Home     Contact Us         Log in

Featured Stories - Category Archive

May 06
Tuesday

Warrior in World

Filed under Community Articles, Featured Stories

Sacred Path of the Warrior Presented at Youth Conference

Rev. Alexander Garbera, a member of the Pioneer Valley Shambhala Meditation Center, presented concepts from Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior at True Colors SOGIEcon (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) last March.

The workshop was crafted to help build attendees’ resilience to weather the onslaught of anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, policies, and actions leaving youth and parents bewildered, afraid, and frustrated by introducing Trungpa’s concepts of bravery, courage, and fearlessness — as  well as using Windhorse and the vision of the Great Eastern Sun to fortify resilience. Meditation was presented as a way of uncovering the source of bravery and courage while engaging with the world with compassion to create a more enlightened society. Each attendant received a free copy of the book.

The workshop was applauded by attendees who resonated with the need for more wisdom, love, compassion, and understanding in what seems to be increasingly dark times.

The unsolicited feedback of one attendee captured many of the comments after the short meditation: “I have often found this subject to be a little out of reach, and [it was] presented in a way that felt more approachable. One of the big takeaways for me was the idea that meditation is not intended to be a form of escape or detachment, but rather to be better connected. I like that it’s not about fixing something that’s broken, it’s just a kind of tool that can help people. I am going to just give it a try and start small, because even just doing a few deep breaths feels like a big change.”

Rev. Garbera feels that the Shambhala dharma is sorely needed now and encourages all of our members and friends to revisit and share the profound gifts we have received.

Held on the campus of the University of Connecticut, it is the largest LGBTQIA+ youth conference in the USA. The conference brings together LGBTQIA+ youth, their peers, allies, family members, educators, social workers, clinicians, clergy, and community members to educate themselves, promote connection, and support the next generation of LGBTQIA+ leaders. With over 200 workshops, performances, and activities organized around specific groups and audiences, there were about 1,850 attendees. A PDF of the PowerPoint can be found at:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aRgcFeuWaups2MYLAbOGS-5mrnlUK5Pf/view?usp=drivesdk.

Entries filed under Featured Stories


The Queer Feminist Rigden

The Queer Feminist Rigden – HIGHLIGHT

Cutting through embedded patriarchy Column: Critical Intent By Alex Vlasic In my first couple of years working with the Shambhala teachings and community, gender didn’t arise as an issue for me. I heard “basic goodness” and it all felt very inclusive. Luckily, basic goodness is all-inclusive. As I have ... continue
Posted May 28, 2016 by CGH
Celebrating Twenty Years

Celebrating Twenty Years – HIGHLIGHT

Dharma Sagara Clinic’s 20th Anniversary slogan: “Build it and they will come.” by Lee Weingrad You wake up one day, both your children are in college, your black hair has turned silver, and your fledgling Tibetan health project is twenty years old. This year we celebrate the 20th ... continue
Posted May 26, 2016 by CGH
Anyone Can Be Our Teacher

Anyone Can Be Our Teacher – HIGHLIGHT

Finding joy and compassion for others in a time of personal suffering by Karen Lundy, with an Introduction by Shastri Christine Heming Introduction: In a recent article for the Times (Think About It; Beliefs Matter) I wrote about Rebecca Solnit’s book, A Paradise Built in Hell – a book about ... continue
Posted May 24, 2016 by CGH
Giving the Ghost a Voice, Part III

Giving the Ghost a Voice, Part III – HIGHLIGHT

Coming to terms with personal identity through the spiritual practice of Buddhism by Bryan Mendiola Illustration by Yuko Shimizu Though I was not fully aware of it at the time, it was all this hatred that led me to psychology as my profession and to Buddhism as my spiritual ... continue
Posted May 22, 2016 by CGH
Giving the Ghost a Voice, Part II

Giving the Ghost a Voice, Part II – HIGHLIGHT

Sharing a personal experience of racial identity as an Asian American Buddhist by Bryan Mendiola Fingerprint with flag of the Philippines There is one important caveat: I don’t know how to talk about race. The term Asian American was never spoken in my home growing up, and this quietly ... continue
Posted May 20, 2016 by CGH
Giving the Ghost a Voice, Part I

