Social Engagement Advisory Group
Social Engagement at Vajra Dawn
Vajra Dawn 2004 was a gathering of Shambhalians in the 18-30 age range that took place at Karme Choling August 26-29. A large part of the focus at the program was on the Vajra Dawn Working Groups. These groups met to discuss many issues relevant to young Shambhalians. I chaired the Social Engagement Working Group. Our group met four times and members of the group also attended two additional meetings with President Reoch to discuss the issues we were working with.
Working Group Goals
The idea for all the Working Groups was that they would be a starting point for work that would continue throughout the year. Because Social Engagement is such a huge topic that can be pursued in so many different directions I wanted our goals and projects for the next year to remain very open for discussion through the program to allow people to connect with each other and begin projects that they are passionate about. The agenda was very loose going into the Working Group and it evolved as the group members discussed and decided on projects to move ahead with.
There was a lot of energy and interest in the topics we discussed. Many people were already socially engaged in some form and used the Working Group as a chance to touch in with what others were doing and discuss how their work related to the Shambhala vision.
Discussions
During the first gathering of our Working Group we introduced ourselves and brainstormed about possible directions for the group. To start the discussion Acharya Adam Lobel shared the view of socially engaged Buddhism based on the Four Noble Truths.
During the second gathering we decided on some specific issues and split into three groups to work on them. I led a discussion in one group on an alternative economic model I have been working on, there was a discussion focused on the International Buddhist Peace Service, and another group brainstormed ideas for Social Engagement projects that could be carried out at local centres.
We used our third meeting to discuss the Period of Service that the Sakyong has recently introduced. Some questions we discussed included: “What is service?”, “How can we apply Shambhala vision to service?”, “What should the role of Shambhala International be in the Period of Service?”
During our last (short) meeting we decided to focus on discussing the International Buddhist Peace Service. This is an organization in its beginning stages that has members of multiple Buddhist communities on its steering committee. We concluded that although we want to work with the Peace Service, most of us we are more interested in developing a project within the Shambhala Sangha that could network with other groups such as the International Buddhist Peace Service.
During our meetings with President Reoch we discussed the role of our group in developing support and inspiration for the Period of Service, with a focus on developing an overseas service community.
Outcomes
By the end of our discussions at Vajra Dawn there were a group of three people (myself, Hannah Kinderlehrer, and Maron Greenleaf) who had the time and energy to commit to move ahead with the projects we had been discussing. There were also many others within the Working Group who will continue their individual work in the realm of Social Engagement.
Our work will be concentrated on building resources and options for Shambhalians engaging in the Period of Service, with a focus on an overseas component of that service. Maron Greenleaf will be coordinating with the Social Engagement Advisory Group in an effort to put together a “Guidebook” of resources to be completed for the upcoming Shambhala Seminary. Hannah Kinderlehrer will be researching organizations (especially Buddhist ones) that are already involved in overseas service work. She will also be researching possibilities for a Shambhala Service community in India, focussing on Tibetan communities there. I will be communications person for our group, helping to coordinate our efforts with other groups and individuals in the sangha. I will also be researching South America, focussing on Chile, in cooperation with Elisa Marzula who is a member of the sangha there.
Post Program Work
In the time since the program ended we have continued our discussions through email and have a conference call tentatively planned for the beginning of October. We have also decided that before we get too far into any details of an overseas service project we should discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our community in regards to this project. There are many other groups doing very similar work to what we plan to do. What unique perspective does the Shambhala Path have to offer to projects of this sort? What are our strengths as individuals and as a community? By what criteria can we evaluate particular locations and situations? How should we determine how we can most effectively be of service to others?
Since the program I have also been giving more thought to the issue of funding Shambhala Service projects, including our own overseas service initiative. I have been working on an alternative economic model for a couple years now. I believe this model has the potential to be of tremendous help not only in raising money for these projects, but also in exploring what we could do as a community to help heal a global economic system in which billions of people live in poverty.
We were inspired by the tremendous energy we felt at Vajra Dawn from the leadership of the sangha and from all of the participants. Our projects are ambitious and their direction will evolve as our work progresses. This is a special time in our community and we are excited to be able to participate in the process of turning the flower outward.
In the Vision of the Great Eastern Sun,
Updated 2004/10/05