Sep 17
Saturday
Harvesting the Wisdom of the Seasons
Unlikely as it is, it is again September. Amidst our busy days, we again have the luxury to face our own personal harvest.
by Sarah Lipton
Manifest from dreaming earlier in the winter, tilling in the spring and sowing in the summer, we now reap the bountiful harvest of our efforts and dreams in these cooler days of autumn.
The summer’s sun no longer slants with unnerving heat. September’s sunrays are a warming reprieve from the cooling night air. We harvest the tall sunflowers that have been growing all season, bedecking our counters with rich yellow pollen. And then we watch as the petals shrivel and dry, the seeds exposed for our eating and saving to plant next year. There is a sadness in the slow wilting of a flower. But there is joy too, both in the present enjoyment of beauty, and also in knowing we have seeds for next year’s planting. Continue…
Author Archive
1 response - Posted 09.15.16
Having looked at the Shambhala Dedication of Merit earlier this week, our attention now turns to a traditional opening chant by Russell Rodgers Gampopa Grant your blessings so that my mind may be one with the dharma. Grant your blessings so that dharma may progress along the path. Grant your blessings ...continue
5 responses - Posted 09.13.16
Delving into the context and deeper meaning of this familiar dedication chant by Russell Rodgers By the confidence of the golden sun of the great east, May the lotus garden of the Rigden’s wisdom bloom. May the dark ignorance of sentient beings be dispelled, May all beings enjoy profound brilliant glory. In ...continue
3 responses - Posted 09.11.16
How many teachers do you need to reach enlightenment? Don’t forget to count yourself! by Marcos Taquechel I often read spiritual and self-help books, and become inspired. I feel like I have a deep understanding while the book is in front of my eyes; I get momentarily enlightened. ...continue
4 responses - Posted 09.09.16
Offering meditation practice in the Cook County Jail by Keith Spielfogel On Monday mornings I drive to a place many might consider to be the most depressing complex of buildings in Chicago: Cook County Jail. It is home to the largest jail in the United States, housing approximately ...continue
1 response - Posted 09.07.16
In preparation for Harvest of Peace later this month, a Windhorse retreat leads to personal reflection on the meaning of Shambhala by Caroline Moore I have been attending Shambhala on and off for about six years, having completed Way of Shambhala and currently working through the Sacred Path series. At this ...continue
no responses - Posted 09.05.16
by Shastri Kim Kelso When we meditate we are practicing synchronizing mind and body. We are giving ourselves a chance to collect ourselves. Often our body is ahead of our mind or our mind is ahead of the body, or our body is sitting in the room ...continue
5 responses - Posted 09.01.16
A brave couple takes a leap into the unknown to realize a long-held dream of living in another country by Lynn Bishop As the Shastri began chanting the Supplication to the Lineage, I opened my mouth to join in but instead started crying. Overwhelmed by unexpected emotion, I ...continue
24 responses - Posted 08.30.16
A reflection on the transformations encountered through the process of aging by Shastri Christine Heming It seems that everyday I lose a little part of me. As if a transformation is occurring, completely out of my control. This morning the liver spot on my left cheek deepened in ...continue
1 response - Posted 08.28.16
Shambhalians in Halifax make a splash of Great Eastern Sun with a float for the local Pride Parade by Dan Corbett How do we show pride in our community? What could be the biggest, most outrageous display we could cast forth before an audience of tens of thousands? ...continue
2 responses - Posted 08.26.16
Our commentator on the Shambhala chants turns his attention to the aspiration by Russell Rodgers In the midst of our river of habitual thoughts, we tend to forget what is most important to us. Aspiration chants are reminders. If we consciously aspire to something, it’s more likely to ...continue
7 responses - Posted 08.24.16
In our ongoing series on the Shambhala chants, we consider a supplication for the longevity of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche by Russell Rodgers As with other longevity chants, this one is all about the power of devotion. For genuine gurus, it is the devotion of their students that prolongs ...continue
6 responses - Posted 08.22.16
In our continuing series on the Shambhala chants, we take a look at protectors manifesting as coincidence. by Russell Rodgers A constant stream of coincidence shapes our lives. You get up in the morning. It’s raining and that always makes you depressed. There’ s a traffic jam on the ...continue
no responses - Posted 08.20.16
Reflecting on hot weather and the wisdom of simplicity, at Windhorse Retreat Center by Susan Firer We have just experienced about a week of hot and muggy weather, and it took me right back to being a kid on summer break – just hanging out with friends, going ...continue
4 responses - Posted 08.18.16
A long-time student ruminates on the practice of protector chants in Shambhala ritual by Russell Rodgers The protector chants have been causing controversy at centres since Trungpa Rinpoche first asked us to start doing them over thirty years ago. Periodically, members argue over whether or not it is ...continue