Newsletter

February/March Newsletter

Welcome to the February/March Newsletter! Events include our annual celebration of Shambhala Day, two introductory classes in our popular Way of Shambhala series, and our special visit from Acharya Adam Lobel. We hope you’ll join us!

A Visit from Adam Lobel
Monday, February 10 at 7 pm

The Phoenix Shambhala Meditation Center is delighted to welcome Acharya Adam Lobel in a special Arizona visit. Acharya Lobel will be giving a talk on dharma practice, with a focus on answering our questions on how to practice in this groundless time. If you have questions that you would like to send in advance, please fill out the form at this page. If you plan to attend the program, please register in advance so that we can plan for space.

Acharya Lobel will also be giving a separate talk on Tuesday, February 11 for the ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. In “Eco-Grief and Collective Trauma in the Climate Crisis,” he will discuss how we can overcome the inner, social, and ecological alienation of our times as we begin to deal with the climate crisis. Please visit this page for information and registration for the Sustainability event, which will be held at Community Christian Church in Tempe.

 

Half Day-thun
February 9, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm

A dathun is a month-long meditation retreat. Such a commitment is hard to manage in our modern lives, so we sometimes offer shorter retreats with the names week-thun and day-thun. Join us for an afternoon of sitting and walking meditation, tonglen, and Shambhala yoga. Come for Sunday morning Public Sitting to make a day of it.

February 9 is also the full moon and a Shambhala Sadhana practice day. We will begin the half day-thun at 11:30 with the Shambhala Sadhana, and continue with afternoon sitting.

 

Contentment in Everyday Life
begins Wednesday, February 12 at 6:30 pm

Deepen your meditation experience through the cultivation of contentment and simplicity. In Contentment in Everyday Life, we explore the foundational views of the Buddhist teachings and meditation in action for daily life. The five-week course (five Wednesday evenings) includes meditation instruction, talks, periods of meditation practice, discussion, and a variety of contemplative practice activities.

There are no prerequisites for this course. Everyone is welcome. Visit the event page for more information, including costs and our Generosity Policy, and to register.

 

 

Shambhala Day

Shambhala Day is our observation of the Lunar New Year, and the Year of the Iron Mouse begins on February 24, 2020. The Phoenix Shambhala Center will hold our Shambhala Day celebration on Sunday, March 8. 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 February 13 and run through February 22, 7 pm on the weekdays and 11:30 am on the Saturdays and Sunday. 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 Saturday, March 7 at 9 am.

The Art of Being Human
New Meditators’ Weekend
Friday, March 27 – Sunday, March 29

Learn to meditate or expand on your existing meditation practice in this weekend workshop. In Shambhala Training Level I: The Art of Being Human we glimpse unconditional goodness as the ground of our existence through the practice of meditation. As we open to ourselves with gentleness and appreciation, we begin to see our potential as genuine and compassionate human beings.

Every Shambhala Training level includes thorough meditation instruction, periods of meditation practice, one-on-one meetings to clarify questions, talks by a senior teacher, group discussions and a concluding reception.

No prerequisites. Open to everyone. Please visit our website for more information, including cost and our Generosity Policy, and to register.

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: Sitting and Walking Meditation 9:30 – 11 am, starting with Morning Chants and followed by book study. Meditation instruction is available. No Sunday Public Sitting on March 8.
  • Wednesday Public Sitting: Sitting Meditation 7 – 7:30 pm, followed by Evening Chants. Meditation instruction is available. No Wednesday Public Sitting on March 4.
  • 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.

  • Shambhala Sadhana: February 9, 11:30 am. 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.
  • Half Day-thun: February 9, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. An afternoon of meditation. Learn more.
  • A Visit from Adam Lobel: February 10, 7 pm. More information and registration here.
  • Contentment in Everyday Life: begins February 12, 6:30 pm. 5-week class, no prerequisites. Registration.
  • Mamo Chants: begin February 13, 7 pm. 10 days. View the full schedule.
  • Learn to Meditate Open House: March 4, 6:30 pm. Meditation instruction and an introduction to the Shambhala Center, with Q&A and refreshments. Free, no registration.
  • Trosong: March 7, 9 am. Center cleaning, refreshment, and lhasang.
  • Shambhala Day: March 8. Our annual celebration of the Lunar New Year. View the full schedule.
  • Shambhala Sadhana: March 9, 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 (Level 1): March 27-29. A weekend workshop. No prerequisites. Registration.

Have you ever thought about becoming a member of the Phoenix Shambhala Center?
Membership does more than just help us keep the lights on. (Although that’s important, too!) Membership can be a statement about your personal inspiration, curiosity, and commitment to the path of awakening. Learn more at our Membership page.

Regional and Other Events

  • Birth of the Warrior (Shambhala Training Level II) in Tucson: March 27-29. Prerequisite: Level I. Details and registration at the Tucson Shambhala website.
  • Qigong Levels 1 & 2 in Los Angeles: March 14-15. Train the body and mind simultaneously. Details and registration at the Los Angeles Shambhala website.
  • Venerable Bardor Tulku Rinpoche in Phoenix: March 13-15. Our Friend-of-Phoenix Shambhala and Kagyu Buddhist group Kunzang Choling welcomes their head teacher to Arizona. More information at the Kunzang Choling website.

Newsletter Email Archive

February / March 2020
December 2019 / January 2020
October / November 2019
August / September 2019
June / July 2019
April/May 2019
February/March 2019
December 2018/January 2019
October/November 2018
August/September 2018
June/July 2018

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