Taking a closer look at one of our most familiar chants, the Shambhala Dedication of Merit

By Russell Rodgers

Mural depicting one of the Rigden Kings

By the confidence of the golden sun of the great east,

May the lotus garden of the Rigden’s wisdom bloom.

May the dark ignorance of sentient beings be dispelled,

May all beings enjoy profound brilliant glory.

Sometimes in Shambhala there is a language all of its own. Rather than using foreign words, ordinary language is appropriated for meanings that aren’t necessarily obvious. This could be irritating.  On the other hand, words can be teasers that lead to decades of contemplation.

In the title of this chant, we have the words Dedication of Merit. Here, ‘merit’ is related to karma, in the sense that positive or negative thoughts and actions create their own momentum into the future.  If these patterns have a positive effect on our path, we might call it “good” karma, or “merit”. Since this is a Shambhala Dedication of Merit we are conscious of the effects of our practice on the society around us. Therefore, when we meditate, we want to dedicate our efforts to enlightening our whole situation, not just ourselves as isolated, self-centered individuals.

The word “confidence” in the first line is another example of appropriating English words for a very specialized meaning. Confidence refers to a state of mind that is so fundamental and complete that it doesn’t need external supports. Ordinarily, for instance, I might feel confident that I am physically able to climb a mountain. But if my health declined, I wouldn’t feel confident. Because enlightened confidence doesn’t need external supports, there is no fear that supports will be taken away. Therefore it is confident.

How can mind be unconditionally confident? Like physical space, mind exists independently of apparent objects that come and go. The mind itself, like space, doesn’t change, but the thoughts and perceptions do.  Yogis who realize their minds at this level arrive at a state of confidence. Their minds are like mirrors. Mirrors reflect everything around them, without changing their basic nature as mirrors. Such yogis don’t have to be afraid of anything. In fact, fear is just another temporary reflection in the mirror of their minds.

In Shambhala, this mirror quality of mind is described as being so vast that it is “cosmic”. If a mirror were that big, you would not be able to see the edges. Without seeing the edges, one wouldn’t recognize it as a mirror. Therefore, one could easily fall into the trap of seeing reflections that arise as solidly existent “things”. In our case, it is hard to see our fundamental mind—we see only thoughts and perceptions, not the empty space of mind that manifests them.

How might ordinary people like ourselves experience this mirror-like nature? Think of consciousness or awareness– it can illuminate anything, good or bad, without its own nature being affected. Yes, positive and negative thoughts may temporarily obscure it, but the conscious awareness itself remains the same, always there and shining out in the moments between thoughts, like the sun shining through gaps in the clouds.

One might have a sense that our awareness is fragile and easily destroyed by disturbing thoughts. In that case, in order to find confidence, you will need to drop down to the level that the disturbing thoughts originally came from, because that is where confidence resides.

The “golden sun of the great east” is another example of ordinary language being appropriated for a special meaning. I have a friend, not a meditator, who told me that early morning, as the sun arises in the east, is his favorite time of day. He experiences a sense of peace, perspective and spaciousness before the bustle of his workday begins. I am not a morning person myself– but as a meditator, I can relate to what he is saying, because I understand that there is a sense of spaciousness, peace and perspective when thoughts subside in meditation.

My friend doesn’t have the words for it, but I think he is tuning into something profound. Sometimes external circumstances bring one closer to the level of the cosmic mirror. At this level, things seem fresher and more primordial. The “great eastern sun” symbolizes the fact that our minds, while empty like space, also possess radiance. They manifest all the images that we think of as reality, and the awareness itself shines out.

May the lotus garden of the Rigden’s wisdom bloom. This line starts with the image of a lotus. I have a pond in my front yard with lotuses. Lots of creatures live there, including, for some reason, leeches. My pond doesn’t have any filtration, so when I reach into it, everything I touch has a layer of slippery slime. Sometimes there is so much algae I can’t see the bottom. But when the lotus buds burst out of the water, they are pristine, fresh and extraordinarily vivid– more so than any other flowers in the garden. Traditionally, lotus flowers symbolize the primordial mind that is not contaminated by the mud of samsaric confusion and degradation.

Another way of describing the primordial mind is “buddha”, meaning the conscious, awake quality in all of us. In Shambhala, we have a special type of buddha, a “rigden.” If you could look in a mirror and see your essence, you would be seeing a rigden.

Like all buddhas, rigdens symbolize pristine wakefulness. This Rigden, in particular, also symbolizes our connectedness as part of human society.  If you doubt this, reflect on the fact that the words that you have been reading here are social in nature. They are the expressions of our common heritage. Even the thoughts that you think are expressed in words that came from and reflect our social being. We may think that we are separate individuals, but we are actually in each other’s minds. We have minds that are innately aware, interested and drawn to each other. This creates, in the Sakyong’s words, an invisible current that runs through our society. Even seemingly negative relationships are an expression of the fact that, at the root, and before interpretations spring up, we are connected. The “Rigden” symbolizes this connectedness at the primordial level of pure, empathetic, awareness.

We could look at the example of the Tibetan yogi meditating in a cave. Superficially, it may look as though he or she has chosen the ultimate do-it-myself path through life. However, this yogi had teachers, parents and so on. She thinks in Buddhist societal language. Because she is a mahayana practitioner, she knows that the most effective practice is done for the benefit of other sentient beings. Because her friends know that she is doing something that is of the highest benefit for everyone, they bring her supplies so that she can practice. Later, they know that she will likely take students and pass on what she has learned. Supporting her is an investment in the future of society.

The rigden principle takes the mahayana notion of practicing for the benefit of others one step deeper. We practice not just for “others” but for “society”. The rigden principle relates to the goodness at the root of the connections that make up society. In our core, we are not that different from babies, we feed on empathetic connection, harmony, curiosity and kindness. Knowing this, we can see basic goodness possibilities even in negative situations. We can sense that, when the innate social impulses have been blocked, people will feel incomplete and attempt to fill the void externally with consumerism, entertainment, or blaming.

Because the connections we make are seen as basically good, enlightened society arises as a possibility. Even knowing that is a possibility changes how we see things. We no longer see society as something that will always pull us down. This makes forward movement possible.

May the dark ignorance of sentient beings be dispelled,

May all beings enjoy profound brilliant glory.

Trungpa Rinpoche, the writer of these lines, contrasts the striking imagery of the dark ignorance of sentient beings to the state of profound, brilliant glory. In particular, when I lead this chant as an umdze I always wonder how new people will respond to the last three words.

One could only imagine what it would be like to live in a culture where people understood basic goodness and dedicated their lives to realizing it. What would buildings look like? How would they take care of old people? Would they eat animals? What would education be like? What about government? What would the arts express? How would they be in the environment? In the history of cultures and civilizations, we find people expressing goodness in many beautiful ways.

Russell Rodgers has lived and practiced in the Kootenays since meeting the Vidyadhara in 1975. He is married and has three grown children and one grandchild in different parts of the world. He enjoys dralas of the lakes and mountains where he lives and thinks it’s a great place to practice. Besides the Vidyadhara Trungpa Rinpoche, his view and practice of the dharma have been profoundly influenced by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and Thrangu Rinpoche, and to them he is profoundly grateful.

by Joshua Weinstein

There are 20 million runners in the U.S. alone. How many of those would like to make mindfulness part of their running routine? And how many more people will want to build mindfulness and exercise into their daily routines? What if there were a business, a company that could help runners in achieving these goals?

