GOING DEEPER
Responses from the Shambhala Community
Extracts prepared by Richard Reoch

At the beginning of June, I circulated a set of three questions under the heading “Going Deeper”. This went to all Shambhala Centres and groups on centre-talk, and to a range of leadership groups in the Shambhala community. I received replies both from centres and individuals. I have selected a number of extracts that reflect the range of responses. My hope is that this selection will help stimulate reflection on these issues. The three questions in “Going Deeper” were:

  1. “What binds us together in the mandala of Shambhala?” It’s not easy to come up with a simple answer. We are gloriously diverse in some respects. There are multiple root gurus and teachers in our mandala. We have multiple paths of study and practice. Not everyone is a meditator. We have people of different faiths, theists and non-theists. So what is it that binds us together?

  1. “In Shambhala vision, we don’t separate the secular from the sacred at all,” said the Vidyadhara. From a Shambhala point of view, we regard this as important so that our practice is intimately woven into the fabric of our lives, and thus that our societies are transformed by our practice. What can we do in our own lives, in our centres and in the mandala as a whole to manifest our commitment to creating Enlightened Society?

  1. In his recent Treatise on Society and Organization, the Sakyong foresees individuals entering our programs “knowing that they are being trained to uncover their tremendous gift as warrior-bodhisattvas inspired to dedicate their life, whatever they may engage in, to the betterment of society”. What do we need to do to make this social dimension clear when we invite people to our centres, when we teach programs, and when we act together as a community?

Extracts

The binding factor is Bodhicitta
The binding factor and the social dimension for me is Bodhicitta. I came to really enjoy "places that scare you ". I am also encountering these people who want to better society. I see them all over in the palliative and hospice care. They are finding their ways to us. We have so much to offer for them. Important is to respect their journey, many come from
a Christian tradition but lack the tools. Tools in the sense of tonglen etc.
With the domestic situation here we are having an excellent set up with a big
living room with shrine and plenty of room for guests to stay overnight. I can invite people in to my situation if my health will take a turn for the worse, but for now I am in good spirits enjoying our tremendous wealth so I would say: together with view, confidence and trust in the guru and the lineage are the keys.
Love, Theo
-- Theo van Heukelom
This message was sent a just over month before his death

Why support Shambhala?
Why support Shambhala? I was reminded again last night when at the New York
City Shambhala Center over 175 people crowded into our shrine room to attend
the weekly dharma gathering. The thirst for the teachings is tremendous and
getting stronger as other familiar alternatives are wearing out.
-- Peter Champe

What binds us?
What binds us? What came up was compassion. At the same time I have experienced that as being very organic throughout the mandala. It grew out of people's practice and courage over time…What can we do in our centers and in our mandala to manifest our commitment to creating Enlightened Society? In Bonn, I remember on one series of evenings Bodhisattva Warriors who were people from different jobs and walks of life: a doctor, mother and artist, a psychotherapist, goldsmith - all got up and said personally how they joined their life and their practice. It was highly original stuff, very inspiring… and was most engaging for all of us.
-- Catriona McCarthy


The teachings are the main binding factor in our community
The teachings are the main binding factor in our community. We are able to accommodate all kinds of different people with diverse styles within an open and sacred space that is marked by gentleness and discipline, and with an acceptance of and appreciation for the chaos that inspires us to create Enlightened Society.

What can we do in our own lives, in our centres and in the mandala as a whole to manifest our commitment to creating Enlightened Society?
Our Own Lives: This commitment is manifested through practice and study and our active involvement in a community dedicated to the same clear goal. The qualities we strive to manifest include: gentleness to self and others, humour, a commitment to caring for others, being open to all situations and willing to move into our fears. In short, to follow the path of the six paramitas: generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation and discriminating awareness.
Our Centres: This commitment is manifested through creating an environment that magnetizes others to join us by being open, warm, patient and accommodating as well as by reaching out to others in their own communities. This depends to a large extent on how we present the teachings through the quality of our courses and other program activities. People will be attracted by our sanity, our boldness and our daring to go beyond tea and cookies to hors d‚oeuvres and fine wine.
Our Mandala: This commitment will be manifested through encouraging people to go beyond the confines of their local centres by taking the opportunity to practice and study together with the larger Shambhala community. At the international level, we will create nimble and simple organizational structures that reflect and support the broad spectrum of needs of diverse centres (size, culture, language), provide information on the activities undertaken throughout the mandala and create better relationships between the centre and periphery of our mandala through visits, conferences, etc. We will actively promote the vision of Shambhala both within our organization and society and to the world at large.

