Newsletter

February/March Newsletter

Welcome to the February/March Newsletter. Shambhala Day, our annual celebration of the lunar new year, is coming up and related events begin this week. Two Learn to Meditate courses are scheduled as well as practices for students at the Vajrayana level. Please see descriptions below and at our website for details.

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Shambhala Day

Sunday, February 10, 8 am – 1 pm

Shambhala Day is our observation of the Lunar New Year, and the Year of the Earth Boar begins on February 5, 2019. The Phoenix Shambhala Center will hold our Shambhala Day celebration on Sunday, February 10. Please visit our calendar for a full schedule of events, which includes the Shambhala Sadhana and a potluck lunch. You are welcome to participate in any or all of the day’s events. No registration is required and the celebration is free; donations are gratefully accepted.

Shambhala Day also features a number of events in the days leading up to the celebration. Mamo Chants are a practice for clearing the mindlessness and negativity that can accumulate at the end of the year. Mamo Chants begin on January 25 and run through February 3, 6 pm on the weekdays and Saturdays and 11:30 am on the Sundays. Trosong Day is a formal day of cleaning and refreshing the Center, followed by a lhasang (smoke ceremony). Our Dorje Kasung squad is hosting Trosong Day and invites the community to participate on Sunday, February 3 after Mamo Chants.

Learn to Meditate Programs

Our Learn to Meditate weekend workshop, The Art of Being Human (Shambhala Training Level 1) is February 22-24. Featuring meditation instruction, talks, group discussions, and plenty of practice time, this course is open to everyone with no prerequisites. Visit our website for more information and to register.

If you’re looking for a more thorough introduction to meditation, join us for our 6-week course, Meditation in Everyday Life. This course meets once a week on Sundays beginning March 3 at 11:30 am. Find more details and registration at our website.

We’re pleased to announce new pricing for our meditation courses. Our Levels and the In Everyday Life courses are now priced at $99. As always, our Generosity Policy allows those for whom price is an obstacle to set their own price. A Patron price is available for those who can afford to offer more to help cover costs for those who cannot. Also, we are offering a Repeat Student price of $50 for those who have taken one of our courses before and would like to retake the same course.

Saturday Salon

February 9, 10 am – 2 pm
March 9, 10 am – 1 pm

Join us for our monthly Saturday Salon! Saturday Salons will offer an opportunity for open meditation practice, community gathering and conversation, and special practices. Our February Salon also features group practice for students at the Vajrayana level. Saturday Salon is free and no registration is required; drop in as you wish. Visit our website for more information and the schedule for the February and March Salons.

Milarepa Day
Saturday, February 16, 9 am – 6 pm
Please join us for our annual celebration of the life of Milarepa, one of Tibetan Buddhism’s great teachers, with an all-day reading of The Rain of Wisdom, a collection of the enlightenment songs of Kagyu Buddhist teachers through the centuries. Books will be provided to read from. There is no charge and the event is open to everyone. Learn more at our website.

February/March at the Center

Regular Weekly Programs

These programs are free and open to the public.
No experience required.
Donations are gratefully accepted.

  • Sunday Public Sitting: Morning Chants and Meditation start at 9:30 am, Sitting and Walking Meditation 10 – 11 am. Come to one or stay for both. Meditation instruction is available at both sessions. No Sunday Public Sitting on Febrary 10.
  • Wednesday Public Sitting: Sitting Meditation 7 – 7:30 pm, followed by Evening Chants. Meditation instruction is available. No Wednesday Public Sitting on March 6.
  • Morning Public Sitting: Mondays and Thursdays 6:30 – 7:30 am. This is a pilot program; please check our calendar to verify scheduled dates.
  • Heart of Recovery (Sarpashana): Meditation and dharma studies for those in recovery, Tuesdays 7 – 8 pm. Open to any addictions.

Special Programs

Please visit our website for more information and registration.
Some programs are free (donations welcome). Others have fees and/or prerequisites.

  • Mamo Chants: January 25 through February 3. See the event listing for exact dates and times. Followed by Trosong on February 3. Free, no registration.
  • Saturday Salon: February 9, 10 am – 2 pm. Open meditation, conversation, and other practices. Group Vajrayana practice is scheduled on this date (there are prerequisites for this part of the event). Free, no registration. See the event listing for schedule details.
  • Shambhala Day: February 10, 8 am – 1 pm. Shambhala Sadhana, potluck lunch, and other activities. Free, no registation. See the event listing for a schedule of the day’s events.
  • Improv Comedy Workshop: February 11, 7 pm. Join us in developing the skills of playful presence. Free, no registration, no prerequisites.
  • Wisdom in Everyday Life: begins February 13, 6:30 pm. The last course in the In Everyday Life series. See our website for prerequisites and registration.
  • Milarepa Day: February 16, 9 am – 6 pm. A reading of The Rain of Wisdom. Free, no registration. Learn more at our website.
  • Shambhala Sadhana: February 19, 6 pm. A meditation and chant practice to deepen our insight and feeling of basic goodness and enlightened society. Open to the community at the full moon. Free, no registration.
  • The Art of Being Human: February 22-24. A learn to meditate weekend workshop. Free public talk Friday night. Details and registration at our website.
  • Improv Comedy Workshop: February 25, 7 pm. Join us in developing the skills of playful presence. Free, no registration, no prerequisites.
  • Meditation in Everyday Life: begins March 3, 11:30 am. A 6-week learn to meditate course. Details and registration at our website.
  • Learn to Meditate Open House: March 6, 6:30 pm. Meditation instruction and an introduction to the Shambhala Center, with Q&A and refreshments. Free, no registration.
  • Saturday Salon: March 9, 10 am – 1 pm. Open meditation, conversation, and other practices. Free, no registration. See the event listing for schedule details.
  • Shambhala Sadhana: March 20, 6 pm. A meditation and chant practice to deepen our insight and feeling of basic goodness and enlightened society. Open to the community at the full moon. Free, no registration.

Regional and Other Events

  • The Three Jewels in San Diego: February 9. For those interested in the Refuge Vow. Details and registration at the San Diego Shambhala website.
  • Heart Sutra Weekend in Tucson: March 15-17. Study this classic Buddhist teaching. No prerequisites. Details and registration at the Tucson Shambhala website.
  • Day-Long Meditation Retreat in Tucson: March 30. For meditators of all levels. Details and registration at the Tucson Shambhala website.
  • 2019 International Shambhala Assemblies: see this announcement for the Advanced Assembly schedule for 2019 and related information.

Newsletter Email Archive

June/July 2018
August/September 2018
October/November 2018
December 2018/January 2019
February/March 2019

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