Here’s the schedule for the next two years of Shambhala Training at the Austin Shambhala Meditation Center. This is an updated list as of May 12, 2008.  This is newly updated as of July 3, 2008, and includes three programs at the San Antonio Shambhala Center.

• Level I ~~~ August 22-24, 2008
• Level V ~~~ September 12-14, 2008
• Level II ~~~ October 10-12, 2008
• (Great Eastern Sun in San Antonio ~~~ October 17-19, 2008)
• Drala ~~~ December 12-14, 2008
• Level III ~~~ February 6-8, 2009
• (Windhorse in San Antonio ~~~ March 6-8, 2009)
• Level IV ~~~ April 3-5, 2009
• Meek ~~~ May 8-10, 2009
• Level V ~~~ June 12-14, 2009
• Level I ~~~ September 11-13, 2009
• (Perky in San Antonio ~~~ October 23-25, 2009)
• Level I ~~~ November 13-15, 2009
• Outrageous / Inscrutable ~~~ December 4-6, 2009

By Bob Long

A critical story in the transmission of Eastern wisdom to the West is now told in Deborah Baker’s A Blue Hand: the Beats in India (Penguin, 2008).

I don’t think the importance of their sojourns could be overstated. They went up hill and down dale as early as 1961, finding every swami in his cave and every rinpoche in his monastery (including Dudjom and the Karmapa). Allen Ginsberg at that time was more Hindu oriented, while Gary Snyder and Joanne Kyger were already Buddhists (Kyger had been with Suzuki Roshi since 1957). Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Peter Orlovsky and William Burroughs were in on this too at various points.

Readers might find it irksome that Baker keeps talking about their “quest for God”, but they did, so it comes to make sense in its context. Snyder, who had practiced Zen seriously in Kyoto, could still write -
“In our eternal journey
In the path of infinity
Will shine the mercy of God
Giver of freedom and forgiveness”

to which Allen appended -
“And I will worship him by eating bananas!”

In 1965, Allen, back from India, came to Nebraska to read. I was lucky to have a midnight dinner with him at a certain Bluebird Diner. He took wads of money from his pockets and hurled them everywhere. He gave me a copy of “Howl” and filled it with funny drawings. He wrote ALLEN all over it too.

Twenty years later he was in my New York deleg. Once, after an Indian lunch, we walked into police chasing squatters out of an East Village tenement and clubbing them in the streets. We had all been doing a gallery circuit, but got demoralized and went home.

I finally got to India in 1997, and though white people were pretty scarce, I felt more like a tourist than any kind of pioneer. However squirrelly the Beats were, we should respect them. In the way they stuck their necks out, their courage is still impressive. They were way, way ahead of the curve on this one.

Baker’s book stops before Chogyam Trungpa enters the picture, but for what it’s worth, Allen once said that, of all the people he ever knew, the two who were the most alike were Kerouac and Trungpa - “Sometimes, when I’m with Rinpoche, I feel like I’m with Jack again.” Go figure. And Trungpa, as we know, called Allen “my poetry guru.” But that’s another story from another decade.

19 May 2008 - Update on the Visit of His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa to
New York

This weekend, in a historic first visit to America, His Holiness the
Seventeenth Karmapa gave his first talks to western audiences in New York
City. A second account by Acharya Eric Spiegel, describing the atmosphere of
the visit and talks, follows.

“Saturday was the third day of His Holiness’ visit and the first day of
teachings. There were two talks after which His Holiness gave an evening
talk to the Tibetan community in New York. There were so many old friends
coming together and the atmosphere was of pure delight in the teachings and
in being together.

At the beginning of the morning’s teachings His Holiness seemed genuinely
awed by the audience; he said he hoped we would all take into consideration
that he had just flown around the world a couple of days ago and was totally
awed by addressing an entire ocean of people at once (well over 2,000). He
asked his translator what the title of the talk was (Awakening the Heart of
Enlightenment) and then seemed to swoon by the largeness of it.

