Monday

Reflecting the Extraordinary Reality of Shambhala

Our content manager, Jennifer Holder, reflects on the first year of the Shambhala Times community news magazine. Photos courtesy of Michael Levy.

Just like our community, the news of Shambhala is rich and diverse. It is a wellspring of not only the jewels we are cultivating – but all the ways in which we are actively engaging our world.

As I look back on the first year of the Shambhala Times, the theme that emerges is how much Shambhalians care. You can find this in our exchange of dharma, our reports of programs, projects, and activities. You can find it in our artistic expressions, and even in our debates. All of it is the fruition of our open heart: inspired by lineage, focused by our teachings, and cultivated through practice.

A Platform for Many Faces and Many Voices
This year, the Shambhala Times launched with a sense of curiosity as we asked ourselves: what do the voices of Shambhala have to say? As the stories and themes arose, we discovered just how our basic goodness expresses itself in infinite ways. Throughout the year, contributors and commentors contemplated and engaged themselves, each other, enlightened society, and the world.

In the process of witnessing our community come together, even in disagreement, we have shared how truly rich in resources we are. People all over the world are drawing on the powerful teachings of our lineage and giving them form through their insights and activities.

If there is one thing the Shambhala Times succeeded in doing this year, it was to reflect reality as it is: we are an extraordinary sangha.

The first year of the Shambhala Times – all 600 articles – is one compendium of the extraordinary reality of Shambhala. We encourage you to get curious about who we are, to click through our pages, and join us in witnessing our flowering community.

Becoming Familiar with Shambhala
When we sat down to choose the Best of 2009, we wanted to highlight the range of our community’s expressions. There are members who inspire our hearts with teachings. Others engage humanitarian causes, share artistic process, raise future generations, engage diverse points of view, and discover new levels of insight and inspiration at programs.

Choosing the Best of 2009 was a lot like shamatha practice. In the surf through our pages, we experienced the fullness of our society, then came back to ourselves and our experience. As we read and came back, over and over again, we realized that at the core of every single article is a person who cares deeply. That is something – that is the power of humanity, and the lineage that points it out.

Add Your Voice to the Mix
To celebrate the new year and the infinite richness of our sangha, we invite each and every person in our community to contribute their voice. Write a story or offer a contemplation. Send us your experience of a program or teacher. Tell us the ways you are engaging the world through work, social service, or vision. Send us your photos, or comment on a story that touches you.

Join us in our daily celebration of Shambhala…

To learn how to post, visit: shambhalatimes.org/how-to-contribute/
Contact one of our editors with an idea: [email protected]

Let us know if you would like to join our team and volunteer a few hours per week as a writer, copy-editor, local news scout, translator or regional correspondent…