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Halifax Shambhala Centre Sunspot Newsletter

Oct. 18- 24, 2019

Buddhist Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows
with Acharya Noel McLellan

Saturday, November 16

2pm Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony  open to vow takers and those who have previously taken the vow.
All who have taken the vow are encouraged to formally retake it as often as possible; please register as a vow taker to do this.
3pm  Refuge Vow Ceremony open to all! 
Friends and family of Bodhisattvas and Refugees are invited to Refuge vow ceremony and reception. Register here.

Vows Preparatory classes
with Linda Kreger and Amos Peres  

Monday evenings
October 28, and November 4, both at 7pm

 
Refuge Vow Preparatory class with Amos Peres  
OPEN TO ALL
https://halifax.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=404094

Bodhisattva Vow Preparatory class, with Linda Kreger
Open to those who have taken the Refuge Vow at least 6 months prior
https://halifax.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=404731

 

Contentment in Everyday Life
with Shastri Mary Campbell and Cyndi Levine
Thursday evenings, Nov. 14- Dec. 12, 7-9PM

The heart of meditation practice is learning to rest in the present moment and find contentment with what is going on around us.  Contentment in Everyday Life offers an experiential training in mindful appreciation and gentleness to oneself.  It introduces foundational Buddhist teachings on the nature of suffering.

Each class includes meditation practice, contemplation and shamatha yoga.
Overview of the Course: Weekly Themes:
Class 1: Contentment and Friendliness to Oneself.
Class 2: Contentment and Nowness. 
Class 3: Suffering and the Four Noble Truths
 Class 4: Working with Emotions and Buddhist Psychology
Class 5: The Confidence of Contentment

OPEN TO ALL.  $100 program/ $125 patron price. More info and registration: https://halifax.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=404092

 

Being Tara: Uniting the Dharma that is Taught
& the Dharma that is Experienced

With Acharya Eve Rosenthal and Basia Solarz 

Next session is our day-long retreat:
This Saturday Oct. 19, 10am- 5:30pm
Come whether you've attended the others or not! 
Open to all by donation. 

The Lung for individual White Tara practice will be offered at 9:30am, open to all who have taken Refuge Vows, or plan to take them in November.

In this series of gatherings, we will explore cultivating compassion through White Tara practice and how it can support our activity, uplift our attitude and enlarge our perspective. Each gathering will include creative activity to explore the dharma that is experienced, White Tara practice, and the dharma that is taught.

Come to all, any or one of the remaining sessions, Oct. 19, & 22 

More information: https://halifax.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=408202

 

Two Events with the Nalanda Translation Committee Saturday, Oct. 26

Open to all: Our Fourth Journey to the East

The Translation Committee invites you to join us for a presentation on our fourth journey to the East to work with Karma Senge Rinpoche on the Collected Tibetan Works of the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. There will be a slideshow, stories, reports on our work, and discussion. Light refreshments and chatting to follow. Free of charge, and all are welcome. See you there!

12 – 1 pm, Saturday October 26
 

For Vajrayogini practitioners: Krodhikali Lung

Just before the slideshow, the Translation Committee will offer the reading transmission for the Play of the Great Secret Dakini. This is a Krodhikali Sadhana discovered by the Vidyadhara Trungpa Rinpoche as a terma when he was a teenager in Tibet. Krodhikali(“Black Wrathful Lady”) is a form of Vajrayogini, black in colour. This reading transmission is restricted to those who have received the Vajrayogini abhisheka. It is offered free of charge; those inspired may make a donation to the Translation Committee. Copies of the Krodhikali Sadhana will be available for $20, cash or cheque.

11 am – 12 pm, Saturday October 26

www.nalandatranslation.org

Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo
November 2nd, the Day of the Dead, at 2 pm, Open to all!

Annual reading of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, as translated by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Francesca Fremantle.

It is said that the more familiar one becomes with the bardo teachings from the traditional text, Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo, the more likely one is to recall the instructions at the time of dying. We will take turns reading through the text out loud.

Death comes without warning. Come and listen. Come and read. Come and practice.  For more information, or to volunteer to read, please contact Death Matters.

 

Shambhala Training Level II: The Birth of the Warrior

November 8-10, with Julia Sable and Seth Levinson
https://halifax.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=404091

Having experienced a taste of basic goodness in Level I, we begin to work with the obstacles that arise as meditation practice develops.  We explore how habitual ways of thinking and experiencing obscure the raw brilliance of the world we live in as well as our own genuineness and tenderness. Meditation practice allows us to observe how we create a cocoon of habits to mask underlying fear. We begin to appreciate that there is no fundamental obstacle to experiencing basic goodness.

