Our Calling Cards

You may have seen our "calling cards" on the table by the door.  If you haven't here is what they look like:

Those are nearly out, so I wanted to design something new for the next batch.   I wanted to leave some space for being written on and I wanted to use a picture that seemed more relevant.

The picture I choose is one I took a couple of summers ago of three stages of a blooming flower stitched together like panorama's are done. 

 

The physical manifestation of the cards will show up at the center in the next few weeks.

Under 30 Group Sits Together in (Cyber)Space

Posted on Wake Up Boston!

Under 30 Group Sits Together in (Cyber)Space

Sarah Lipton will offer Under 30 an evening called The Presence Point

"Be present
In your body
In the space
While moving
Sensing
Expressing
Reflecting"

Shambhala art, or dharma art refers to any creative work that springs from an awakened state of mind, characterized by directness, un-self-consciousness, and nonaggression. It's not about "art", it's about direct perception and playing with the creativity that springs from that experience.

Join us Feb 22, 2011 at 7:00pm! 

 
To dive more fully into Shambhala Art, join us for Shambhala Art Part I & 2: Coming to Your Senses & Seeing Things as They Are, February 25th - February 27th with Acharya Arawana Hayashi.

 

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Sarah is the full-time Center Coordinator at the Boston Shambhala Center. A graduate of Naropa University, she now manages the publicity for the Shambhala Center, as well as coordinating behind-the-scenes activity to help the Shambhala community flourish in Boston. She lives in Jamaica Plain, MA with her husband, garden, and Brazilian Rainbow Boa.

Shastri Hours with Carolyn Krusinski

Shastri Carolyn Krusinski will be available between 5:30pm and 6:30 pm on the days that she teaches, in the Kalapa suite to discuss anything Shambhala.  Carolyn has generously set aside this time to meet with members of our group, so be sure to stop by!

You may be wondering:

Who is Carolyn Krusinski? Carolyn is precise, passionate, knowledgeable, kind, supportive, interesting to talk to and just plain awesome!  See this blurb from when Carolyn visited our group in the past.

What is a Shastri? A senior teacher who is focused on the Way of Shambhala curriculum. See this article from Shambhala Times for more info: Sakyong creates new teaching and mentoring position in Shambhala

Where is the Kalapa Suite?  It's on the left as you enter the center with the double-glass-doors.

When does it start? Tuesday February 1st.

What do you mean "anything Shambhala?" Curious about those "levels" we keep talking about?  Have a question about your practice? Have you been practicing for some time and would like some direction on your path? Wondering who this "Sakyong" guy is?  Would you like a recommendation on a good book to read to support your practice?  Never met Carolyn before? Want to know what all that stuff is on the shrine?  What to know how to get more involved in the center?

Of Noticing Things

Today while I was sitting in Nyinthun, I noticed something I'd never seen before. In the small shrine room there are actually two shrines, one on the left and one on the right, what I noticed about them today was that the shrine pedestal to my left was orange while the one to my right is white. Never seen that before, I always thought they were the same colour. Even if someone had swapped the pedestal, I'm not sure I would have paid attention to such a thing, something made me Notice.

Nick talked this week about the moment of noticing. That instant where you realize you've gone somewhere and that you're not focusing on the breath. This has started to happen to me in my everyday life. A few weeks ago, I noticed a church on the road I live on. I haven't been in this place a long time, about 5 months now I think, but I'd never seen this church before. I looked up, and said to myself, wow, where did they get this church from?

Sitting meditation has definitely set the stage for me to wake up to the world around me and actually SEE things, things I never noticed before.

I begin to wonder where that moment of waking up occurs. Like Nick said, you can't tell what happened, one second you're off on your story, the next you realize you're not focusing. Something in our bodies is causing that realization to fire. My theory is that we can't find that moment because it isn't a conscious thought which triggers it; it's part of the hardware of our minds. Sitting meditation seems to wake up that interrupt mechanic and pull us out of our stories.

I'm going to continue to sit and I'll let you guys know what else I manage to notice, and maybe, hopefully, learn more about the way my mind works~

Practice to Path

Shastri Carolyn Krusinski was our guest speaker on Tuesday and I have dedicated much thought to the insightful discussion we had with her last week.

What is a practice? How and when does it become a path? Is it something you decide or does it happen naturally? When do you realize it? Do you even? Why does it become a path? Should it? If there is a path, is there an entrance as in this photo? Is is clearly defined or does it take shape as time goes on? Does a path have an end if the beginning is uncertain? Should it?

I thought about meditation and how it started as my practice. I do not consider my first curious venture into the Shambhala center for Under 30 night as the beginning. Rather, it began when I would constantly ask good friends of mine about what Shambhala means to them since they had been practicing and/or been on the path for a few years already. They always graciously indulged me with their thoughts and experiences. As I realized how deeply my friends had felt and how much they have become more aware, outward, and not-at-all somber, unemotional, or withdrawn in a negative way...and that I held such a vested interest in meditation without having tried it yet...I decided to go to the Shambhala center as soon as I could.

I have been meditating semi-regularly for about 7 months, visited a meditation center during this time, and have been more active in the local Shambhala community. Does that mean I am on the path? Frankly, no. I do not feel as though I have a path yet. I DO know that Shambhala or some form of meditation will always be a strong and vibrant part of my life, but what it will become and what it ultimately means for me I do not know just yet. I have not realized how it will be kept close to my heart and mind in the future. Meditation is not something I believe I will deliberately "use" for a particular gain, goal, or purpose. I know that its purpose will take shape on its own in its own way for me. So it will be a natural, constantly changing path. Where it starts? I have no idea! But I can't wait to find out.

Guest Speaker: Shastri Carolyn Krusinski on Tuesday November 16, 2010

Shastri Carolyn Krusinski (pictured on the right) will be teaching at Under 30 on Tuesday November 16.  Please join us!

Shastri Carolyn Lowery Krusinski began her practice in 1978 where she attended the first Shambhala Training Level I offered in Los Angeles and also met The Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. As a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, she was Warrior of the Center in Boston and teaches throughout the US. She studies traditional Chinese Daoist Arts along with Shambhala Buddhism to bring ancient wisdom to modern life. She is a business executive and coach. Husband Tom and she just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They live in Lincoln, MA with their son Paxton.

Carolyn is one of about sixty teachers who have been appointed to the new role of Shastri.  If you are interested in learning more about the new position, you can read more about it from the article on Shambhala.org: Sakyong creates new teaching and mentoring position in Shambhala