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.
+++++
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.
+++++
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
Learning to Cook for the Guru, or, “Watch the Schmaltz” – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Kitchen Wisdom by Judy Sachs Sullivan Serving in the household of the guru is both a precious opportunity to be in the center of the mandala, to spend time with the teacher (albeit in a formal setting with a prescribed position), and serve in a courtly environment. ... continuePosted April 25, 2015 by Dan
The Splendiferous House that Ryken Built – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Aging in Enlightened Society by Steven Wilke At halftime, he grabbed the belligerent man and slammed him against the Lamp Post’s bathroom wall, finally shutting him up. “Some people are trying to watch the football game in here,” Tom explained to the bewildered, pinned patron who had been ... continuePosted April 24, 2015 by Dan
A Waste of Time – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: In Everyday Life guest article by Acharya Michael Greenleaf originally published on Samadhi Cushions The $600/hour litigator is wearing a custom suit. A smart dresser, and if it helps to paint a picture, yes, he’s from Brooklyn. Nothing much gets by this savvy fellow. He’s talking to me. ... continuePosted April 12, 2015 by
Yarne: The Heart of Gampo Abbey – HIGHLIGHT
by Emma Cataford, temporary monastic and Loden Nyima, Head of Education at Gampo Abbey The community at Gampo Abbey ushered in 2015 by starting their annual winter retreat, called Yarne. Entering the retreat involves formally committing to remain within both the physical boundaries of the land as well ... continuePosted April 8, 2015 by Dan
Warrior Tribute: Fay Octavia Elliott – HIGHLIGHT
by Nathan Railla “My prayer is that when it comes my time to die, because I am walking the bodhisattva chaplain path focused on love in the form of two-fold Bodhichitta, my practice, and engagement with the suffering of the world, I will die with no regrets.” ... continuePosted April 6, 2015 by Dan
Becoming Who We Want to Be: Toronto Shambhala – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Shambhala on the Move by Margaret May This is part one in a two-part series on the transformation of the Toronto Shambhala Center. November 2012: Wendy Friedman (Director of Shambhala Culture and Decorum) and David Mukpo (Kusung Commander for the Dorje Kasung) are in town to lead an experiential ... continuePosted March 28, 2015 by Dan
The Rabbi’s Gifts – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Aging in Enlightened Society by Jackie Roberts Reb Zalman and Sara Davidson discussing “the December project” ( from www.saradavidson.com) In 2002, I moved back to my native home of Denver to assist my elderly parents who were in their 80s. Mostly a dutiful daughter, I had stayed in ... continuePosted March 27, 2015 by Dan
Local, Healthy Fare at Windhorse Retreat Center – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: KITCHEN WISDOM by Lisa Harris, Column Co-Host Sue Firer is the manager of Windhorse Retreat Center, the only Shambhala land center in the Midwest. She is likely to be in the kitchen cooking up healthy fare for all of the participants during programs and retreats. I recently ... continuePosted March 25, 2015 by Dan
Jump the Gun – HIGHLIGHT
by Dan Peterson, Kadö Desung Care and Conduct Officer I turned on the AM radio while driving and was hooked. There was a shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School and five students were dead. The school was on lock-down and First Responders were on the scene, as well as local ... continuePosted March 21, 2015 by Dan
Karma, India, and Systems of Circumstance – HIGHLIGHT
Resistance is Futile a reflection and photos by Evan Silverman A few months ago, after a long day of traveling throughout India, I was asked the question “What makes some of us born into wealth, while other people suffer so much?” It was a well-warranted question; we had ... continuePosted March 13, 2015 by
Once for a Lifetime – HIGHLIGHT
On Temporary Monastic Ordination by Gelong Loden Nyima, Head of Practice and Education at Gampo Abbey Edited by Emma Cataford, Temporary Monastic at Gampo Abbey Photographs by Thubten Tingdzen and Adrian Thalasinos Haley The Shambhala monastic community Someone once asked one of the great monastics and teachers of the Tibetan community ... continuePosted March 8, 2015 by Dan
Horsemanship Dharma – HIGHLIGHT
by Katharine Locke Katharine and Lochinvar Training the horse is training the mind: training it to be present, to be kind, to recognize the everyday wisdom in the actions of the horse, to find the simple way, to formulate clear questions for the horse, and to listen closely ... continuePosted March 5, 2015 by Dan
Albuquerque: New Center, Old Town – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Shambhala On the Move by Janice Convery It’s a blustery day here in Albuquerque, New Mexico—rare, but not unwelcome. Cold air has replaced heat, and heart-shaped leaves from shedding cottonwood trees spiral throughout the land, touching most everyone who lives here. I imagine each perfect, dried leaf as ... continuePosted March 2, 2015 by Dan
The Blueberry Man – HIGHLIGHT
Are Sales Basically Good? article by Joe Snowdon, Boston, MA In the modern world of B2C and B2B commerce it doesn’t seem like anyone today would look at a salesperson’s role in society as being sacred. It doesn’t take much effort to find a social media post with scathing ... continuePosted February 28, 2015 by
How Do the Momos Taste? – HIGHLIGHT
From left to right: Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin, Carolyn Gimian and “Chef” Chuck Lief COLUMN: Kitchen Wisdom Interview with Chuck Lief, President of Naropa University by Judy Sachs-Sullivan, Kitchen Wisdom Column co-host I had originally set out to interview Judy Lief after reading her comments to a past article I ... continuePosted February 26, 2015 by
RSS feed for the Community Articles category
View all posts from authors in Community Articles: jillian_johnson natasha_west Allison_Armstrong
