This year we will celebrate the Harvest of Peace with our FIRST ANNUAL SHAMBHALA FALL FAIR. Just like a fair there will be potluck food, entertainment and prizes! We will also have a Silent Auction. Everyone is invited to donate something — an item, a service, an experience — such as (but by no means limited to) ….

• home-made items – preserves, baking, crafts or produce from your garden….
• services – leaf raking, a massage, design a flyer for someone’s business….
• art – a photograph, poetry, painting, portrait, Ikebana arrangement….
• entertainment – a home cooked meal at your home, storytelling, or stand up comic routine….
• educational – teach a private yoga class, a cooking lesson, a calligraphy lesson, a guided bird watching hike
• your inspiration here…. ___________________

Proceeds from the Shambhala Fall Fair will go towards projects to uplift our space and support our ability to host a visit by the Sakyong or Sakyong Wangmo [hopefully not so far in the future].

Our planning group is just getting off the ground. If you are interested in joining the group to make this a great day please contact the Harvest of Peace Coordinator c/o toronto@shambhala.org.

In the meantime, start to think about what talent, skill, interest, or inspiration you would like to share.

An article by Nick Butler with photos by Chris Luginbuhl

The idea of attending a weekend meditation retreat sounded like a pretty idyllic escape from the beginning. But I must confess that, on the drive to Juniper Hill Retreat Centre, I found myself wondering what I was really getting myself into. After all, I had never sat in meditation for any extreme length of time, or adhered to any sort of strict meditation schedule. Like many beginners, my approach to sitting had always tended toward the forgiving side…I would tell myself: “five minutes on the cushion? Good enough! At least I tried”.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the incredible warmth with which Madeline Conacher, Louis Allen and Mabinti Dennis welcomed the eclectic group of around ten into our new, weekend home. Their open-armed approach to hosting set a wonderful tone from the start. It’s as if their welcoming attitude gave us all permission to be open and receptive to one another, ridding any sense of shyness or trepidation among the group. It felt safe and nonjudgemental.

The second thing that struck me was the breathtaking view offered by their sprawling property. The rolling hills seem to go on forever, uninterrupted and untouched. As we were treated to a delicious and healthy abundance of food outdoors, it’s safe to say that we had all begun to feel relaxed, and the meditating hadn’t even started.

Over the course of the next two days, we were guided along an incredible path of practice that combined sitting meditation, walking meditation, Shamatha Yoga, useful talks by by Madeline, Louis, and Mabinti, as well as a great video of a talk by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche from the 2009 Sangha Retreat at Shambhala Mountain centre. The schedule was an ideal fit for a beginner since it offered a satisfying challenge without pushing too far or feeling too strenuous.

But the group was comprised of people with all levels of experience and it became clear that, no matter what stage each one of us was at, we were all finding value in sharing our practice with like-minded people in this secluded oasis, far removed from every day distractions.

Madeline, Louis and Mabinti offered clear, practical and detailed instructions and also encouraged discussions. It was incredibly comforting to hear about the challenges others faced and to realize that none of us were truly alone on our path. We had all been dealing with the same questions, obstacles and experiencing the same breakthroughs, yet so rarely do we have the opportunity to share these moments with others. There was tremendous benefit to the sense of community that emerged even over such a short period of time, as it helped forge a feeling of companionship and unity.

I think we all left Juniper Hill with a renewed commitment to the practice and a mysterious sense of inner peace that had definitely not been there on the drive up.

To view a slide show of Chris’s photo’s go to our Flickr website.

A message from the Steering Committee for Families and Children in Toronto Shambhala

“May the heart of our community be warmed by the laughter of children, energized by the passion of teenagers, inspired by the pure vision of young adults, enriched by the generosity of parents, strengthened by the discipline of adults, stabilized by the wisdom of the elders and altogether held and guided by the lineage.” - Family and Children Working Group, Shambhala

The Steering Committee for Families and Children in Toronto Shambhala is delighted to share with you our new structure and programming for the coming year, 2010-2011.

OVERVIEW

Parenting as Path: A week-night course will take place September/October for individuals interested in delving into the Shambhala Buddhist teachings as they relate to working with the path of parenting. This course will be followed by a one-day program. Teachers, topics, and dates to be announced in August.

