sixteenth Karmapa’s main translators Achi Tsepal and Ngodup T. Burkhar, Tendzin Parsons, and the Sixteenth Karmapa’s personal physician Dr. Mitchell Levy and the author Judith Lief.

Screenings in the Bay area will take place in October and November (San Rafael, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Santa Cruz are confirmed. Berkeley should be confirmed soon). Information is at the screenings page of http://karmapaxvi.com. Screenings in other geographic areas are also in the works.  

Marcia Sibata practicing Kado at the L.A. Shambhala Center. Photo by Anne Saitzyk.

Marcia Shibata brought the elegant vision of Kado, the “Way of Flowers,” to the Los Angeles Shambhala center in two workshops in August. Shibata has studied Ikebana extensively in Japan and had received instruction from the Vidyadhara, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, on the contemplative aspect of flower arranging. It is a practice rich with an appreciation for the natural world. As Shibata explained to her students, even the word “Ikebana” reflects the Japanese school’s empathy with the life and death of flowers: it is derived from the words “Ikeru” - to keep alive - and “Hana” - flowers.

The “Way of Flowers” is a tradition that goes back thousands of years in Japan and China, but in recent times has evolved into more of a decorative art. Shibata’s vision is to return Kado to a meditative practice of subject and object. Flower arrangements become a reflection of the mind of their creator. During practice, the room in which Ikebana is done becomes the kado-jo, or practice hall in which the Way of Flowers can be explored. The journey of creating the flower arrangement is as important as the final result. The ultimate outcome is an Ikebana that mirrors a harmonious and balanced world.

Ms. Shibata lives in Vermont but will return to Los Angeles in January of 2010 to conduct another series of workshops on the way of flowers.

And go to the L.A. Shambhala Center’s Flickr Page to look at the full array of photos by L.A.’s own Anne Saitzyk from the weekend!

*Blume

From: SMCLA News Magazine

“The way of cowardice is to embed ourselves in a cocoon, in which we perpetuate our habitual patterns. When we are constantly recreating our basic patterns of behavior and thought, we never have to leap into fresh air or onto fresh ground.”

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
from Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior

Pamela Bothwell, walking in the shadows of exposed roof-slats

FRESH AIR! That is exactly what the fortunate students experienced during the recent Shambhala Training Level 2 weekend, held at the Westside Shambhala Center. The new practice space, which the Westside Shambhala group shares with the Santa Monica Zen Center, had a roof-replacement scheduled for the very same weekend as the program. When the ten participants arrived on Friday, July 31st to hear a talk delivered by Pamela Bothwell, the fresh air and ocean breeze permeated the beautiful shrine room. While light filtered through the gaps of the exposed wooden beams on the “roof,” Pamela was interrupted by a mysterious something that dropped to the floor.

“Well this is perfect. All weekend as you practice, while debris drops around you…you are invited to experience the present moment!” Pamela appropriately observed.

The Saturday sun traced a path across the sky, and gaps of light became patterns of I Ching hexagrams. The students, who lovingly bonded as a group in Level 1, enthusiastically dove into heart of warriorship while working with the unpredictable conditions of Level 2. By Sunday, softened hearts shared a profound perspective of a new ocean sky and some delicious lunch, courtesy of the Jamaican restaurant across the street.

As the coordinator of the weekend, I found myself semi-frantically longing for the cocoon of Los Angeles’ main center on the Eastside in Eagle Rock, where all the glasses are easily accessible, and the kitchen has a sink. Then, during walking meditation, I noticed a pigeon feather in my path, and delighted in knowing that the space was perfectly exposed. The comforts of shelters and kitchens don’t always allow us to experience the heart of being in the present.

Leaping into the fresh air of meditation became the metaphor of each moment for those of us who shared the experience of Level 2 on the Westside. Walking through the beams of light prompted Pamela to ask us, “Are you a prisoner of your mind?”

Click here for more photographs of the weekend on the SMCLA Flicker Photostream!

From: SMCLA News Magazine

Volume 2 of West Marin Review, released Summer 2009

Western Marin County lies just forty minutes northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Populated originally by the Coast Miwok people and first sighted by Europeans in 1579 by England’s Sir Frances Drake, the place remained rural and agricultural until completion of the famous bridge in 1936. West Marin, as it is called these days, was the dairy center of California until the 1940s, providing high-quality butter, milk and cream drawn from contented cows grazing lovely rolling hills and meadows kept green year-round by Pacific Ocean rains and fog and soft sunshine.

