Tuesday
Social Action Work in Shambhala
Social Action Work in Shambhala
The Shambhala Global Services Communications Team would like to share some of the social action initiatives of Shambhala members, Groups, Centers, Shambhala Online, and Shambhala Global Services. As the Shambhala community continues to move in the direction of “social action as dharma path”, we want to share these endeavors and help affirm how social action and activism intersect with our path as dharma practitioners. We invite you to read more below about the important steps in this direction that are taking place in the Shambhala community.
We’d like to offer our heartfelt thanks to all those who are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive Shambhala. From creating BIPOC spaces in our community to engaging in the work of understanding white conditioning and privilege, you are making enlightened society possible. And we would like to note that while the work described below is primarily about the BIPOC community, Shambhala supports social action work being done to raise awareness for all underrepresented groups – all are welcome as members of the Shambhala community.
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Sacred Activism – Shambhala Online
Shambhala Online is pleased to announce the Sacred Activism Series, an ongoing series of courses and retreats that will explore how social engagement and activism intersect with the Shambhala Teaching and the Buddhadharma. “Activism Is Dharma” is the first in this series and is coming up soon on December 10, 2022. The intention of this first retreat is for participants to leave with a stronger sense of what sacred activism means to them and how one might engage in the world with this deeper understanding. Please click here to read more about this one-day retreat that includes guided meditation and explorations on what sacred activism – and activism without aggression – can mean both individually and collectively.
In March 2023, the series will continue with Janet Ryvlin and Denise Blanc leading the four-week “Exploring White Conditioning” course. Next up in 2023 will be Gabe Daley presenting on “The Four Dignities of Investigating Whiteness and Racism” in October/November. More information on these courses will be coming soon.
Racial Minority Meditation – Shambhala Gainesville
Shambhala Gainesville offers a Racial Minority Meditation (online / in-person hybrid) on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. A welcoming and inclusive space, this meditation group is open to racial minorities regardless of religious background, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and socio-economic background to meditate and share experiences. For more information, please email [email protected]. Shambhala Gainesville also offers a White Awareness Book Study Group that meets once a month. For more information, email [email protected]. To learn more about the Shambhala Gainesville Centre please watch this short video!
Collective Liberation – Shambhala Chicago
Shambhala Chicago offers a Collective Liberation Online Discussion Group where participants gather—virtually—on the first Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. CST. Facilitated by Bea Bosco, Alice Dan, and Jean Marie Robins, their site states:
“Our intention is to explore the sticky issues of race and other forms of self-deception that lock our Basic Goodness behind invisible layers of culture / habitual thinking.”
To read more and register click here!
Sitting in Solidarity – Shambhala Seattle
Shambhala Seattle holds an online Sunday morning meditation: Sitting in Solidarity, for those who stand against racism. According to Rachel DeMotts:
“The Solidarity Sit began in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and has since been used as a space to encourage reflection on our individual positionalities and responsibilities to act, especially in the context of a predominantly white dharma community.”
The practice consists of guided shamatha and tonglen practice. For more information on Sitting in Solidarity and Seattle Shambhala, please click here. Along with Sitting in Solidarity, Shambhala Seattle provides a consistent and safe space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to meditate. The BIPOC Group meets online the first Sunday of every month from 1:00-3:00 p.m. PST. Read more here about the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Meditation Group.
Individual Liberation to Collective Liberation – A Resource Guide
While many actions are being taken at a local level, there are also efforts being made to provide accessible social engagement resources to all Centres and Groups within Shambhala. Members of the Shambhala community: Charlene Leung, Gabe Dayley, Joy Gutierrez, and Janet Ryvlin, through interviews with over 40 people in Shambhala, created the From Individual Liberation to Collective Liberation Resource Guide. This important guide is an incredibly rich resource for the community and our deepest thanks go out to the authors and the people they interviewed. Their incredible work will benefit many! Read the guide in its entirety here.
Sunday Gatherings – Shambhala Online Podcast
Shambhala Online is committed to regularly hosting Sunday Gatherings that are related to inclusion and diversity. You can access these through our Shambhala Sunday Gatherings Podcast. Previous topics have included:
- Individual Liberation to Societal Liberation: A Discussion With The Authors Of A New Resource Guide For Shambhala.
- So, What’s It like to be Asian in the Shambhala Community?
- A New Year & New Approach to Racial Justice – Developing A Racial Justice Plan
Social Activism Funding in Shambhala
In 2021, the Shambhala Board put out a call for local Centers and Groups to submit grant applications for diversity and inclusivity initiatives. Projects that were funded included, but were not limited to: the Establishing the Path of Inclusivity Warriorship & Social Liberation project that led to the creation of the From Individual Liberation to Collective Liberation Resource Guide, as well as a grant for Examining Whiteness, a facilitator training for Shambhala teachers to facilitate a course that investigates whiteness and racism with the heart of warriorship. We invite you to read more about the details of the Shambhala Board grant initiatives here.
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If you would like your Centre or Group’s social action initiatives to be featured in the SGS Newsletter or on the Shambhala Times, please reach out to Jillian Johnson at [email protected]. We want to share the good work you are doing to create inclusive spaces for all.