What do we need to do to make this social commitment clear when we invite people to our centres, when we teach programs, and when we act together as a community?
Primarily we need to "say it" and then to "walk the talk." This involves leading by example and by making the teachings available in a clear and compelling manner. Although what binds us together is our commitment to the Shambhala Buddhist teachings, this will only work if we are able to act together as a diverse community who do not all follow the same teachers, practices or religions. The basis of our actions will be to benefit others, and this should not be restricted to activities within our centres. We will actively seek opportunities to work with others on initiatives that lead towards the development of a saner society.
-- Ottawa Shambhala Centre


It has dumbfounded me for years…
It has dumbfounded me for years that while thousands of us worldwide consider our relationship to Shambhala as our "heart" or "core" connection of the highest priority in our lives, yet on a day-to-day basis, we can't seem to align Shambhalians with the center of the mandala in sustainable financial terms. I find it heartbreaking that we now have to "chop down the masts to feed the boilers" to keep our ship afloat.
I have long believed that a bold initiative to re-architect the way community is nurtured and supported could cause this poverty hypnosis to finally dissolve. I am of firm conviction that the financial problem, which I'm sure appears very large, solid and menacing from a local perspective, is actually pathetically tiny. In fact, I doubt the annual shortfall represents more than 10% of the aggregate Sangha-wide expense for
movies and cable TV bills. What is wrong with this picture? What is sad is that we never seem to grasp the real levers to solve it.
I believe the solution would lie in architecting and implementing a sangha-wide "mega-portal" that would massively connect and organize as many of the diverse activities of our Mandala as possible. Clearly, online video streams of the Sakyong's recent addresses and other major teaching presentations would be a major reference point, but that would just be the starting point. Further, it would embrace communication forums, workflow and collaboration software, digital resources from the archives, and the
"connective tissue" needed to make it a compelling point-of-reference for the vast majority of Shambhalians. It would be dynamic, allowing volunteers and staff to initiate and manage projects of real relevance to our lives.
-- Alan Schwartz

We are always holding “opposites” in each hand
My experience and understanding is that we are always holding “opposites” in each hand—as we expand we develop a stronger sense of boundaries; as we become more socially involved we need to become more deeply and proudly rooted in our clan; as we become more global we need to get a stronger sense of place, etc. In this case, as we open the conversation and explore the current moment of aspirations, needs, insights and circumstances, we also need to remember/bring forth what the Vidhyadhara taught and prophesied about precisely the situation and challenges we are now facing. Of course, its not as if this material is hidden, but it seems to me that energetically its sort of nicely displayed on the shelf rather than in the golden bowl in the middle of the table. The dichotomy of “holding into the past,” and “dealing with current realities and change” is a false one, resolved equally in tradition, devotion and nowness.
-- Michael Chender


The only glue worth sniffing is practice
It occurs to me that while there is a great deal to gain by sangha congresses and putting heads together for various forms of community inquiry, the only glue worth sniffing, that which really holds things together, is practice. The most heart-warming thing I have heard come out of Halifax is that there is a dathun planned with committed participation from prominent leaders. I wish I could join you.
I am slightly concerned that the sense of crisis is generating flickering shadows of speed and urgency that, while well meaning, can result in the spinning of wheels, the flow of thousands of words, spirited get togethers and so on. But in the end, what is created but a select society of speedy, social windbags holding conferences about what it is that binds them together? That becomes less and less interesting to the practitioners, who have so precious little disposable income and time for sangha events as it is.
For years I have heard that there is the perception, right or wrong, that the sangha has fallen into the hands of those with money and an interest in power. Of course I know many of our leaders and I know that they are people who are willing to dedicate generously of their time and energy to the Sakyong. But there is a perception problem. Regardless of devotion, some of the "inner circle" are unconsciously seduced and sidetracked by the pursuit of hierarchical altitude. Such people take great pride in their devotion and yet are never seen at nyinthuns. This is always going to be true and is often a scheduling issue. It is only a problem in some cases but that is not a reason to allow it not to be of concern. The danger is that there is a growing sense of inside and outside, and the membrane between the two is thick with subtle arrogance, which is best dissolved by practice, everyone in the same room, silent, for long enough to let it settle.
The "inner circle" needs to be humble, open people, who do not have to prove their openness through politics or endless exercises in open forums. Speaking for myself, the "open forum" or "appreciative inquiry" path is fine, but I have not seen it bring a great deal of health over the long haul. A few silent retreats have been at least as effective.
Crisis is an opportunity. Shake it up, and share it with everyone, and let the dregs fall to the bottom. Cut bait on the dead weight. Put people on the spot and see what is really out there in terms of hardball devotion. In my teaching experience I find that if you put one person on the spot skilfully, a line forms of others who want to have the same opportunity. People sense that being pushed and having their bluff called is fundamentally healthy. They want that, it has an edge and is cutting, and challenging and it makes it real. Too much talk will backfire, in my humble opinion.
-- Roger Guest

