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Earth Ox | Year in Review
Sand Patterns, photo courtesy of Brian Fay

Sand Patterns, photo courtesy of Brian Fay

The Earth Ox (2009–10) has been a been a poignant year of deepening and clarifying. This year Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche opened the Scorpion Seal for advanced Shambhala practitioners to connect more profoundly with the principal terma of the Vidyadhara, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The Sakyong continues to clarify Shambhala as a terma lineage. In line with this, the Shambhala lineage thangka has been commissioned from master thangka painter, Noedup Rongae, at his Shambhala Art School in India. Plus more and more Shambhala Centres around the world are offering the new curriculum, the Way of Shambhala.

In some ways this year marks a new phase in the development of Shambhala with the Sakyong entering retreat and his declaration of the Shambhala household initiative.

On his birthday this past year, the Sakyong stated:

Before I go to retreat, it seems like an auspicious and good time in terms of our next phase. Over the years I feel like there’s been an element missing. Initially I did work on the Dorje Kasung, its strength and structure, and then obviously the acharyas—I have to say they’re all working beautifully and that group is very strong—and then with the leadership and also government coming together. I feel like the next principle is the notion of Shambhala household, which is connected with the principle of Kalapa Court in the center of Shambhala.

Community has also been a major focus in the Earth Ox with “exploring community” as the theme of the Fourth Shambhala Congress and the Sangha Retreat bring together a community of practitioners, early in their path, to connect, study and practice with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Acharya Pema Chodron and Acharya Adam Lobel.

Here are highlights from the Year of the Earth Ox:

Scorpion Seal Opens
by Jennifer Holder

As chanting rose from the main shrine room, and as ngondro participants did lujong in front of the pavilion, the sun would begin to warm the air, and the mist would lift. It was the perfect metaphor for the unveiling of the long-awaited terma, Scorpion Seal of the Golden Sun. For years, curiosity and longing have drawn practitioners towards this practice, and finally, in June 2009, Sakyong Mipham opened the Scorpion Seal for the community at large, lifting a mist that has been hanging over the terma for decades. Read more.

Sangha Retreat
by Alex Milsom

The Sangha Retreat, hosted by Shambhala Mountain Center during the third week of July, was a rare and powerful opportunity to receive those instructions directly from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, see the effects of these instructions on one of our community’s greatest practitioners, Ani Pema Chodron, and practice the instructions with the guidance one of our community’s most dedicated young teachers, the Kalapa Acharya Adam Lobel. Read more.

Tenshuk (Long Life) Ceremony
by Walker Blaine

The complete tenshuk involves a longevity empowerment for the teacher coupled with a long life practice. This is because it is performed during critical junctures in a teacher’s life: times of obstacles, old age, sudden illness, or when a teacher has spoken directly about leaving this world. The tradition began after the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha, who had mentioned his approaching death three times to his attendant Ananda. Ananda had not realized this was an opportunity to request the Buddha to live longer, an unfortunate omission because a realized teacher is said to have the capacity to extend lifespan. After the Buddha passed into parinirvana the practice of supplicating for a teacher’s longevity was initiated. Read more. View photos.

Fourth Shambhala Congress

More than 150 Shambhalians from all corners of the world gathered in Halifax, the Shambhala capital, for the Fourth Shambhala Congress, from 9 to 11 November. A major topic this year was how we welcome and support practitioners with diverse practice paths within Shambhala. This need has come into sharp focus with the emergence of the path that leads to the Scorpion Seal retreat. Many people are asking how best we can support and nurture those who are not on that particular path and who are wholeheartedly engaging in other practices offered within our mandala. A plenary session was devoted to this topic: “One mandala, many paths.” Read more and view the Shambhala Times theme on Celebrating Community.

Shambhala Households
Interview with Wendy Friedman and Noel McLellan

The Sakyong has said that living in Shambhala Households can help us to see the continuity between our lives as practitioners and our home and family life. When we are able to manifest an atmosphere of warmth and delight in our homes, we can invite others into that–and celebrate our dignity together. The forms and culture of Shambhala are an upaya, or skillful means, for helping us to access our sanity at any time. If we integrate Shambhala forms into the way that we cook, entertain, raise our families and arrange our spaces, then our environment becomes a reminder to live wakefully. Read more.

View video of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Read transcript of the Sakyong’s message.

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