Entries filed under Community Articles
“Old News”: Controversy Rocks Dorje Dzong, by a Stiff Raporter
April/May 1989 On March 15 a startling void was discovered in the basement hallway of Dorje Dzong in Boulder. The coin-operated soda-pop vending machines, which had stood for what seemed like kalpas outside the basement shrine room, had been moved. Only the carpet stains remained to indicate ... continuePosted March 25, 2019 by Jennifer Holder
The “Old News Is Good News” Feature – HIGHLIGHT
This article announces the new column “Old News is Good News!” You can read the first installment here. Perhaps we can evoke our history to support our present through a new Shambhala Times feature titled “Old News Is Good News.” Since 2010, I have been hauling three sake ... continuePosted March 25, 2019 by Jennifer Holder
Carta de Lady Diana Mukpo
Queridos miembros de la Comunidad Shambhala: Les escribo con un corazón apesadumbrado. Este es un momento increíblemente doloroso para todos nosotros. Sin embargo, de muchas maneras, siento que la situación en la que nos encontramos como comunidad era inevitable. La profunda disfunción y la falta de amabilidad ... continuePosted February 22, 2019 by luz_rodriguez
Letter from Lady Diana Mukpo – HIGHLIGHT
Dear Members of the Shambhala Community, I write to you today with a very heavy heart. This is an incredibly painful time for all of us. However, in many ways, I feel that the situation we find ourselves in as a community was inevitable. The deep dysfunction ... continuePosted February 19, 2019 by Ashley_Dinges
Tocar la tierra, chispear tristeza y alegría
Ayer… “El medio oeste de EE. UU. pasa por un frio polar mientras que Australia se quema, bienvenidos a la era de la meteorología extrema”. Ese foto de Irene Woodard fue el titular de primera página en la versión digital del New York Times hace unos días. Al lado ... continuePosted February 14, 2019 by luz_rodriguez
Touching the Earth, Sparking Sadness and Joy – HIGHLIGHT
Este artículo ha sido traducido al español aqui. Yesterday… “As midwest freezes and Australia burns, welcome to the age of weather extremes.” This was on the front page of the digital version of the New York Times yesterday. Next to it, a video looking at the polar vortex, ... continuePosted February 11, 2019 by archives-staff
Kyudo is Not a Shambhala Art – HIGHLIGHT
Sensei illustrates the position of the arms in kyudo: a circle, meaning “peace.” article by Carolyn Kanjuro photos courtesy of Sue Kranzdorf Kyudo, “standing meditation” engaging the warrior’s implements of bow and arrow, has been considered the highest form of samurai training for hundreds of years in Japan. Deeply ... continuePosted December 25, 2018 by alexandra_kalinine
How Should a Buddhist Respond to “Merry Christmas”? – HIGHLIGHT
article by Chris Montone, Washington, D.C. For those of us who have formally taken refuge and changed our religious affiliation to Buddhism, the end of the year holiday season can pose some interesting challenges — one of which being, what to say in response to the myriad ... continuePosted December 23, 2018 by alexandra_kalinine
Home Shrines Are Where We Gather – HIGHLIGHT
A photo gallery of home shrines, courtesy of Shambhalians around the world who shared the images below. The ordinariness of our Shambhala Households are as powerful as they are mundane. But the practices and implements of modern life – dishwashers, electric stoves, washing machines, and hair dryers ... continuePosted December 9, 2018 by Jennifer Holder
Setting up a Home Shrine – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Good Practice by Sumner Bradley, long time employee at Samadhi Cushions To begin with, if you don’t have a shrine, that’s fine. You want to have a space that’s clean, uncluttered, and uplifted. Having dirty socks or old magazines lying around is a distraction and a weight ... continuePosted December 4, 2018 by alexandra_kalinine
Talking Trash – HIGHLIGHT
Commemorating Earth Day by Anenome Fresh resident gardener at Karme Choling One afternoon in mid-January, I decided to start taking accountability for the trash I produce. I was tired of mindlessly taking a paper napkin with every meal, most usually not using it or needing it. I used a ... continuePosted December 2, 2018 by alexandra_kalinine
The Fullness of Full-Catastrophe Living – HIGHLIGHT
Healthy Road. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Holder. By Paulette Graf In the 1970’s I lived with my husband at the Cambridge Zen Center where we became friends with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Jon was active at the Zen Center although he lived in his in his own home with his ... continuePosted November 27, 2018 by paulettemgraf
Farewell to the Marvelous Dhi Good
Eve Rosenthal, Dhi Good, and Heather Scott In 2012, after six years at the helm of our established, yet still fledgling, Shambhala Online, I was ready to retire and hand over the reins to the next generation of techno-savants, those visionaries who would play in the “big ... continuePosted November 8, 2018 by Mark_Whaley
Transforming Aggression into Gentleness – HIGHLIGHT
Rusung McCorkle, Shambhala Day 2011 by Brian McCorkle Have you ever been at a Shambhala program and experienced seeing official-looking people who look like they are in uniform? It may have been blue blazers with pins, white shirts, khaki or grey slacks, standing off to the side, or ... continuePosted October 25, 2018 by alexandra_kalinine
Buddhism and Nonviolent Communication – HIGHLIGHT
“Beautiful Needs” calligraphy created by Barbara Bash, www.barbarabash.com. Courtesy of Roberta Wall, www.steps2peace.com Written for the Dot by Jason Leslie Openness is not a matter of giving something to someone else, but it means giving up your demand and the basic criteria of the demand … It is ... continuePosted October 18, 2018 by alexandra_kalinine
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