Shambhala Sunday Gatherings Archive

Shambhala Sunday Gatherings are an online space where the Shambhala community can practice meditation together, hear dharma teachings from featured guest teachers, learn more about the activities of incredible people in our sangha, engage in discussion – and connect with one another, our community, and our hearts.

If you missed a Sunday Gathering, links to access previous recordings will be posted here once they are available. To view the recording, register for the gathering below and view it in the “My Programs” section of your Shambhala Online account.

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These events are offered free of charge to Shambhala members. Please consider making a donation to support the presenters and production staff that make Sunday Gatherings possible.

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Date: Sunday, January 16, 2022
Teacher: Damita Brown

Join Damita Brown as she speaks about contemplative practice in racial justice work, and why it's important to develop a strong commitment to ending anti-Black racism - and to develop a personal plan for how you want to work towards racial justice.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 26, 2021
Teacher: Kristine McCutcheon

Shambhala has adopted a Code of Conduct. Part I & II looked at the dharma behind the Code and how we can bring it into our daily life. Part III will explore how we can be friendly to ourselves, kinder to others, and actually be of help.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 19, 2021
Teacher: Touching The Earth Collective

Join us for a SUPER family friendly and fun-filled celebration of Children's Day and the Winter Solstice as a way to connect with the cycles of the seasons and the importance of family and children. Hosted by the Touching the Earth Collective.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 5, 2021
Teacher: Susan Skjei

Natural power dynamics exist in nature and in our experience of our world. This presentation explores how habitual patterns can distort our relationship with power and how we can reestablish a connection with natural hierarchy and use power wisely.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 28, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Daniele Bollini

Humanity is living in a democracy, economic, and environmental crisis. Yet we postpone solutions and pretend the problems are not there. This talk explores the Buddhist notion of avidya (basic ignorance), and why we resist a clear perception of reality.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 7, 2021
Teachers: Shastri Janet Bronstein & Peter Nowak

Janet Bronstein and Peter Nowak share about a new Shambhala initiative that seeks ways to measure the societal health and well-being of our community in an ongoing way. Why is this important? How can we even do this? Come learn more!

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021
Teachers: Shastri Janet Bronstein & Peter Nowak

Janet Bronstein and Peter Nowak share about a new Shambhala initiative that seeks ways to measure the societal health and well-being of our community in an ongoing way. Why is this important? How can we even do this? Come learn more!

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 24, 2021
Teacher: Sabine Rolf

Can something be truly new?* How is unique different from new?* This Sunday session will offer an investigation of the chimera of ‘new’, the wild and unrealistic notion that we will feel better if we acquire something new.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 17, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Arawana Hayashi

The presentation will explore how the dharma art teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche are the foundation for the creation of Social Presencing Theater, an arts-based social change process.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 10, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown

Judith Simmer-Brown leads this month’s “Second Sunday” Maitri Bhavana, so we can practice for the wellbeing of others. Maitri Bhavana is a practice that is done for the benefit of the seriously ill, or for major global turmoil and disasters.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 3, 2021
Teacher: John Seex

John Seex will talk about how when we embrace and touch into our personal feelings of emptiness, we can tune into the deepest part of ourselves, and our inseparability from everyone and everything - and we can rest in emptiness.

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
Teacher: Shastri Janet Solyntjes

Come learn how to inquire into another person’s experience through open-ended questions. With so many viewpoints in the world, understanding how to ask questions that are in the space of nowness is a valuable skill that can bring harmony to relationships.

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 19, 2021
Teacher: Touching The Earth Collective

Join us on this special day for a lhasang and other vibrant offerings: some simple and some hugely elaborate, a family song, and a fabulous food feast - all gestures of the heart. We will gather as if for a “Homecoming”, welcoming all!

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 12, 2021
Teacher: Erika Berland

Together with Erika, you will explore the physical “art” of meditation, with the emphasis on the creative aspect of working with the sitting posture, and will take a deep dive into embodiment and its relationship to meditation practice altogether.

