Contentment in Everyday Life

By Dave | Published: August 20
August 3
7:00to9:00
August 10
7:00to9:00
August 17
7:00to9:00
August 24
7:00to9:00
August 31
7:00to9:00

Contentment in Everyday LifeContentment can be hard to find. Much of the time we search for contentment in things, achievements or relationships. With meditation practice, we relax with ourselves and appreciate simple human experiences. Difficult emotions and the challenges of life can be met with gentleness, mindfulness and inquisitiveness. The purpose of Contentment in Everyday Life is to introduce an experience and understanding of contentment as the foundation for both the spiritual path and a sane life.

“The path of Shambhala is here to awaken us to the potential of our lives. It teaches us how to live meaningfully and vigorously, with joy. Its ancient but practical wisdom allows us to discover unconditional human confidence. Through the practice of meditation, we discover that goodness, strength, and wisdom are inherent in our own mind and being. Having gained this insight, we are able to maneuver through life with courage, intelligence, and compassion. Daily life becomes an opportunity to further cultivate these qualities.”

-Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Roger Guest will be teaching this course on 5 consecutive Tuesday evenings, August 3 – August 31, from 7-9pm. Suggested donation for the 5-week class is $40, though any donation is welcome.

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Just Sit

By Dave | Published: August 20
August 31
7:00to8:00
September 7
7:00to8:00
September 14
7:00to8:00
September 21
7:00to8:00
September 28
7:00to8:00
October 5
7:00to8:00
October 12
7:00to8:00
October 19
7:00to8:00

join us for an evening of meditation practiceDo Less, Live More. Join us on Wednesday evenings for an hour of group meditation. The evening will be devoted to sitting meditation with a brief period of walking meditation. All meditative traditions are welcome to join us in silent practice, and basic meditation instruction will be provided on certain evenings. We appreciate any donation; $5 is suggested, but feel free to offer whatever you’re comfortable with.

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The Five Buddha Families

By Dave | Published: August 18
September 7
7:00to9:00
September 14
7:00to9:00
September 28
7:00to9:00
October 5
7:00to9:00
October 12
7:00to9:00

The Five Buddha Family MandalaHow do we bridge the gap between our meditative practice and the real and personal experience of our lives? Navigating our life can seem daunting without a map or aerial view. The five buddha families, or principles, are a way of looking at ourselves, others, and situations with clarity and an understanding that everything is workable and contains seeds of wisdom. As Chögyam Trungpa states:

The buddha family, or families, associated with a person describes his or her fundamental style, that person’s intrinsic perspective or stance in perceiving the world and working with it. Each family is associated with both a neurotic and an enlightened style. The neurotic expression of any buddha family can be transmuted into its wisdom or enlightened aspect. As well as describing people’s styles, the buddha families are also associated with colors, elements, landscapes, directions, seasons —- with any aspect of the phenomenal world.

Through working with the five buddha families, we can learn to relate to and experience wisdom and neuroses properly. They are stepping stones to compassion and our potential for realization.

Please join us for an exciting course on exploring the five families: vajra, ratna, padma, karma, and buddha. Learn how to stay with the energies through mindfulness and awareness, and how to work with them by applying loving-kindness.

Open House Talk Tuesday, Sept 7th, 7-9pm
All are welcome to come hear an introduction to the teachings.

5 Week Course Consecutive Tuesdays from Sept 14th through Oct 12th, 7-9pm
These classes will be co-taught by Jason Newman and Sophie Léger.

Suggested donation for the course is $40, though any contribution is welcome. For more info, please contact Bethany at 802-375-6353.

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Sadhana of Mahamudra

By Dave | Published: August 17
September 21
6:00to6:45

The Sadhana of Mahamudra is a practice text composed by the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of Shambhala. He wrote the Sadhana in a sacred cave in Bhutan in 1968 at an important turning point in his presentation of the Buddhist teachings in the West.

The Sadhana of Mahamudra is one of the first practices that the Vidyadhara encouraged his students to do, and has a number of important characteristics. This sadhana is a binding factor for our community because students at all levels of practice can participate and receive a true experience or understanding of the spiritual path. Read More »

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