Acharya Pema Chodron recently (November 2010) taught a program with Mrs. Carolyn Gimian called Smile at Fear that was attended by 3,000 people in the Bay Area. Another 2,000 people from 30 different countries also participated in the program via live video stream. This tremendously powerful event brought together individuals from many different walks of life and wisdom traditions all committed to working with fear and anxiety through the practice of meditation. With the spirit of gentleness and inquisitiveness, Ani Pema Chodron taught us how to befriend our fear to help us find peace in our lives.

The Santa Cruz Shambhala Meditation Group will be featuring a DVD of this program starting on Thursday, January 20, 2011.

We will start sitting meditation at 7:00 PM followed by Smile at Fear. If time allows we will have a short discussion afterwards.

All are welcome!

We usually follow our Thursday night meditation with a featured audio presentation. These tapes/CDs are not limited to the Buddhist tradition. In the past we have listened to talks by Chögyam Trungpa, Tich Nhat Hanh, Joel Osteen, Adyashanti, Eckhart Tolle, and others. We are always open to suggestions.

We are currently listening to a talk entitled "Living in the Eternal Now" by Richard Rohr. Father Rohr is a Franciscan friar ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. He has an engaging style and offers vibrant, contemporary insights into Christian mysticism.

All are welcome to join us on Thursday evening at 7:00 pm

Winter Feast for the Soul

The third annual Winter Feast for the Soul, a worldwide 40-day spiritual practice period, begins January 15, 2010. Thousands of people around the world will daily join in prayer and meditation through guided online sessions on the Winter Feast website.

This event which is now expanding globally was started in 2008 by one woman inspired by a three-line poem by the 13th century poet and mystic Jelaluddin Rumi.

“What nine months does for the embryo
Forty early mornings
Will do for your growing awareness”

There is no prescribed spiritual practice for this event. People are encouraged to use a spiritual practice that brings them peace and stillness. The idea is to set aside 40 minutes daily for spiritual practice with commitment to personal and planetary peace.

This year Anam Thubten joins others from various traditions and will offer a daily talk and meditation session based on the Buddhist teachings known as Prajnaparamita.

Find out more about participating at winterfeastforthesoul.com. On the homepage you will find a link in the upper left titled Online Guided Meditations for 2010. Click on that link and you will open a page with all the meditations that will be offered this year. Click on the links to see the schedule and listen to audio recordings.

There’s also a beautiful video on You Tube which conveys the vision of this wonderful event. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld3jjDaVKGY

November Update

We're having a little pre-Thanksgiving celebration this Thursday!

We'll be meeting at 6:00 pm at the Sash Mill (303 Potrero St, Bldg 45, Rm 106) instead of our usual 7:00 pm start. We will sit for half an hour and then go to Michael's for a modest vegan feast.

Anyone interested in joining us is invited to attend. We can carpool to Michael's after sitting.

Bon Apetit!

November Study

We start each Thursday evening at Shambhala Center of Santa Cruz with a series of chants at 7:00 and then we sit for about 45 minutes. After meditating we listen to stimulating presentations by various spiritual savants.

This month we're listening to a fantastic set of tapes entitled "Even the Sun Will Die: An Interview with Eckhart Tolle".

Why not come and join us? All are welcome!

What better way to celebrate our new home at the Sash Mill than in the form of a nyinthun, or full-day sit?

The nyinthun will be conducted primarily in silence.

If you've struggled to maintain a consistent, daily practice, consider this as your opportunity to get a fresh start.

Please join us on Sunday, October 18 @ 9:00 am to begin sitting.

For more information, please contact Michael Rogers at 831-316-8282.

Introduction

In the lineage of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Pema Chödrön, Shambhala is a wisdom tradition with the view that a dignified life based on meditative understanding is accessible to everyone and can blossom into an enlightened society.

Contemplative practices bring into our ordinary lives a natural sense of goodness, fearlessness, and humor.

We welcome anyone interested in the practice of meditation and anyone who aspires to expand the experience of gentleness and nonaggression into all areas of life.

Our main practice is a simple, direct mindfulness-awareness meditation.

Please join us for meditation Thursday at 7:00 pm and/or Sunday at 10:00 am. Short discussion follows sitting.

Old Sash Mill

303 Potrero Street

Building 45

Room 106