pdf version august 03

August 2003

802-748-4240
PO Box 66
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
www.stjshambhala.org

Richard Reoch’s response to our report from last month’s community meeting discussion “Who Are We Anyway?”

Dear Newcomb --
I am so touched that you were able to have this discussion at your centre and that you were able to pull together this short note about it! That is so helpful. (You may get the prize for the first centre to respond in this way!) I totally agree that the range of answers points to the need to allow this discussion and probing to continue and deepen. I feel confident that if we can do this, and extend the exchange of insights across the mandala, we will come out of the present situation greatly enriched as a community.
With every best wish,
Richard

The points we were asked to contemplate regarding “Who Are We Anyway?” (see Newsletter of July 2003) continued at the Community Meeting of July 24. There is an interesting confluence with the interest expressed by the Vajra Dawn group (see report below) that is directed toward more contact with our general community. Several promising ideas will be explored further by the Executive Committee.

Vajra Dawn Presentation

The Thursday Night Talk on July 3 was a presentation by five young men and women who had attended the recent Vajra Dawn program at Karmê Chöling, where the Sakyong and Richard Reoch met with participants who were all between age 18 and 30. The staff at Karmê Chöling, anticipating 120 participants, soon found out that Rinpoche had invited everyone he saw! The final tally was around 230.

Major themes of the program were matters such as leadership, politics and maturity.

The Sakyong’s talks were oriented toward practice and being grounded. Participants were asked to describe their practice and state of mind. Richard Reoch spoke about life styles for practice like the householder yogi life of many older practitioners, and asked Vajra Dawn participants how they would come into a lifestyle that was founded on practice.

Formal and informal discussions often revolved around why people were there: What was their inspiration? How were they connected to their local center? How could other young people be magnetized to the dharma without proselytizing? In workshops these discussions became more concrete. How could the young Karmê Chöling staff encourage the surrounding community to come and visit? In Burlington sangha members could go to local colleges.

Diversity was a major concern. The average person on this path is over 30, white, and middle class. We need to diversify and make Shambhala available to more of the general community. This is done not through proselytizing but through general community interaction and accessibility. Making the dharma affordable became a theme, and ways that the internet could be used were explored.

Participants were interested in taking what they learned from the Shambhalian view to a political (in the broad sense) venue. Angry war demonstrations were not seen as the way. There were no particular “causes” promoted. Decency is what we need to outwardly and inwardly manifest. But there is no need to wait until you’re perfect. It’s possible to work on oneself and work in the world at the same time.

The St. Johnsbury sangha talked about how we could draw from and actualize what we had heard. Next year the Vajra Dawn programs will be at Karmê Chöling, then other locations.