July 15, 2021: Maine Shambhala Sangha News

 

While the physical center is closed, our community continues to be at the core of all that we do. In order to care for each other, we are offering a variety of ways to stay connected. With the power of virtual options such as Zoom, we are able to keep us connected for practice, study, and gathering.

If you are looking for ways to connect with the community, please check the website, as well as your emails, for updates on events. Let us use this time to come together and to keep our connections strong and meaningful.

If you would be more comfortable connecting with a person directly rather than visiting our website for information, please contact us at [email protected]. We will be in touch shortly after receiving your inquiry.

Please join us online!

 

An Invitation to community members to join an important conversation:

We hope that this note finds you well and enjoying the joys of the summer season. So much has changed- even in just the past few months.

Our local communities are beginning to open up again. Opportunities are arising to come together in person. We are gravitating to outdoor activities here in Maine as the season of warm breezes is a short one.

As many of you are aware, the decision was made in April to close our Shambhala Center in Brunswick when it became apparent that the dynamics of the building’s energy was shifting with a new owner in place. A group of us sorted, edited, and packed the items that we wanted to keep and moved it all into storage.

For the past few months, we have been a virtual sangha. During that time, the council has reflected and relaxed into the energy that is. With a clear mind and not clinging to what was, we would like to begin assessing the best way to move forward together as a sangha.

For that, we need to hear from you…. What matters most to you?… What offerings best support your practice? ….. How important is a physical community practice and study space for you?… AND… What energy do you have to offer to be a part of the process of moving forward together?

We have crafted a brief survey to begin the conversation. Our aspiration is to hear from as many voices as possible. The survey will be open for feedback/ comments for one month.

During the month of August, we will review the results and invite those who expressed an interest in being part of follow up conversations to come together with council members.

Our intention is to have some clarity in early fall to address the next steps for our community.

In the meantime, we are working on a fall schedule of program offerings and will keep you posted on that through the weekly newsletter.

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts and aspirations with us.

Please watch for the link in your weekly newsletter.

In the Vision of the Great Eastern Sun,

The Shambhala Brunswick Portland Council

 

 Governing Council Minutes: May 2021

 

CURRENTLY OFFERED ONLINE: 

Community Open Sitting Thursdays- 6:30-7:30 PM- Topic: Thursday Evening- Community Sitting Meditation
Time:  06:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting:  JOIN HERE

Community Open Sitting– Sundays, 9:00- 10:30 AM Topic: Sunday Community Sitting Meditation- followed by Coffee and Conversation Time: 08:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting JOIN HERE

Heart of Recovery Mondays, 6:30 – 7:30 PM  The program will take place online. Please email: [email protected] and the link to the video conferencing call will be emailed to you.

**If you are new to zoom, please arrive 5-10 minutes prior to the start of the session so that we may address any issues you may have with connecting to the program.

THIS WEEK :

Thursday, July 15, 2021

6:30 PM Thursday night Community Meditation Practice – Online

Sunday, July 18, 2021

9:00 AM Sunday Community Meditation Practice. – Online

Monday, July 19, 2021

6:15 PM Heart of Recovery Online
  • NOTE NEW TIME START

Thursday, July 22, 2021

6:30 PM Thursday night Community Meditation Practice – Online

Sunday, July 25, 2021

9:00 AM Sunday Community Meditation Practice. – Online

 

WEEKLY CLASSES and Gatherings:

What do Refuge and Bodhisattva vows contribute to our daily life?

with Shastri Christopher St. John

August 24th—September 18th

 

OPEN COMMUNITY WEEKLY SITTING PRACTICE:

Thursday night ‘OPEN MEDITATION’- Online: Zoom- video conferencing

6:30- 7:30 PM      July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 August 5, 12, 19, 26

Sunday Open Meditation – Online: Zoom- video conferencing 

9:00 – 10:30 AM     July 4, 11, 18, 25 August 1,8, 15, 22, 29

Heart of Recovery, Monday evenings 6:30-7:30 PM – Online: Zoom Video Conferencing

Karme Choling Programs:

Online: Gesar — Rousing Life Force in the Midst of Obstacles *

July 3 – September 18 with Robin Kornman, David Shapiro and Jane Hawes

ONLINE – Sacred Path: Meek & Perky *

July 16 – 18 with Shastri Mary Campbell

ONLINE: The Way of the Bodhisattva: Entering the Path of Compassion

July 26 – August 30 with Acharya Dan Hessey and Marian English

Regenerative Gardening and Meditation

July 31 – August 14 with Master Gardener Jan Enthoven and Shastri Donna Williams

Online: The World of Gesar of Ling

August 7 – September 11 with Robin Kornman

ONLINE – Rousing Life Force: Teachings on Gesar Lhasangs

August 11 – 14 with Mark Nowakowski

Learn the Art of Japanese Archery: Kyudo First Shot

August 20 – 22 with Grace DiNapoli and Tom Kyle

Online: Opening Our Heart through Opening Our Senses — Mudra Space Awareness

October 9 – 10 with Dr. Craig Warren Smith and Suzann Duquette

Shambhala Online Courses:

Shambhala Online is delighted to offer The Heart of Warriorship (Levels 1-5) online over the next year. Each level will be taught live by an Acharya (senior teacher), giving us the opportunity to gather as a global community and practice with these amazing teachers.

