Shambhala Meditation Group of East Aurora response to Letter of the Morning Sun A Retreat Message from the Sakyong (July 2011)
To our esteemed warrior, The Sakyong
From the Shambhala Meditation Group of East Aurora
Please accept the following answers to the questions you posed in your Letter to us all in Autumn 2010
1. What personal commitment will you make to practice and study?
As individuals, we make a personal commitment to bring the habit of meditation into our lives as deeply as we are able and to more consistently and regularly practice the way of Shambhala. We will do this by sitting at home as often as we can and studying texts that support our practice; by continuing our weekly group practice and book study; and continuing our journeys through the levels of training as our life space allows.
We commit to supporting our group and accepting responsibility and leadership for its growth in whichever way we are called to do so. We will support each other in our group practice and we will support those who lead us by offering whatever skills we have. Each of accepts a personal role in outreach so that we might welcome new members to our group and share with them the fruits of what we have been able to build here.
As a group, we commit to bringing the next four levels of study to our community in the next twelve months. We will add a second time for weekly group practice to our schedule and create a dedicated space for our practice.
We agree to share responsibility for the many activities of our group so that it can continue to prosper, including organizing our weekly group practice and caring for our shared space. We will continue to enliven our practice by bringing new material and resources from within the Shambhala network and outside. Resources might include books, on-line courses and other forms of study which will deepen our understanding of the Shambhala path and offer different ways for new people to connect with the work of Shambhala. We will begin to celebrate the Shambhala festivals and plan events that deepen and strengthen our sense of community and shared commitment to this path.
2. What will you offer Shambhala?
We offer our sincere willingness to bring the Shambhala teachings into our daily life, honoring the duality of gentleness and fearlessness in all that we do. We agree to wholeheartedness in our efforts, not holding back, but having the courage to step into whichever roles we are called to perform and to take up the work with exertion and joy.
We will build a strong vessel for the Shambhala work, a nourishing, nurturing space which feels welcoming to all whether they choose to stay for one week, one year or a lifetime. We will strive to create an authentic local presence which might become a source of loving interest to our community in East Aurora. We make manifest the work of Shambhala in large ways and small, such as creating a library that we might share books with each other and supporting our community garden that we might grow and share nourishing food.
3. What do you aim to do in the world as a Shambhalian?
We agree to plant the seeds of gentleness and fearlessness in every aspect of our lives, bringing our warrior selves to the work of parenting, study, our vocation and our meditative practice. We will cultivate an authentic presence as individuals and as a group and offer the gift of being that we might light the fires of interest in others.
We will work to understand that this path is not about “me”, but about the communities that we serve – our families, our workplaces and other communities near and far. We will strive to make choices, small and large, which are aligned with our deepening sense of community. Whether buying car, offering a home to a shelter dog or shopping for groceries, we will choose thoughtfully with respect for our earth and all that dwell here.
With loving gratitude
Warriors of East Aurora, NY