In response to these questions, a new business has come into being.  About two and a half years ago, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche asked Bob Sutherland to look into building a business around the book Running with the Mind of Meditation. Bob began researching the possibilities and gathering a team; I came on board about two years ago. We had no funding in hand, only the inspiration to follow our passions: running, meditation, and manifesting the Sakyong’s vision.

At first we tried creating a weekly course in Boulder, but it was hard to get enough participation to make this mode viable. To get a better handle on what our potential customers might want and need, we sent a survey to three hundred past participants from the Running with the Mind retreat at SMC. The top three requested services were clear in the survey responses: guided running meditations, teachings from the Sakyong and other experts, and access to online education with community aspects.

Around this same time the Sakyong recorded a live interview at Google in Boulder for Shambhala Mountain Center’s Awake in the World webinar. Afterwards we met with the Sakyong, and talked about how an online course for mindful runners could overcome the  drawbacks of a program limited to a single specific time and place. Online courses can often lack depth, but they clearly increase breadth of access.  Once a community is built through online access, more depth can be achieved through in-person retreats.

Bob, a bricks and mortar businessman, decided to take an advisor role. I was in the process of studying online marketing, when I ran into a new friend — Doug Pineda. Doug is a relatively new Shambhala student, who nonetheless feels a strong heart connection to the Sakyong. I came into contact with Doug through coaching my son’s lacrosse team, which also includes Doug’s son. Our conversation led to an interesting discovery: Doug’s impressive resume in business development and online business solutions. A new working relationship came into being. Over the the past year, Doug and I have been working with the Ladrang to build Running with the Mind into a global mindful running movement.

We went live on December 6th, hosting a launch party at the Boulder Shambhala Center for both in-person and online audiences. This event inaugurated the public phase of the movement. Shortly after the event, we asked the Sakyong to record a message to the community, a torch to fire up our kickstarter campaign. The campaign was to fund the remaining work and marketing efforts, in order to launch the first course based on the book Running with the Mind of Meditation. After the initial eight-week course we will also launch a membership site with ongoing education and community resources to further deepen the mindful running movement. Click here to see a sample of four free videos.

Running with the Mind has the potential to help a significant number of people increase their physical and mental health. Beyond that, it has the potential to be a global movement contributing to the evolution of our collective consciousness towards greater confidence and compassion. We at Running with the Mind are honored to be part of this small piece of the Sakyong’s vision.

Joshua Weinstein is a founder of the new business Running with the Mind

Editor’s note: you can help by supporting the Kickstarter campaign for this new business. Click here to see the Kickstarter page, including a video featuring Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

The Sakyong was able to make a profound and genuine heart-connection with each of the 170 people, many of whom hadn’t seen him since he last came, or were meeting him for the first time. Immersed in the untamed opulence of the beautiful valley country, performing the Shambhala chants fully in the native languages, and joining with the authentic warrior spirit of the local dralas, the Sakyong fully empowered Shambhala in South America. He met the culture as it is, and rather than present the vision of enlightened society as a foreign import, he expressed it according to the needs, customs, and spirit of this region.

The Kongma Sakyong has returned to South America, presiding over an 8-day long Garchen retreat with 170 Chileans, Brazilians, and a few North Americans in Cuncumen Chile. Following the retreat, the Sakyong gave a public talk in Santiago and addressed the Shambhala community.

Acharyas Eve Rosenthal and Fleet Maull, six shastris and senior teachers supported the retreat. Many young people and families with children attended, doing chants in their native languages. The Sakyong proclaimed his intention and commitment to return in two years to enter students into Sacred World Assembly and Rigden Abhisheka, and within a few more years a Scorpion Seal.

For a photos and more information, please visit the Shambhala Times.

The Office of the Kalapa Court is delighted to announce the Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment established through the vast generosity of Kalapa Patrons Lady Sharon and James Hoagland. Seeded with a million dollars principle, this endowment has been formed to stabilize and enrich the Sakyong Potrang, the highest leadership and coordinating body of Shambhala. While under the direction of the Sakyong, this endowment is not for the Sakyong or his family’s personal use, but to support the flourishing of the Shambhala lineage.

Within this generous vision of leaving something behind, we are also pleased to remind you of Bequests to Shambhala, which support future generations of Shambhalians working to benefit the creation of enlightened society. Bequests can be included in one’s estate planning and made through gifts of cash, securities, real estate, and valuables, such as original calligraphies by Shambhala Lineage holders. For further information on bequests please visit leaving-a-bequest or contact Mr. Ryan Watson shambhala.finance.director@gmail.com 902-425-4275 ext. 116

More information on the Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment follows.

This endowment arose when the Hoaglands were working on their wills. They thought, “We might not die for 25 years, so let’s set up an endowment now so that during that time it can grow considerably and be even more helpful!” Named for Sharon Hoagland, who was made a Lady of the Kalapa Court in 2008, the endowment reflects the nurturing care the mother lineage provides our Shambhala community, the current and future Sakyongs.

The Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment has been structured so that while it generates funds for the Shambhala lineage the principle will keep growing, with all yearly net assets of more than 3% being re-invested. We invite donors at all levels to contribute to this fund now or through their estate planning. Donors of any amount in the U.S.A. and Canada can receive charitable donations; donors from other countries should consult their tax advisors.

The management company for the endowment, 1919 Investments, is one of the leading Socially Responsive Investment companies today, contributing year-end giving campaigns to charities with long-term views of teaching and empowering people to improve their lives, such as DirectRelief and Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders.

Please contact Mr. Landon Mallery of the Sakyong Potrang lmallery@shambhala.org 902-425-4275 ext. 244 for more information on the Lady Sharon Hoagland Endowment.

Por Pablo Coddou

Muchas cosas han ocurrido en el mundo a lo largo de los diez años desde que el Kongma Sákyong visitó Sudamérica. Basta citar unas pocas: abrió el tesoro del retiro del Sello del escorpión, se casó y ha tenido tres hijas, asegurando así el linaje familiar de Shambhala. También han ocurrido muchas cosas en Sudámerica. Después de planificar durante años el regreso del Sákyong, la esforzada colaboración entre las sanghas chilena y brasileña ha fructificado tal como anhelaban.

El Sákyong llegó a Cucumén (Chile) el 21 de febrero de 2016 y fue recibido con un despliegue asombroso de amor, agradecimiento, respeto e inspiración. A lo largo de los ocho días que duró el garchen, el primero de este tipo en el continente sur, los participantes practicaron codo con codo la Meditación de Shambhala, la Sádhana de Shambhala, el ngöndro de Shambhala, la Sádhana de Werma y el Sello del Escorpión.  La devoción y el compromiso de la sangha en América del Sur creció y se hicieron más profundos.

