Exploring how right speech, together with meditation practice, can tranform us from a ‘me-first’ into a ‘we-first’ society

by Susan Chapman

Many years ago, in my career as a therapist, it dawned on me that the roots of enlightened society are the ordinary, everyday relationships we have with each other. Relationship itself, I knew, centers around communication. While we might have larger projects for creating a compassionate world, we must learn to relate to each other as humans — with warmth, dignity, authenticity and skill. But while this is easy to intend, the learning process can be tricky, full of misunderstandings, confusion and pain. We can often move in directions which solidify fixed ideas, instead of taking them apart. And even experienced meditators can find themselves filled with overpowering klesha activity.

In response, I began envisioning the method that I’m training people in via my business: Green Light Conversations. At that time I had a private counseling practice working with individuals and couples. But I saw that this approach was only available to those with the means to pay. Could there be something more affordable that would extend further into our communities, like a safety net?

While working in a domestic violence prevention program, I began experimenting with teaching classes on Contemplative Psychology based on models I had developed. These models reflected the insights I’d gained from my teachers at Naropa Institute, Ed Podvoll and Virginia Hilliker, and were adapted to clarify both healthy and neurotic patterns of relationship and communication.

Then, in 1997 my husband and I began a three-year retreat and ended up spending nine years at Gampo Abbey. During that time I paid close attention to the resilient local culture of Cape Breton, which has a well deserved reputation for friendliness. How did these people get along so well? Also, as retreat leader (or druppon) for intensive, long Shambhala Vajrayana retreats, I was particularly interested in learning the practice of right speech, and how it goes hand in hand with meditation practice to tranform us from a ‘me-first’ into a ‘we-first’ society — in other words, into a true sangha.

After leaving the Abbey in 2008 I spent a year developing Green Light Conversations, and the three main programs that can be offered as retreats, workshops or classes. After working with him as a web designer, I invited Mudra Institute teacher Greg Heffron and student of Craig Smith to include Mudra Space Awareness training in our retreats in order to provide potent, non-conceptual contemplations for the skills covered in each workshop.

Because the five elemental dralas are also key to my work, I also needed to find the right venue for our program. I discovered the perfect location at Deer Lake in Burnaby, in the beautiful and historic Baldwin House

. Our first local retreat was held there on a rainy weekend in November. Twenty participants came from a variety of sources: hospice, the BC Counseling Association, from Vipassana communities, as well as from our Shambhala Center, including a variety of meditators, from new members to “old dogs.” In our weekend retreat, strangers become friends as we practiced mindfulness and awareness skills tuned especially towards what I’m calling the “Five Powers of Mindful Communication:” Silence, Mirroring, Encouraging, Responsiveness and Discernment. We practiced how to recognize open communication, what to do when communication collapses, and how to use our mindfulness in the in between state when communication becomes edgy and irritating. By the end of Sunday afternoon, the warmth of reconnection with ourselves and each other was palpable.

Looking ahead to 2010 we’ll be teaching all three programs at Deer Lake between January and June and then resuming in November. The next Level One is January 30-31, and Level Two (”The Chemistry of Emotions”) will be the first weekend in March. Plans are in the works for a week retreat, and Green Light Conversations also has an introductory class and workshop that can be offered at Shambhala Centers. For more news and updates, see our website: www.greenzonetalk.com

by Andrew Topf

It was a typical Sunday afternoon, or so I thought. I got into my car around 5 pm to go grocery shopping. Halfway to the store, as I was turning left, I realized a man was crossing the street on the green light. Luckily, we saw each other in time, but I could see he was clearly annoyed that I had not yielded him the right-of-way. Suddenly he stopped walking, looked me straight in the eye, and then calmly, without effort, gave me the finger! This casual display of aggression took me by surprise and shocked me, at least temporarily.

It made me think of all the countless small, seemingly inconsequential ways that we diminish and browbeat our fellow human beings. When I walked into the grocery store, things only got worse. The store was buzzing with activity; people walked briskly through the aisles while cashiers beeped and bagged items through ceaseless conveyor belts. Yet I felt utterly alone. A typical Sunday afternoon shopping trip had turned into an existential nightmare. Who were these human beings mindlessly rushing around without care for each other? Was this really my world? It all seemed so foreign to me. As I lined up to pay, I received the final indignity from the cashier, a young man who looked about 20. Not once did he look at me as he robotically scanned each item. After I’d paid and received my change, he finally glanced up, and mumbled, to no one in particular, “Happy New Year.” Small, seemingly inconsequential acts of aggression.

