Shambhala Mountain Center Blog

In the early hours of today (Tuesday 7 April), Prajna, the wooden summer retreat house used by the Vidyadhara and the Sakyong at Shambhala Mountain Center, caught fire. In a very short time the house was engulfed in flames and burned to the ground. With the recent snowfall the danger was reduced, although some trees in the immediate vicinity were burned. The volunteer fire department responded with multiple trucks and the Shambhala Mountain Center fire volunteers are standing watch over the smoldering remains. It is not clear at this point what caused the fire, but an investigation will be conducted.

The Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo were informed this morning, Halifax time, and are following the situation closely. The Sakyong has requested that the Shambhala Mountain Center community gather to conduct protector practices, perform a long lhasang to invoke windhorse and raise the aspiration for the establishment of a new court for the lineage, long-needed at Shambhala Mountain Center.

Those involved with the care of the residence and its furnishings have also been informed. Most important artefacts and texts were no longer housed there.

“This fire, and the complete devastation of the residence, has come as a shock to us all,” the Sakyong said this morning. “Many practitioners have come to Prajna to serve in the court, to meet me, to attend special events and to be part of the many celebrations that have been hosted there. So it is associated with many fond and moving memories in all our minds. Both Khandro-la and I have the community at Shambhala Mountain Center very much in our hearts at this time, and appreciate their valiant efforts through the night. At the same time, this is a moment to reflect on how we move forward from here, recognizing the potent truth of impermanence, and turning our minds to what is now needed to provide an appropriate lineage seat at this vital centre in our mandala.”

When dealing with cancer, joining a cancer support group can be one of the best ways to help heal. Aside from a place to exchange information about side effects, resources and what’s happening in clinical trials, a cancer support group can help you live a better, fuller life. Cancer brings with it a huge wave of emotions that include anger, fear and loss. While there is this whole wide range of emotions to deal with, there are now places to openly and freely express those feelings.

Studies have shown that cancer patients who attend cancer support groups survive longer than just receiving medical treatment alone. While medical attention is often considered necessary, the addition of emotional support helps you cope and gives you a safe place to share your innermost feelings. With a safe haven to share what you’re going through, your emotional self can heal along with your physical self.

Looking for a cancer support group? Join Shambhala Mountain Center’s cancer retreat, Courageous Women, Fearless Living. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

We are happy to announce that Shambhala Mountain Center will be hosting Vajrayana Seminary in summer 2010. The Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has offered to come out of retreat to give transmission to students of this Seminary.

For those needing to complete prerequisites to attend in 2010, consider joining us this summer. The following prerequisites programs are offered:

Shambhala Sacred Path with Acharya Jeremy Hayward - April 14-19, 2009

Shambhala Sacred Path: Meek, Perky, and Outrageous & Inscrutable with Acharya Arawana Hayashi – May 4-10, 2009

Shambhala Sacred Path: Golden Key with Valerie Lorig – June 7 – 10, 2009

Warrior Assembly with Acharya Jeremy Hayward and Adana Barbieri - June 10-21, 2009

Sutrayana Seminary with Acharya Gaylon Ferguson – June 6-21, 2009

It is the Shambhala view that every human being has a fundamental nature of goodness, warmth and intelligence. This nature can be cultivated through meditation, following ancient principles, and it can be further developed in daily life, so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society.

In the course of our lives, this goodness, warmth and intelligence can easily become covered over by doubt, fear and egotism. We tend to fall into a kind of sleep or stupor, believing in the conditioning we have as the ultimate truth, and coming under the sway of fear. The journey of becoming fully human means seeing through fear and egotism, and waking up to our natural intelligence. It takes kindness—to ourselves and others—and courage, to wake up in this world.

The journey of awakening is known as the path of the warrior, as it requires the simple bravery to look directly at one’s own mind and heart. The essential tool for doing this is mindfulness meditation. As we continue on the Shambhala path, we learn many other practices, to help us break through the ancient crust of ego and awaken to the joy of fully living in this world. Awakening and opening, we discover the world to be naturally sacred—pure and full of beauty. We begin to see clearly the goodness and wisdom of others, and to feel compassion to help them in myriad ways.