El Sákyong conectó desde lo profundo y auténtico del corazón con cada uno de las 170 personas, muchas de las cuales no le habían visto desde que vino la vez anterior o le veían por primera vez. El Sákyong autorizó y dio pleno poder a Shambhala en Sudámerica, inmersos todos en la opulencia indómita del hermoso valle chileno, recitando los cantos de Shambhala en las lenguas maternas de todos los presentes, y unidos al auténtico espíritu guerrero de los dralas locales. Conoció la cultura tal como es y, en vez de presentar la visión de la sociedad iluminada como una importación extranjera, la expresó según las necesidades, las costumbres y  el espíritu de esta parte del continente.

Como testimonio de la extraordinaria experiencia que el Sákyong y las comunidades de Chile y Brasil han compartido en este garchen, declaró su intención y el compromiso de regresar dentro de dos años.

¡Viva Shambhala, viva Sudámerica!

El original, en inglés, se encuentra en http://shambhalatimes.org/2016/03/03/returning-to-south-america/

Shambhalians in Vienna hear an inspiring talk by the author of a new book on happiness

by Joanna Francis

photos by Sabine Fabach

Last week the Vienna Shambhala Centre welcomed Dr. Ha Vin Tho to give a talk about Gross National Happiness and Enlightened Society. Dr. Tho was enthusiastically received, and the shrine room was packed with over a hundred participants.

Dr. Tho is the Director of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan. He serves as a member of the Presencing Institute, and also as a Buddhist teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, in addition to being active in numerous ecological projects in Vietnam. He has recently published a book called Grundrecht auf Glück – (The Basic Right to Happiness), and was in Vienna to meet with leaders in city planning as well as participate in the Gemeinwohl Ökonomie (Commonwealth Economy) movement’s fifth birthday celebration.  We were very fortunate to host him for an evening talk.

He spoke very movingly of his respect for Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and of the sacredness of Bhutan where the Sadhana of Mahamudra was received in Taktsang Cave. Known as the Tiger’s Nest, this sacred site has held great significance for Tibetan practitioners, ever since Guru Rinpoche meditated there in the 7th century. From Dr. Tho’s slideshow we enjoyed a fascinating glimpse of the richness of Bhutanese culture, as well as a clear explanation of how Gross National Happiness (GNH) can be used to address the economic, ecological, leadership and spiritual crises of our time. GNH is used in Bhutan as an alternative to other more typical measures of national progress based on income and productivity.

Dr. Tho embodied both intellectual clarity and heartfelt caring as he spoke movingly about his time in the International Red Cross, where he saw first-hand what war zones and starvation meant in human terms.   He addressed questions about how we can participate in this movement and opened many networking possibilities between the Shambhala community and our visitors for the evening, many of whom were in the centre for the first time.  At the end of the evening, Dr. Tho generously stayed to sign copies of his book. His contribution to our community is greatly appreciated, and his talk will be long remembered by all who were in attendance.

Joanna Francis: After many years following other Buddhist traditions, Joanna first attended Level One in New Zealand in 2004. Since then she has followed the Shambhala path to USA, Canada, France and India before landing in Vienna where she is now Director of Practice and Education.

O Sakyong lidera um histórico Garchen de oito dias em Concumen, Chile

Por Pablo Coddou

Nos dez anos desde que o Kongma Sakyong veio a América do Sul pela última vez, muita coisa aconteceu no mundo. Para mencionar algumas – ele abriu o tesouro do retiro do Selo de Escorpião, casou-se e teve três filhas, assegurando a linhagem familiar de Shambhala. Muita coisa aconteceu na América do Sul também. Depois de anos de planejamento para o retorno do Sakyong, os esforços colaborativos dos sanghas chilenos e brasileiros conseguiram o fruto dos anseios que esperavam.

No 21 de fevereiro de 2016, o Sakyong chegou a Concumen, Chile, e foi recebido com uma incrível demonstração de amor, apreço, respeito e inspiração. Durante os longos oito dias  do Garchen – o primeiro deste tipo – praticantes da Meditação Shambhala, o Sadhana de Shambhala, o Ngöndro Shambhala, o Sadhana de Werma e o Selo do Escorpião todos praticaram lado a lado. A devoção e o compromisso dos sanghas da América do Sul cresceram e se aprofundaram.

O Sakyong foi capaz de fazer uma conexão de coração profunda e genuína com cada uma das 170 pessoas, muitas das quais não o tinham visto desde a última vinda, ou se encontraram com ele pela primeira vez. Imerso na opulência selvagem do belo vale, entoando os cantos Shambhala plenamente nas línguas nativas, e juntando-se com o autêntico espírito guerreiro dos dralas locais, o Sakyong concedeu plenos poderes Shambhala na América do Sul. Ele conheceu a cultura como ela é, e ao invés de apresentar a visão da sociedade iluminada como uma importação estrangeira, expressou isso de acordo com as necessidades, costumes e do espírito desta região.

Como um testamento da maravilhosa experiência que o Sakyong e as comunidades do Chile e Brasil tiveram juntas no Garchen, ele proclamou a intenção e o compromisso de retornar em dois anos.

Viva Shambhala, viva a América do Sul!

An interview with Shambhalian and Delta 5 environmental activist Liz Spoerri

by Carol Henderson

Members of environmental activist group Delta 5 have been in the news recently, for the groundbreaking legal defense allowed at their trial. In court on charges of trespassing and obstructing a train, following an action they mounted to call attention to fossil fuel transportation and its contribution to global warming, the group experienced a touchingly warm reception from their many supporters, even within the legal system and from the jurors themselves. One of these bold protesters is Shambhala’s own Liz Spoerri, a member of the Portland Shambhala Center in Oregon, and Liz was kind enough to grant an interview to the Shambhala Times.

ST: How did you get involved with Delta 5?

Liz: I met the Delta 5 through a direct action climate group called Rising Tide. Throughout the year prior to our blockade, I was super impressed by their work to create platforms for positive, multigenerational resistance to the expansion of our fossil fuel economy.

Liz outside the courthouse with fellow members of the Delta 5

ST: How does your activism relate to spiritual practice?

Liz: Shambhala has definitely helped me deal with discouragement. When I get concerned that not enough people are taking action, the Heart Sutra seems to help me focus not on results but on doing things for their own sake. Also, Joanna Macy has a prayer about being an ancestor that has been helpful for picturing “big time,” and seeing things in from very long term view. Meditating and thinking about the Buddha made getting arrested seem less crazy and not such a big deal. And finally, when realizing that the whole world is full of injustice, the Shambhala ideal seems more logical than ever: creating an enlightened society that is hopefully sensitive, nimble and self sacrificing enough to deal with problems as they arise.

ST: How was the trial? How did you respond to it?

Liz: The trial was great! So many people came in support of our activism, it really was a community action. I was more nervous about explaining myself in court and to reporters than I had been about anything else. It came to a head when I recognized that although I wanted to speak like a scientist or journalist, I really couldn’t contribute in that way — and finally I realized that nobody else would expect me to. As things progressed, it became clearer that the power of our testimony really came from being individual citizens, and that the Delta 5 was better for being as diverse as it was, including non-scientists like me.

The Delta 5 on trial

ST: How do you feel about the verdict?