This mundane chain of events could have happened on any day in my life, but the fact that it happened the day after the Winter Weekthun at the Vancouver Shambhala Centre held special significance for me. After sitting and meditating for a week, my world had changed. Actually, it wasn’t my world that had changed, but the way that I perceived it. The mindlessness and aggression displayed by the pedestrian and the people in the grocery store didn’t seem normal to me, even though we have been conditioned through our “setting sun” mentality to think so. Like the spaces between breaths that occur during shamatha practice, I was able to see the contrast between a world of human connection, experienced through the Weekthun, and our “real” world, which often seems like a world of disconnection.

As a beginning meditator, I approached the Weekthun with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. My own modest practice consists of 15 to 20 minutes a day, and here I was, agreeing to sit 12 hours a day for a week. Was I deluded? I told my friends I was either going to emerge from this an enlightened being or certifiably insane. As it turns out, I became neither crazy nor Buddha-esque; rather, I came away with a better understanding of my mind, of the incredible depth and profundity of the Shambhala teachings, and of the close bond that can develop between strangers while sitting together in silence in a room.

As Geoff Bannoff pointed out during one of his talks, it often takes long periods of sitting to dislodge the mind from the patterns it grows accustomed to during a normal daily-practice sit. It’s like always going for the same run along the same stretch of road during the same time of day, every day. The body appreciates the heart pumping and the legs and arms moving, but it soon gets comfortable. Sitting for a long time forces you out of your comfort zone, to a place where real changes and insights can occur.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche talks of the “cocoon” of our daily existence, but the Weekthun offered another kind of cocoon that was both seductive and sweet. Never before have I felt so protected and treated so compassionately and humanely, by the staff at the centre, whose careful planning created a beautiful container from which to practice. Overseer Jan Russell imparted her wealth of experience to Jillyan Gift, who managed the day-to-day activities flawlessly and with humour and grace.

One of the best surprises for me, and I’m sure I speak for everyone, were the meals cooked for us by our generous sangha. Each day we were delighted by a home-cooked meal usually consisting of several courses – from fresh green salads brimming with goodness and nutrition, to hot savory casseroles and spicy Indian dishes, to decadent desserts that must have taken hours to produce. Thank you to all who provided these goodies. Your culinary expressions of love and kindness brought warmth and joy to us during mealtimes.

I can’t say enough about our revered teachers who guided us, especially as we laboured and stumbled, along this difficult seven-day road. Like a solid rock in a swift-flowing river, Geoff Bannoff was the epitome of strength and stability – something we all craved when our minds wandered and our bodies protested. Most of us were introduced to Noreen Morris for the first time. A former student of Trungpa Rinpoche, Noreen joined the retreat from Bellingham, where she has recently taken up residence, and it was a pleasure to have her in the shrine room with us. Sometimes during a sit, Noreen would get up and walk through the room, just observing the practitioners. Her walks were always without judgment or purpose. Reflecting on it later, it is these qualities that one should bring to a meditation practice. Many of us found our hearts and tear ducts opening during Noreen’s talk on the Three Prajnas, when she drew a delightful analogy between the teachings and “meeting your parents again” after a long absence. “The teachings are something like that,” she said in her soft Irish lilt. “You have to get used to them. You have to get used to sitting down with your mother and father. They treat you very well.” Susan Chapman, whose calm insights pierced like an arrow through the fog of confusion and discursiveness, was with us every step of the way. During a toast to Susan at the end of the retreat, practitioner Anne Thompson evoked a beautiful image to describe Susan’s strength and gentleness: a Monet painting of a bridge festooned with flowers. I couldn’t think of a more apt and touching metaphor.

If there is one thing I took away from this Weekthun, it’s the knowledge that I gave something of myself and am the better person for it. It has opened my heart and exposed the brilliant sun that shines within me. Thank you Vancouver Shambhala for creating the conditions to make it happen.

During the recent Winter Weekthun, on December 31, 2009, a full moon, and a “blue” moon, Susan Chapman introduced the Sadhana of Mahamudra, traditionally practiced on the full and new moons.

Click to listen, or Download Sadhana of Mahamudra talk by Susan Chapman

This year, Children’s Day at the Vancouver Shambhala Centre was one of the warmest (and coolest) Children’s Day ever.  Here are some photos, albums, videos and expressions of appreciation from that day.

Ian Wallace posted a photo album of the day and its preparations beforehand here:
http://web.me.com/iawallace/Shambhala/Childrens_Day.html

And here are some iPhone videos of the event, taken by Susan Chapman:

Children’s procession

Arrival of the King and Queen

address of the King and Queen

The Illiana Story

Carrie Abresch:

“To Noele, the tireless warrior of many hats- shrine dakini, lantern leader, story director, magic weaver… non of the beauty and magic would have happened without your hard work and inspiration.