Giving the Ghost a Voice, Part I – HIGHLIGHT

Contradictory feelings about race can be honored in Buddhism. by Bryan Mendiola I didn’t realize how much I had been skirting issues of race in my life until my Buddhist path, quite unexpectedly, led me right back to them. When I completed my graduate training as a psychologist about ... continue
Posted May 18, 2016 by CGH
Precious Events

Precious Events – HIGHLIGHT

The Sakyong Wangmo shares appreciation for precious events The Sakyong looks on as the Sakyong Wangmo lights the shrine on the first day of the puja at the Kalapa Court As I reflect from the Kalapa Court on recent events, I’m filled with appreciation for the ceremonies, ... continue
Posted May 16, 2016 by CGH
Rude Awakening or Good Grief

Rude Awakening or Good Grief – HIGHLIGHT

Using dharma and expressive arts to relate with transition when your role as caregiver is over        by Andrea Sherman and Marsha Weiner There’s a profundity to caregiving. Caregiving demands that we make sacrifices of our time and resources. If we yield to the process of ... continue
Posted May 14, 2016 by CGH
Making Friends with Yourself

Making Friends with Yourself – HIGHLIGHT

How dharma can ease the experience of isolation when caregiving by Andrea Sherman and Marsha Weiner We continue to explore how dharma can help mitigate caregiver burnout. In this article we explore how practicing unconditional friendship with yourself can increase your resilience and overall health and well-being, especially ... continue
Posted May 12, 2016 by CGH
Personal Justice

Personal Justice – HIGHLIGHT

An educator contemplates social justice as an essential part of learning, and especially of teaching in the arts Column: Critical Intent by Joanna C. Horton I recall the first time I did an arts activity that woke me up. I was in 4th grade and we were acting like ... continue
Posted May 10, 2016 by CGH
Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment

Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment – HIGHLIGHT

Ensuring the Longevity of the Shambhala Lineage by Walker Blaine The start of the year of the Fire Monkey—a year for activity and gathering momentum—was auspiciously marked with the establishment of the first legal endowment dedicated to caring for the Shambhala lineage, the Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment, which ... continue
Posted May 8, 2016 by CGH
Celebrating Spring, and a Birthday!

Celebrating Spring, and a Birthday! – HIGHLIGHT

The Kalapa Court Celebrates Jetsun Dzedron’s first birthday and Spring Celebration of Culture and Lineage  by Norah Murray, with photos by Mike Levy It was  warm and breezy as guests arrived at the Boulder Kalapa Court on Sunday, April 10. The gardens surrounding the Court were bursting with ... continue
Posted May 6, 2016 by CGH
Deconstructing the Myth of Separation

Deconstructing the Myth of Separation – HIGHLIGHT

Awaken Chicago. The Power of All People. Together. by Debra Hiers Rev. angel with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Acharya Ferguson During the first keynote address on Friday morning at Awaken Chicago, the Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Sensei spoke to the power of deconstructing the myth of separation. “It is ... continue
Posted May 4, 2016 by CGH
Chicago, Four Years Beyond Peace

Chicago, Four Years Beyond Peace – HIGHLIGHT

From Imagining Peace four years ago to Awakening Chicago this first week of May, continuing the conversation with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche by Debra Hiers When Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche addressed several hundred participants in Rockefeller Chapel Friday evening, he first expressed his gratitude for the work being done in Chicago ... continue
Posted May 2, 2016 by CGH
To Meat or Not To Meat?

To Meat or Not To Meat? – HIGHLIGHT

The topic of meat eating (or not) is not a novel phenomenon of the vegan-paleo debate. It’s one that human beings have struggled with for the past two million years.  by Marcella Friel According to food historian and scientist Harold McGee, we humans began eating meat because of ... continue
Posted April 30, 2016 by CGH

RSS feed for the Featured Stories category

View all posts from authors in Featured Stories: jillian_johnson



Website Development by Blue Mandala using Wordpress MU.
All content and source Copyright © 1994-2025. Shambhala International (Vajradhatu), Shambhala, Shambhala Meditation Center, Shambhala Training, Shambhala Center and Way of Shambhala are registered service marks of Shambhala USA
Privacy Policy
Translate »