Prerequisite: Shambhala Training Level I

Program price: $75.  Retake the program for half price!

 

Daily Meditation Sessions

Each public meditation is led by a time-keeper and is free, open to all. All are welcome to attend for all or part of the session.

  • Evening meditation:  Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 pm
  • Sunday morning meditation:  9 a.m. to noon
    Includes mindfulness-awareness meditation, alternating with brief periods of walking meditation.  Meditation instruction available.  Followed by social time with croissants and tea.

Note: The room location for meditation practice may change depending on availability at the time. Please check, when you arrive at the Centre, for the location. 

NEW: We are now open for drop in meditation from 11am-2pm on Mon, Wed, and Fri, thanks to our wonderful front desk volunteers!

 Taste of Shambhala Open House
Food, Conversation, Meditation Instruction
& Dharma Talks 
Every Wednesday Evening:
6-7pm    
Tea and snacks are served**
7:00         Meditation practice with instruction
7:45-8:30    Dharma talk and discussion led by an experienced meditation teacher in Shambhala.
OPEN TO ALL
**We will serve soup on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month, tea, cookies on the others.
Upcoming talks:
Wed. Oct. 23: "Realization and Choice" with Cecelia Driscoll-- cookies and tea served
Wed. Oct. 30 "Discovering Contentment" with Shastri Mary Campbell-- cookies and tea served
Wed. Nov. 6: "Letting Go" with Kathryn Heckman-- soup served

Wed. Nov. 13: "Making Friends with Ourselves" with Linda Kreger-- cookies and tea served
Wed. Nov. 20: "Open Heart/ Open Mind" with Michelle Munro--soup served
Doug van Hemessen
"Photography as a Way of Seeing"
MEET THE ARTIST! 
Reception Sunday Oct. 20 at 4PM
Exhibit continues through October
in the HSC Community Room

----------------
Upcoming show starting November 1st: the art work of Connie Clause.
If you own an original piece of art by Connie that you would like to lend to hang in the show, please let us know!  

People of Color Meditation Session
12:00 - 1:00 PM on Fridays

POC weekly gathering will not meet Oct. 25, Nov. 1 and Nov. 22, 29, Dec. 27 and Jan. 3.  If you have questions about joining in on Friday meditation sessions,  please email ML at poc.collectivecare@gmail.com

Monthly Practices:
Full Moon Shambhala Sadhana

THE OCTOBER FULL MOON IS ON THANKSGIVING WEEKEND, SO WE WILL WAIT UNTIL NOV. FOR OUR NEXT PRACTICE. 
Next practice: Tuesday Nov. 12 at 7 PM
Practice of the Shambhala Sadhana is open to all members of the Shambhala community on the Full moon of each month and at quarterly Nyida days.  This practice is a way to celebrate and strengthen our understanding of basic goodness and enlightened society.

New Moon Sadhana of Mahamudra
Next practice: Sunday, Oct. 27, 5:30 PM
Open to all.  A sadhana is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice involving both meditation and chanting. This profound sadhana invokes the wrathful manifestation of Padmasambhava (the father of Tibetan Buddhism) to help us overcome obstacles and confusion during this time.
 

Shambhala Meditation
monthly practice days

Next date: Sat. Nov. 2 from 9am- 5pm
A full day of Shambhala Meditation for those who have formally received the practice at a program.   Please register ahead

Grief Support Group
1st Wed. of each month, 4:30-6:30 PM
Next meeting: Nov. 6
For any practitioner who has experienced the death of a loved one.  Please let Jacquie or Shari know you're interested by Tues. before the session, which will take place if 2 or more people are interested. Contact: 

jacquie.bell@gmail.com 
or shari.vogler@gmail.com
Exit Planning
Last Wed. of each month:  from 12-1:00pm.
Next meeting: Wed. Oct. 30
Exit Planning is a monthly meeting to complete your Spiritual Directive.  A Spiritual Directive is a plan for a Buddhist funeral service.  If you are considering a Buddhist funeral there are some decisions to make about your arrangements.
Please drop in to ask questions or pick up a copy of a Spiritual Directive.  There is no cost for this session.
For more information contact Deborah Luscomb  or Dawn Carson
Copyright © 2019, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Halifax Shambhala Centre 
1084 Tower Road 
Halifax, NS B3H 2Y5 
Canada 
Tel. (902) 420-1118 

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