Shambhala Mountain Center Blog

The heart that is broken has been broken open.

- Susan Piver

Practically everyone has an opinion about the healthcare debate currently raging in Congress. Undeniably, it’s a heated issue. But despite all the discussion, it seems that one critical element is consistently overlooked: compassion.

Dr. David R. Shlim, who will be teaching our upcoming Medicine & Compassion retreat, has devoted his life’s work to making compassion a more prevalent focus of Western medicine. In the introduction to Medicine & Compassion: A Tibetan Lama’s Guidance for Caregivers, Dr. Shlim explains:

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Sakyong expresses support for Ministries and Departments of Peace The Sakyong, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, has expressed his support for the worldwide initiative to urge countries to establish ministries and departments of peace. He issued the following statement in conjunction with the Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace held in Costa Rica last month:

“Years hence, when every country has a Ministry of Peace, people will look back and ask: ‘What took us so long?’ After all, we have a ministry for almost everything else: health, education and so on. How odd that, of all things, we have no ministries of peace. Peace is the key to accomplishing the rest.

“Peace is the global imperative. The huge challenges we face will not be resolved through aggression. Aggression got us into this global crisis in the first place. Now, even the survival of the biosphere is under threat. We are not going pull back from this catastrophe by using the very same mindset and methods that bought us to this brink. Nor is this a crisis we can resolve through good wishes alone. We need a coordinated global plan which will bring together the brightest minds, the best plans and the most gifted leadership. The backbone of that plan will be the Ministries of Peace.”

At present three countries have established ministries of peace: Costa Rica, Nepal and the Solomon Islands. There are hopes that Canada might be the next nation to do so. The President of Shambhala has written to the leaders of all Canadian parties on the Sakyong’s behalf. The full text of the letter follows.

To the Leaders of All Canadian National Political Parties,

I have the honour to transmit to you the following aspiration from the Sakyong, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, the supreme head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, headquartered in Canada, in support of the initiative to create a Canadian Department of Peace.

This statement has been issued in conjunction with the Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace held in Costa Rica in September 2009:

“Years hence, when every country has a Ministry of Peace, people will look back and ask: ‘What took us so long?’ After all, we have a ministry for almost everything else: health, education and so on. How odd that, of all things, we have no ministries of peace. Peace is the key to accomplishing the rest.

Peace is the global imperative. The huge challenges we face will not be resolved through aggression. Aggression got us into this global crisis in the first place. Now, even the survival of the biosphere is under threat. We are not going pull back from this catastrophe by using the very same mindset and methods that bought us to this brink. Nor is this a crisis we can resolve through good wishes alone. We need a coordinated global plan which will bring together the brightest minds, the best plans and the most gifted leadership. The backbone of that plan will be the Ministries of Peace.”

РThe Sakyong, Jamg̦n Mipham Rinpoche

I am writing to you now, as the leaders of all the national political parties in Canada, to urge your support for this peace initiative, both on a national and global level. On the global level, this initiative is being spearheaded by the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace and, in Canada, by the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative (CDPI).

Finding and remaining at peace is the heart aspiration of the great wisdom traditions and noble societies of the world. In common with many others, Shambhala Buddhism believes we can pursue a genuine path to peace by sensing and harnessing the transformative power of our basic human goodness. Such a view is central to Shambhala’s outlook and practices, which are dedicated to disciplines of personal and social transformation. Both are necessary to dissipate prevailing tendencies towards fear and confusion and open the way to cultivating peace in our lives and our world. This is a genuine and practical basis for effective compassionate action, so sorely needed in this time of escalating global uncertainty, change, conflict and alienation.

As the Sakyong stated when presenting the first Living Peace Award to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, “Peace is not a choice for some; it is imperative for all. It is the only way forward for humanity and our planet.”

Peace cannot be won in the abstract but is earned through diligent effort that respects the experience of others and from that ground, listens, learns and communicates — a living practice of genuine human engagement. This quest for living peace cannot wait. Now is the time for people and societies of good faith to step forward assertively to place the campaign for peace in the forefront of our thoughts and efforts.

Shambhala wholeheartedly endorses significant advancements to build a culture of peace in our era. The Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace is perhaps foremost among them. Shambhala believes we can and should play an active role in this and similar civil society efforts which have so much in common with our vision and mission.

We are also supportive of the efforts of CDPI. The mandate of the Minister of Peace would be to reinvigorate Canada’s role as a peacekeeper and peace builder, advancing nonviolent responses to domestic and international conflict. This would include: the establishment of a civilian peace service in Canada; the development of peace education at all levels, including post-secondary peace and conflict studies; the development of early detection and rapid response processes to deal with emerging conflicts; international leadership to abolish nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, to reduce conventional weapon arsenals, and to ban the weaponization of space as part of a worldwide transition from war-based to peace-based economies.

