Portland Shambhala Closed Through March 31

March 12, 2020 by David_Engelbrecht

“The current state of world affairs is a source of concern to all of us: the threat of nuclear war, widespread poverty and economic instability, social and political chaos, and psychological upheavals of many kinds. The world is in absolute turmoil. The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is basic human wisdom that can help to solve the world’s problems. This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, nor does it come only from the West or the East. Rather, it is a tradition of human warriorship that has existed in many cultures at many times throughout history.”

by Chögyam Trungpa

Chögyam Trungpa wrote the current state of world affairs is a source of concern to all of us decades ago, but it could also apply to our current situation. When he described the world is in absolute turmoil, he did not mention a pandemic. However, the Coronavirus is definitely creating economic instability, social and political chaos, and psychological upheavals of many kinds.

Chögyam Trungpa also wrote: The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is basic human wisdom that can help to solve the world’s problems. The Portland Shambhala Center Council will work hard to make decisions regarding the Coronavirus pandemic from basic human wisdom instead of unrealistic fears generated from non-credible sources.

The Portland Shambhala Center Council had an Emergency Meeting via Zoom on 3/10/20 regarding the Coronavirus and how it will affect our center’s operations. On 3/10/20, we discussed a variety of options and concerns. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Coronavirus a pandemic on 3/11/20 and the Portland Shambhala Center Council decided we should close the center. We feel we need to be responsible citizens and decided to voluntarily close our center so we will not unintentionally contribute to the spread of the Coronavirus. We will revisit the situation by March 31.

People can go into the Center as individuals, or for small in-person meetings.  Covering work, shrine-keeping, or other shifts as necessary.

During the closure, we expect reductions in income from one-time donations, programs, and bookstore sales.  To sustain us, it is important for our members to continue their monthly dues payments. You are also invited to consider an extra donation to help sustain us during this crisis.

Why did we make this decision? Here is an article from Medium that might help explain the thinking behind our decision.

What is a pandemic? An article in The Associated Press described it this way:

“Pandemic” has nothing to do with how serious the illness is. It just means a disease is spreading widely.

What is Social Distancing? Here is a definition of Social Distancing from Harvard University:

The goal of these social distancing measures is to limit the number of instances where community members are gathering in large groups and spending periods of time in close proximity with each other in classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings. By lowering the number and proximity of people on campus, we can limit the exposure to COVID-19 for all members of our community.

Articles on Social Distancing:

 

We are thinking about ways we could practice and study together online or remotely when we are social distancing or are in quarantine. Here are some ideas we got from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:

 

This blog will be a repository of resources from credible sources. The repository will be a living document so we will update it frequently.

Shambhala International

 

Local (City)

 

Local (County)

 

Public Schools (Local)

 

Public Transportation

 

State (Oregon)

 

State (Washington State)

 

National

 

International

 

Other Coronavirus Resource Links (from Universities)

 

If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions, or opinions you would like the council to hear, I will make sure your voice is heard. You can contact me at [email protected]

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