Summary from May 18 Town Hall

Eighteen sangha members gathered for a town hall discussion led by our co-directors, Janie Paige and John Smith, along with two observers from outside the community. Howard Silverman and Milla McLachlan were invited to observe our process and make contributions from their perspectives as agents of social change and community development. Together we spent three hours, from 1-4 pm, in relational exercises and conversation with one another.

We began by “orienting” ourselves geographically in the room, introducing ourselves by name and neighborhood. We then formed a “spectrogram,” a line marking through time our own entrance onto our respective spiritual paths. We formed pairs and discussed our successes and challenges on the path as well as what we found trustworthy or believable in the teachings we have received.

After this, we gathered in small groups of 4-5 to discuss “paradoxes we experience on our path” – for instance, receiving powerful teachings from flawed individuals. Each group named a variety of paradoxes that we have experienced or currently experience in our community. After a break, we identified action items that could 1) respond to the paradoxes we identified, 2) move us forward as a community. A number of ideas were shared and scored through an anonymous process, with several receiving high scores. We then debriefed our experience of the day, dedicated the merit, and adjourned for informal conversation at a nearby brewpub.

A wide variety of reflections surfaced, about ourselves and our sangha, as well as several actions that seemed exciting to those gathered at the town hall….

Reflections:

• Good to incorporate our spiritual path in the widest sense. Shambhala has been important for many, but has not been the only source of inspiration.
• Wide diversity of spiritual practices and ways in which we act on our deeply held truths and beliefs.
• Trust and distrust manifest in many ways, sometimes simultaneously. Doubt and mistrust can be a starting place for prajna to emerge and be applied on the spiritual path, just as trust and positive experiences can provide opportunities to experience karuna in the struggles of our sangha.

Paradoxes (a sampling):

• Past vs present – “those were the days” vs. “all we have is now”
• Staying vs leaving Shambhala
• Confidence in the guru and his teachings vs the guru’s alleged bad behavior
• Authority vs accountability – freedom for leaders to fulfill their appointed role vs providing support and guidance for potential lapses in behavior
• Centrality of esoteric “secret” practice (Vajrayana) vs an open community where inquiry and learning are valued
• Inward focus on problems vs outward focus of engaging the wider world
• Individual paths and personal work vs finding unity to create enlightened society together
• Hierarchical culture (Tibetan) vs democratic culture (western)
• Individualistic approach to society (western) vs collective approach (eastern)

Bold ideas for action:

• Invite dharma teachers and teachers from other intellectual traditions to support our local practices
• A workshop that provides information on Vajrayana practice and why it is important in Shambhala
• Invite our Vajrayana teachers and leaders to discuss their experience of the teaching and their connection to the guru
• Offer Shambhala Training levels for the whole community – repeats encouraged! Use as springboard for discussion about ourselves, our community, and our place in larger society.
• Emphasize sitting practice as our main community practice

Check-out Responses:

• Appreciation for the process and participants
• Eye-opening, lots of learning happening
• Growing sense of fearlessness, tender bravery, vulnerability, communication
• Sense of connection, both for those who come regularly and those who have been absent for awhile
• Lots of emotions – sadness, grief, clarity, peacefulness, energy, anger – lots of honesty in the room

An afterword:

• Reflections from outsiders, a 20 minute video.