Liz: The jury found us guilty of trespassing and not guilty of obstructing a train. The decision was fair. We all testified that we knew we were trespassing and the jurors who met us afterwards said they felt the prosecution had not proved we blocked the train. We were also given a great opportunity by the judge to present expert testimony, showing that we face imminent danger and have no other choice but civil disobedience. It is heartening that the judge changed his mind and allowed us to present these experts when he thought we could make a very tight case about that railyard. In the end, however, we didn’t qualify for the civil disobedience defense. I was disappointed that the jury was not able to use that testimony to justify our actions and in effect comment on the danger to our climate, community and workers posed by oil trains and the deadlock of our government and business practices.

ST: What can others do now to contribute to positive change?

Liz: I hope more people feel encouraged to participate however they can. It seems clearer that people as citizens may have a better chance pointing out a new path than experts or insiders. Ultimately, I think we need more direct, creative action. That being said, support and media attention was what made this action significant. For each of the five of us actually on the tripod, there were many more people helping us set up, keeping us company, filming, protesting on the bridge, arranging media, helping us in jail, attending trial, donating to pay fines, donating legal work, thanking us. That kind of support is really important.

Editor’s note: Readers interested in deeper engagement may want to know about the resistance events (hopefully in 6 continents) that are currently being planned for May. To find out more, you can sign up for updates at http://breakfree2016.org/ .

Photos by permission of Liz Spoerri

Reflections on a Shambhala Training retreat at the Karmê Chöling land center

by Michal George

The time I recently spent at Karmê Chöling in Vermont taking Shambhala Training Levels I–III was so filled with teaching and opportunities to practice that I left the center with the sense I had been there for much much longer than a week. I was ushered into the Shambhala vision of creating an enlightened society through beautifully presented teachings; but to see the dharma in action at the centre had an even more profound effect.

Karmê Chöling in snowless winter, seen from across the pond on a white-sky day

 

Karmê Chöling is a microcosm of that ideology in practice. A living organism. It is the very first Shambhala center, dating back to the early ’70s. I sat quietly in the exquisite shrine room. I listened attentively when the elders of the organization shared their insights. I interacted with the core staff and other participants as a member of a group of people whose wakefulness translates to a sense of being real and alive. Wakefulness—as I am discovering—doesn’t necessarily translate to being a better person, or even a happier person, but rather to radiating a sense of confidence in one’s authenticity.

Karme Choling dining room dragon

I was offered instruction that has deepened my practice, and tools that enrich my other practice—the practice of life. In the process, and within the safety of the setting’s container, I was given space to go deeper into my own sense of self, where I could directly apply these transformative teachings. I also had the chance to sleep in a tent and commune with nature. I ran the Rigden Ridge Trail and the Tiger Trail through the beautiful land. I got to do the recycling, add to the compost heap, and take out the garbage. I got to chop onions in the kitchen and cry.

This all left me with a sense of awe and wonder, and I left with a feeling beyond simple inspiration. Yes, it is possible to live the vision. And there is proof that it is possible, the proof of my own direct experience.

The morning of my last day at Karmê Chöling I wrote this in my journal:

I sense that I am on the verge of discovering something profound. Yet I have a feeling that it will be something very, very simple and ordinary. Something I have always in fact known. I’m on the threshold, and at the same time a million miles away from it. It’s everywhere and nowhere, like the center of the universe. When I look for it I miss it. But I see it everywhere.

Editor’s note: click here to see a list of upcoming programs at Karme Choling for this spring and summer, including Shambhala Training retreats.

 

Non-judgment as a dharma tool for caregivers

by Marsha Weiner and Andrea Sherman

In an earlier article in this series on dharma tools for caregivers we delved into a quote from Trungpa Rinpoche:  “Don’t give up on anyone.” We uncovered its special application for caregivers: don’t give up on anyone includes not giving up on yourself! For caregivers that highlights the need for self-care. Today, here’s another quote from Trungpa Rinpoche that offers some valuable insight for caregivers: “No big deal.”

Pema Chodron often introduces this quote when describing how she excitedly went to share with her teacher (Trungpa Rinpoche) what she felt was a powerful experience within her spiritual practice. Rather than give her a gold star or a trophy, a round of applause or a ticket to the next rung towards enlightenment, he simply said  “ No….big….deal.”   Oh, how non-judgment can baffle us when we are caught up in our emotions and holding onto expectations–a condition which frequently arises when caregiving.

No big deal has a great deal to offer caregivers. We can readily admit that caregiving often requires sacrifices of time and resources; at times it can simply be inconvenient. Caregiving can easily become a stew brewing with the ingredients for self-pity, combined with a host of other difficulties.  We can swing between wanting accolades for the good job we are doing and the sacrifices we are making, and feeling guilty over our resentment. We can go so far as to kick ourselves for even wanting the accolades.

There is no denying, caregiving can present some spiritually challenging episodes. We can erupt in confusion between what our head tells us (do the right and compassionate thing), and what our body feels like (I just want to be out of here and away from the stale and acrid smell of decay). We are confused by what we feel in our hearts:  today I’m just too sad to sit and hold his hand and watch him deep in his dementia–he doesn’t even recognize me anymore; or I know I’ll just burst into tears if I walk into her room; when she looks at me, all I see is her pain.

But those confusing episodes are also opportunities, a chance to realize the value of meditation practice, especially as conveyed in the phrase No big deal.

It’s not a glib, insincere or shallow statement. When said with compassion and openness, it’s a reminder that our momentary torrents of feeling, which could be the result of any flurry of reasons, are momentary.  They will change.  No big deal is a reminder to slow down, to recognize the sensations in our body, and to connect with the breath, a reminder to practice.

Of course, words on paper can be read aloud with a range of emotion. No big deal can be said in a condescending manner; it can be said cynically and off-handedly. But there’s a humorous lightness to this reminder to not take ourselves so seriously during caregiving.

For example:

You bring the person in your care to their doctor’s appointment, on time, after huge fussing and fretting and arguing only to arrive at the doctor’s office and learn you are a whole day early  – No big deal.

You can victoriously get to the person you are caring for, driving through six feet of snow in an unexpected blizzard, but forget to put in the car all the groceries you purchased including the boxes of Kleenex and the much needed toilet paper – No big deal.

You can administer the medicine, painlessly –No big deal.

You can bring a picnic to your friend’s bedside including favorite homemade food, as well as his favorite bottle of wine, but forget the corkscrew – No big deal.

You spend hours and hours on the phone with the insurance company, and finally get the remittance straightened out – No big deal.

No guilt.  No accolades. No shame. No blame.

No big deal.

Practice: As you review your day, consider the blunders and the accidents, along with the successes and sterling accomplishments. List all of them, then say each of them out loud, followed by the refrain, No big deal!

Editor’s Note: This is another installment in our series Dharma Tools for Caregivers. Andrea and Marsha are working on a book about harvesting the spiritual fruits of caregiving. You can follow them @SeasonsOfCare.

A Shambhalian caregiver shares his personal experience of caring for his parents during their passages through dementia, illness and death

by Larry Barnett

I knew we’d crossed into new territory when my father called me at midnight. “Where are you? I thought we were having lunch today,” he said matter-of-factly. “We are going to have lunch, Dad,” I replied, “But that’s not until noon.” “It’s past twelve-o’clock now, where are you?, he asked. “Dad,” I said, it’s midnight now, not noon. Have you looked outside and seen how dark it is?” “Shit,” he exclaimed, “I guess I’m confused.” “It’s ok, Dad…go back to sleep and I will see you later in the morning. Get some rest. I love you.” I hung up and lay in bed for a while, then got up and made some Oolong tea.

