May 2017 Denver Monthly Newsletter
Sangha News
 It is with a heavy heart that we share some very sad news. Ann Tod, the Executive Director of the Highland Event Center, has passed away. Ann was a delightful person and came into our lives this past year through our connection with the HEC community. She was a very loving and kind person. Always friendly and appreciative. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and everyone at the North Highland Presbyterian Church community. Here’s a link to her obituary if you’d like to share any memories and condolences with her family.  Community Engagement“Now is the time, ladies and gentlemen, for us to manifest—to bring these principles into the world, to not just leave them in our shrine room and our practice pages. They cannot just remain as simple esoteric mantras. We need to be able to actually harness them and make them real. “You might think there is some other group—in the Himalayas or somewhere else—that is doing a better job than we are. But unfortunately, there is nobody else. We should be humble, but at the same time we should realize that actually, this is our opportunity.” Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche Please join the Community Engagement Committee at the Shambhala Meditation Center of Denver (SMCD) on Sunday May 28th from 12pm to 3pm for a Potluck and Conversation about the vision of community engagement moving forward. The Community Engagement Committee formed in 2011 as a part of the Vision to Action Strategic Planning initiative. The Committee has put on social events such as the welcome dance party for our new director and participated in local community events such as the MLK Marade. Since the 2016 election, members of the SMCD have felt a renewed sense of purpose and urgency to engage in our larger community. SMCD has hosted two post-election conversations with great turnout. Shambhala’s central vision is the creation of Enlightened Society. On Shambhala Day this year Shambhala International announced the new Office of Social Engagement as a next step in this direction. Locally, the Community Engagement Committee has been contemplating the best way to engage within and beyond our center around issues of inclusivity, diversity and potential outreach to community groups. At the May 28th conversation, we will engage in some group contemplation of our vision for next steps in community engagement. We will also open the committee up to new members for those interested in diving in further. Come dive in! Families and ChildrenOur end of the year celebration potluck will be June 4th at the center. There is a webpage for the Shambhala Kids Summer Celebration Potluck, which includes a potluck sign up. The potluck will be from noon to 2, following normal morning open sit for adults and normal Shambhala Kids programming from 10am -12pm for kids. We would like to ask anyone receiving the newsletter that has an interest in Families and Children programming to please take a moment to answer a short 3 question survey to help us better plan for future offerings at the Center to meet the needs of our children and families. Social MeditationIn last month’s newsletter, the date for holding Social Meditation was bookended to May 25th, which is all we had published to the website. We are making a commitment to offer it weekly for at least a year. So, the next quarter of Social Meditation dates from June 1st to August 31st have been uploaded to the website and we have calendar dates live through August 31st.  Rocky Mountain Region NewsMeeting of the Minds in the MountainsRecently, leaders from the Denver Shambhala Center participated in the first ever Front Range Leadership Retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center from April 20th to 23rd. It was a joyous gathering hosted by the Regional Directors Council with fantastic talks by Acharya Dan Hessey. We discussed regionalism as a powerful way to organize, collect, and accumulate the riches of the Front Range. Spirits were high and joy was in the air. There was a collective feeling that we could be of most benefit to the world together, rather than acting as separate centers. Together we felt the strength of unity and were inspired through deepening our connection to Basic Goodness and the societal vision of Shambhala. Center Directors from Boulder, Fort Collins, Longmont, Denver, DKD and the Mountain Center are set to meet in June to continue finding ways to work together to further enrich our Shambhala Centers in the Rocky Mountain region.  News about The SakyongThe Sakyong has spent the winter months teaching and working on upcoming writing projects. In January, he spent several weeks in a writing retreat in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Shortly after, he led a public retreat on Shambhala Meditation in Halifax for several hundred participants in person and many more who participated live online. The Sakyong is preparing for a summer full of teachings around the world, and the release of his fifth book in October 2017. In the coming weeks, stay tuned for more information about the Sakyong’s new book and North American book tour. Learn How to Create More Loving, Passionate, Honest, and Resilient RelationshipsThe Free 5-Day Online Experience Begins May 17th. Watch Free From Home for Insights and Practical Tools From World-Renowned Psychologists, Relationship Experts and Mindfulness Teachers. Learn more about this experience. If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter, please contact the Newsletter Editor, Arleen Garcia-Herbst, at [email protected]. Submissions for the newsletter are due to the Editor by 5:00 pm on the last Friday of each month for publication on the first Monday of the following month. |
