Belonging in Shambhala, February 13, 2021

Belonging to Shambhala means to me to give room to people to experience dharma and sangha and to create different possibilities for that.

I can’t leave because of all the people that I see here today.

Basic goodness is our life. I feel it is a big present to be part of Shambhala, which I like to share with the world. I am curious how the transformation will be that we pass through at the moment. It is important not to leave anybody behind.

Still feeling the sadness and pain of the fracture in the community.

Pain, sadness, open heart, not judging, I humbly bow to my teacher who is out there and encourages me again and again to open.

I admire Shambhala and all the precious things which are offered. But now, I feel disconnected and somehow lost, especially looking at all our ceremonies and rituals. For me rites are watering down the essence.

Many of us in Shambhala felt quite often that the world depends on us. I think this is a melt of arrogance and overburden.

In the past, Shambhala was a sort of exclusive and elitist thing. This was not helpful to the teachings.

I see my hopes lean on the teachings in order to build a new society. But at least the last two years I do not know where I belong anymore. It is obvious, there has been harm done to people in Shambhala, I cannot understand why somebody can ignore that or say, it is not so bad.

Maybe we should emphasize more the idea of Shambhala than the structure.

How can we create our own energy moving forward, not relying on others to create the energy?

Confidence is the courage to look directly into the mess — when we do not love each other at all, when we fear for our position in a mandala, when we strive for confirmation — the courage to really look into this dark shit and feel it IS confidence; the confidence that we will find the wisdom right there in the dark shit.

Our curriculum is linear and long. In our competitive society that is easily understood as “you will be never good enough.” Could there be space and time for people to be just welcome to abide in Shambhala?

It was good for me—having lost the connection to the Sakyong—to hear how it is to still have it, and the very personal reasons for that. Without the issue of who’s right and who’s wrong.

I feel a strong feeling of love for you all and gratefulness. You are my sense of belonging.

It is heart-warming to share with everyone, I love to also feel close to people far away, across the ocean.