Gathering leaders from Portland Sanghas
Last week Mark Douglass and Jane Perlstein invited leaders of several Buddhist sanghas in Portland for a pot luck dinner and conversation about care and conduct questions that all of us are facing. Misconduct and ideas for how to deal with it is a topic that’s on the minds of many people who are responsible … Continue
Talking about racism in our sangha; Opening Our Hearts to Social Liberation
The following was posted as part of a review of our sangha by a person of color, Buddhist practitioner, and former participant at the Portland Shambhala Meditation Center…. “After attending this center for 6+ months, being bullied and made to feel unwelcome, I let the powers that be know of my experience. Despite a tearful … Continue
Misha Drlilkova reflections on people learning to meditate
It was pretty amazing to see over 30 people show up on a Saturday Morning at their community center and spend two and a half hours learning about meditation. Misha Drlikova reflects on what it’s like when a group of people come together to learn to meditate. It’s a great opportunity to witness their learning … Continue
Reflection on the experience of reconciliation
A long-time Shambhala meditation practitioner, Rayna Jacobson reflects on what it was like to reconcile with a community member after a long period of hurt feelings and misunderstanding.
Feedback from our “Should we change?” poll
The Portland Shambhala Meditation Center Council has been discussing what we heard at the Town Hall (see background information and panel discussions blog posts). We invited community members to weigh in on the issues in a poll titled “Should We Change or Not, Move or Stay?” We had 49 respondents, which for an online survey of a … Continue
Panel discussion – how other groups have moved or changed
We had a Panel Discussion to hear about the experience of other communities as they moved and changed. Our panelists shared very moving and relevant experience. Here is an audio recording of the Panel their comments and the discussion that followed. Thanks to Nancy Smith for capturing the highlights of what the panelists shared about … Continue
Town Hall Presentation materials – Oct 12, 2019
This is the first of three blog posts about Portland Shambhala Meditation Center’s Town Hall on October 12, 2019. The second covers what we heard from a panel of leaders from other spiritual communities about having moved their centers in the last few years, and the third post reports on what those present said about the … Continue
The role of Desung — navigating an emotional world as we seek to help others
In this 7 minute video, Kirsten Mullen, the new Desung for the Portland Shambhala Center talks about navigating an emotional world as we seek to help others. Awareness is the key.
Harvest of Peace 2019
Portland Shambhala celebrated our annual Harvest of Peace gathering on September 22. Harvest of Peace celebrates the fall equinox,
Have you heard about the Center relocation discussions?
On Sunday Sept. 8 about 20 of us engaged in a lively exploration of the options open to our Center either for renewing our lease or leasing another space. Our lease for $3,000/month ends on Jan. 31, 2020. We have new landlords and are in discussions with them about a new, affordable lease. Affordability is … Continue
