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On Saturday, May 23rd, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, we’re offering an opportunity to work/play with earth, space and flowers in an introductory contemplative flower arranging workshop led by longtime Kootenay Shambhala Centre member and ikebana enthusiast Gala Sly. Please join us!

Learn more on our Ikebana Workshop page.

This article was submitted by Russell Rodgers, director of this summer’s Kootenay Public Weekthün 2009: Touching the Earth program, in response to a request for more information about the program’s theme.

Russell Rodgers writes:

One of the key commitments in vajrayana Buddhism is to experience the world as sacred. Sacred in this context doesn’t mean that some deity proclaimed it so; it just is, primordially, in the present moment of fresh pristine awareness. In our busy existence, however, we tend to see our thoughts and concepts about the world rather than the world itself. Therefore we lose touch with its sacredness and basic goodness. Our concepts can be so subtle and pervasive that we don’t even realize that they are there. We just feel deadened and disconnected from the magical, living quality in our surroundings. As a corrective, and because we have buddha nature wakefulness buried somewhere within us, we feel haunted by the feeling that something is missing. Read the rest of this entry »

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Learn more on our Open House page.

Looking for a weekthün, Warrior Assembly or other Shambhala program in the Pacific Northwest or beyond? The Programs Elsewhere in Shambhala section of the Kootenay Shambhala Centre’s Programs page makes finding programs easy.

This article is adapted from an email message to Kootenay Shambhala Centre members and friends from Centre member Russell Rodgers.

Russell Rodgers writes:

Happy Earth Day,

Since this is Earth Day, it seemed a good idea to talk a bit about our Centre and the environment. Here are some of the initiatives that are underway or planned:

The first step in an environmental audit of our Centre has already happened. Gregory Heming has been working on that with James Rodgers, an environmental auditor who has volunteered his time. We discovered that we need to plug some holes in ceiling joist spaces between the Centre and the stairway hall before a full audit can proceed. The full audit involves de-pressurizing the space so that air leakage from the outside can be measured and sources of leakage detected. We already recycle, compost, and use mostly environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. We usually avoid using paper and plastic eating utensils. Other ideas are most welcome. Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday, May 22nd, we’re having another Movie (etc.) Night, and you’re invited!

Schedule:
• 7:00 PM: COMMUNITY KITCHEN: Help prepare a Popcorn Buffet, with Chief Popper Lynn Dragone
• 7:30 PM: MOVIE: Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint

Suggested donation: Your favorite popcorn recipe and ingredients

Learn more on our Movie (etc.) Night page.

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The Kootenay Shambhala Centre invites Shambhala Vajrayana Seminary graduates to our annual October weeklong vajrayana retreat in beautiful Nelson, British Columbia. This year we’re offering a program of ngöndro, Werma and Vajrayogini practice and celebration with Acharya Allyn Lyon.

The arrival and departure dates are Saturday, October 24th and Sunday, November 1st respectively. The program will begin Sunday morning, October 25th and end Saturday evening, October 31st; it will count as one week of acharya-led group retreat at a residential practice centre.

Basic accommodation at the centre will be available. A small number of billets may also be available. Most meals will be provided. The schedule will allow time for a trip to the nearby hot springs and a taste of downtown Nelson’s delights.

For a full program description go to our Kootenay Vajrayana Weekthün 2009 page.

20 Apr 2009 – The Sakyong offers Protecting the Earth; a call to contemplation and action on climate change

The Sakyong offers these teachings in support of Earth Day, this Wednesday, 22 April, and the work of the Touching the Earth Working Group of the Sakyong’s Council.

Protecting the earth

A call to contemplation and action on climate change

Our precious planet and the innumerable beings who dwell here face an unprecedented crisis. The escalating threat to the world’s environment and climate stem from a profound predicament that affects all humanity. We are ever more rapidly losing our connection with the sacred nature of our world. This tragedy affects us in so many ways, but at its heart, it is a crisis of the spirit. We are harming our planet and fellow beings because we are losing touch with the basic goodness of our own sacred being.

This disconnect from our primordial basic goodness is amplified by unparalleled technological and industrial capacity, dramatic population growth, and the vast inequalities we witness everywhere in our world. Read the rest of this entry »

We recently revised our regular public events schedule, adding three new weekly events⎯Children in Shambhala (Sundays, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM), Meditation Practice (Wednesdays, 12:00 – 1:00 PM), and Parents & Infants Meditation Group (Thursdays, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM).

As usual, you can view the schedule on our Regular Public Events Schedule page. And for the first time, we’ve made it available as a PDF file. Fridge decoration anyone?

Printable poster (PDF)