The last years of my father’s life were difficult. One physical problem after another plagued him, and he was not by nature a patient man. An engaging, scrappy Brooklyn boy who earlier in life had been successful, charming and full of stories had by 90 years-of-age become stubborn, controlling and angry at his own failing body. He had never cultivated an internal or spiritual life, and as his eyesight, hearing and heart function steadily diminished, he became deeply depressed, and began to slip into episodes of paranoia. He could not and would not talk seriously about dying.

My sister and I had earlier agreed that having him move close to me would be best; my mother (my parents had divorced long ago) was aging poorly as well, and was already leaning heavily on my sister. My father eventually agreed to move from New York and relocated to a small apartment three minutes from my home in Sonoma, CA. His wife had died, his friends had died and I, alone, was the only person in the world he would trust.

As time went on I became his daily caregiver. His ability to keep himself clean slipped away. A man who used to come home from his his day at the office in a suit and tie and would scrub himself like he worked in a coal mine began to look shabby and dirty. I clipped his nails, cut his hair, and washed his body. He became attached to certain items of clothing; a torn blue sweater, worn-out sneakers, frayed and stained blue-jeans. He refused to wear anything else.

As his taste-buds and sense of smell faded, he’d only want to eat ice cream – mint chocolate chip. Despite all this loss, he desperately continued to try to exert control. He could not see well enough to write his own checks, so I wrote them for him; he would make me read what I had written back to him two or three times. While driving him to a doctor’s appointment, he would insist on telling me where to go, even though he could not see well. The less capable he became, the more controlling and angry or depressed he behaved.

He became convinced some “hit men” from New York had been hired to shoot him, and called the police. He then called me and I went over to his apartment. He was calm and seemingly rational; there was no talking him out of his opinion. I realized that I needed to agree with him, to enter his delusion in order to help solve the situation, systematically explained to him how “thin” his “case” was, and that we needed to get more and better evidence before involving the police. He agreed and I cancelled the 911 call that he had made. Tellingly, though consciously he was unable to face his own mortality, his subconscious fed him tales of death.

My own life had been put on hold. Caring for my father became my full-time job and preoccupation, but also my daily practice. At times it felt claustrophobic, but I would remind myself that a particular type of primal debt was being paid, that early in my life others had cared for me in every way, that not everyone is given the opportunity to gain this particular merit. I relied on my meditation practice, and its lessons of observation and examination. I watched my own emotions rise and fall with my breath. Stepping outside, I would raise my gaze skyward and come to rest in open space. At other times, I would simply cry.

This went on for a year; we lunged daily from one crisis to another, until his failing health was more than even his stubborn will could resist. While his dependence upon me increased, there was less and less of him I knew. In many ways the father I had loved and known for so long was gone. I can even say by that time though I loved him, he was very hard to like. We Buddhists speak of selflessness, but rarely find it so close. Caregiving is perhaps the practice of realizing selflessness.

When he landed in the hospital, his heart and kidneys failing, his doctor and I agreed that hospice was in order. He could be kept alive for months, but it would be at the cost of tubes, transfusions and sedatives. In his earlier, more competent days my father had clearly expressed that being kept alive at such cost was not what he wanted; he’d even put it in writing. I brought him home to die, though we never discussed it.

We stopped his medications, and he had periodic bouts of agitation and anxiety. He’d sit up, call me to him and say “It’s time to leave, the car is waiting. Let’s go!” Another time he asked me to find his wallet and bring it to him. He opened it, pulled out his American Express card, gazed at it, and then slipping it back in hugged his wallet to his breast and fell asleep. Ultimately, his strength gave out, and within 10 days he died in his sleep, his hands grasped tightly around the rails of the hospital bed we had set up at home. I chanted the Heart Sutra and burned incense over his still body. When I presided over his cremation, I noticed his hands remained as they had been when he had died, still grasping for dear life though holding nothing, and I thought about my own acts of grasping.

A year later, my mother neared death in her apartment in New York. I’d go back every few weeks to help look after her. Her passing was quite different from my father’s, though she too had entered an imaginary realm; confused about where she was kept asking to “go home.” I’d walk her to the elevator, get in with her, let the doors close and then open the doors again without moving. “Here we are, Mom,” I’d say. She’d smile at me, we’d get off and go back into her apartment.

Knowing she was dying, she asked me one day, “How long will this take?” I explained that none of us know that answer, and we both laughed. Three days before her death, she asked to sit up on the edge of her bed. My sister sat on one side of her and I on her other. My mother leaned towards me. “Oh, Lar,” she said,”it’s just not fair.” I knew she was talking about the effort of dying. She looked me in the eyes and smiled, “Get out while you can,” she teased softly with her last words to me, and we gently laid her back down to sleep.

A month later, my wife told me about the fast-growing lump in her breast.

Larry Barnett is Shambhala’s former Director of Communication, a past Center Director and a past SMC Board Member. He lives with Norma, his wife of 40 years, in Sonoma, California. Larry has two children and three grandchildren.

images courtesy of Pixabay

Discipline, a paramita that packs a surprise for caregivers

by Marsha Weiner and Andrea Sherman 

When we started this series on dharma tools for caregivers, our exploration included the paramitas, those transcendent qualities of the heart, and whether they could guide us away from the shore of caregiver burnout and towards the shore of awakening.  The first paramita, generosity, seemed to fit well with our theme of Don’t give up on yourself  — and highlighted that caregivers should extend generosity to themselves in self-care, especially with metta meditation. Now, we’ve decided to explore another paramita; this time, discipline. The notion of discipline can come as a jolt to caregivers. For many, the concept of discipline connotes what one “should” do. It’s fair to say that not too many caregivers are seeking more tasks they “should” be doing!  But upon a deeper exploration of discipline, we’ve discovered a surprise.

Let’s explore. For a practicioner, discipline and practice are intertwined. If we maintain a shrine, follow the guidance of our teacher, and engage in other practices, they all combine as a well-crafted discipline with the goal of helping us fulfill our aspiration along the path. Through a disciplined practice we meet our inertia and laziness, our stubbornness and pride, our arrogance, zealousness, low self-esteem – and all the rest! In short, by giving ourselves over to the discipline of practice we meet what we have to work with, and that is our ego.

The good news is, we come to trust discipline. Sitting on the cushion becomes familiar, like the creases in a love letter we unfold to read over and over. Looking at certain images on an altar or shrine can immediately uplift our minds. Chanting with our sangha generates momentum and sweetly reaffirms our commitment. The more we pursue a particular discipline, the more familiar it becomes. The more familiar it becomes the more we trust it, and the more we trust it, the easier it is for us to soften and to open, to lend ourselves more fully to the process.

Artists understand this aspect of discipline. A musician has to master the basics before he or she can play freely.  The basics are mastered by doing scales again and again, and again and again — over and over and over. There’s that old question, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer is always the same: “Practice, practice, practice.” Whether you are a musician striving to play the oboe, a rising dancer, or a spiritual practitioner, the discipline you apply yourself to is the form within which you grow, and through which you harvest the spiritual fruits of your efforts – including bringing beauty to the world, and wisdom to your soul.

