Spinning Wheels, by Michelle Welch The January issue of Shambhala Sun featured an interesting article by Carolyn Rose Gimian about what are often called the three poisons: passion, aggression, and ignorance. As these qualities are sometimes represented by a rooster, a snake, and a pig, placed at the center of the wheel of life, the … Continue →

We are on the move! On June 19, 2015 Phoenix Shambhala Meditation Center will be moving to our new location in Scottsdale.  Sunday, June 21 will mark our first public sitting in the new space and coincides with the celebration of the summer solstice, Midsummer Day. In honor of both of these events, we will … Continue →

Spinning Wheels, by Michelle Welch The January issue of Shambhala Sun featured an interesting article by Carolyn Rose Gimian about what are often called the three poisons: passion, aggression, and ignorance. As these qualities are sometimes represented by a rooster, a snake, and a pig, placed at the center of the wheel of life, the … Continue →

I hope that your holidays were everything that you wanted them to be. We are a few weeks into the new calendar year and so it seems like a good opportunity for us to reflect back on 2014 and set our aspirations for 2015. Some highlights from 2014: Shambhala Day 2014 included Oaths of Office … Continue →

Fear and Contraction, by Michelle Welch I’ve talked about writing several times on the Phoenix blog, because it’s something I do and something that’s so embedded in my life that it offers all kinds of opportunity to practice, often in unexpected ways. One of these opportunities happened while I was taking the Joy in Everyday … Continue →

Pain is Good News, by Michelle Welch I have a lot of physical conditions that cause pain, including two bad discs in my lower back that really act up during a long sitting. Recently I attended a weekend Level, and during my interview with the meditation instructor, when I sat down in the chair gingerly … Continue →

Copied from http://shambhalatimes.org/2014/11/19/first-annual-midwinter-haiku-contest/ Request for Entries from the Poetry Editorial Board for the Shambhala Times if I held it in my hands my hot tears would melt it — autumn frost basho 1684 As we write this, the days are fast growing shorter, the leaves have all fallen, mornings are frosted. What better time to … Continue →

Offering Care for the Caregiver: Phoenix Shambhala Center Lessons Learned by Amy Kemp It was a beautiful October day in Phoenix. The sky was clear and the morning air had a crisp chill; this is when all Arizonans remember why they live here. A group of sangha friends pulled up to a conference hotel nestled … Continue →

“Wild”: A book review by Michelle Welch “Wild” made a big splash when it came out several years ago: bestseller lists, featured on Oprah, and other things that triggered my basic snobbery and made me not want to read it. I wouldn’t have read it at all if I hadn’t chosen it at random to … Continue →

Distraction, by Michelle Welch I was reading the May issue of Shambhala Sun, and I was struck by one of the articles on distraction. A sidebar in this article discusses a 4-part contemplation practice. It is not available on the Shambhala Sun website, but briefly, it involved the following: “Part 1: Imagine going to a … Continue →