Nowadays, West Marin - the western two-thirds of the county - remains mostly agricultural, thanks to the hard work of local residents, concerned citizens of Marin and beyond, and local government with state and Federal aid. The Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the first land trust in the United States to focus on agriculture, was started in 1980 by two local women - a dairy woman and a conservationist - to support local ranchers and farmers, protect the natural resources and preserve the idyllic landscape from suburban development.

Coast Miwok dancer, courtesy of Edward Willie and http://www.nps.gov/pore/historyculture/people_coastmiwok.htm

The area had begun to attract artists, writers, philosophical types and the “back-to-the-land” folk escaping the cities since the late 1800s. A railroad, built to haul redwood lumber south from the northern coast to the growing cities of the San Francisco Bay Area, afforded city dwellers the chance to visit Nature. Carved out of a piece of the Point Reyes Peninsula - now entirely protected within Point Reyes National Seashore (and technically, geologically speaking, an island migrating slowly northward along the California coast) - the little village of Inverness began as a summer vacation spot for well-to-do San Franciscans and faculty from the University of California at Berkeley.

The laid-back, rural sensibilities of West Marin were guarded jealously by European immigrants who raised dairy cattle, and sheep and goats. After the Golden Gate Bridge was completed, roads and highways permitted more people to visit the rural landscape framed by oak- and redwood-covered hills, the Point Reyes peninsula, and the Tomales Bay estuary that, for about eight miles, separates the coastline from peninsula. Tourists came and went, and vacation homeowners, but local folk stayed on year-round, getting along as best they could.

In the late 1980s something began to shift - the notion of the region as a community took root, fostered by a friendly informal consortium of local people with a variety of perspectives willing to seek common ground. No doubt this movement was fostered by the activities of Marin Agriculutral Land Trust, which had required participation of ranchers and farmers, conservationists, the moneyed, and government agencies. Out of this rich stew arose, among other great ideas of the mid-1990s, the notion of a community radio station - media for the people, if you will. Thus was born KWMR, community radio for West Marin, which this year celebrates it’s tenth anniversary on the air.

A few years later, also ten years ago, fueled by the booming interest in organic produce and high-quality, locally made food - a development epitomized by Berkeley bon vivant and restaurant owner Alice Waters - Marin Organic came into being. An association of local producers of cheeses and other dairy items, greens, vegetables throughout the year, summer fruits, meats, eggs and flowers, to list just a few - olive oil, wine and oysters to mention a few more - Marin Organic has launched a local, regional and now international interest in good, local food that informs the larger Slow Food movement around the world.

Point Reyes dairy cattle, courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/stwiso/

And now, into this tasty stew of community, the arts and happy agriculture, was added the spice and nuance of literature and the arts, again locally produced and cultivated. Last year, coinciding with a local conference on Wallace Stegner, the American writer, historian and environmentalist, local writers, editors and visual artists, working with a local bookstore and a regional library association, launched West Marin Review, a journal inspired by the landscapes of West Marin. Unlike any other literary journal, this one focuses an artistic lens - with humor, intelligence and heart - on the land itself, and on the diverse mix of people who live, work, play and fall in love here.

Inverness, California, courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/people/miwok/

It is into this fantastic and luscious confluence that I have now been flung, a Shambhalian in a new community, welcomed and encouraged to be myself. Circumstances beyond my control - a near-death encounter, as a pedestrian, with a speeding Sports Utility Vehicle, leading to cognitive and physical disabilities and then the coming apart of an eight-year marriage, and a mid-life change of course towards creativity and contentment - led me back to Inverness, where, 41 years ago next month, I spent a relaxing weekend in a little blue cottage and its garden, high on some (locally produced!) psychedelic the first day, and aimlessly resting the next.

When things fall apart, says Pema Chödrön, start where you are. I had already been driving the back roads of West Marin for twenty years, appreciating the landscape, the open air and vast perspectives, and the gentle atmosphere of residents and towns where life felt valued, respected and highlighted. Earlier this year, when it was becoming apparent that it was time to make changes in my living situation, having been myself an active participant in the movement to elect President Barack Obama, I was deeply moved at the coming together of community for the inauguration - early in the morning here on the Pacific Coast - seated on tiers of hale bales in Toby’s Feed Barn, watching a big screen live broadcast.