What does this have to do with caregiving? Consider caregiving as such a discipline, anchored in spirituality. Caregiving, bringing care and compassion to a person in need, is inherently a spiritual practice. And like all spiritual practices, including the arts, it calls upon us to get beyond our egos, to be truly in the moment, to become vehicles of great compassion, free of the illusion of separateness, for the benefit of all.

Caregiving might not be the form of discipline you would choose to embrace  (you might have preferred to be a saxophone player or a ballet dancer). Even so, when rooted in compassion, caregiving is in itself a discipline, a form, through which we as caregivers can grow, deeply and truly, along the spiritual path.

So the secret of the paramita discipline is a shift in perspective, shifting to view the act of caregiving as a spiritual discipline. As in all spiritual practice, our stubbornness and pettiness, our resentments, fears and the rest of our ego-driven emotions will arise. But as they arise, there is the opportunity to practice being in the moment, to relax into the process and open to the moment with boundless compassion.

Practice:

Choose a small object, something you can easily carry with you.

Include the object as you do your daily practice; place it on your altar or shrine, keep it next to you when meditating.

After your practice, carry the object in your pocket.

Create a link between your formal spiritual practice, and your caregiving practice.

During your caregiving routines, hold the object in your hand as a reminder to catch your breath, to be present.

Bring the object with you when you return to your formal practice.

The theme of this year’s Shambhala Day poetry contest was The Shambhala Lineage manifesting in the world today, and we received many entries from around the world, each a unique expression of the theme. But one entry touched us all deeply, so deeply that despite the fact that it arrived well after the submission deadline for the contest, the editors of Poetry Space want to share it.

This poem was written by a man who sits on death row. His lawyers have asked that we not use his legal name, nor refer to the crime that placed him there. His refuge name is Jampa Pawo/Kindness Warrior and he has been in solitary confinement for nearly twenty years.

Five years ago, Jampa Pawo became acquainted with dharma teachings, and once he made this discovery, it touched him as nothing else had. He has received practice instructions from Ani Pema Chodron and Thich Nhat Hanh. He received refuge and boddhisattva vows from Shambhala Acharya Richard John a year and half ago. He is new to the Shambhala teachings, but felt such an affinity to them that he also requested permission to take the Shambhala vow. Just last week Jampa Pawo was able to receive the Shambhala Vow from Alice Haspray, Shastri of Gampo Abbey

His poem comes to us by way of Norma Harris, a recently ordained Buddhist Chaplain in the Shambhala tradition and a Shambhala meditation instructor.

How does the lineage manifest in the world today? Through Norma, through Jampa Pawo, through each and every one of us…

Sunshine

The Great Eastern Sun
Radiates basic goodness
From my broken heart,
Uniting earth and heaven
In the Kingdom of Shambhala.

Jampa Pawo / Kindness Warrior
2.1.16

_____________________________________

Editor’s note: to learn more about Jampa Pawo, see this related story from last November —  http://shambhalatimes.org/2015/11/12/finding-freedom-inside/

The Sakyong will perform two pujas, or intensive practices, for the benefit of Shambhala this April 8th and 9th. This is an opportunity to request the Sakyong to specifically help a friend, loved one, or ourselves through these practices. The pujas will be Medicine Buddha, for health, healing, and recovery from illness, and Dorje Tsegyal, to enrich, increase, and strengthen the lungta and brilliance of activities in the world.

If we wish ourselves or a friend to be included, it is traditional to offer their name along with an offering to the teacher. These names are read to the Sakyong as part of the puja itself. We can also include a short description of the situation surrounding the request. Both the names and descriptions are kept confidential and burned at the conclusion of the puja. The Sakyong has requested that those who want to connect with the pujas offer yellow and red flowers on the days of the practice. The Sakyong plans to send a gift to those who have requested specific practice during the pujas.

For more information please follow this link. To make an offering and request the Sakyong to include someone in his practice, please follow this link. In the comments field, please type the name of the person you would like to include.

A Shambhala Center responds to the death of a black teenager in their neighborhood, killed by a white police officer.

by Shastri Mark Blumenfeld and Miriam Hall

On March 6, 2015, Tony Robinson, a nineteen-year-old black teenager, was fatally shot two blocks from the Madison Shambhala Center. This was the result of an altercation with a white police officer, who had been called to investigate reports of violent and erratic behavior.   While the officer in charge was cleared of any wrongful actions, the death of a young neighborhood man was shocking and devastating. As a boy, Tony had been a schoolmate to sangha members’ children.  Black Lives Matter included Tony’s death in their protests that spring, and a local organization called Young, Gifted and Black galvanized around the shooting.

The neighborhood surrounding our Shambhala Center was deeply traumatized. The questions of how could we provide support for the community was an emotionally energetic topic at our Executive Council meetings that spring.  We held a special practice session of tonglen dedicated to the neighborhood, and asked ourselves repeatedly how we could be more supportive to the community just outside our doors.   What could we offer to more directly alleviate the pain and suffering caused though racism and inequality?  What could we, as an organization with so few people of color, do that would be helpful?  

Our center director at the time, Ann Hall, took this contemplation deeply to heart. She wanted to find mindful ways to work with her own blind spots around racism, as well as to help the neighborhood and local larger community. She started a conversation with our current center director, Tuyet Cullen,  Shastri Mark Blumenfeld, and Miriam Hall, a Shambhala Arts & Miksang teacher who also actively works with gender equality issues. After listening to Ann’s vision for our center, Miriam mentioned an activist group called Groundwork. Groundwork runs programs in Dane County for primarily white organizations and institutions that want to work toward achieving racial justice and equity. It also works in collaboration with organizations led by people of color, to engage with white people around issues of racial justice.

Through the fall, Miriam and Mark met with representatives of Groundwork to design a workshop for Shambhala members. We discovered through planning that we wanted to start a conversation on racial justice, privilege and the lack of diversity within our Shambhala community.  We held our first workshop for Shambhala Center members only, including most of our center leadership, with facilitators from Groundwork on February 13, 2016. The participants were primarily white, with a notable exception — our new center director, Tuyet Cullen, is first generation Vietnamese-American.

Our workshop began with a meditation on feeling led by Shastri Blumenfeld. From there, two skilled and sensitive facilitators from Groundwork, Laura McNeill and Tracy Stewart, led us through a series of conversations and exercises that got us closer and closer to difficult conversations around race.  We started with an exploration of the reality of racism in our culture, looking at how racism manifests on the personal, interpersonal and institutional levels.  We looked into the lingering impact of institutional racism, supported by the laws of our society for all but the last fifty years.  We gave ourselves the space to genuinely explore the hurtful pain and suffering caused by racism.

Tracy and Laura gently led us through examples and stories that showed how the front line of countering racism is creating change in the attitudes of white people.  As white people, we could work to own our responsibility to counter racism.  Through a commitment to see things honestly and directly, we engaged in genuine and direct dialogue with one other, speaking to how the cultural history of racism emerges in ourselves, and in the people with whom we share our lives.

