Understanding Year End Practice & Dön Season

by Russell Rodgers In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is a period before the Tibetan New Year in the late winter/early spring when accumulated karma comes to fruition and societal obstacles arise. This year, between January 30 – February 8, we will do “Mamo Practice” to purify obstacles of the old year. Then, on Shambhala Day, February 10, we … Continue 

In Ordinariness…Magic is Possible

“We could say that magic begins at home, with our own minds. What is so special about it? We don’t see anything extraordinary about it. That is true. It is quite ordinary. In fact, the ordinary aspect becomes so powerful that it is magic. We relate with the world on as ordinary a level as … Continue 

“Whoa…” Entering Into Your Sitting Practice

by Lynn Dragone Today I find myself. Ah, Here I am!….as I break through the momentum of my day. I find myself as I am looking out the window toward Elephant mountain. I see the wind moving the branches of the tree outside. I hear a crow call out, then a siren in the distance, … Continue 

Book Review: ENLIGHTENED SOCIETY A Shambhala Buddhist Reading of the Yijing (I Ching) by Acharya Daniel Hessey

I found this to be a deeply insightful ‘unpacking’ of the I ching/Yijing as well as a means to understand the profound teachings of Shambhala. It discusses Basic Goodness, Co Emergence, Drala, Auspicious Coincidence, Authentic Presence and what it means to Join Heaven and Earth. It also explains with great clarity the view on ‘divination’ … Continue 

Cultivating Your Daily Practice

  Yesterday I was filling up the single glass bowl on my meditation table with clean clear water and as I did so I felt the fresh moment ‘as it is’. This simple action delighted me, maybe because of the sheer simplicity of the action itself. We get so complicated in so many ways of … Continue 

The I Ching for the year of the Iron Ox

The I Ching is thrown for our centre on Shambhala Day. This year I threw the coins during our local sangha Zoom connection. This is what ‘turned up’. There are several sources for the interpretations., The I Ching Workbook/R.L.Wing  The I Ching or Book of Changes B.B. Walker and Acharya Dan Hessey The Yijing and … Continue 

Don Season: Clearing the way for Tibetan New Year/Shambhala Day

(pronounced dun) Edited by L. Dragone from the original by Russ Rogers In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is a period before the Tibetan New Year on Friday Feb 12th in the late winter/early spring when accumulated karma comes to fruition and societal obstacles arise. This year, between Monday February 1st and Wednesday February 10th … Continue 

Human Drala

By Russ Rodgers Sometimes one encounters people or places that cut through one’s habitual chain of thoughts. The Tibetan word for that is “drala”, which means “above the enemy”. In this case the enemy is our cocoon of gossipy thoughts that keeps us separated from the beauty of the world. Practitioners who are familiar with … Continue 

Buddhism and Brain Science

by Russell Rodgers Most of us believe that our minds are in our heads. We have been told that our brains are biological computers—like the ones in our electronic devices, just more complex. When we get into this mode of thinking, it is hard to see meaning in life: it’s programmed and mechanical. Love becomes … Continue 

Casting Spells and the Magic of Letters

By Russ Rodgers Consider for a moment the letters on this page. On one level, letters have been familiar since we were four years old. You might feel impatient: “no big deal, let’s move on. I know all about letters.” However, as a meditator, you could do better. Meditate on the letter A below. Meditate … Continue