Children’s Programming: New monthly children’s programs will take place January through May 2011 and will include programming for “Tigers” (age 0-4), “Lions and Garudas” (age 5-8), “Dragons” (age 9-12 and up). The classes will take place on Saturday mornings. A group planning day will take place in the fall; all are invited to come and contribute to the development of this program.

Community celebrations and Sangha Days: Children’s programming will be included in the Harvest of Peace event and other community celebrations. In addition, community building family outings will be organized throughout the year.

Children’s Day Performance: In November/December, children will be invited to join 2 or 3 sessions to plan and rehearse for the annual Children’s Day celebration.

The Steering Committee will be led this year by Victoria Hagens, Toronto sangha member and mother of Henry and Arthur. Victoria was raised in Boulder and Nova Scotia by Shambhalians Tom and Jacquie Bell, and she also serves on the Sakyong’s Council for Shambhala. The committee wishes to express appreciation on behalf of the entire community to Harald Dienes, who has led the committee for the past three years. Harald spearheaded the development of the Bodhi School program, and will continue to serve on the committee as a coordinator for Parenting as Path.

Committee members:

• Victoria Hagens: chair
• Jil Amadio: vice-chair and teacher
• John Crone: database administrator and teacher
• Harald Dienes: Parenting as Path
• Wendy Baks: committee member
• Shawna Campbell: committee member

We are currently recruiting additional teachers and coordinators for the fall/winter programming. If you are interested in joining the Steering Committee and/or working on any of the initiatives described for the coming year, please contact Victoria via toronto@shambhala.org.

We look forward to seeing you (and your children) in the fall!

Article by Peggy Stockdale and photos by Chris Luginbuhl

Our weekend of practice at Juniper Hill Retreat Centre began the moment four of us set out on the traffic-crawling trek out of Toronto, a sense of relaxed friendliness that would carry through the entire retreat. If we could stay patient in pre-long weekend traffic , then anything was possible.

As we finally drove freely east, then north through winding country hills, I was happy just to see open fields, cows, a tractor on the road – to get out of the city and be reminded of fresh air and space.

If you’re not familiar with Juniper Hill, Louis Allen and Madeline Conacher have created a nurturing atmosphere of comfort and warmth. Their wooden-beamed house sits on top of the hill, with a spectacular view of fields and forest. We nine participants, plus Laurel Lewey who staffed the weekend, felt immediately at home.

Most of our time was spent up in the lovely shrine room Louis built over the garage, with windows on either side bringing fresh air and nature into our meditation. Sessions were broken by walks around the yard and shamatha yoga barefoot on the grass, as well as instruction from Louis and Madeline. We were all at different stages in our practice, from beginners to some who had meditated for years. That diversity somehow offered support and encouragement to all, even in the silence of sitting.

Not to say that it was silent. City traffic was replaced by constant birdcalls, crickets, frogs croaking away in the pond, and coyotes that woke a few of us in the night. It was a reminder of how accustomed we often become of city sounds, and how distant nature is in our daily lives.

View slide show.

The rest of our time was spent mostly in the kitchen or on the patio. In the mornings we sat silently with coffee and some reading, or simply stretched out on the grass. The afternoons and evenings brought conversation and laughter. We were extremely well fed, spoilt really, with chilli, trout, some amazing quiche, grilled cheese and Louis’ crepes. Rhubarb from their garden. Real cream. Needless to say, there were very few leftovers.

The weather, which had been threatening rain, was extremely cooperative. Louis took us on a walk around the property, which holds several fields, the aforementioned pond of frogs, a patch of woods where a cabin is hidden away from sight, for solitary retreats. Saturday evening, we settled into the shrine room to watch a talk by Pema Chodron, which was an entertaining and insightful extension of our practice.

Two days is a very short time, but I think we would all agree that our practice and understanding was deepened in the process. While I would have loved to stay in that wonderful space for as long as possible, I know we carried the benefits of our experience back with us to our daily lives.