Point Reyes Farmers Market at Toby's Feed Barn. Photo: Richard James, courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/shish-aer/

Like the elves of Lord of the Rings, I’m migrating westward towards the sea - perhaps not into eternal life, but definitely towards my own new lands of happiness and fulfillment. And although I’m still looking for the ideal new home, feeling a bit like Goldilocks sipping porridges and testing pillows, I have come home. Local poet Joanne Kyger, in the newly released Volume 2 of West Marin Review, has it right:

Home is the moment
the quail arrive

Eager to make new friends and influence potential new enemies, I began several months ago volunteering at local non-profits: the radio station (where any local person can propose and train to broadcast a new program), West Marin Community Service’s thrift store and their senior services offices - which since 1976 has been caring for West Marin seniors, the Inverness public library - housed in what had been one of the first buildings in the village, and West Marin Review. It was through this mix of activities that an idea popped into my head and gestated: a radio program that features contributors to West Marin Review and highlights the magic of what influences local folk to create such a variety of great writing - prose and poetry alike - and visual art.

"Going to feed the calves" by Martina Roque, courtesy of the Latino Photo Project, http://www.galleryrouteone.org/latino-photo-project/

To my amazement, the response from all sides - radio station and literary journal - was, Yes! Yes, you can. Si, se puede. And so yesterday I hosted my first radio show, on KWMR, having invited together two founders of West Marin Review, including the local bookstore owner, one of the cultural pillars of West Marin, and two local writers and artists, and, you could say, community organizers.

Although I was a bit nervous at the beginning, I quickly recalled that basic goodness is waiting to be discovered everywhere, in the least expected moments and places, and so the roundtable discussion began to flow effortlessly, pooling here, burbling there, moving forward in a clear stream of heart-felt consciousness.

And afterwards? Everyone was delighted, happy to have a chance to come together in common cause, for the arts and community. And now, what comes next? We have a follow-up program, in September, featuring more contributors to Volume 2 of West Marin Review, and more sharing of what individuals and local groups of individuals are doing to create and nurture a sense of place. There’s even discussion of more radio programs, on this and other topics.

It has been heart-warming and confidence-building beyond description to experience being welcomed and appreciated by strangers into their beautiful, extraordinary home. May each of us find, in our own lives, a similar experience of coming home in a new way. Certainly these times need and deserve community, and of mutual respect and celebration.

Stay tuned, if you like; I’ll post news of the next radio broadcast here. Or drop a comment in the space below if you’d like to know more, or just speak your mind/heart. Thanks!

A student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche since 1992, Marc Matheson has previously written for The Dot, and helped launched Shambhala Times. He now works part-time as a content editor for an upcoming spiritual advice website, and volunteers as a community organizer for the progressive Obama movement as well as at a number of non-profit services in West Marin. He’s looking for a nice garden cottage in the village of Inverness, California, where he can be adopted by a pair of cats and practice being married to himself.

His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, father of the Sakyong Wangmo Khandro Tseyang and head of the Rigon Thupten Mindrolling monastery in India and the Rigon Tashi Choling monastery in Tibet, made his fourth visit in four years to the Los Angeles Shambhala Center in July. His weekend of teachings started with a Purification and Healing Ceremony and followed with a Chenrezig Empowerment and teachings. Chenrezig–or “Avalokiteshvara” in Sanskrit–is the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

His Eminence recounted the tale of how Chenrezig worked tirelessly to free all beings from suffering. He emptied samsara three times, liberating beings from suffering each time. But Chenrezig looked into the hell realm and saw the limitless number of beings that were still there. He became despondent with grief and fell to the ground, were his head shattered into thousands of pieces. Amitabha Buddha put the body back together, but when he did so, he gave Chenrezig eleven faces and a thousand arms so he could work with myriad beings at the same time.

A contemporary of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, His Eminence escaped from Tibet at roughly the same time. However unlike the Vidyadhara, who adopted English and western fashion, Namkha Drimed remains rooted in the traditions of Tibetan language, dress and culture. His teachings are a direct link to a rapidly disappearing body of knowledge. In person, he is warm and friendly and has the kindest eyes that you will ever encounter. He speaks little English, but seems to understand everything. It is a blessing just to be in his presence.

Nearly a 130 people squeezed into the Eagle Rock shrine room for the healing ceremony and around 60 people attended the weekend teachings and empowerment. It was a very rich and heady weekend for all that attended.

Photo by Alexandra Milsom, Dechen Choling 2008

From: SMCLA News Magazine

Wisdom for Difficult Times: What the Buddhists Teach
October 2-4 in San Francisco.

The Shambhala Sun is pleased to host our first-ever Urban Retreat, this one in San Francisco—bringing together eminent teachers from the three major Buddhist traditions.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Sylvia Boorstein, and Zoketsu Norman Fischer will join us for a weekend of Buddhist wisdom and meditation specially aimed at dealing with the challenges of life today.

This is a “gateway” program, helpful to both newcomers and long-time students alike.

Find details on the Sun site... we’ll offer more as plans develop. Save the date and come to San Francisco!