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 5, 2021
Teacher: Damita Brown

Join Damita Brown as she speaks about contemplative practice in racial justice work, and why it's important to develop a strong commitment to ending anti-Black racism.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 29, 2021
Teacher: Paul Manasjan

Join Co-Executive Director of Casa Werma, Paul Manasjan, as he speaks about both the history of Casa Werma Retreat Centre in Mexico and how they are currently engaging with and supporting their local community.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 22, 2021
Teacher: Kristine McCutcheon

Shambhala has adopted a Code of Conduct. Part I of this presentation looked at the dharmic teachings that support us in enabling this to be a societal view. Part II will focus on how we can help bring these principles into our daily interactions.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 15, 2021
Teacher: Sophie Leger

Many of us have an ambivalent relationship with space. We either long for more space (overwhelm / claustrophobia) or are threatened by it, (boredom / loneliness). Can we find space even in the midst of chaos? Join this playful exploration!

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 8, 2021
Teachers: Dr. Jane Hawes & Dr. David Shapiro

Join a celebration of the historic publication of Taming of the Demons: The Epic of Gesar Volume 4, with renowned Gesar translators Jane Hawes and David Shapiro. Jane and David will lead a lively discussion of their work on this volume.

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 25, 2021
Teacher: Kristine McCutcheon

Shambhala has adopted a Code of Conduct. What are some of the dharmic teachings that support each of us in enabling this to be a societal view? Join Kristine for a Sunday Gathering that includes guided meditation practice, contemplation, and discussion.

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 18, 2021
Teacher: Martha Hildreth

Martha Hildreth has been helping others work through addiction through Heart of Recovery groups for over forty years. Martha will speak about how addiction has unfolded for people in both hopeful and difficult ways. So many people have been helped!

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 11, 2021
Teacher: Shastri Iris Ramos

We learn early in our Shambhala education that we begin the path of warriorship by cultivating containers of loving kindness in ourselves. When we create and inhabit those containers, the merit spills mercifully onto our families, children and loved ones.

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 4, 2021
Teacher: Shastri Dana Marshall

Dana will talk about how Dharma and Art have been ongoing practices in her life and how they nurture and support each other. Success and failure are the path she walks on as an artist. There will be guided meditation, dialogue and discussion.

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 27, 2021
Teacher: Herbert Elsky

Join artist Herbert Elsky as he shares about how we can open, receive the gifts of our own insight, and dare to make our authentic gesture. Topics for exploration will be: Space - Meditation; Perception; Discipline; Discovery; Authentic Gesture.

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 20, 2021
Teachers: Touching The Earth Collective & Gabriela Cordova-Novion

The Touching the Earth Collective celebrates Midsummer’s Day with a lineup of special speakers and activities.

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 13, 2021
Teacher: Gabriela Cordova-Novion

This presentation is about the magic that is always present and that flows in constant movement around us. How can we detect it, connect to it, and let it permeate our lives? Delving into the last two Noble Truths can help us answer these questions."

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 6, 2021
Teacher: Shastri Stephen Gleich

Join Shastri Steve Gleich as he presents on the theme of not knowing, some interesting work in cognitive psychology, and the teachings in the Buddhadharma on uncertainty. This is a very good time to become acquainted with not knowing.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 30, 2021
Teacher: Bill Brauer

Wherever Shambhalians gather there are widely divergent views and aspirations about where we want to go and who we want to lead us. Join a conversation about how our culture and practices can provide common ground to explore our future together.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 23, 2021
Teacher: Trime Persinger

Join Trime Persigner as she shares about her experiences as a prison chaplain and the insights about basic goodness that she has discovered over the past fourteen years in this role.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 16, 2021
Teacher: Shastri Gayle Van Gils

Whether you love using social media, hate it, or couldn’t care less, we are still entangled in its web. In this gathering, those relationships and the karmic repercussions they bring will be explored.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 9, 2021
Teachers: Shastri Janet Bronstein & Fred Meyer

We weave ourselves into relationships through conversation. We will practice a topic from the Shambhala Community Conversations initiative and explore its potential for creating genuine connection. Part 2 of a 2-Part Sunday Gathering.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 2, 2021
Teachers: Shastri Janet Bronstein & Fred Meyer

Shambhala Community Conversations Facilitators will discuss their experiences of enlightened society through offering conversation spaces that can hold divergent perspectives with gentleness and sanity. Part 1 of a 2-Part Sunday Gathering.

