Tuesday

Warriors in the World

An Excerpt from the November 2023 Touching the Earth Collective Newsletter

One of the goals of 2023, Water Rabbit year, is landing ecodharma in the heart of Shambhala.

Funded by the Bess Family Foundation grant, we boldly planned, presented and were integrated into the fabric of Warrior Assemblies. Introduced in the welcome letters to the participants was encouragement to contemplate, “In what ways do I currently care for the earth?”

Here are the three brief reports by STEC leaders at the Warrior Assemblies at Drala Mountain Center, Dechen Choling, and Karme Choling.

We look forward to seeing the follow up actions of these Warrior Assemblies, and will report them  in the Newsletter.  Also we look forward to seeing the innovations brought to these programs to find homes in all of our in person meetings, events, programs and celebrations.

Onwards…

Thanks to all the Directors of the Assemblies, and  the Land Centers for opening the space to the care and protection of the earth. And Gratitude to the lands on which these Assemblies were held.

Drala Mountain Center, Colorado—June/July 2023

As you all know, Drala Mountain Center was beset by the Cameron Peak Fire in 2020, which tore through its meadows and forests, in a path of great power and destruction.  Three summers later, evidence of the burn was still present, but the luxuriousness of the verdant and healthy returning foliage, along with the careful forest cleanup, was a testament to the power of resilience under duress and the indestructibility of natural goodness.  Such was the stage for a return of the first of three Warrior Assemblies in more than four years.

Led by Gaylon Ferguson and Janet Solyntjes and assisted by a seasoned and enthusiastic staff, the Drala Mountain Center Warrior Assembly welcomed 34 new Ashe Warriors into 12 days of deep practice and extensive study.  While relying on traditional texts and exercises, the view of the Assembly strongly emphasized a spirit of inquiry and exploration, acknowledging that so much has changed since prior Assemblies.

As such, the invitation was to lean more explicitly into Earth Guardianship as a Shambhala value, an integral part of the unfolding Ashe principle.  Each of the 3 Assemblies this year includes a staff member holding the role of Touching the Earth representative, not as a “special interest” group, but as an integrated part of the program.  This is a first for Shambhala Warrior Assemblies.  This enabled us to include exploration of the 4 elements in our morning movement exercises, take advantage of DMC staff talent to discuss water management, earth restoration, fire mitigation and air quality on the land, weave Earth-centered topics in with Shambahala dharma, invite participants with experience in movements such as Transition Town movement to hold break-out sessions, and generally to foreground the beautiful Earth on which all of this was unfolding.

Emily Takahashi

Dechen Chöling, France—July 2023

The Land of Great Bliss. And it is! 72 people, participants and staff, gathered amidst the ancient trees and colourful meadows for Warriors Assembly. An experienced staffing team had already begun to gather by the time I arrived and the shrine tent was ready. It brought tears to my eyes to see the love, care and precision that transformed a tired tent into an uplifted, luminous and sacred space. The magic of Shambhala.

We were blessed with four experienced teachers in Eve Rosenthal, Catherine Eveillard, Alfonso Taboada and Daniel Bollini. Four nationalities and four different expressions of the teachings. A deliberate common thread that emerged and returned to was Care for the Earth. Already deeply embedded in the Shambhala teachings, each recognised the urgent nature of reconnecting to the greater than human world and changing the way we relate to ourselves, one another and the natural world. Space was given for a talk about the importance of this work, which I gave.

The programme was intense and joyous, profound and spacious, skilful, uplifted and dignified – an example of Enlightened Society and one I will never forget.

A deep bow and gratitude to the resident staff at Dechen Choling who gave their all in a time of deep uncertainty and great strain. Thank you.

Colin Tracy

Karmê Choling, Vermon—October 2023

Being the last of the Warrior Assemblies, on the calendar , we had the advantage of hearing the experiences and feedback from the first two. On the first night at the orientation we lead with our most recent draft of the STEC land acknowledgement.

The Welcome letter sent to the participants prior to the Assembly, listed bringing- closable water container for the shrine room. NO SINGLE USE PLASTIC BOTTLES PLEASE. At first glance across the Pavillion everyone had brought their bottles. One person, unprompted, came up to me and apologized for forgetting their bottle.  The shift in the outer culture was clear.

Notably the time of the Assembly, October 19-29th was as colorful as an Autumn in Vermont can be. Due to the climate crisis and no freeze, many of the leaves were still on the trees when we departed. The Ikebana crew was able to use the dahlias till the final day, as there had been no frost. A beautiful sad reminder of the changing fragile earth.

As Directors, Agness Au and Daniel Naistadt’s leadership provided space for a presentation of Touching the Earth with slides,music, Q and A and an invitation to listen to others’ earth related work. Twenty six people introduced themselves in a break out group, and began to make plans for the future as a community of warriors caring for the earth.

On the last day, Jan Enthoven and Emily Forse, caretakers of Karme Choling’s 32 year old garden lead a talk and tour of the drala rich acres…This is where our flowers and vegetable came from.

Nearing the end of the STEC presentation, this  quote by Robin Wall Kimmerer was shared, “What is an educated person? Someone who knows their gift and shares it with others. If you have medicine, share it.”

Irene Woodard