Thursday
Letter from Ani Pema Chödrön
Dear Shambhala Community-
This is a letter that Ani Pema Chödrön sent recently to the Shambhala Board and the Acharyas and now wishes to share it with the community.
Warmest best wishes,
Glenna Olmsted, Executive Assistant to Pema Chödrön
January 14, 2020
Dear Acharyas and Shambhala Board Members:
I send New Year’s greetings and my love to you all.
I’m writing to let you know that I have decided to step down as an acharya. As you know, I haven’t actually served as an acharya for a long time, and I have been considering retiring for a few years. And now, the time has come.
When I read the recent letter from the Sakyong saying that he wished to start teaching again and would do so for all who requested, I was disheartened. I experienced this news as such a disconnect from all that’s occurred in the last year and half. It feels unkind, unskillful and unwise for the Sakyong to just go forward as if nothing had happened without relating compassionately to all of those who have been hurt and without doing some deep inner work on himself.
Then came the letter from the Board informing the Shambhala community that they have invited the Sakyong to give the Rigden Abhisheka in June, and I was dumbfounded. The seemingly very clear message that we are returning to business as usual distresses me deeply. How can we return to business as usual when there is no path forward for the vast majority of the community who are devoted to the vision of Shambhala and are yearning for accountability, a fresh start, and some guidance on how to proceed? I find it discouraging that the bravery of those who had the courage to speak out does not seem to be effecting more significant change in the path forward. Continue…
Entries filed under Opinion Pieces
Holding the Middle Ground – HIGHLIGHT
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The Waiting Game, Part Two – HIGHLIGHT
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The Waiting Game, Part One – HIGHLIGHT
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Remembering Milarepa Day – HIGHLIGHT
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Death in Advance, Part Two – HIGHLIGHT
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Death in Advance, Part One – HIGHLIGHT
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In Appreciation of Quiet – HIGHLIGHT
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Beyond Filters – HIGHLIGHT
How to meet our young adult and teenage children as and where they are by Anne-Marie Keppel What is the ultimate goal we are seeking regarding educating and caring for our children, in our sangha and on the planet? The truth is, at present, they instead need to educate ... continuePosted December 17, 2017 by CGH
The Tiger Has Teeth – HIGHLIGHT
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Grandfather Yoga – HIGHLIGHT
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We Need to Talk – HIGHLIGHT
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Life is a Ceremony – HIGHLIGHT
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A Tendency to Tamper – HIGHLIGHT
Reflections on our left-brain approach to everyday life and the nature of reality by Larry Barnett My seven-year-old granddaughter and I were watching an animated movie about a curious fairy who is told by her Fairy Master not to tamper with Pixie Dust. She does, of course, and ... continuePosted September 12, 2017 by CGH
Thinking…. – HIGHLIGHT
Some thoughts on research and problem solving by Susan Firer When I was in school I loved to do research; I found it very satisfying in many ways. When I got out of school I didn’t seem to have the time for research. Or, maybe it was because ... continuePosted August 17, 2017 by CGH
The Pathology of Happiness – HIGHLIGHT
A closer look at cultural conceptions related to happiness and contentment by Larry Barnett When an idea, an object, a substance, or an emotion preoccupies consciousness to the near exclusion of anything else, we call it an obsession. And when an obsession becomes a compulsion so powerful as ... continuePosted August 3, 2017 by CGH
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