 

 


Date: Sunday, April 25, 2021
Teacher: Touching The Earth Collective

Join a celebration of Earth Day with special guest Jacobed Solano, of the Gunadule People of Panama, who will share some of the 72 definitions of Earth. Also, find out how Shambhala’s seven land centers are uniting to protect the earth.

 

 


Date: Sunday, April 18, 2021
Teacher: Dr. Elaine Yuen

We may often find our encounters are rife with diversity. How do we skillfully interact with people whose actions or words are disparate from our own? Come explore how we can open our hearts to others with cultural humility and support for difference.

 

 


Date: Sunday, April 11, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Richard John

If thinking is what brings meaning to life, why would we want to “cut thoughts”? Why did Chögyam Trungpa teach that cutting thoughts is the key to wisdom? Come explore the subtleties of these classic instructions.

 

 


Date: Sunday, April 4, 2021
Teacher: The Druk Sakyong Wangmo, Lady Diana Mukpo

Join Lady Diana Mukpo for a special Shambhala Sunday Gathering that marks the Parinirvana Day of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Lady Diana will share reflections, stories, and insights about the remarkable life of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

 

 


Date: Sunday, March 21, 2021
Teacher: Touching The Earth Collective

Join Acharya Arawana Hayashi, Barbara Bash, and other special guests for the spring equinox Welcome in spring with dance, music, poetry, and brilliant colors! This family-friendly Sunday Gathering will be hosted by the Touching the Earth Collective.

 

 


Date: Sunday, March 14, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown

One of the passions of Chögyam Trungpa was his love of interreligious dialogue. This two-part presentation will explore the principles of dialogue, and the remarkable fruits of meeting a spiritual other on the ground of mutual exploration.

 

 


Date: Sunday, March 7, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown

One of the passions of Chögyam Trungpa was his love of interreligious dialogue. This two-part presentation will explore the principles of dialogue, and the remarkable fruits of meeting a spiritual other on the ground of mutual exploration.

 

 


Date: Sunday, February 28, 2021
Teacher: Artist to the Court Greg Smith

Imagery plays an important part in Tibetan Buddhism, with its pantheon of deities, buddhas, and methodology of visualization. We will examine the purpose, meaning and varieties, of imagery in the paintings of Tibetan tradition known as thangka painting.

 

 


Date: Sunday, February 21, 2021
Teacher: Christie Cashman

Please join us for an introduction to Max & Phoebe Go to Kalapa, a book Christie Cashman has written for Shambhala children and adults who appreciate the magical world of dralas, pure perception, and the warrior’s journey.

 

 


Date: Sunday, February 14, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Moh Hardin

Join us for a special Valentine’s Day-themed Sunday Gathering about the key ingredient for a good, healthy, and long-lasting relationship - learning how to give each other the gift of space.

 

 


Date: Sunday, February 7, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Fleet Maull

Acharya Maull will explore the Dön season practice tradition in Shambhala, including the nature of personal and social döns and practices for transforming accumulated negative energies and habitual patterns into opportunities for awakening.

 

 


Date: Sunday, January 31, 2021
Teacher: Holly Gayley

The songs of early Buddhist nuns tell their stories of accomplishment, give us insight into how to use life’s challenges as fuel along the path of liberation, and inspire us to reimagine our approach to the spiritual journey.

 

 


Date: Sunday, January 24, 2021
Teacher: Paula Bickford

Join Paula Bickford for a conversation about how meditation practice infuses our life with possibilities to open our senses and experience the richness of our world. There will also be guided meditation, contemplation and group discussion.