To Linda, who fully stepped into a new situation with gentleness and generosity. You are a complete joy to work with- we are very lucky to have
you!

To Betty, who once again created a magical and absolutely beautiful environment, your effortless effort transforms and uplifts!

To Bruce and Robyn, more magic! whose music ignited windhorse for the tigar, lion, garuda, dragon, and magnitized the dancing dhralas- and whose attention to details kept things moving along.

To John and Coleen, our magnificent King and Queen! Gemma told her grandmother all about how the King and Queen came to Children’s day! Your elegance and gentle/strong presence lifted our hearts and settled our minds.

To Dylan, for stepping in at the last minute and leading our youth with dignity and worriorship.

To Jillyan, Katelyn and Andrew, who jumped in and helped selflessly and cheerfully.

To Tyler and Lisa whose kind leadership got the ball rolling.

To the sangha, who came! and came with food- lots of it- providing an overflowing feast for celebration.

And last but certainly not least, the Children, whose bright faces, open hearts, and brave performances reminded us all of our own tender hearts-of how fortunate we are.”

Noele Bird:

“And a toast to you too Carrie!  You had the initial inspiration and organized all of us, keeping an eye on all the details, delegating, and getting the magical blue curtains to create the perfect atmosphere for the solstice lanterns!”

Edmund Butler:

“This is a joyful cry of appreciation for the love we all shared at Childrens’ Day!! Particularly to Noele and Carrie for allowing it all to flow so well, thankyou!”

Children’s Day Shrine, by Tara Butler

(see here some of daughter Tara’s photos of the Children’s Shrine)

upcoming Open House Talk
by Susan Piver

On February 10, Susan Piver, author and Shambhala meditation instructor, will come to Vancouver as part of an unofficial book tour promoting her newly released book “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart, (Simon & Schuster, January, 2010). In the middle of the “dön season” when Shambhalians are contemplating the end of the lunar year with its increased potential for difficulties and obstacles, and when our centre’s activities are usually minimized, Susan will give an open house talk on her new book. We are happy to provide the opportunity.

“A broken heart is not a problem to be solved, but a remarkable opportunity to discover wisdom. This talk will introduce you to the skills needed to work with these powerful emotions - not to drive them away or tie them up with a bow, but to find the possibility of transforming heartbreak into heart opening. Instead of (or in addition to) collapsing and freaking out, the conditions of heartbreak provide the perfect crucible for developing indestructible compassion and the capacity to love more deeply than ever.

Whether your heart was broken yesterday or years ago, all the elements are there to discover your innate spiritual warriorship. As we talk, you will discover that the dark power of heartbreak can introduce you to gentleness, fearlessness, and intelligence. If you stay with your broken heart, it will surely lead you down the path to wisdom.

Susan Piver is the author of the New York Times bestselling author of The Hard Questions, and the award-winning How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life. She has been a student of Buddhism since 1995.

There has been a surge of interest lately concerning membership! This is great news.

Recently, the current Membership Coordinator (Lisa Steckler - your correspondent) was invited to the the Monday night Pema Chodron class to say a few words to the participants about membership. That visit was met with a lot of interest; people also had the opportunity to express their interest in various volunteer possibilities. This is so helpful as we try to get more clarity, energy and organization in order to magnetize more people interested in helping spread the Shambhala vision.

Here are are some of our newest Vancouver Shambhala Members!
please give them a warm welcome:

• Anne Thompson
  
• Christian Monks
  
• Donna Lee
  
• Edmond Butler
  
• Genny Lau
  
• Hillary Davies
  
• Olin Quam
  
• Sean Matvenko
  
• Sue Barlow

If you or someone you know would like to receive more information about Membership or volunteering, please contact Lisa at membership@vancouvershambhala.org.

IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING EFT PAYMENTS: If you are currently paying your membership dues with EFT’s (electronic fund transfers) please note that the bank has requested that new paperwork be filled out by everyone. We are working on this so please stay tuned for more info and what you can do to help fill out these forms.  And so, ahead of time, we “Thank You” for your patience!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this day such a success!

by Lisa Steckler
We got to see Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche address us one last time before his retreat, the weather was great for our picnic, the mood was relaxed and joyful, we welcomed new members, raised some funds, and the children were there!

I wanted to let everyone know that with our fundraising efforts we were able to raise $400 which will go to The Sakyong’s Foundation  ”Rigden Thangka Project”, $600 for the Vancouver Shambhala New Building Fund, and 9 members raised their monthly dues (8 of those were to the suggested $60/month or BEYOND!)

