Everybody is invited to share love and support our japanese friends who really need help in these hard times after the earthquake and the explosion of the nuclear centre in Fukushima.

You can meditate sitting with the hands in your heart, or you can dance, sing, paint…anything which makes easier to share your beauty and love. The important thing is to focus your intention on supporting Japan.

The meditation lasts 15 minutes and s…tarts on Saturday 19/3/2011 at 12.00 pm (italian time zone).

If your time zone is different, please check the different timing to meditate at the same time we do (www.worldtimeserver.com). If for any reason you can’t do it at that time, do it at any time is more comfortable for you.

It is also an invitation to pass from individual consciousness to collective consciousness, because our japanese friends are not far away, THEY ARE HERE…sharing this beautiful planet with us.

Don’t leave them alone, let’s connect all together to send love and support to them.

This seven-minute video from The Bodhisattva Project is intended as a sequel to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s video What About Me.

The Nelson Refugee Committee invites you to a fundraising dinner on February 18 at the Nelson United Church, 602 Silica Street. Money raised from this event will go towards sponsoring a Burmese refugee family to live in Nelson.

Come learn more about Burmese refugees and our project. Enjoy a delicious full-course meal. Doors open at 5:30; dinner at 6. Tickets available at Otter Books.

Cost: $15 per person/ $45 per family.

For more information, call 354-4641.

The Art of Being Human is the beginning of the Way of Shambhala training path, which teaches students of any tradition effective tools for meditation. This first level focuses on the basic technique of mindfulness meditation. By settling our minds, we can begin to see our experience in a fresh, unconditioned way that allows us to discover that our existence is basically good, regardless of the particular conditions of our lives. This experience of basic goodness, our innate wisdom, is the ground for the development of confidence and gentleness leading to a kind of ordinary magic in our daily experience.

The program includes meditation instruction, talks and discussions, and is open to all.

Click on the poster image below to enlarge it.

For a full program description see Shambhala Training Level I: The Art of Being Human.

In this clip from the “Smile at Fear” weekend Pema Chodron led in Richmond, California in October 2010, Ani Pema speaks of trusting that the universe will never stop communicating with us.

After a year of using the monthly calendar shown at the left as a backup, we’ve switched to using it as our main calendar.

This calendar has features that make it easier to use than the “clickable calendar” it replaces―most notably, seamless integration with our program/event listings.

See what you think: Monthly Calendar.

Kootenay Shambhala members, we’ve all been invited to join a select group in testing the Shambhala Network, a new website that connects the global Shambhala community through email, groups and friends.

The Shambhala Network provides:
• an easy way to keep up with what’s happening locally, regionally, and internationally;
• online meeting spaces for practice groups, working groups, and other interest groups;
• a social networking system (think Shambhala Facebook); and
• too many other features to list here!

Beta is a technical term referring to a preliminary or testing stage of a software or hardware product. The Shambhala Network (Beta) is not yet fully functional, but it is functional enough for us to use it and offer feedback to help its developers identify bugs and make improvements.

To connect, go to Shambhala Network and enter your Shambhala Account login information. You can get a Shambhala Account through the Shambhala Account Password Centre.

While you’re on the Network, be sure to visit the Kootenay Community Room, a gathering place for Kootenay Shambhala members and friends and everyone else interested in our community. If you’re a member, you can request access to the Kootenay Council group, where you can participate in Centre administration.

For more information or assistance, contact us at nelsonbuddha@gmail.com.

The Official YouTube Channel for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has been updated. It now has over thirty videos of the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo. Many of these have captions in up to twelve languages including Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, German, Greek, Swedish, Italian, Czech, Persian Farsi, Arabic, Korean, and Ukrainian.

Click here to visit the channel.

The Shambhala News Service announced today:

Shambhala’s recorded membership worldwide reached 8,000 this month. The 8,000 Shambhala members recorded on the Shambhala database are spread across 47 countries, in addition to many more “friends of Shambhala”. There are currently 214 Shambhala centres and groups (including our major practice centres) worldwide.

For an interactive map and directory of Shambhala Centres and Groups, go to the Shambhala Worldwide page on Shambhala’s central website.

For information about the Pacific Northwest region in particular, go to the Kootenay Shambhala Centre’s Pacific Northwest Shambhala Community page.

In response to comings and goings at the Kootenay Shambhala Centre this fall, we’re shuffling Centre leadership responsibilities.

Recent changes include:
• New Co-Directors of Practice & Education: Russell Rodgers and Sally Albert
• New Open House Coordinator: Cameron Wenaus
• New Webmaster: Michael Foster

More changes are likely. You can get the latest info on our Who Does What page.