Relo Team Update; 9/8 Comm Convo, 10/12 Town Hall next
Wondering what’s going on with our relocation explorations? Carry on… Where we are At this point, due to many factors including a much reduced membership, we have deferred the option of purchasing a space in the near term. So for now, we’re focusing on renting or sharing spaces at least until we have stabilized and … Continue
Community Conversation Summary: Actions from An Olive Branch
Ten members and two guests attended our Community Conversation this past Sunday reviewing proposals for helping build safety and trust in our organization. There are six specific, interrelated proposals, some drawn directly from the Olive Branch report to the Shambhala organization, some inspired by them, all reflective of individual and group conversations we’ve had to … Continue
What feedback would be helpful?
Co-directors Janie Paige and John Smith have an impromptu conversation about what kind of feedback would be useful from the community conversation giving them feedback. Here’s what we came up with:
Portland Buddhist Festival – 2019
Multiple Portland Buddhist groups got together on June 1st, 2019, celebrating “everyday mindfulness” at the “Portland Buddhist Festival.” Portland Shambhala had a booth and co-directors John Smith and Janie Paige and other volunteers met with people who were interested in our offerings. We invited Juan Carlos la Puente to give one of the talks. Click … Continue
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 … Continue
Community Conversation: Shambhala Global Services
Ten people gathered for a conversation on Sunday, May 5, regarding Shambhala Global Services (SGS) and the Portland Shambhala Center’s relationship to it. What follows is a brief summary of information shared by John Smith and Jack Bodner, as well as questions that were answered at this conversation. About SGS: Shambhala is the global organization … Continue
Community Conversation: Abuses of Power in Our Community
On Sunday, April 28, 18 people attended our Community Conversation focused on the topic of abuses of power in our community. Aspirations for this conversation included “getting to know one another at a deeper level,” “healing,” “understanding what happened and how to address it,” “learning to hold, express, and feel pain along with love,” “development … Continue
Relo Team Community Bulletin for May
Your Relo Team Community Bulletin for May What we’re thinking about and doing to ensure a home for our community. Background: We will keep a pulse on our collective wishes to see what we want and what we have the energy and resources. For example, right now, our dues alone do not cover our expenses. … Continue
Community Conversation: Reports from An Olive Branch
On Sunday, April 20, seventeen of us gathered to review and discuss the reports from An Olive Branch, the third-party organization investigating misconduct within our Shambhala international organization. We reflected on the following questions: What can our community learn from these reports? How do we hold these stories in our hearts without becoming overwhelmed or triggered? … Continue
The Dharma of Social Justice
The Dalai Lama has said, “The threshold between right and wrong is pain.” (Imagine All the People, p.98). He was speaking to the intersection of love and justice. As Buddhists, we know that all humanity is innately compassionate, however often we lose touch with that. No matter how often we try to turn away from … Continue