It’s not too late if you would like to donate or raise your dues. Please contact Lisa Steckler at membership@vancouvershambhala.org for more info. This is the link to see the Rigden Thangka project:
http://www.sakyongfoundation.org/projects/shambhala-vision-campaign/rigden-lineage-thangka/

It was a truly great day.

*Special thanks to Marika Richoz for the amazing food. Please contact Lisa at membership@vancouvershambhala.org if you would like more information on her catering possibilities.
*Tom Baker for getting us all that donated bread from Terra Breads.
*Tyler Fox for leading us so well in many ways.
*Noelle Bird for taking such good care of the families and creating the autumn projects for the children.
*Mrs. Yugawa for her beautiful arrangements.
*Geoff Bannoff for the apples.
*Jillyan Gift, Hugo Slabbert, Catherine Saul, Carrie Abresch, Steve McGinty, Jason Leslie, Christian Monks, Lisa Hill, Anne Thompson, and Erin Root for being the helping elves with endless exertion.
And thanks to all of those that I forgot to mention!

KiKi SoSo!!!

Entering The Desung Path
October 2nd - 4th, 2009
Vancouver Shambhala Centre

Free Friday Evening Talk at 7:30
Weekend Program $60*

“So what we are actually doing is trying to protect people’s access to basic goodness, people’s access to primordial harmony or primordial bliss. We do that by creating environments in which people are able to experience their own inherent basic goodness. It’s been our experience that, in order to create such an environment we need to experience, or rest in, our own basic goodness.”

- David Whitehorn, Rupon
David Whitehorn, Rupon, Education Officer for the Desung Arm of the Dorje Kasung, will lead this weekend training along with Kenchen Dan Peterson, Garuda Region Desung Commander. Desung means “Bliss or Harmony Protector”. Desung support individuals with physical and emotional challenges, promote community health and well-being, and assist when there is conflict in the Shambhala community. Desung are active liaisons with Center administrators, Shambhala Buddhist teachers, meditation instructors and others who have an active interest in health and well-being, so this program especially welcomes both Kasung and non-Kasung to participate together in exploring the Desung Path. This is a great opportunity to explore ways we can bring our practice of basic goodness to the path of creating enlightened society. Members of the Dorje Kasung who complete this weekend are eligible to apply for membership in the Desung Arm.

Billeting for individuals who travel to Vancouver will be available, however please contact Anatta Harding via e-mail at rusung.vancouver@gmail.com as soon as possible. Questions about this program can go to Dan Peterson at peterhana@comcast.net.

* Efforts have been made to keep the program cost low to encourage greater participation, however if the program fee is a barrier and you would like to assist during the weekend and also be a participant, please contact Anatta Harding to make alternate financial arrangements.

Entering the Desung Path - Vancouver Flyer

Dan Peterson asks “what if mental events were not the enemy?”  This is key to Shambhala’s vision for caring for one another.

by Dan Peterson

Our core discipline as Shambhalians is meditation.

No one else can meditate for us. It is up to each of us to practice.

In meditation practice we discover the contrast between fixed mind and a glimpse of basic goodness. In the process we might gradually lose interest in holding onto fixed views, cultivating the experience of letting go.

Letting go does not mean we stop noticing. Letting go is the pathway to experiencing basic goodness. We notice going from fixed mind to the experience of basic goodness.

Sometimes we think our thoughts and feelings are the enemy of meditation. What if mental events are not the enemy?

When we are not at war with ourselves then thoughts, feelings and perceptions can arise as if in a crystal ball, transparent, nothing to hold onto, or grasp, nothing to shield or hide, nothing good or bad, nothing to accept or reject. In this approach, basic goodness is not experienced as a contrast to fixed mind, but as a sense of vast ease in a vivid world.

When we practice meditation intensively we are more amenable to experiencing glimpses of basic goodness in this way. This is how we become warriors.

Both the Dorje Dradul and the Sakyong have asked that we further develop our capacity to take care of ourselves as a community. That doesn’t mean we stop getting sick, or that we no longer disagree with others. It is okay that we have trouble in our lives. Taking care of ourselves and others means resting in “first thought”, remaining present with whatever occurs.

Our evolution as a community of practitioners has provided rich opportunities to develop means for community care. One such method is the Desung Arm of the Dorje Kasung. In 1984 the Dorje Dradul Chogyam Trungpa gave a command to Dennis Southward to take good care of the Vajradhatu community utilizing the forms of the Dorje Kasung. This command represents the origin of the Desung Arm of the Dorje Kasung.

