MEMBERSHIP POLICY REVIEW GROUP

Minutes of May 8, 2004

This was the first meeting of the Membership Policy Review Group.

A small but animated group of six participants discussed the topics below:

1 FUTURE PHONE CONFERENCE MEETINGS: Saturdays May 22, June 5, June 19, July 3. Call-in number is 1-831-600-1000. Access code is 1110811. Times: 9am Pacific, 10am Mtn., 11am Central, noon Eastern, 1pm Atlantic, 5pm BST, 6pm CEST.

2. CLARIFICATION OF ROLES OF WORKING GROUPS AND REVIEW GROUPS: There was a bit of lingering confusion among the review group members about the roles of the two types of groups above, and how they relate to each other. The review group exists as a vehicle to give input and information to the Membership Policy Working Group. The review group is composed of all interested persons who would like to join in, most of whom signed up to help in this area on Shambhala Day. The Review Groups are a way to include more people in the process of shaping membership policy. By way of contrast, the Working Group’s Chairperson, Mary Whetsell, was appointed by President Reoch, and she in turn invited representative and knowledgeable individuals to join the group. The Working group will share all minutes and work products with members of the review group, and actively solicit their input and feedback. As well, members of the Review Group can function as a source of information to the Working Group regarding membership issues at their local Centers.

3. OVERVIEW OF MEMBERSHIP POLICY PROJECT & WHERE WE’RE HEADED: A review was given of what the Working Group has been doing to date, and also the time line the Working group has been relating to. Rather than review this information here, interested parties could go to the Shambhala Congress site at www.shambhala.org for minutes of the Working Group’s meetings.

4. OPEN DISCUSSION OF MEMBERSHIP ISSUES/CONCERNS: Each participant took a turn talking about membership policy and concerns at their local Centers. Themes emerged that are congruent with those emerging in the Working Group meetings. Among the these themes:

- Inclusivity vs exclusivity as expressed in membership approaches. Most groups we are hearing from are leaning towards a more open, inclusive approach to membership these days, especially as compared to the early times with the Vidyadhara. Confusion is expressed regarding the differences/ similarities between “Shambhala Society” (which is seen as more open, more welcoming and gentle) and the Buddhist Path (which is seen as more precise, disciplined, and demanding). Some folks identify as Shambhalians only, others as Buddhists only, some as both. A core issue regarding the ongoing process of integrating the two words, Shambhala and Buddhism, profoundly effects our Mandala’s ability to define membership.

- Membership categories used by various Centers, such as “friends”, “Golden Key members” etc - some folks have found such categories useful; others think they introduce an unnecessary level of hierarchy and administrative complexity.

- The role of Shambhala International in setting membership policy: Some see S.I. as helpful and essential, others have had unfortunate experiences with S.I. in the past which led to an ongoing mistrust of “central office”. The 2003 Shambhala Congress seems to have helped heal this mistrust, but more needs to be done in this regard.  A related open question: will the Working Group recommend that membership in a local Center means you are also a member of SI? Also, all agreed there needs to be a membership vehicle for people who are of members of local centers.

- Much energy was expressed around the question of how to approach, interest and retain people in membership at the local level. One person shared that at her Center, new members are assigned a M.I., and this seems to really help with bringing people into the community fully. Those interested in how to approach and interest newcomers may want to follow what the Outreach Working Group is doing in this area, along with our own discussion of same in our group. You can check out their minutes on the above referenced website.