Shambhala vision is rooted in the contemplative teachings of Buddhism, yet is a fresh expression of the spiritual journey for our time; it is available to practitioners of any tradition. Our lineage draws on the wisdom of the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism as inherited by founder of Shambhala, Chögyam Trungpa, and his son and spiritual heir, Sakyong Mipham. In the mid-1970s Chögyam Trungpa began to introduce teachings on Shambhala vision, based on his encounter with the Western world, and on the specific wisdom imparted from the Buddha to King Dawa Sangpo, the first sovereign of the legendary kingdom of Shambhala. This tradition teaches how to live in the secular world with courage and compassion

Buddhism offers methods to clarify our mind, open our heart, and face the realities of human life, while the Shambhala teachings offer practices for rousing our life force and connecting with the natural power and energy of the phenomenal world. The combination of these wisdom traditions offers a contemporary, effective spiritual path. Following it, we can reclaim our natural birthright of wisdom and compassion, and work with others to bring about the best in human society.

Tai Chi is a good way to reduce stress and clear the mind. It’s a great exercise because it can be done by the very young and the very old, at almost any place. Here are a few pointers to help you use Tai Chi to reduce stress.

1. Start with the basics. Slowly inhale through each breath and feel the positive energy entering your body; and as you exhale, imagine the stress leaving your body.
2. Try to practice in a quiet corner with little distractions, so you can focus your energy.
3. You can learn more about reducing stress through Tai Chi by joining a Tai Chi class or Tai Chi retreat like those offered by Shambhala Mountain Center.
4. Take it easy. Practice in a way that makes you feel comfortable and helps you feel relaxed.
5. Finally, try to do these exercises in the morning and the night, because it’s a great way to begin and end your day on a positive note.

Ready for the next step? Come join Larry Welsh as he leads Meditation & Tai Chi: Finding Stillness Within Movement. In this weekend-long retreat join together the wisdom of Tai Chi and sitting meditation. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center today to learn more.

Tai Chi is a wonderful exercise as well as spiritual practice because it combines the moving form of yoga with the mindfulness of meditation. There are a number of forms of Tai Chi, all of which consist of a sequence of movements that are performed slowly, softy and gracefully with smooth and even transitions in between.

Like yoga and meditation, Tai Chi is an excellent way to relieve stress. In fact, Tai Chi has become increasingly popular as it has been clinically proven to reduce blood pressure and stress levels. Unlike other forms of exercise that might put unnecessary strain on joints and muscles, the gentle movements in tai chi are safe for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

Aside from reduced stress, Tai Chi can help:

• Increase flexibility
• Improve muscle strength and definition
• Increase energy
• Reduce anxiety and depression
• Improve balance
• Improve sleep quality

Want to give Tai Chi a try? Come partake in our weekend-long Tai Chi and meditation retreat. In this Tai Chi retreat, led by Larry Welsh, beginning practitioners will learn the basics of sitting meditation and Tai Chi. Advanced practitioners will focus on integrating these two wisdom traditions. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center to learn about Meditation & Tai Chi: Finding Stillness Within Movement with Larry Welsh

Cancer patients who suffer from severe pain, fatigue and mental stress can use sacred movements to calm their nerves and empower their souls. In Shambhala Mountain Center’s retreat, Courageous Women, Fearless Living, attendees practice breath and movement exercises that can help them get though times when they are suffering great pain or feelings of discomfort. Patients use sacred movements to eliminate the negative thoughts they have about cancer and being sick, so they can then concentrate their energy on healing.

Join  Sofia Diaz, a gifted teacher of sacred movement, and feminine spiritual practice, as she explores ways in which you can help relieve the stresses and discomforts that come from cancer.

As a renowned writer on sexuality and spirituality, Diaz derives her form of teaching and body philosophy from the South Indian Temple Arts and their accompanying scriptures, making her well connected to the body and the way in which movement, breadth and meditation can heal the body and mind. For more information on Courageous Living, Fearless Living and the teachings of Sophia Diaz, contact the Shambhala Mountain Center today.