 

 


Date: Sunday, January 17, 2021
Teacher: Shastri Mark Blumenfeld

Shastri Mark Blumenfeld presents on how we can apply the Shambhala Dharma to work with difficult dyamics in relationships as one of the most accessible methods to build enlightened society in our lifetime.

 

 


Date: Sunday, January 10, 2021
Teacher: Charlene Leung

Join contemplation and discussion on how racial injustice relates to the Shambhala vision for creating good human society and how our personal journeys of awakening relate to societal awakening.

 

 


Date: Sunday, January 3, 2021
Teacher: Acharya Dan Hessey

While usually thought of as a divination manual, the Yijing (I Ching) can also be read as a description of the development of a good human society which joins Heaven and Earth and is highly resonant with Shambhala teachings.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 27, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Marilyn Moore

Join Shastri Marilyn Moore for group practice and a discussion of how we might stay open to the turmoil, pain and sadness of the past months while still finding ways to acknowledge and even celebrate the arrival of a new year.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 20, 2020
Teacher: Irene Woodard

Join us for a fun-filled celebration of Children's Day and the Winter Solstice as a way to connect with the cycles of the seasons and the importance of family and children.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 13, 2020
Teacher: Donna Williams

This gathering explores how our senses offer a portal to connection: using taste, touch, smell, sight and sound to connect to what is happening right now.

 

 


Date: Sunday, December 6, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Alex Paterson

Join Shastri Alex Paterson for a conversation about how meditation, theatre, and education intersect and complement each other, creating a path of continual playfulness and discovery.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Veit Weber

You are invited to connect with Mindfulness Meditation and the profound question “Who am I?” When we do this, we are relaxing the body and mind in order to feel who we are and be on the spot.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 22, 2020
Teacher: Shelly Webb

The connection between recovery programs and Buddhism is strong, rich and surprising. Join Shelly Webb for this discussion which will be of benefit to all as we cover the 8-fold path, addiction and liberation.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 15, 2020
Teachers: Shastri Janet Bronstein & Fred Meyer

We live in a time in which divisiveness is seductive and pervasive. Practicing genuine conversation is the first step towards overcoming the pull towards divisiveness so that we can consider how to move forward together, globally and within Shambhala.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 8, 2020
Teacher: Alexandra Vlasic

How does the concept of race and the harm of racism relate to Buddhist teaching? How can we use our meditation practices to shed light on racism within ourselves and society? Come and explore these and more questions.

 

 


Date: Sunday, November 1, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Mark Duggan

While recognising that social justice is an integral part of liberalism, it is worth examining if the emerging critical social justice movement is at odds with the core principles of the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 25, 2020
Teacher: Catherine Eveillard

“Our generation’s crime against the future beings on earth will be too terrible to be believed, unless it is already acknowledged by us.” - Joanna Macy. An exploration of this haunting quote.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 18, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Daniele Bollini

L’imperatore romano e stoico filosofo Marcus Aurelius definiva la gentilezza come la più grande delizia, mentre la pazienza secondo la tradizione buddista ci aiuta a sciogliere l’aggressività nello spazio aperto.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 11, 2020
Teacher: Noel McLellan

An exploration of how contemplating impermanence is a foundational practice in the dharma. It is not only a way of "facing facts," integrating change opens our minds and hearts to the flow of nowness and the beauty of life.

 

 


Date: Sunday, October 4, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Mathias Pongracz

In times of uncertainty fear easily comes up. We look for protection, especially in this time of pandemic and societal upheaval. What is the best protection? An exploration...

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 27, 2020
Teacher: Marcella Friel

Recorded on September 27, 2020: A Harvest of Peace Celebration featuring a cooking demonstration using typical foods of harvest bounty, along with a conversation about the importance of meal prayers and blessings.

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 20, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Will Ryken

Recorded on September 20: Shastri Will Ryken led a guided practice and an exploration of and discussion about the Path of Protection, or Kasungship.