His Holiness then gave two lovely talks on the view and practice of
developing and actualizing an enlightened (i.e., compassionate) view. It was
again very sweet, but also very clear, true dharma.

He described New York City perfectly: Everything is racing against
everything else — even the buildings seem to be striving to be taller than
the next ones. People speed around until they come to a complete halt and
when they can move again they speed until they have to stop again. And he
also recognized the tremendous richness in the city — that anything could
happen here.

During the two talks he spoke of befriending our kleshas, since fighting
them has never helped, and of the interdependence of self and other: “What
characterized the Buddha’s compassion was that what he felt about his
himself, he felt about other: whatever he felt about other he felt about
‘I’, and whatever he felt about ‘I’ he felt about other. We can, if we wish,
think of others as separate, or we can think of others as one with oneself.”
(Please understand that despite the quotes, this and the following are from
my notes, and most certainly not exact).

At the end of the morning talk he spoke about love, and his love of us,
concluding with “Many of you have not seen the Gyalwa Karmapa for several
decades, but I can assure you that those of you who made a connection with
the Gyalwa Karmapa have never been out of his mind.”

I would like to say one thing that have I found so very moving: At every
event a majority of the servers and of the people who create and hold the
container have been Shambhala sangha. In particular, the Dorje Kasung are
here in slim disguise (known as “Security” wearing new pins designed by the
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, the official host of this visit) yet they are so
completely the loyal Dorje Kasung, trained by and fulfilling their vows to
the lineage of Sakyongs. Seeing these Warriors manifest so perfectly in
protecting this mandala is truly inspiring. Also very present is Mr. Derek
Kolleeny, who has been serving visiting lamas for many years; during the
morning tea and rice offering his interplay with the Karmapa was just so
gentle and clean. There are many such people popping up everywhere,
manifesting the profound training that we have received through our
wonderful teachers without calling attention to themselves in any way.

I offer my personal thanks everyone who sent such kind messages after my
first posting. This is perhaps not as poetic, but I offer it as a gesture to
the larger sangha and hope that it will continue to inspire you on your
path.

Soaking in the rain of blessings of the lineages of Shambhala dharma,

Eric Spiegel
Ki Ki So So! Karmapa Khyen-no (Karmapa, hold me in mind)”

His Holiness Karmapa in New York:

May 16th
by Acharya Eric Spiegel

I thought I would just report about the welcome ceremony for the 17th
Karmapa. He arrived at 5 a.m. this morning, a little on the early side –
everyone got up really really early or maybe some people were still up.
Many of us kept waking during the night, worried that we’d overslept.

His first stop in North America was the Shambhala Center of New York. In
the first two visits of the previous Karmapa, Shambhala was the sole host of
the visit and on the third we shared it with Karma Triyana in New York.
This time there were many many sanghas involved. The room was beautiful and
buzzing and filled with Tibetans, lamas and western students.

When His Holiness entered, he took his seat on the throne — we have a quite
large throne and he made a joke gesture like it was dizzy up there. A long
mandala offering was done in Tibetan, followed by traditional offerings of
Body, Speech and Mind - there were three sets of these offerings. I believe
for Karma Triyana (the Karmapa’s sangha), Shambhala and Nalandabodhi
(Venerable Ponlop Rinpoche’s sangha). Lady Diana Mukpo made the offerings
on behalf of the Shambhala mandala. Lastly, khatas were offered by all of
the many sanghas represented.

Then His Holiness spoke briefly, in Tibetan. He said that he was shocked to
be here, and suddenly I realized that although to us, or at least me, he is
somewhat monolithic, but to him, this is the first time he has been able to
travel freely to the west and sit in a North American shrine room and begin
his activity here. It was a heartbreaking moment. He said that yesterday
he was in India and now he is in North America and he had to look at
everyone to realize it was true. He thanked the previous Karmapa and the
previous Trungpa Rinpoche for making this possible. I’m sure there was a
bit more, but it was very simple and warm.

