Welcome to our new Meet the Sangha column! Years ago, before the rollout of the redesigned website, we had a page where several sangha members introduced themselves. I hope to recreate this here on the blog, and I am in the process of collecting introductions from various people at the Phoenix Center. Watch for more … Continue →

We have many things happening at the Center this fall, including a variety of upcoming programs to the filling of four Council positions. We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Amy Kemp as Center Director. Amy comes to us with a long history of service to the Phoenix Shambhala Center, having acted as Rusung, Meditation … Continue →

Hatreds never cease through hatred (in this world); through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law. – Buddha I found a compelling example of this thinking in action in a recent book I read – not a dharma book but the memoir Shrill by feminist journalist and fat acceptance activist Lindy West. Among … Continue →

I have some trouble labeling my thoughts during meditation. I’m the kind of person who often grits my teeth when I say “thinking” to myself, and when I try to soften my voice it can come with a condescending eyeroll, “There I go, thinking again, because I’m just too dumb do this right.” So I’ve … Continue →

I’m often on the lookout for Buddhist-themed novels, and Lincoln in the Bardo is a new novel that received numerous critical accolades. More recently, Lion’s Roar magazine featured an interview with the author, George Saunders. I was particularly drawn to the novel after I attended a sukhavati ceremony, which is intended to help a deceased … Continue →

Calligraphy by Stuart Rice Characters for Man and Life in different styles. The themes for this year’s weekthun were “It’s a Wonderful Life” and joining heaven and earth. It’s a Wonderful Life, by Teresa Gregersen Chorus: Great Eastern Sun is arisin’ Great Eastern Sun is shinin’ Woh oh oh Great Eastern Sun is alive in … Continue →

Thinking about the results of the presidential election at first filled me with disappointment, dread and fear.  As the weeks unfolded, I was tempted to be forlorn.  Yet I knew from my Shambhala teachings that ignoring  or withdrawing was not the solution. As I searched for a way to maintain some sense of equanimity while … Continue →

I love finding Buddhist themes in unexpected places, most often in books that are otherwise unrelated to Buddhism. Recently I read The Art of Asking, a memoir by rock/punk singer and songwriter Amanda Palmer, which describes not just her life and career in music but also her artistic aesthetic. It’s in part an expansion on … Continue →

My name is Stuart, your Culture and Decorum representative, and I have a confession: I’m a very messy person. And I can also confess that it was my messiness that, in a Shambhala sense, provided an opportunity for wakefulness and for an on-going practice of kindness. A few years ago, when my husband Patrick was … Continue →

One of Pema Chödrön’s best known teachings is to drop the storyline. As she describes in Taking the Leap: “Pete has a wonderful open quality and a great sense of humor, but when he’s having one of his meltdowns, he temporarily loses all his brilliance and lets the storyline take over, as in: ‘My younger … Continue →