I was unable to attend my regional KGG in Chicago, IL, and so headed to Boulder, CO last weekend for the 7th KGG being offered this year. As the presenters noted when the weekend began – we didn’t know exactly what we were getting into, and part of that was because they haven’t known exactly what they were getting into. The Sakyong requested of President Reoch that he organize these gatherings so that when the Sakyong presents
teachings on governance this fall, he would have our feedback, as an entire Mandala, and that we would have context for his teachings. In other words, he is manifesting a true Culture of Felt Kindness (as he has said in so many ways, including this year’s Shambhala Day address) toward us, and requesting the same back from us.

I took some photos as a part of the weekend. I had left my “good” camera back home, thinking I would be too busy to practice the Miksang photography that is my life’s blood (both as a student and teacher). But within the first full day, someone remembered me as a Miksang teacher (“Go ask that woman in the pink shirt to take a photo!”) and I was charged with capturing a few key moments. I wanted to share them with you.

Manifesting an actual culture of kindness isn’t easy. We all wish it was. We spent, as many others have spent at the other KGG gatherings and will in the future, at Karme Choling and in Halifax in the fall, spend, time practicing many forms of adapted non-violent communication, listening and deep acceptance of ourselves and others. Like the classic image of the Buddha’s bowl going upstream after he revealed his teachings under the Bodhi Tree, this effortless love of Basic Goodness takes a lot of effort to learn how to manifest, though at the time of manifestation, no effort is actually needed. We are seeding the ground, and seeing how it can actually feel and smell and look like in life. The above photo is of an exercise in which community members, arms of governance and protectors wove in and out of each other with crepe paper and light and glitter to physically feel our interaction and interdependence on each other.

In the end, there is no better way to experience the possibilities of the power of Basic Goodness than to live them. We were implored, and are being encouraged in follow-up to the program, to live what we spoke, to explore what we poked and to discover new ways of being and share them with everyone. This cannot be simply another program we attend and return home from, leaving it all behind, President Reoch stated again and again.

I leave you with a little film of what it was like to be present in the center of the Maha-Sangha that the Shambhala Community is. Go to Karme Choling or Halifax if you can!

Our first post was about local needs for funds to buy our building – tis the season for Shambhala International fundraising, too…

SAKYONG MIPHAM RINPOCHE
from Shambhala International:

We want to let you know that The Sakyong, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche, officially entered deep retreat at the beginning of October. This follows the brief period when he came out of retreat for the teachings he gave this summer and to be with Khandro Tseyang for the birth of their daughter, Jetsun Drukmo.

At the mid-point of his retreat, the Sakyong wrote:
As many of you know, I have undertaken this retreat in the year of the Iron Tiger. According to Tibetan astrology, it was considered an obstacle year, as well as being a pivotal year for myself. Therefore, I have reduced my activity and entered into this retreat… This has been a powerful and meaningful time. More than ever, I feel how fortunate we are to have these teachings… These days, even though we may feel overwhelmed and weak, we can still help the world and guide it in a positive direction… I cannot express how much I appreciate the effort and determination that you all have, for being on this journey is not easy. But it is through your determination and courage that I myself am inspired… I intend to continue my retreat through the remainder of the year, concluding it after Shambhala Day. I think of you all, every single day.

Now that he is re-immersed in deep retreat, we are writing to you, and to each and every member of Shambhala, to invite you to make a personal contribution and further connection to the Sakyong by being a patron of this phase of his retreat.

Hundreds of Shambhalians served as patrons for all or part of a day when the Sakyong was in deep retreat Nepal in May. The response was so overwhelming that the entire calendar was filled by sponsors in just 30 hours! We invited the Vajra sangha to lead the way in sponsoring this new phase of retreat two weeks ago and already the first two months are fully sponsored.

If you would like to join in and make an offering at this point in his retreat, it would be in the form of taking on the role of patron for part or all of one of the days from the beginning of December through February, when the Sakyong will conclude this phase of the retreat. In accord with traditional ritual, the names of the patrons will be read aloud daily.

The retreat calendar

We have developed a calendar that you can visit, to indicate what part of the retreat you would like to be the patron for.

The contribution for one day has been calculated on the basis of the total overhead for the retreat, which includes daily food, travel, and housing expenses for the Sakyong, Sakyong Wangmo Jetsun Drukmo, and five court staff. Since the contribution for a full day is $600 (and proportionately less for a half and quarter day), you might want to consider a group contribution, such as from your household, friends, delek or kasung squad.

If you wish, you can dedicate your contribution, not only to the well-being of the Sakyong’s retreat, but also to any special person or event in your life — it could be an aspiration for a person who is ill, for someone who is close to death or had died, for a newborn child (or a child about to be born!) and so on.

To select the period of time for which you wish to be a patron, and make your contribution, please click here http://shambhala.org/giving/fallsponsorshipcalendar.php

Yours in the vision of Shambhala,

Richard Reoch, President of Shambhala

Josh Silberstein

Josh Silberstein, Chief of Staff, the Sakyong Ladrang

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SURMANG SHEDRA

This is what the long years of rebuilding the shedra have been all about. Not only reconstructing this noble site in the Shambhala heartland of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, but meeting the single greatest hunger of the Surmang villagers – the education of their young people.

This is definitely a shedra with a difference. You can count them yourself: not only some 30 young monastics, but more than 70 other local children – and that includes both girls and boys.

You can see a remarkable short film shot by Jon Ransohoff and edited by Lyndon Comstock who were just there. Please click here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXlfE_D4HpY . You can see the great progress we have made on the shedra and feel the energy of all these young people on their first day of school.

Lyndon and Jon also brought back a message to us from Trungpa XII Rinpoche. In it he says

The shedra at Surmang Dutsi Til will be of great benefit to the entire community of monks, nuns and laypeople. Owing to the kindness of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and the entire Shambhala community, the shedra is now close to completion this year… In order to ensure that the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche spread widely and do not decline, it would be good for these teachings to be studied by the entire community at Surmang Dutsi Til in addition to the Shambhala community. In this way, I hope that both Shambhala and Surmang can work together on practicing and developing these teachings.

Lyndon and Jon were also able to conduct the first-ever filmed interview with him, and we hope to put that online very soon.

You can visit a lovely collection of photos now up on the Konchok Foundation website along with an article from Lyndon about how things are going and what remains to be done to complete the shedra (they are starting to use it as a school, but there is lot left to finish). Please click here : http://www.konchok.org/LyndonUpdateReport.htm.

The big challenge we face now is to get the rest of the construction work done so that the shedra can be properly consecrated. There is about $150,000 of work to be done.

It has taken us six years and $740,000 to get this far. (Bob King insisted on rigorous construction standards, and thankfully the shedra withstood the earthquake.) Now we are in the final stretch of making this happen.

I know there are many funding requests at this time of year, but I wanted everyone to get this and share in this wonderful news. If you are touched by these photos and films – and by the fact that this is actually happening in this remote and unbelievably poor valley – please join me in visiting the Konchok Foundation webpages http://www.konchok.org and giving an open hearted offering…

With so much appreciation to everyone who has wanted this to happen,

Yours in the vision of Shambhala,

Richard Reoch , President of Shambhala