Deborah Garrett, who has been working on this for a very long time,
coordinating a huge host of sangha from Shambhala and other communities,
offered a lovely and genuine welcome. Personally, I was very moved that his
first stop in America was in our Shrine Room, which had just be re-furbished
with new Rigden shrine and new cushions shortly before Shambhala Day this
year. Seeing the many sangha, and that students of the Vidyadhara Trungpa
Rinpoche were senior teachers for so many of them, and younger students of
the Sakyong also coming up and taking their place in the organization and
welcoming, made me feel that the dharma is really spreading and deepening.

We we left, it was only 7 am. New York City was just waking up and there
were Tibetan lamas all over the streets of Chelsea. Those of us who could
went home for our beauty naps.

There is so much suffering in this world realm. May the rays of the golden
sun of dharma lighten the load just a bit.

Offered with appreciation for my good fortune being present at this event,
Eric Spiegel

From Georjean Hubner:

Dear Community members,

Please right-click on the image at right to download the pdf flyer about a wonderful fundraiser to benefit cancer research in honor of Maya Hubner. Marigold - Gateway to India is hosting a special benefit evening to honor Maya. Marigold is at 2200 S. Lamar Blvd, and the event is Saturday May 10th, 6:30 - 9:30 pm.

Maya was a member of the Shambhala center her whole life and participated in the children’s program for 10 years. The teachings she learned helped her greatly as she coped with her illness and death. In addition to the info on the flyer there will be an early appearance by the Buddhist monk, David Zuniga, who helped Maya while in the hospital and in hospice. There will also be wonderful raffle prizes, including gift certificates, facail, basket of teas, Dan Castro books and Maya’s cards. Please help support cancer research and honor Maya’s memory.

Maya was a member of the Austin Shambhala Center her whole life and participated in the Children’s Program for 10 years.  She found much comfort in her spiritual path during her illness and would sit at the fountain in the front courtyard of the center after her chemotherapy treatments.  The Butterfly stone was placed there in her memory.

Admission is limited so buy early or contact me regarding will call tickets. Feel free to pass this info on to friends.

Thank you - Sincerely,
Georjean Hubner (Shambhala Hospitality Coordinator)

This is the poem Jake wrote and read to us on Shambhala Day. It’s so cute and we laughed.

Earth Mice!
by Jake Lorfing

one mouse two mice three mice four
six mice eight mice under the floor
mice in the attic
mice at the door
mice in the walls
always more
mice in the vents and hiding in the bathroom
earth mice
furry mice
smelly mice looming
sly mice
bright mice
lusty mice zooming
put down the broom
mice sonic booming
ki ki so mice
let them all go
guiding the new year
mickey
minnie
mo’!

Level One on September 1-3 was a great weekend for all concerned. Our director, Iris Ramos, recommended several books during the course of the weekend, and here is the list of them all.

Amazon links are given for convenience and more information - it doesn’t mean to use Amazon especially.

1. Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior:
Shambhala , Boston and London, 1988.

2. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Turning the Mind into an Ally:
Riverhead Books, New York, NY, 2003.

3. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Ruling Your World:
Morgan Road Books, New York, NY, 2005.

4. Pema Chodron, Start Where You Are:
Shambhala Books, Boston,MA, 1995.

5. Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Not Always So:
Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY, 2002.

6. Jeremy and Karen Hayward, Sacred World:
Shambhala, Boston and London, 1998.

7. Will Johnson, The Posture of Meditation:
Shambhala, Boston and London, 1996.

8. Mary Oliver, New and Selected Poems (”Sunrise”):
Beacon Press, Boston, 1992.

9. Naomi Shihab Nye, Words Under the Words:
The Eighth Mountain Press, Portland, OR, 1995.