We worked in small groups to look directly at how we have seen racism play out in Shambhala and our own experience.  There were frank and sometimes difficult conversations, which led to heartfelt understanding and insight. It was especially powerful to bear witness to Tuyet’s descriptions of her struggles, and also to hold how much pain racism causes even for white sangha members.

Through further dialogue and discussion we looked at real ways we could counter racism, starting with ourselves, then expanding out through our natural sphere of influence to family, friends, colleagues, and beyond. Instead of being overwhelmed by the seeming impossibility of defeating racism, we felt a connection to the true cultivation of goodness. We knew that the conversations we were having with each other were genuinely helpful and important.

The Shambhala members agreed on importance of starting these conversations.  If we aspire to have the Shambhala teachings reach beyond our present community of largely white European members, then we to have begin by looking at ourselves and being honest about what we find.  In following up, we will be presenting another introductory workshop, then some deepening workshops with Groundwork. We are also starting a book group exploring Paul Kivel’s Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice.

The members of the Shambhala Center of Madison strongly encourage other centers to pursue this important line of conversation within their memberships.  Please feel free to contact us for more information:

Tuyet Cullen, Center Director

Miriam Hall, Shambhala Arts Teacher

Mark Blumenfeld, Shastri

Miriam Hall has been a practicing Shambhalians for the last twelve years. She is the second most senior teacher in the Nalanda Miksang Society for Contemplative Photography, and co-author with John McQuade of Looking and Seeing and the forthcoming Heart of Perception. She is also a full Shambhala Art teacher, and an in-training Shambhala Training director. She has been director of the Madison center in the past and is currently the membership coordinator there. She has the great honor of teaching contemplative arts for a living. She loves her wife, cats, and direct, compassionate honesty.

Shastri Mark Blumenfeld became a student of Shambhala in 1979 when he began studying with Chögyam Trungpa, Shambhala International’s founder. In the 1990, Mark moved to Madison, Wisconsin and worked with the community there to found the Shambhala Center of Madison. In 2012 Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche appointed him as the Shastri for the Madison Community. He is a former center director and has taught programs in meditation, mindfulness, Buddhism and Shambhala for over twenty-five years. He is retired from a successful career as an information technology executive and management consultant. He is married to Dr. Lora Wiggins and has three adult children.

Groundwork on the Web: GroundworkMadison.Com

A Shambhalian responds to a friend who asked her to write about how to have a simple morning.

by Sarah Lipton

Sunshine peeks in the window earlier now. Spring is not yet here in Vermont, but it is coming soon, I can feel it in the tender increase of the sun’s warmth. There are more songbirds calling early in the morning to greet the day and buds are just starting to appear at the tops of trees, a sign of vulnerable hope.

Sarah Lipton is founder and owner of The Presence Point, LLC, through which she offers leadership mentoring to individuals and organizations. 

Editor’s note: this article was previously published as part of Sarah Lipton’s blog. Find more of Sarah’s work at her website: http://www.thepresencepoint.com/blog/ .

A devoted Shambhalian contemplates the purpose, place, and utility of dissent, the value of disagreeing with the accepted way of things

by Amanda Hester

A healthy society depends upon a healthy level of dissent. Without dissent, discipline and form lose their joy and become simply authoritarian. Dissent is one of the primary antidotes to oppression. Without the presence of a critical discourse, even the most enlightened society runs the risk of stagnation, self-absorption, and ignorance. Shambhala is the principle of connection, it represents the notion of a wakeful society, but it also represents an actual society and community of practitioners; it represents an organization.

Our community was built upon slogans from Trungpa Rinpoche, like “A culture of no-mistake,” and “If you maintain a sense of humor and a distrust of the rules laid down around you, there will be success.” Inherent to Shambhala is the appreciation of the vital role played by dissent within an enlightened society. Yet we do not currently have a clear mechanism by which to cultivate this particular spicy ingredient. Often our dissent devolves into complaint or gossip, or remains hidden in the interpersonal conversations that fill our nights and dinner parties throughout the mandala.

We talk about creating a culture of kindness, but this is insular and ultimately meaningless unless it is paired with a culture of critical awareness. We need to begin to open ourselves to the sharp edges and daring of critical discourse, so that we can grow as a community and meet the challenges that present themselves both from within and without. In the absence of this, we fall into the trap of solidifying our own dissent as either righteousness or negativity. Sometimes, our innate critical intelligence, which Shambhala helps to awaken, causes us to feel so out of place or so crazy that we feel like we may need to step away from Shambhala altogether.

There is a sense, within Shambhala, of not wanting to upset Shambhala with our dissenting voice, with our critical discourse. This is counter-productive to the very principle that Shambhala represents. We silence ourselves, and sometimes, often inadvertently, we silence others. Because of this people leave. They leave because there is a sense of implacability, of being “outcast,” even though there is not always a specific person or group to identify as the ‘outcaster.” As an example, we are hemorrhaging young women in this sangha. I have personally spoken to four young women in the last year who have felt the need to step away from our community, but there are also many others. I myself have gotten to the point where I felt like I needed to leave — not to leave the practice, not the teachings, not the Sakyong, but to leave the organization, the sense of a monolithic Shambhala that I felt was oppressive. I felt that way because of the silence I had imposed upon myself out of fear.

We are vulnerable, all of us, and because we don’t yet have a strong culture of dissent, a cultural outlet that embraces and encourages critical discourse and exploration, when a critical view is presented we can often feel attacked, personally or on behalf of Shambhala. Likewise we can feel the need to attack, to find an area or entity on which to lay the blame. We want to be able to fix it, to make problems go away. But that is not what dissent is about. Critical awareness is about asking questions. It is about pointing out incongruities. It is about being self-reflective, and honest.

Let us create a culture of kindness AND critical awareness. Critical awareness, when joined with kindness, can help us step outside our comfort zones. It can even help to civilize how we behave, because we will start to think outside the box that we put around ourselves when there is not a healthy outlet for dissent. Sometimes I feel that we don’t even know what dissent means in this community; we think it is something that needs to be attended to, rather than just being allowed and even celebrated. Dissent enriches a society. It strengthens it, makes its principles and actions rigorous.

We need to engage, both as individuals and as a community, in challenging our areas of privilege and ignorance. We need to stand up and speak our truths, and to hear the truths of others. We cannot be terrified of voicing dissent in Shambhala because we are afraid of upsetting people and/or afraid being attacked. I am not doing justice to my teacher, the teachings, or the sangha with that attitude, because that attitude does not reflect an enlightened society. Let us say it: that attitude reflects an authoritarian society. By saying it, I help to move myself, and our community, in a healthier direction.

I trust that creating a culture of dissent will ultimately help us to be kinder to one other. It might even help us learn how to listen to those with whom we disagree, and to respond to them with compassion, curiosity, and respect. I hope to learn that there are truths out there that are valid and important, truths that are completely different from and even contradictory to my own. I hope to open up a space where we as a community can start to look at our pain, disillusionment, and frustration, in a constructive and enlightened way.

