Phoenix Shambhala Leadership
Leadership Teams / Leadership Resources and Consent Model / Meeting Minutes Archive / Finances
Next Community Meeting: Monday, May 3 at 6:30 pm
The Phoenix Shambhala Meditation Center welcomes you to our next Community Meeting. This month’s meeting will be held via Zoom, not at the Center. Please visit the event page for agenda details and instructions for joining via Zoom.
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.
Practice and Education Team
Lead: Chris Noble-Power
Finance Team
Lead: Andre Shearer
Space and Operations Team
Lead: Muffie Noble-Power
Communications and Marketing Team
Lead: Michelle Welch
Protection Team (Dorje Kasung)
Lead: Jim Duetsch, Rusung
The Dorje Kasung maintain their traditional Chain of Command.
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.
Previous Community Meeting Minutes
- 18 February 2018
- 21 May 2018
- 16 July 2018
- 27 August 2018
- 23 September 2018 (including decisions regarding the photos on the shrines and in the community room)
- 8 October 2018 (including decisions regarding our contribution to Shambhala Global Services)
- 12 November 2018
- 3 December 2018
- 14 January 2019
- Listening Session on Center priorities, 9 February 2019
- 17 February 2019 (see also the Financial Analysis document referenced in the minutes)
- 9 March 2019 (including decisions about the new Team Model of governance)
- 14 April 2019
- 20 May 2019
- 23 June 2019
- 11 August 2019
- 7 October 2019
- 17 November 2019
- 23 December 2019
- 26 January 2020
- 23 March 2020
- 26 April 2020 (including decisions regarding our contribution to Shambhala Global Services)
- 18 May 2020
- 14 June 2020
- 13 July 2020
- 16 August 2020
- 7 September 2020
- 10 October 2020
- 9 November 2020
- 13 December 2020
- 11 January 2021
- 7 March 2021
- 11 April 2021
Please see our activity spreadsheet.