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This is the second in this series of matcha photos. [To view other posts in this series by Kootenay Shambhala member Jigme Datse Rasku, click on the matcha tag.]

This photo goes right to the heart of the matter, the matcha itself. On the edge of the bowl there is a small amount of matcha that is there from sifting the matcha into the bowl.

The bowl is known as a 茶碗―chawan in Japanese, literally “tea bowl.” The tea used in the tea ceremony is 抹茶 or matcha, which literally means “rubbed tea.”

Visiting senior teacher Acharya Allyn Lyon gave tonight’s Open House talk, speaking about reasons one might choose to meditate (to develop peace, to explore the nature of mind, or to discover the world’s richness, for instance) and generally entertaining the large audience with her characteristic earthiness and humour. Click on the icon below to listen to her talk.

Download “Why Meditate?” with Acharya Allyn Lyon (MP3: 39.4 MB; 43 min)

ALLYN LYON was appointed an acharya in 2000, after several years serving as Director of Shambhala Mountain Center and in other Shambhala administrative positions. Since then she has been traveling and teaching while creating a home base in Tepotzlan, Mexico, where she is the resident acharya. Her main interest in teaching dharma is the nature of mind and how it functions: “What is mind? How does practice work with mind? What is real?” But if there’s a bottom line, Allyn says, “it’s that I really enjoy practicing the dharma, teaching and sharing my love of the dharma with students.” For more about Acharya Lyon, click here.

This post is a response to numerous requests for teachings on working with pain.

Shambhala Sun magazine is one excellent resource. Its online Working with Pain and Suffering section offers a wide selection of articles on the topic.

You can share ideas, approaches or other resources that you’ve found helpful by leaving a comment below.

Transition Nelson is part of a global movement to address the converging challenges of the 21st Century by enhancing community resilience. (Several Kootenay Shambhala members and friends are involved or exploring involvement.)

Click on the image below to visit Transition Nelson’s new website.

The November 2009 issue of Kootenay Shambhala eNews (shown at the right) features a fall photo of Nelson shot from the “Rail Trail” by Jane DiGiacomo.

Do you have any of your own (high-resolution) seasonal photos of the Nelson area that you’d like to share in a similar way in future issues of eNews? If so, please contact us at info@nelsonbuddha.com. (An unsubscribe link is included at the bottom of each message.)

The Kootenay Shambhala Centre is pleased to confirm plans to host a Ten-Day Mahamudra Retreat with senior teacher Susan Chapman, from October 22nd to 31st, 2010.

This program is open to Rigden Abhisheka graduates and Shambhala Vajrayana Seminary graduates who have completed 20,000 prostrations if practicing Kagyü or Rigden ngöndro by number.

Save the dates and stay tuned for more information.

Shambhala Congress 2009, themed “exploring community,” is scheduled to take place in Halifax from November 9th to 11th, and you can play a part.

The Shambhala Congress is the principal mandala-wide gathering for discussion and consultation on matters of concern to the mandala as a whole. Discussions held at previous Congresses have played a major role in guiding the forward movement of the worldwide Shambhala community.

One way you can help shape the Kootenay Shambhala Centre’s participation in this gathering (and simultaneously help shape our Centre’s future) is by sharing your thoughts and feelings―about community, about your concerns, about anything―in the comments section below.

What matters to you??!!

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Read from a selection of Shambhala Sun magazine articles related to seeing things as they are.

And join us for any of our four weekly public meditation practice sessions (see our Regular Public Events Schedule).

The Shambhala Database (SDB) is a shared, online, secure membership database for use by the entire Shambhala community.

The “Member’s View” of the SDB allows members to review and update their own profiles, to look up fellow members, and also to set privacy settings so that only the information they want visible to other members is visible.

Click on the thumbnail below to access the SDB.

Shambhala Database login

For more information or assistance, contact Jim Northcote at info@nelsonbuddha.com.