San Antonio is excited to announce the birth of their newest sangha member, Olivia Dawn Castillo, daughter of Philip and Wendy Castillo, on April 27, 2011. Olivia was born with eyes wide open and completely content, looking around at her familiar but new world.

The Texas sangha has been so loving and supportive of Philip and Wendy, and many have already said hello to baby Olivia. Everyone is excited to have more children around the San Antonio Center as little bundles of basic goodness.

Composer and Shambhala Training Resident Director of San Antonio Philip Castillo has released a new digital EP album on iTunes – Five Energies EP.

This music was inspired by the five wisdom energies and was composed for, and performed at, the 2009 Shambhala Arts Festival in San Antonio. The recording also features Gampo Abbey’s very own Travis Ziji Dierolf on trombone!

All proceeds of the album go towards the purchase of new cushion covers for San Antonio. You can download and purchase the album here.

A promo video can be seen below:

April 19, 2009, HALIFAX–Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche offers the following teachings in support of Earth Day, April 22, and the work of the Touching the Earth working group of the Sakyong’s Council.

Our precious planet and the innumerable beings who dwell here face an unprecedented crisis. The escalating threat to the world’s environment and climate stems from a profound predicament that affects all humanity. We are ever more rapidly losing our connection with the sacred nature of our world. This tragedy affects us in so many ways, but at its heart, it is a crisis of the spirit. We are harming our planet and fellow beings because we are losing touch with the basic goodness of our own sacred being.

This disconnect from our primordial basic goodness is amplified by unparalleled technological and industrial capacity, dramatic population growth and the vast inequalities we witness everywhere in our world.

Disastrous as this situation is, it is still possible to change course. The Earth is calling to us for protection and for a return to basic sanity. We must all heed this call by adopting an approach that returns to a deep respect for our environment, and conserves our threatened resources.

We can take advantage of both traditional methods and innovative technological advances based on living in harmony with the fundamental intelligence of nature. But this global crisis cannot be transformed into a new way of living if we rely on the same attitudes and habits that brought us to this terrifying brink in the first place. To do that would merely reinforce, despite our good intentions, the degradation and inequality that are already so widespread.

This emergency calls for a complete transformation of how we live–a transformation of our underlying attitudes, our approach to human society and our relationship to planet Earth and all its inhabitants. My father, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the great Tibetan meditation master and founder of Shambhala, foresaw this turning point in human history. His words could not ring truer: “When human beings lose their connection to nature, to heaven and earth, then they do not know how to nurture their environment or how to rule their world … Healing our society goes hand in hand with healing our personal, elemental connection with the phenomenal world.”

In the Shambhala tradition is it said that it is precisely in dark times like these that the inherent wisdom of the universe makes itself felt. Now is the time to draw on the inspiration of humanity’s wisdom traditions. All remind us of the sacred oneness of life, the interdependence of all beings and the inexorable laws of cause and effect. These teachings could not be more relevant to our collective imperative: the creation of enlightened and sustainable societies.

I am delighted that, within the Buddhist world, there is increasingly deep reflection on how the wisdom of this particular tradition can shine light on this common goal. Now is the time for us to tap the power available to us from our diverse disciplines, cultures and societies to cultivate the dignity, confidence and fearlessness necessary to protect our Earth. By doing so, we can help to reconnect all humanity with its primordial basic goodness, transform our relationship to sacred world and be inspired to sane choices, compassionate leadership and wise activism.

Shambhala Online is pleased to welcome back Andy Karr and the popular online course “The Buddhist Path: Karma and Emptiness”.

This five-class program is an excellent preparatory course for those planning to attend Sutrayana Seminary. It is also recommended for anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the true nature of reality. This program is complimented with readings from Andy’s book “Contemplating Reality”.

DATES: Tuesday, April 7, 14, 21, 28 and May 5 at 8:30 p.m. ADT (Halifax, NS time).

For more information and to register, please go to http://shambhalaonline.org.

“The buddha family, or families, associated with a person describes his or her fundamental style, that person’s intrinsic perspective or stance in perceiving the world and working with it. Each family is associated with both a neurotic and an enlightened style. The neurotic expression of any buddha family can be transmuted into its wisdom or enlightened aspect. As well as describing people’s styles, the buddha families are also associated with colors, elements, landscapes, directions, seasons—with any aspect of the phenomenal world.”
- Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche -

Saturday, March 21, 2009 [7 - 9 PM]
Appreciating the Five Wisdom Energies

This year’s Shambhala Arts Festival will feature work that embodies and exemplifies each of the five wisdom energies, or Buddha families. On Saturday, March 21, 2009, the Shambhala Meditation Center of San Antonio will host an exhibition of Miksang photography, a contemplative art form based on the Dharma Art teachings of Shambhala founder Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, illustrating the flavor of each Buddha family. There will also be a live performance of a new musical piece composed of five movements, each of which will provide an immersion into one of the five families through the sense of sound. This original musical interpretation of the wisdom energies will be performed by composers Phil Castillo and Travis Dierolf. The evening will begin at 7:00 pm with a brief talk about the five wisdom energies, and a celebratory reception of hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be offered.