We are delighted that there was a Canadian delegation to the 4th Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace held in Costa Rica in mid-September. Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica and Nobel peace laureate himself, hosted the conference in this, the third country to launch a Peace Ministry. We hope that Canada will soon follow.

In anticipation of your supportive response and commitment to action, I send you every good wish,

Richard Reoch

President of Shambhala

(This announcement was from the Shambhala News Service

Whether you write novels, poetry, memoir, personal essays, screenplays, songs, or simply enjoy journaling, most writers struggle with the same issues. Finding time. Finding their unique voice. And most of all, finding confidence. When confidence is present, all the other details: making space in daily life for this precious work, relaxing into authenticity, and finding joy in the delight and the struggle of writing, seem to take care of themselves. You find the sense of flow that all writers long for.

I discovered a way into this flow several years ago when I was on a lengthy meditation retreat. I requested permission to write for several hours a day during the final days of the program because I was on a book deadline. Between fairly lengthy meditation sessions, I returned to my room to work and found that I was in the midst of a writing experience unlike any other. I had no hesitation about how to begin. When I finished expressing one idea, it was like the next one was right there, waiting to be written down. When I returned to my work the next day, it was as if the exact stopping point had been bookmarked in my mind and I was able to pick up precisely where I left off. Most noticeably, I found that the normal problems I had with self-doubt and being overly critical of myself were gone. This was a tremendous discovery. I left the retreat thinking that there was something magical about this combination of meditation and writing practices.

Most people who love writing are also petrified of it. Why, I cannot tell you. I only know that we all experience some form of hesitation when it comes to the blank page. The writers retreats that I lead help to deal with obstacles and blocks and encourage you to trust your voice. We use 4 tools during the writing and creativity retreat.

1. Meditation. The practice of breath-awareness meditation helps gather and quiet the mind. It teaches two precious skills: first, it builds concentration and second, it relaxes the mind. Each day begins with meditation practice (instruction will be offered) and we return to the meditation cushion for a brief session after lunch and again before dinner.

2. Journaling. Sometimes called morning pages or free writing, we’ll follow our morning meditation with 3 pages of long hand, stream of consciousness writing. The purpose of this is to begin to focus your mind on writing, but without any agenda or chance for self-criticism.

3. Personal Writing. You will have two 2-hour periods (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) to devote yourself to your personal writing. You can work on an existing project, dream up a new one, write in your journal, or just sit down at your pad (or computer) and see what happens.

4. Conversation. Each evening, one or two people will have a chance to share their work. The purpose of this is not to offer literary criticism or criticism of any other kind. The purpose is to simply open to and take in the words of a particular writer. We ask ourselves questions like, “What does it feel like to hear this writer’s work?” “How would we describe their voice?” “What was particularly striking and where did we become lost?” “What do we think this writer is really trying to say?” Questions such as these are designed to help the writer (who is silent during the conversation) see what happens when their work has a chance to “breathe” in a friendly, supportive environment. Many participants report that this was the portion of the program that was most frightening, but turned out to be the most inspiring.

My sincere hope is that each writer (whether or not you call yourself one!) will leave feeling inspired by his or her own story and confident in their unique voice.

Susan is offering both a weekend Writing and Creativity retreat October 23-25 and a more intensive writing retreat October 23-29.

Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author of four books and a frequent contributor to the Shambhala Sun and Body+Soul magazine. Her next book, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart is due out in January, 2010. She has been authorized to teach meditation in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage since 2006.

A few years ago the Sakyong, the spiritual leader of Shambhala, married Khandro Tseyang. Since then, it has been interesting to watch their relationship manifest as an example of a marriage rooted in wisdom and compassion.

“Relationship is the training ground for practice,” reflects the Sakyong,”and it’s also the place where your practice is tested. If you’re trying to practice compassion, a relationship will show you how well you’re dealing with your own mind. Outside, you can pretend you’re practicing compassion, but when you’re trying to practice compassion with the people who are close to you, you see how theoretical it is.”

This is true of any intimate relationship, whether it be between lovers, friends, or parents and children. It becomes obvious whether we’re being authentic, whether our hearts are truly open. We learn to remain steadfast even when the impetus to deny or indulge our emotions becomes overwhelming.

It seems fitting that so many of our upcoming programs center around this theme. This month, Kate and Joel Feldman will lead our couples retreat, exploring how to deepen commitment to the path of loving partnership. We are hosting Pamela Wilson for an Advaita retreat in which each thought and feeling is welcomed as an opportunity to discover our true nature. In November, Dr. David Shlim will teach a Medicine & Compassion weekend on how to cultivate compassion even in the midst of the immense pressures placed on caregivers in our society. And it’s no accident that we call our upcoming winter dathün retreat “Practicing Fearlessness in Difficult Times.”

Please join us this fall for whichever retreat matches your own practice and needs.

As the seasons shift, Shambhala Mountain Center offers a gentle reminder that every interaction – every moment – is a chance to deepen our practice and to remember what is truly precious.

Brian Spielmann