“De” means bliss or harmony, and “sung” means protector. Desung do not protect basic goodness, but rather assist in protecting avenues to direct experience, so that we as community and individually can experience basic goodness. Obstacles arise as mental illness, addiction, opinion, solidification of view to the point of community conflict, fear of serious illness and death, and narcissism in the misuse of one’s position or role. The Desung work with Health and Well-being committees, Centre administrators, teachers, and meditation instructors.

The Tibetan word De is the same root used in the word Deleg and Dekyong. Delegs are groups of practitioners who meet to socialize and look out for each other when challenges arise. A Dekyong is a person chosen by a Deleg to be a point-person to organize the Deleg. Desung, Dekyong, and Deleg are Tibetan terms describing some of the different forms that exist to support community well-being.

The word De occurs in other contexts: Dewar shek-pe nyingpo means sugatagharba, one of the Sanskrit terms used to describe Buddha. Dewar means bliss, so Dewar shek-pe nyingpo means ‘essence going into bliss or joy’. Dekyi means ‘blissful energy’, described by the Sakyong as ‘the natural, harmonious, and wholesome expression of our truest self’. Jamgon Kongtrul the Great describes great bliss as the compassion that exists in union with emptiness, an experience of the completion stage of Vajrayana practice.

Being a community member in a Deleg, being a Dekyong, or being a Desung is like having a Dharma name. It is a reminder of our potential individually, and also collectively as an enlightened society.

We are fortunate to have David Whitehorn, Rupon coming to Vancouver, B.C October 2^nd – 4^th to lead the Entering the Desung Path program. Both Kasung and Non-Kasung are invited to this program, especially those interested in issues related to community health and well-being.

Please contact Dan Peterson at peterhana@comcast.net for more information.

“In essence, the emphasis of the Buddhist path is to help us attain enlightenment, and the emphasis of the Shambhala path is to help us create and maintain a good society. When we put these two together, we have the Shambhalaian Buddhist view of enlightenment.”

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

The Inspiration

The inspiration to relocate the Vancouver Shambhala Centre comes from recognizing that we have an important role to play in the presentation and continuation of the Shambhala Buddhist teachings. We have been inspired and nurtured by two eminent teachers, the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his son and heir Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. They have been steadfast in their commitment to presenting the Shambhala Buddhist traditions and to preserving the wisdom of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Shambhala lineages.

The Vancouver Shambhala Centre is at an exciting crossroads. We have continued to grow and expand as a community and can no longer effectively present the wisdom of our tradition(s) at 3275 Heather. We are too many with too much to offer and have long been bursting at the seams.

The Envisioning a New Vancouver Shambhala Centre project is directed at bringing our energy as a sangha together in order for change to take place in an uplifted Shambhalian way.

The Process

How do we get there? We will move forward maintaining a high level of visibility, transparency and inclusivity. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to be part of the process and share their input. We will use the shambhala website as a means to keep everyone informed as to ongoing initiatives and progress.

Appreciative Enquiry (AE): The AE was conceived and managed by Dale Trimble, Mary Kean and Arden Hendley 3 years ago. The AE process came into being in order to assist with questions raised during the Vancouver Shambhala Centre review of leadership, direction and physical space. We are now continuing the process initiated by the AE with a view to relocating the Vancouver Shambhala Centre.

Member Envisioning Interview (MEI): Initiated in April 09, the MEIs are a way to involve everyone in the community and ask the question, what is your dream for the Vancouver Shambhala Centre? All Shambhala members and friends are invited to be interviewed. If you would like an interview and have not been contacted please be in touch with John Fox, Jill Gift or Lisa Steckler. To date we have conducted over 50 member interviews. By the fall of 09 these interviews will begin to be posted right here on the Shambhala website.

Surveys: With the assistance of Barb Moffat and David Marshall two surveys have been created: a member and non-member survey. The member survey will be available for completion on the website. The non-member survey will be available to people visiting the centre for the first time. Both surveys, when tabulated, will provide quantitative information that will assist in supporting future decisions. Survey results will be made available to view on the website.

Community Meeting: A community meeting will be held in the fall 09. At that time we will be able to gain insights and clarify the process to date.

We will be providing the next project update in the fall and will continue to post progress reports and information on this website. Please continue to check in, your input and involvement is important.

As someone stated in a recent MEI: “we have done very well working out of a basement for 33 years however it is now time to move”.

Currently my role in this process is to continue to talk to people and move this initiative of a new Vancouver Shambhala Centre forward. I am personally committed to this project and will do what I can to see it to completion.

Yours Truly,
John Fox