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 13, 2020
Teacher: Susan Skjei

Recorded on Sept. 13, 2020: Acharya Susan Skjei hosts a conversation about the right use of power. As is the case in the wider world, Shambhala is waking up to the many ways in which power can either help or harm.

 

 


Date: Sunday, September 6, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Alfonso Taboada

As human beings we need and long to connect with others from birth. Sharing our heart and feeling deeply heard is essential for our growth and sanity and we will practice how to speak from the heart.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 30, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Joanne Martin Braun

Join us as we talk with Joanne about how practicing mindfulness, wakeful management, generosity, and a big view with money can be quite helpful, both pragmatically and emotionally.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 23, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown

This talk introduces how the findings of the new science of compassion beautifully complement the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings on cultivating compassion.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 16, 2020
Teacher: Shastri David Stone

Recorded on August 16, 2020: Shastri Stone spoke about his experience of Mudra Space Awareness practice, the Mudra Theater Group, and the plays that Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 9, 2020
Teacher: John Rockwell

Rousing our awakened heart is a leap to where we already are. The path is to not hold back. The fruition is not known. This talk and discussion will focus on the awakened heart (bodhichitta) of the bodhisattva and the challenges of facing fear.

 

 


Date: Sunday, August 2, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Jil Amadio

In this period of disruption we have experienced and witnessed crisis. It seems there is little we can do to avoid the pain and challenge it presents. It also seems that crisis has a way of bringing us into intimate contact with reality and compassion.

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 26, 2020
Teacher: Shastri Betsy Pond

Access the recording from July 26: The ancient wisdom of meditation retreat in the face of great threat is the practice of embodying ourselves and the present moment. The resulting deepening of connection and compassion releases wisdom that illuminates a

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 19, 2020
Teacher: Sangyum Agness Au

Can we open and relax more - enough to make a move or gesture towards welcoming the intangible presence surrounding us? Join this conversation about the importance of establishing a relationship with intangible presence.

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 12, 2020
Teacher: John Seex

Access the recording from July 12, 2020: Shastri John Seex led meditation practice and a discussion about working with uncertainty.

 

 


Date: Sunday, July 5, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Dan Hessey

How can humanity tame and structure society so it is socially and ecologically harmonious? The Yijing addressed these questions millennia ago. A conversation with Acharya Dan Hessey.

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 28, 2020
Teacher: Gaylon Ferguson

Access the recording from June 28, 2020: In Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Trungpa Rinpoche wrote “The current state of world affairs is a source of concern to all of us.”

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 21, 2020
Teacher: Irene Woodard

Access the recording from June 21, 2020: Recording of the community Touching the Earth Midsummer's Day celebration.

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 14, 2020
Teachers: Steve Saitzyk & Anne Saitzyk

Access the recording from June 14, 2020: Beauty: Is it real, or imagined? Are the characteristics we attribute to beauty objectively present in an object of beauty? Or, are they solely in the eye of the holder? Is beauty conditional or unconditional?

 

 


Date: Sunday, June 7, 2020
Teacher: Sara Lewis

Access the recording from June 7, 2020: Understanding Trauma In Tibetan Buddhism: Join Dr. Sara Lewis in a discussion of her book, Spacious Minds: Trauma and Resilience in Tibetan Buddhism.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 31, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Suzann Duquette

Access the recording from May 31, 2020: Acharya Suzann Duquette talked about impermanence and led discussion and reflection on how we can tune into this potent truth even more deeply during this cataclysmic time.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 24, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Arawana Hayashi

Access the recording from May 24, 2020: Acharya Arawana Hayashi offered practice and a talk about the long-standing connection between Shambhala and the principles of Theory U.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020
Teacher: Pema Chödron

Access the recording from May 17, 2020: Ani Pema held a live, open Q&A about working with the chaos, impermanence and uncertainty of living within a global pandemic.

 

 


Date: Sunday, May 10, 2020
Teacher: Acharya Fleet Maull

Access the recording from May 10, 2020: Acharya Fleet Maull talked about his upcoming online Resilience Summit and speaks about the importance of being resilient in a challenging and constantly changing world.