Phoenix Shambhala Leadership
Leadership Teams / Leadership Resources and Consent Model / Meeting Minutes Archive / Finances
Next Community Meeting
The Phoenix Shambhala Meditation Center welcomes you to our next Community Meeting on Sunday, March 17, 11:30am MST. Please visit the calendar listing for agenda details and how to join.
Phoenix Shambhala leadership is grounded in the basic inspiration of supporting and expanding a community in which people can dedicate themselves to building Shambhala society and propagating the vision of Shambhala.
The leadership of the Phoenix Center is a team model with Team Leads working together with small groups of sangha members. We welcome participation from the community wherever they wish to contribute; please contact us if you’d like to join one or more teams.
Leadership Team
Jim Duetsch
Sydney Chiefetz
Chris Glore
Cindy Sagers
For our community meetings, we attempt to hold the view of the Great Eastern Sun, mindful speech, and the Six Paramitas:
1. Generosity: convey warmth, kindness, and friendliness; give others the benefit of doubt.
2. Discipline: refrain from dominating conversations; step back to allow collective wisdom to emerge.
3. Patience: communicate openness and open-mindedness, even when there is disagreement.
4. Exertion: listen actively; maintain curiosity and inquisitiveness about what others are saying; stay connected to the topic at hand.
5. Meditation: pause, check in before speaking; maintain a sitting practice.
6. Wisdom: practice discernment when deciding when to speak and when to listen.
When decisions must be made by the community, we use a Consent Model:
- First present the possible decision as a statement (e.g., “We will hold salons once per month”) or question (e.g., “Do you agree to holding salons once per month?”).
- Three possible responses:
1. Thumbs up (for those who agree with the decision)
2. Thumbs sideways (for those who have specific concerns, but still can live with the decision as stated)
3. Thumbs down (for those who will block the decision, but they must present their concerns, and dialogue with the group to arrive at a revised decision with which they can at least live) - Address the concerns of sideways and down voters, then go around and reassess.
- Repeat until everyone is thumbs up or sideways.
Please see the March 2019 meeting minutes, where the community agreed on these guidelines, for more information.
Please see our activity spreadsheet.
Previous Community Meeting Minutes
- 18 February 2024
- 15 May 2023
- 5 February 2023
- 8 January 2023
- 11 December 2022
- 13 November 2022
- 9 October 2022
- 11 September 2022
- 14 August 2022
- 10 July 2022
- 12 June 2022
- 15 May 2022
- 4 April 2022
- 6 February 2022 (including discussion of a potential move, and an update about staying in our current space)
- 23 January 2022
- 22 December 2021
- 7 November 2021
- 4 October 2021
- 29 August 2021
- 12 July 2021
- 6 June 2021
- 3 May 2021
- 11 April 2021
- 7 March 2021
- 11 January 2021
- 13 December 2020
- 9 November 2020
- 10 October 2020
- 7 September 2020
- 16 August 2020
- 13 July 2020
- 14 June 2020
- 18 May 2020
- 26 April 2020 (including decisions regarding our contribution to Shambhala Global Services)
- 23 March 2020
- 26 January 2020
- 23 December 2019
- 17 November 2019
- 7 October 2019
- 11 August 2019
- 23 June 2019
- 20 May 2019
- 14 April 2019
- 9 March 2019 (including decisions about the new Team Model of governance)
- 17 February 2019 (see also the Financial Analysis document referenced in the minutes)
- Listening Session on Center priorities, 9 February 2019
- 14 January 2019
- 3 December 2018
- 12 November 2018
- 8 October 2018 (including decisions regarding our contribution to Shambhala Global Services)
- 23 September 2018 (including decisions regarding the photos on the shrines and in the community room)
- 27 August 2018
- 16 July 2018
- 21 May 2018
- 18 February 2018