Sunday, March 22, 2009 [9:30 - 1 PM]
Celebrating Sangha Through Sound

On Sunday morning, we will commence our public meditation practice at 9:30 am, followed by a continuation of our celebration of sound by enjoying the “Bamboo Spirit Shakuhachi Concert” at 10:00 am. The shakuhachi is a wooden flute which was traditionally played by Japanese Buddhist monks as part of their path of practice. At 11:00 am everyone will be invited to participate in a form of sonic meditation, which involves using sound to experience the vibrant sanity of our lives. A potluck lunch will follow at noon.

Complete all five levels of Shambhala Training: “Heart of Warriorship” in beautiful San Antonio in 2009.

Shambhala Training is a series of contemplative workshops, suited for both beginning and experienced meditators. The simple and profound technique of mindfulness and awareness is the basis of a secular path of meditation, which can benefit people of any spiritual tradition and way of life. Shambhala Training is the study and practice of Shambhala warriorship—the tradition of human bravery and leadership. This path shows how to take the challenges of daily life in our modern society as opportunities for both contemplative practice and social action.

For more information or to register, please visit this page, or contact Resident Director, Phil Castillo.

Shambhala Training – The Art of Being Human, Level I
with Linda Mockeridge
March 28 / 8:30 AM – March 29 / 3:00 PM (2009)
Through the practice of meditation, we glimpse unconditional goodness as the ground of our existence. Opening to ourselves with gentleness and appreciation, we begin to see our potential as genuine and compassionate human beings.

Shambhala Training – The Art of Being Human, Level I
with Iris Ramos
June 6 / 8:30 AM – June 7 / 3:00 PM (2009)
Through the practice of meditation, we glimpse unconditional goodness as the ground of our existence. Opening to ourselves with gentleness and appreciation, we begin to see our potential as genuine and compassionate human beings.

Shambhala Training – Birth of the Warrior, Level II
July 10 / 7:00 PM – July 12 / 5:00 PM (2009)
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.

Shambhala Training – Warrior in the World, Level III
with Jim Tompkins
August 28 / 7:00 PM – August 30 / 6:00 PM (2009)
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.

Shambhala Training – Awakened Heart, Level IV
October 2 / 7:00 PM – October 4 / 6:00 PM (2009)
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.

Shambhala Training – Level V: Open Sky
with Carol Lovett
November 6 / 7:00 PM – November 8 / 6:00 PM (2009)
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.

In True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art, Chogyam Trungpa talks about “gaining new sight.” He goes on to explain that this new sight “is being extremely inquisitive to see things in their own nature, not always wanting to change things.” In a recent Miksang Level II class in San Antonio, we continued along the path of synchronizing the mind and the phenomenal world through vision. We were skillfully guided by John McQuade to rely on our visual perception in exploring the phenomenal world – letting the world guide our efforts to see the visual field as it is – without trying to manipulate what is seen. The outcome was magical – that elusive “ordinary magic” found in the sincerity of life. Images from this class will be used in our coming Dharma Art Festival and can also be seen here.

The following photo slideshow features photos taken throughout the Year of the Earth Mouse at Shambhala San Antonio.

By the Sakyong

Whether we are in the busy streets of New York or in the solitude of a mountain cave in Nepal, our happiness and contentment are completely within our own hands. Sitting meditation enables us to rest our mind in a present and a cheerful way. At the base of that experience is a quality of happiness, which is not a sense of giddiness, but of relaxation. Wherever we are, life is going to be coming at us. But if we use our lives as an opportunity to develop and enhance our mind, we will always be able to acknowledge that we are in a very precious situation.

When we sit, we’re making a direct relationship to the source of happiness, this wish-fulfilling jewel, the mind itself. Meditation gives us the ability to unpack the box in which the jewel is hidden. In effect, we’re taking time out from our busyness to say, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be right here.” That is a very profound step, because we’re beginning to look at the truth and to trust it.

Our mind goes through a lot in the period of a day. Generally speaking, our thoughts cycle between positive and negative. Either we’re thinking about what upsets us or makes us anxious, or we’re riding the wave of what inspires us and reminds of us good things. If we don’t work with the mind, the pattern tends to shift toward more disturbing thoughts and emotions. We get consumed by the negativity of the mind—fear and regret, anger and desire. When these thoughts and emotions come up, they completely obscure us and we’re trapped by them.

If we do work with the mind, we learn to sit and watch all the ups and downs come and go like clouds in the sky. In the process, we gain more strength in terms of our clarity, insight, and prajna—wisdom. These are noble qualities that we all possess. In meditation we begin to be able to recognize them. They are the lessons we learn from watching our discursiveness. But to develop those qualities takes more effort than just sitting on the cushion; we have to be proactive. If we don’t apply ourselves, nothing is going to happen.

Yes, it’s important to show up, to have the discipline to sit, but there is also the internal aspect of dealing with every thought, every emotion. That is how we learn that they are temporary. They are always arising, always falling away. We can look at our mind and try to figure out where the thoughts come from, but we’ll never actually find that moment. The point is to learn to relax, to learn not to be absorbed in our discursiveness. Once we’re lost in it, we can be lost in it for twenty minutes, half an hour, or twenty years. The mind is where we live. That is how we experience things. Whether we have a good day or a bad day really depends on our experience of the mind.