On behalf of the participants of the Spring Simplicity Retreat 2010, I gratefully thank Madeline and Louis for offering their home, their hearts, and their guidance; to Laurel Lewey for helping keep us fed and happy, and to the weather for being such a good sport. Juniper Hill will have a special place in our hearts from now on, and I’m sure we’ll be back as soon as time permits.

Miksang Contemplative Photography is featured in the April edition of PhotoLife. PhotoLife is one of Canada’s premier photography magazines. The April issue is now available in bookstores.

On Sunday April 18, John McQuade will be conducting a one day Miksang Introductory workshop, Looking and Seeing, at the Toronto Shambhala Centre.

As well, this spring both founders of Miksang contemplative photography, John McQuade and Michael Wood, will be conducting Miksang programs at Shambhala land centers.

Michael Wood
Opening the Good Eye - Miksang Level One
Shambhala Mountain Center
May 28-31

John McQuade
The Way of Seeing and the Way of Nature
Dorje Denma Ling
June 11-13

For further information about Miksang visit www.miksang.org and www.miksang.com.

Renee Beneteau, a member of the Toronto Shambhala Centre, and her husband Claus Nader are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Ela Evelyn Beneteau-Nader. Ela was born on February 5 at 11:13 am and weighed 8 lbs 2 ounces.

If you wish to connect, you can friend request Renee on Facebook (more photos there!).

Madeline Conacher, a member and teacher at the Toronto Shambhala Centre, was quoted recently in an article in Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail.

Micah Toub, in his column “A man’s guide to avoiding premature apology,” discusses how to say your sorry.

Referring to Sakyong Mipham’s book, Ruling Your World, Madeline says,

“In it, he [Sakyong Mipham] talks about how the most important quality you need is discernment – not to rush into things and to be humble and to really look before you leap”… “So before you speak or act, really think about and decide what you want to say.”

On the weekend of February 13/14, the Toronto Shambhala community enjoyed the festivities of the new year, celebrating Saturday evening with a soiree and on Sunday with a community program that featured an online talk from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

On Saturday evening, the main shrine room was transformed into an elegant cafe. Members and friends of the centre enjoyed food and drink and socializing, as well as entertainment and toasts. Tara Slone graced us with several songs, including the Beatle’s Across the Universe. Comedienne, Elaine Smookler, had us in stitches with her irreverent take on Buddhism; and performance artist, Paul Persofsky, awakened us with his spontaneous moving meditation.

On Sunday, we practiced the yearly sadhanas and listened to a talk by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche broadcast over the Internet. One of the highlights of the broadcast was seeing people from the many other Shambhala centres from around the world through their webcams.

Overall, the Shambhala community was delighted in being together and in welcoming in the new year.

Today, Saturday February 13, we spent the morning getting ready for Shambhala Day and for our Saturday evening Shambhala Soiree.

The first order of business was to hang our new photo of the Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo. Thanks to Fred and Mark, it is now gracing our community room.

Paul and Menno soon arrived on the scene bringing in all the necessary ingedients for our evening party.

Many others were also on hand to help with the cleaning and arranging. Ruth provided the finishing touches with some beautiful flower arrangements, while Sherap cleaned and polished the shrines.

On a gloomy mid-winter day in Toronto, the Shambhala Centre is sparkling!

On Sunday January 10, we completed our annual winter meditation intensive at the Shambhala Meditation Centre of Toronto.

Starting on Saturday January 2nd, thirty-five people attended an Introduction to Meditation program led by Joe Lukezich.

For the next eight days, we had meditation sessions every night and on some weekday mornings. Weekends were nyinthun-style, beginning at 10am and ending at 5pm.

Over all 280 people, including members, friends and newcomers, participated in the sitting and walking meditation sessions. Some participants were long-time practitioners; for others it was their first time on the cushion. At every session, there was a meditation instructor available for anyone who wanted meditation instruction. Overall, more then fifty members volunteered their time, filling the required positions of time-keeper (umdze), host (padma), and gatekeeper.

We received many words of appreciation from participants. It was pointed out that there are really few if any other places in Toronto where people can come and meditate on a regular basis with no strings attached.

Many thanks to all who participated! And, a special thanks to Helmfried Muller, our Co-Director of Practice and Study, who organized the event!