Shambhala Day 2014
Together with 311 other Shambhala centers around the world, Seattle Shambhala welcomed the new lunar year, the Year of the Wood Horse, with meditation and renewed commitment to creating enlightened society.
An early-morning lhasang ceremony sent up juniper smoke to invite the drala energy. More than 80 meditators settled into the shrine room to hear a cheerful call to action from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
At a time when the geopolitical situation is intense, we are called upon to embody our principles, the Sakyong said, and to “create a culture of kindness.”
The Sakyong urged sangha members to “hitch up your chuba,” the Tibetan equivalent of rolling up your sleeves. “We are being asked to become architects of a new civilization,” he said. “What are the value systems we want to uphold?”
To read a transcript of the Sakyong’s address, click here For other Shambhala Day videos, click here.
Seattle Shambhalians quickly got started, by welcoming 17 new members, hearing the vows of new sangha leaders, and planning a community meeting to envision an additional meditation space in the city.
The auspicious magic of Shambhala Day was clear in comments by Shastris Ben Hines and Matthew Lyon. Shastri Lyon led a tossing of coins and a reading from the I Ching, The Book of Changes. The coins indicated hexigrams #45, “Gathering Together”, and #43, “Breakthrough.” What could be more auspicious for a Shambhala center poised to grow into a new space and to invite even more people onto the path of dharma during the Year of the Wood Horse?