There is nothing fair about cancer and no one deserves to have it. Upon diagnosis you may feel scared, angry, numb or confused. And while you may mentally shut down once you hear the word “cancer”, this stage in life often becomes a time of personal reflection as you learn to cope with your illness. You may begin to look closely at your religious beliefs, your personal and family values and what’s most important in your life. Wherever you look for answers, accepting the diagnosis and figuring out how cancer fits into your life is a challenge.

Cancer can change your sense of self, that is, how you think of your body, yourself, and your future. Grief is a normal response as you give up your old ideas of yourself and begin to develop ways to cope with the new, unwanted changes in your life. While it may take time for you to become aware of these losses and changes, it can help if you share your grief with someone close to you or with a community devoted to helping those with cancer.

Shambhala Mountain Center in the beautiful Colorado Mountains offers just that, a community of women sharing and learning to embrace their cancer experience. In Courageous Women, Fearless Living, you are guided by experts who understand that cancer is a journey that can be navigated to bring profound healing and awakening.  The leaders of this cancer retreat get you to open up physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually so that you can answer the question, how do I face my fear directly so that I can live life more fully?

Join other women battling cancer and Shambhala Mountain’s extraordinary team of experts in this unique five-day retreat. The program will include meditation instruction, healing visualization practice, gentle yoga sessions, whole-being healthcare and nutrition tips, small group discussions, art therapy, ritual, sacred dance and community building.

For more information on Courageous Women, Fearless Living, contact Shambhala Mountain Center today.

So much has been said and speculated about what is happening here at Shambhala Mountain Center that I thought it would be helpful to communicate what we are doing, what our vision is, what practical challenges we face, and how important it is that we succeed.

We have evolved to having two major facets to our mission: one we are familiar with is the deepening of practice and study for one’s spiritual journey, as we all know this land as an incredible environment for the energy of drala and the powerful atmosphere created by the presence of so many lineage holders teaching here. The second facet of our mission, which is just beginning to open up, also has a lot to do with the vision of the Sakyong – how can we build bridges to other communities, share riches, and begin to examine issues that we all face as a human society.

We offer practice intensives for Shambhala community members, but are also opening our doors to other traditions, including Native American, Sufi, Christian, and Jewish. In 2006, the Dalai Lama visited to receive the Living Peace Award from the Sakyong, in a gathering that included Queen Noor of Jordan and Rabbi Irwin Kula. This event was an auspicious launching to the role that the Sakyong aspires of the entire Shambhala community, as well as Shambhala Mountain Center, can play in fostering peace in local, regional, or international areas of dispute. We are also developing programs around leadership in the business community, intended to address the mistaken view of greed and focus on principles of openness, intelligence, and compassion.

On the physical front, you may have fond memories of RMDC from the ‘70’s and 80’s, or the Summer Camp which emerged after the 1986 Seminary, and we have now evolved into having three splendid buildings: Sacred Studies, and the Shambhala and Rigden Lodges. In order to fulfill the two aspects of our mission, and be a place where people from all kinds of backgrounds and experience can come, we need to work on our infrastructure – such as utilities, technology and communications – and add additional basic buildings, such as a dining room and staff housing. It is the aspiration of the Sakyong that, at some point in the future, Shambhala Mountain Center has the potential to be a Center for Peace, where leaders can come to receive training in mindfulness, the cultivating of compassion, and further learn how to withstand the aggression that they are dealing with.

The heart of everything that we do embodies the lineage of Sakyongs that includes our Buddhist path and Shambhala practices and aspiration to create enlightened society.

   

On the financial side, we face many challenges, not unlike other institutions similar to us at this time. Operationally, our revenues cover 72-90% of our expenses; our goal is in three years, minimum, to achieve a stable 90% of operating expenses and, eventually, to meet those expenses. We also service debt and must raise money to improve and expand our infrastructure needs. We can neither reach too far, nor can we stay still.

We wish to have ongoing communication and dialogue with the community both through articles such as this, presentations in various centers and exchanges about views, needs, and expectations. This is an extraordinary time, and I think it’s safe to say a pivotal time, for Shambhala Mountain Center. If you have any questions, suggestions, offers of assistance, please contact me.

By Jon Barbieri, Executive Director