I love this sangha and our incredible Sakyong, and I love the Dharma. We need a space for dissent, because there are many in our community who feel deeply wounded, and who struggle. They need an outlet to voice their frustration, and more importantly to voice their critical intelligence. Indeed, we all need that. Dissent does not need to be fixed, it needs to be heard and listened to, it needs to be considered and allowed in order to foster change. We must stop silencing ourselves and each other, and we need to recognize that we have been doing so.

Amanda Hester is a second generation Buddhist who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has a graduate degree in political science, and is currently working on a second degree in critical criminology. 

September 19, 1931-February 21, 2016

by Donald Eckler, with love and admiration

On Milarepa Day, February 21, film-maker, poet, painter, father, and magnificent creative force Don Owen died in Toronto, at the age of eighty-four. Don was one of the original members of the Toronto Dharmadhatu when it began in 1972. I became friends with Don around the same time.  We were neighbours on “the farm,” in Green River, Ontario, just east of Markham. Our small community shared a garden, swam naked in the stream, and rode horses through the forest.

Don was one of Canada’s best known and most prolific movie directors in the 1960’s and ‘70’s and his name is synonymous with the history of the National Film Board. His 1964 film, Nobody Waved Goodbye, was the NFB’s first full-length feature. He continued with a number of feature length films including The Ernie Game and Notes for a Film About Donna & Gail.  Don directed many of the NFB’s documentaries including Ladies and Gentlemen…..Mr. Leonard Cohen and High Steel. For his short film, Runner, about the Canadian Olympic athlete Bruce Kidd, he persuaded poet W.H. Auden to write and voice the narration.

During the past five years, after his stroke, Don became a dear friend of mine. We spent a lot of time together, reading dharma, meditating, drinking coffee, and eating ginger molasses cookies in Kensington Market.  His creative juices never stopped flowing. Sometimes he wouldn’t speak for hours, and then suddenly he would ask me to get a pen to write down a poem he would recite. He spent so much time in bed that occasionally he would notice something about his paintings that he didn’t like anymore, and he would instruct me to touch things up.  Unable to write or to read, he was still dictating a screenplay called The Postmistress. His lead was to be Sally Fields. After many months of discussion, I asked him who the male lead was going to be. He looked directly at me and without a moment’s hesitation he said, “You.”

Don was a devoted student of Chögyam Trungpa.  He lived in Boulder for a period of time and taught one of the early courses in film at Naropa Institute.  He attended Vajradhatu Seminary. In the past two years I introduced Don to the writings of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He loved the Sakyong, and asked me to read “The Shambhala Principle” for him three times, cover to cover. Toward the end of his life, when he wasn’t able to eat or drink, he always wanted to hear dharma.  Though virtually bed-ridden for years, Don was amazingly patient with his condition. He was also so appreciative of my visits and always seemed more interested in me than in his illness.

I miss Don enormously. Though my visits to him began as a kind offering, over the years our lives became intertwined and our time together became precious. Somehow every moment with him was so genuine and often magical. I would push him in his wheelchair and we would stop just to feel the wind or to look at the fresh buds on the magnolia trees. He taught me how to be brave, how to accept the help of others with grace and gentleness, how to just “be” with whatever arises. He wasn’t happy about his condition, but I never heard him complain.

Though I never observed this, I was told that Don did not appreciate all of the nurses and caregivers at Kensington Gardens. He could be cantankerous and impatient when asked to get up or to eat anything other than ginger molasses cookies. I think he was trying to hold on to his independence and to have some more material for his next script.  In the end, after a series of small strokes, Don stopped eating and drinking. He chose to die while two of his favourite Tibetan nurses attended to him.

The Shambhala Pure Realm Ceremony will be held for Don Owen at the Toronto Shambhala Centre on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at 2 p.m.

An invitation to participate in the Awake Business Conference, coming in the spring of 2017 

by Iektje Stephens

The year of the Fire Monkey will be a busy year for the Shambhala community in Texas as we prepare for the Awake Business Conference. This will take place from March 30 through April 2, 2017, and the Sakyong will be presiding.

The Awake Business Conference takes the mindfulness revolution to the next level by joining with the movement of visionary companies who want to harness the power of business to create a better world. The goal of the Awake Business Conference is to bring together thought leaders, experts, business executives, visionaries, and entrepreneurs. We will inspire each other and share ideas about how we can bring out the best in humanity so that we can create a peaceful, harmonious, prosperous, and sustainable future for all of us and for our planet. Business has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for creating enlightened society.

We find ourselves in a time of turmoil and change, faced with great problems: global climate disruption, polarization of wealth and increasing inequality, war, the loss of trust in major institutions—government, corporations, and banks—, and health crises, to name a few. Although the problems we face are daunting, this is also a time of great opportunity. We are on the cusp of major fundamental changes in human society. It is an amazing time to be alive.

Texas sunrise

In the past decade or so a new movement in business has been stirring. There is an awakening happening in the business world that has given rise to companies and organizations that want to harness the power of business to create a better world. The goal of the Awake Business Conference is to provide an environment for all these like-minded organizations to come together and form a larger community for change. Sadly many people have never heard of organizations such as B Corporations or Conscious Capitalism. By hosting this event with high-profile speakers for a large audience we will shine a spotlight on these organizations and make sure they will become widely known. Ultimately we want to create a real paradigm shift—a global awakening of business.

Lynn Stout

We have an amazing lineup of keynote speakers. The Sakyong will be the host and headlining speaker of the Awake Business Conference. Joining him will be Dr. Lynn Stout. She is the Distinguished Professor of Corporate and Business Law at Cornell University and an internationally-recognized expert in corporate governance, financial regulation, and ethical behavior. For more information please see her bio on our website.

Returning to speak with the Sakyong will be philosopher and visionary Charles Eisenstein. He is a speaker and writer focusing on themes of human culture and identity. He is the author of several books, most recently Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible. See his bio here.

Raj Sisodia

Raj Sisodia is the co-author of Conscious Capitalism with John Mackey and a thought leader in the Conscious Capitalism movement. He is the FW Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business and Whole Foods Market Research Scholar in Conscious Capitalism at Babson College. He is also Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Conscious Capitalism Inc. See Raj Sisodia’s full bio here.

Michelle Maldonado

Michelle Maldonado is a former attorney turned business leader with more than two decades of experience across the technology, legal, education, and non-profit communities. She brings compassion and wisdom cultivated from her professional experience and over 30 years of meditation practice to her work with teams and organizations to help them lead with focus, resiliency and sustainability. See Michelle’s full bio here.

Bruce Dickinson is the lead singer of the legendary band Iron Maiden, as well as a commercial pilot, entrepreneur and creative business thinker. Bruce was a pilot and Marketing Director for Astraeus Airlines, he founded the company Cardiff Aviation, and is involved in an airship venture to manufacture lighter than air hybrid transport aircraft, known as the Airlander. This vehicle has tremendous potential for environmentally sustainable air transport. See more about Bruce here.

Austin river and skyline

Additionally the Awake Business Conference offers a rich variety of breakout sessions with high caliber presenters. See more about our program here. Tickets will be available in April, 2016, and stay tuned for the early bird discount for Shambhalians.

To stay posted on developments check our website awakebusiness.org and like our Facebook page and be sure to save the date: March 30 – April 2, 2017. If you would like more information, or help out, contact us at awakebusinessconference@gmail.com.