Meditations from Antarctica, by Amina Kirby

Greetings Shambhalians! I write this to you all from the bottom of the planet, Antarctica, where I’m currently working as a steward at McMurdo, the largest US base here set up through the National Science Foundation’s US Antarctic Program, to assist and support various science research that is being conducted. Being a steward involves two … Continue 

An Offer and a Request to the Portland Shambhala Community

Hello everyone, You might have remembered a post I made here last year describing an event I was able to attend in San Francisco last May, the Ziji Collective Global Summit. It was an incredible experience for me, linking up with so many other young Shambhalians, and my first experience seeing the Sakyong in person. … Continue 

February Council Meeting Summary and Meeting Notes

The PSMC Governing Council met on Thursday, January 8th, 2014- the meeting notes, where you can find more details about what was discussed at our meeting, are accessible here:  Public Agenda and Meeting Notes- Council Meeting 2/12/15 Here is a short summary of the meeting: The Council discussed Center policy with regards to MIs, and … Continue 

From last Tuesday’s Open House, “Habitual Patterns”

For those of you who missed it, David Parker gave a presentation during last Tuesday’s (2/24) Open House where he shared with us a recording from Alan Anderson where he sets music to a talk from Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Some people at the meeting requested that the recording be posted as well as the text … Continue 

How does it feel to have Parkinson’s Disease – Revisited

It seems like I always start from the place that having a chronic illness like PD “feels bad.” In fact it’s more complicated than that. There is some physical pain, and I suppose that this really does feel bad. But it’s more accurate to say that I feel clumsy and exhausted and shaky. Typing is … Continue 

Community aspiration and town hall

  From the beginning, when we were planning our community aspiration event, we knew that all 120 members couldn’t fit in the room even if everybody could be there at the same time.  So my job was to share some of the discussion and provoke reflection on some important questions that are up for all … Continue 

Tibetan New Year – Losar (Shambhala Day)

Tibetan New year, also known as Losar, is the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar. Tibetan New Year is said to last 15 days, but the first 3 days are most important. It is mainly celebrated over a period of 3 days in late January or February, according to the Tibetan calendar.  (Chögyam Trungpa, … Continue 

Stay in touch

There’s a lot of coming and going in the Portland Shambhala community, as there is in all communities.  People aren’t around for a while, you start to notice, and then suddenly they’re back!  Some “away times” are more colorful and interesting than others.  Anandi Gefroh and her friend Rahul Vora have just returned from a trip … Continue 

January Council Meeting Summary and Meeting Notes

The PSMC Governing Council met on Thursday, January 8th, 2014- the meeting notes, where you can find more details about what was discussed at our meeting, are accessible here: Public Agenda and Meeting Notes-Council Meeting 1/8/15 Here is a short summary of the meeting: The Council briefly discussed the upcoming Membership Aspiration Event and Town Hall. … Continue 

December Council Retreat Summary and Meeting Notes

The PSMC Governing Council met on Sunday, December 21st, 2014- the meeting notes, where you can find more details about what was discussed at our meeting, are accessible here: Public December Retreat Agenda and Meeting Notes Here is a short summary of the meeting: The Council discussed a reading from Thich Nhat Hanh to further communication … Continue