Two related facets bind us together…
Two related facets of our presentation of meditation and the corresponding teachings bind us together. The first is our broad and inclusive approach to people. When I first sat, the only criterion for being part of this rather interesting group was that I sit and sit a lot. No one told me what to think, what to eat or how to conduct any aspect of my life‚s affairs. Occasionally, people in Shambhala want to tell me how things are but this tends to be individuals rather than a group culture. To a large degree, I believe we still maintain this broad inclusive approach… People come to us (whether they know it or not) to develop sanity through meditation. Fundamentally, this is what we should provide: a mechanism and program for developing sanity. If compassion and skilful means develop as a result, that would be a plus. There is no prescription for a social dimension. The practitioner on back-to-back three year retreats might be engaging in Mahayana practice and then again maybe not. The practitioner helping at a food bank might be engaged in selfless action or self-aggrandizement action.
-- David Rook


We must climb out of our provincial boxes
To my mind, having travelled to wherever the Sakyong was, spending as much time in his presence for two years as possible, and then returning here to the Bay Area, it's my experience that we all, no matter where we reside, MUST climb out of our provincial boxes and take a larger view of the world, the universe, the region, the locale. This is a first step - to expand beyond where we are, or believe we are.
-- Marc Matheson

Social action is a key to the future of us all
Social action is a key to the future of us all -- All over, meditators are finding ways to integrate the teachings into everyday life. As individuals, we can take our skills and knowledge and our experience of how the dharma has infiltrated them and share that with others. In order to do this we need to get our own house in order.  If we can do this we will release some energy to be used in other directions. We can use the energy we have spent solving our own internal confusion on spreading the warrior-bodhisattva way among others.
-- Kim Kelso

It is hard for me to believe…
Given my present state of knowledge, it is hard for me to believe that there had not been considerable mismanagement. I'm not maintaining that but it hasn't been falsified.
I'm not interested in finding scapegoats, in accusing staff I feel grateful toward, or in dwelling on somebody's guilt. But I had felt much more at ease, if individual responsibilities had been investigated and - if there were any - been reacted to properly. In any relationship, group, or organization it is a relief if someone acknowledges her / his responsibility although this may be momentarily painful.  There are traditional procedures for that; in serious cases one might step back from one's job or offer to do so. There is even the notion of "political responsibility": one may be held accountable for mistakes not made by oneself personally but by some person whose activities one was supposed to oversee. Procedures like that would enhance my trust in the organization. Even an explicit statement saying that nobody can be held accountable - and spelling out what that conclusion is based on - would have this effect.
It surprised me that - as far as I know - everybody seemed busy jumping to organizational changes. This went very fast. I fail to see how having a "unified mandala" might prevent financial crises from happening in the future. It feels as if two different concerns were mixed up at this point.
More general: you are encouraging the sangha to discuss "who we are" and "what Shambhala means to us". We have had quite a few discussions like that - as if we were in search of some corporate identity. We need not invent the wheel; instead, we have to practice. We have been taught who we are and who we could be. There are quite a few teachings in the Buddhist and in the Shambhala traditions, expounded by our gurus and related to these questions. The first that comes to my mind: we are drowning in the vicious cycle of samsara - and we are fortunate enough to have been offered a chance not to be drowned, even to help others.
-- Ernst Liebhardt

I prefer to see Shambhala as uncreated
In your last email you say people are "working to create and develop the entire world of Shambhala." At the obvious level these statements make perfect sense but I wonder at what level we are selling a bit of a poverty mentality here.
I prefer to see Shambhala as uncreated. Maybe it would be more accurate to say people are "working to recognize the inherent richness of their world, uncovering the self-existing mandala of Shambhala". We are emphasizing the relative level of the teachings so much that we lose the connection with the roots, the earth. I have come across teachers who emphasize conduct but don't demonstrate bravery in showing their own heart connection. I see this tendency in myself. It is like we prefer to teach at the relative level because it is safer than showing our hearts. But the relative teachings of Shambhala are founded in practice and realization of the Absolute Ashe, and without that connection our view starts to degenerate into dogmatic beliefs about conduct. We can't blatantly teach the absolute with our communications, but we can allude to it whenever possible.
--Mike Munro


We need to understand the “crisis” better…
After I received your email, I forwarded it along to our council and to selected 'elders' asking for inputs on how best to present this to our community. So far I have only one response and one promised response. In some ways I think this is a reflection of how much interest (I'm not sure that's the right word) people have in what is happening with SI. How we exist as our own little entity seems to be more important -- i.e. how are we
going to pay the rent this month. To grossly generalize, I would say our member's interests go something like this: Local = 90%, Bay Area = 9%, International = 1%. As far as I can tell from talking with people, no one has any idea what the SI "crisis" is all about, beyond the monetary difficulties. I feel that before I can competently carry on with your request to engage our group, we need to understand the "crisis" better.
--Warner Keeley


What binds us together?
The St. Johnsbury Shambhala Center had a preliminary discussion of the issues raised by Richard Reoch. After Newcomb summarized the conference call, the question of who we are and what binds us together was addressed by each of the people attending. Here are some of the responses:
The great range of responses encourages us to contemplate these questions fully and not feel that we need to get a quick answer.
-- The St Johnsbury Shambhala Center