Sitting meditation gives us the confidence to be able to acknowledge our thoughts without being hooked by them. We have the teachings and the techniques to be able form the mind into something that is totally useful and pleasant. In terms of a spiritual tradition, we can say that we are developing our mind’s potential to become buddha, awake. But in a very pragmatic sense, this level of practice is helpful to anybody. If we’re going to be living in this world we should at least have the ability to work with our mind. When we do yoga, for example, the more flexible and fluid the body becomes, and the less of a nuisance it is. In meditation, we are putting the mind into a situation where it can become flexible, joyous, and less of a problem. It’s that simple.

To practice successfully requires that we hold a view of what our mind really is. The image I like to use is basic goodness. What are the aspects of basic goodness? There’s compassion, virtue, wisdom, and other noble qualities. We meditate in order to become familiar with that good mind. Sometimes our meditation is fun; at other times, it can be boring. But overall, if we’re holding this view and applying the technique, meditation makes us stronger. We’re learning what the mind is, and stabilizing ourselves in that reality. This ability gives us a very powerful tool.

Our mind is always becoming familiar with something. Most of the time we’re becoming familiar with things that ultimately have very little relevance to us. We get familiar with the fantasy of food, a relationship, or a holiday. Of course we may have to pay the rent; there are always concerns on which our mind can chew. But in our daily meditation, we practice unloading those concerns from our mind and experiencing our precious opportunity to become familiar with something more meaningful. One way to ground ourselves in the view is to feel fortunate that we have the time and technique to meditate. We can say, “I feel very fortunate to be able to follow my breath because, number one, I have a breath.” It’s not necessarily guaranteed. For us to sit here and not appreciate what’s going on is ignorance, because we’re taking our lives for granted.

What happens when we feel fortunate? Inspiration is born, and it grows. Without inspiration, we don’t have any reason to return to the breath. Sitting is just an exercise. It’s like working in a factory: we’re just plugging in the time until we can go home. Our noble qualities are not increasing. Without the view, our meditation is like a rock at the bottom of a lake. What happens to a rock at the bottom of the lake? No matter how much time passes, nothing. In a hundred years, it’ll still be a rock at the bottom of the lake.

Even though our understanding may be small, we should have a level of confidence that the practice of sitting in this form and placing our mind on the breath is very special. It’s been handed down by people like the Tibetan yogi Milarepa, who did not leave us the message, “Meditation’s not really worth it,” or, “I looked in my mind and there’s nothing really there, but it’s a great way to lose weight.” He didn’t say that at all. Rather, he wrote 100,000 spontaneous songs that celebrate the basic goodness of our mind and the precious opportunity we have to develop our noble qualities. These are real. As our mind sticks with them, our level of prajna, intelligence, rises.

When we take the time to meditate, we’re not idly passing time. In following the breath and learning to deal with our thoughts, we’re laying the foundation for a shift in attitude that has the power to change our lives in a truly meaningful way. There’s a lot of darkness and aggression in our world. Developing our noble qualities has an immediate effect on ourselves and others. When we apply ourselves in practice, we’re not only doing something very present, we’re also laying the conditions for how our lives move forward.

Januray 21st was a very special night at the Shambhala Meditation Center of San Antonio as six people took their refuge vows and became Buddhists. Acharya Moh Hardin was our preceptor, complemented by his wife Sangyum Cynde Grieve. The two of them have become like the grandparents of our center, whose influence and oversight is always felt even if their physical presence is only occasional; and our center felt mindful, warm, and thoroughly connected with lineage with them here in person.

The night began in San Antonio Shambhala tradition with a Tex-Mex dinner out in Southtown with the preceptors and staffers while the refugees-to-be stilled their minds on the gomdens back at the center and their friends and family filed in, filling the shrine room with auspicious watchfulness and support.

Acharya Hardin gave the talk in his calmly-metered, warmly clear, finely pith style we have come to cherish over the years, ripe with wisdom as he said “now you can’t blame anyone else for anything” in a gentle tone that filled the room with a laughter that seemed to reflect both the magnitude of the commitment and the patient humor it’s taught us to have about ourselves.

The shrine room had an excited and supported feel as many of the witnesses had become Buddhists at the snap of the same fingers and many new and old students alike held hands in angeli and mouthed along the refuge formula, in what seemed a heartfelt reiteration of commitment and a humble gesture that refuge is a constant practice.

The names, as always, are both descriptive and inspiring. Please help us celebrate and welcome:

Wendy Rios: Champa Kartso, Kindness Star Lake
Bibiana Gutierrez: Nyingje Satso, Compassion Earth Lake
Gilbert Hernandez: Tharpa Jinpa, Liberation Generosity
Kevin Lacey: Thaye Tak, Boundless Tiger
Rebecca Black: Tashi Norbu, Auspicious Jewel
Henry Estrada: Lhakthong Chopel, Insight Dharma Increase