Editorial (2nd Quarter/ 2017)

Dear Friends,

 

In the editorial for our first newsletter this year, I wished you a cheerful new solar year. By now we have also traversed Dön season and entered the new Tibetan year of the Female Firebird, marked by Losar and Shambhala Day at the end of February. It is therefore my pleasure to wish us a fruitful new cycle of seasons, and that we can all apply and embody the Shambhala teachings in our everyday lives.

 

Shambhala Day also brought a number of exciting news, among them the Sakyong’s comment during his official address that he composed a new Sādhana on kindness last winter. This, for me, also very much resonates with news about a book on the art of conversation, expected to be published towards the end of 2017 – both engage with mindful and meaningful ways of connecting with each other. Furthermore, at the request of the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo, the Office of Culture and Decorum announced the reinstatement of the Shambhala Service Awards. Recipients also include members of our London Centre – I counted 27 awards linked to our Sangha, in some cases even multiple awards for the same practitioner.

 

The Centre continues to offer a welcoming and warm space for meditation and connection, and just like the insects and birds during spring time, everyone seems positively busy and engaged – combining deep practice with meditation in action and radiating out this aspiration into their households, workplaces, and relationships. I am also happy to know that quite a number of our members will be participating in Assemblies and other programmes later this year. Our newsletter this quarter illustrates this strong engagement with a rich offering of contributions. I am particularly grateful for a wonderful essay by Artist to the Court Marcia Wang Shibata.

 

With my best wishes for your practice and our community,
Yours in the vision of the Great Eastern Sun,
Paul

 

Paul grew up with a Zen and Pure Land background. He encountered Tibetan Buddhism as a teenager, especially through the Khyentse lineage. Oxford-based, he studies Sanskrit and teaches yoga, Sanskrit, and Pali.

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