Sep 04
Friday
Thank You for Building Karmê Chöling—Now Help Us Celebrate
Karmê Chöling, from the photo archive
By Mike De Give
Since Shambhala Day, there have been photos from the archives hanging on the walls here at Karme Choling. In the silence before the gong each morning, sometimes I’ll pick one out and study the grainy faces of sangha members — some erecting the walls of the Main Shrine Room, others inspecting the Eternal Knot before it was raised and attached to the southern wall.
I’m grateful to everyone I see in those pictures. Thank you so much, all of you, for building this amazing place. Your work has had a profound impact on me. Living here is one of the highlights of my life.
Just last night, I was on the front porch with two housemates, Nathan Railla and JT Buck, reading aloud from “The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma.” I can hear the dharma so much more clearly this way. What a way to spend an evening. Thank you, noble housemates.
Emblem under inspection
This year marks Karme Choling’s 50th anniversary as the seat of the lineage and a powerful container in which to receive the profound, brilliant Shambhala dharma. And, pandemic or not, my housemate, KCL Programs Manager JT Buck, is making sure this anniversary gets the celebration it merits, with roughly 30 FREE online programs taking place Sept. 17-22. Continue…
Entries filed under Featured Stories
Think Tank: Four Voices – HIGHLIGHT
Part One of a four-part series sharing the experiences of participants in the first ever Shambhala Social Engagement Think Tank, held October 12-15 at Sky Lake Shambhala Meditation and Retreat Center by Shastri Charlene Leung, Chairperson of the Shambhala International Diversity Working Group Perhaps “Embody, Feel, & Be Tank” more ... continuePosted November 14, 2017 by CGH
Karmapa Summer – HIGHLIGHT
My journey with the 17th Karmapa’s first Canada tour by Sora Wei The autumn chill is filling the air, and leaves are falling to the ground; the vivid red of the leaves reminds me of my journey traveling to see the Karmapa for the first time. The Karma ... continuePosted November 8, 2017 by CGH
More Money, Mind, and Meditation – HIGHLIGHT
Part two of a two-part interview with Shastri Matthew Lyon about how the Shambhala spiritual path works with financial success Q: Is there an aspect of meditation related to receiving generosity? A: Yes, that’s one of the themes of the Money, Mind and Meditation course. The theme that generosity ... continuePosted November 3, 2017 by CGH
Money, Mind, and Meditation – HIGHLIGHT
Part one of a two-part interview with Shastri Matthew Lyon about how the Shambhala spiritual path works with financial success How do we, as meditators, learn to balance a spiritual path with worldly achievement? Sometimes financial success can seem at odds with spirituality. Yet, the tradition of ... continuePosted November 1, 2017 by CGH
Shambhala to Myanmar – HIGHLIGHT
A letter from Shambhala regarding recent events in Rhakine State, particularly violence toward the Rohingya community Chairman Bamaw Sayadaw Dr. Ashwin Kumara Bhivamsa, State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Ma Ha Na), Thiri Mingalar Kabar Aye Hill, Yangon, Myanmar 28 September 2017 Dear Chairman, venerable monks, elders, and respected leaders, I am writing to you, ... continuePosted October 27, 2017 by CGH
Beauty and Balance – HIGHLIGHT
A goldfish pond creates a haven for nature, and also builds friendship and community by David Zurick The frogs discovered my goldfish pond on the first day I filled it with water. The pond hadn’t yet settled into the garden. Its rubber liner showed like an embarrassing exposure, ... continuePosted September 29, 2017 by CGH
End Ethnic Cleansing – HIGHLIGHT
Buddhists appeal to Myanmar monks by Richard Reoch “The Buddha would have helped those poor Muslims,” said His Holiness the Dalai Lama this past week as the world witnessed with horror the latest eruption of communal violence, terror and ethnic cleansing. This time it is in Myanmar (Burma). Yet ... continuePosted September 16, 2017 by CGH
Not a Glum Lot – HIGHLIGHT
Experiencing meditation practice through a Heart of Recovery gathering by Eric Rainbeau Once the cushions and chairs are arranged in two concentric circles and the books are laid out, people start to drift into the meditation hall. They come in ones and twos, some new and some who ... continuePosted September 8, 2017 by CGH
Lineage of the Mother Warriors – HIGHLIGHT
The Sakyong Wangmo celebrates the year of Yeshe Tsogyal by Melanie Klein On a cool spring day in April 2008, when the Sakyong Wangmo formally took her seat as Shambhala’s Queen, the edict read aloud on that occasion described her as “holding the lineage of the Mother warriors, ... continuePosted September 6, 2017 by CGH
Queer Pride at Shambhala Los Angeles – HIGHLIGHT
Reflections on queer identity and its expression within Shambhala: part three of a three-part series by Eugene Castillo The main question I wanted to address in this series of articles for the Shambhala Times is: “why?” Why have a meditation group for LGBTQI people? Isn’t that another form ... continuePosted August 31, 2017 by CGH
Celebrating Pride – HIGHLIGHT
Pride, Basic Goodness and Good Society: part two of a three-part series by Eugene Castillo Celebrating our identities as gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans, intersex, questioning, and gender-queer individuals is both an individual process and a communal activity, though it may seem odd at times to the rest of ... continuePosted August 29, 2017 by CGH
Queer Pride Meditation Group – HIGHLIGHT
On September 16th, the Shambhala Meditation Center (Eagle Rock) will launch a new program: “Food, Conversation and Meditation” for members of the LGBTQI community by Eugene Castillo “We can use our interconnectedness to cultivate human dignity – the bedrock of all diversity.” (Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, The Shambhala Principle) The ... continuePosted August 27, 2017 by CGH
The Bravery of Failure, Part 2 – HIGHLIGHT
A foster mother comes to terms with her inability to succeed, in the second part of a two-part story by Allison Conant While I was on my way home from a family wedding in Massachusetts, my fourteen-year-old foster daughter, R, had run out of the house, jumped the ... continuePosted August 13, 2017 by CGH
The Bravery of Failure, Part 1 – HIGHLIGHT
A personal account of coming to terms with the experience of trying something important, and failing to succeed by Allison Conant Acharya Pema Chodron is one of the most senior teachers in the Shambhala Community and I treasure her as a teacher. She doesn’t sugarcoat. She can laugh ... continuePosted August 11, 2017 by CGH
Family and Lineage – HIGHLIGHT
An interview by a Growing Brave Conference Planning committee member, talking with Harish Rao: parent, Los Angeles sangha member, and practitioner by Marcelle Gilkerson Marcelle: Let me start by asking, what drew you to Shambhala? Harish Rao: I have always had a fascination with Indian culture and Tibetan mysticism. Polytheism ... continuePosted August 5, 2017 by CGH
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