Welcome to the Heart of Warriorship 

“When you don’t punish or condemn yourself, when you relax more and appreciate your body and mind, you begin to contact the fundamental notion of basic goodness in yourself. So it is extremely important to be willing to open yourself to yourself.”  

– from Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa

Shambhala Online is delighted to offer The Heart of Warriorship (Levels 1-5) online over the next year. Each level will be taught live by an Acharya (senior teacher), giving us the opportunity to gather as a global community and practice with these amazing teachers.

ABOUT:

When we truly create the time and space to dive fully into meditation practice, we are able to experience the possibilities of openness and relaxation that exist when we settle fully into the present moment. These trainings are opportunities to work directly with experienced teachers and qualified instructors, and to engage meditation practice in a deep way – discovering what occurs through extended sessions of sitting meditation, walking meditation and mindful movement exercises. In addition, each weekend offers a subtle but powerful variation on the basic meditation technique, empowering us with a full range of mindfulness-awareness practices that guide and inform our journey.

Through the contemplative experience of Shambhala Training, we can awaken our inherent dignity, kindness and confidence and open fully to our life as it is, right here and now.

What to expect:
– Daily talks by the Acharya
– Guided meditation sessions
– Lots of meditation practice
– Interactive activities
– Discussion Groups
– Opportunity to meet with a meditation instructor
– Specially produced cinematography for each weekend
– Time to gather and converse
– Additional free talks by senior teachers between each intensive
– Additional opportunities to gather virtually as a community between each course
– Opportunity to steep in meditation practice in a transformative, unique virtual environment

If you have not attended the Heart of Warriorship retreats before, this is a wonderful opportunity to participate in these amazing meditation intensives and get a taste of the potency of Shambhala training.

DATES / TIMES / SCHEDULE

Please save the date for these live retreats.
(Click here for the levels’ daily schedule.)

Shambhala Training, Level 2: Birth of the Warrior

Date: Friday, July 16, 2021
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Teacher : Acharya Fleet Maull
**July 16-18, 2021
Having experienced a taste of basic goodness, we want to go forward. Meditation practice allows us to observe how we create a cocoon of habits to mask our fear. We begin to appreciate that there is no fundamental obstacle to experiencing basic goodness.
September 10-12, 2021
Developing fearlessness by examining our habitual tendencies, we are willing to experience our life without relying on the cocoon. We begin to engage the world directly and extend the attitude of fearlessness to our activities.
Register Here for Level 4 – Awakened Heart w/ Acharya Mathias Pongracz
November 5-7, 2021
With trust in basic goodness and daring to experience the sharp edge of reality, we move forward with gentleness, increased awareness, and inquisitiveness about the world, as it is. We can extend ourselves to others fully and with kindness.
Register Here for Level 5 – Open Sky w/ Acharya Gaylon Ferguson
January 14-16, 2022
Communicating with the world gently and fearlessly, our awareness is sharpened and we find the open clear sky of mind—a delightful source of wisdom and uplifted energy. We trust our nature enough to let go into the present moment.

Karme Choling Practice Session Offerings

Online Practice Schedule

Our online practice sessions are free of charge. If you are able, please consider making a donation, which will allow us to continue offering community-building programs such as these.

Evening Practice- Tuesday and Thursday evenings:

This practice takes place every evening from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Sitting Meditation: 5:30
Tonglen Practice: 5:50 – 6 p.m.
Protector and Closing Chants: 6:10 p.m.
Sadhana of Mahamudra: Every new moon at 5:30 p.m.
Zoom Room links will be updated periodically and sent to everyone who is registered.
Register here for the Evening Practice Zoom Room link.

Sadhana of Mahamudra:

The Karmê Chöling staff practices the Sadhana of Mahamudra every new moon at the regular evening practice session from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Zoom links will be updated periodically and sent to everyone who is registered.
The Zoom Room link for the Sadhana of Mahamudra practice is the same as the link for evening practice, which you can register for here.

Shambhala Sadhana Practice:

The Karmê Chöling staff practices the Shambhala Sadhana on the morning of the full moon. Practice is from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time.
Zoom links will be updated periodically and sent to everyone who is registered.
Register here to receive the Zoom Room link for Shambhala Sadhana.

Shambhala Online Weekly Sunday Offerings:

Shambhala Sunday Gathering – Looking at the Dharma Behind the Shambhala Code of Conduct

Date: Sunday, July 25, 2021
Teacher: Kristine McCutcheon

Shambhala Sunday Gathering – Embracing Space: Resting in the Brilliance

Date: Sunday, August 15, 2021
Teacher: Sophie Leger
Many of us have an ambivalent relationship with space. We either long for more space (overwhelm / claustrophobia) or are threatened by it, (boredom / loneliness). Can we find space even in the midst of chaos? Join this playful exploration!