Global Day of Action for Tibet

Global Day of Action for Tibet – Monday, March 31, 2008

In solidarity with Tibet Support Groups worldwide, Tibetans and their supporters in the Victoria (BC) area will participate in a

GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION.

Victoria Event: Vigil at the Legislature (Parliament Buildings) - this Monday 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

On March 31 Tibetans and their supporters around the world will wear “khatag”. The use of khatag (ceremonial white silk offering scarf) has been an important part of Tibetan tradition for centuries, dating at least to the 7th Century AD. It is an auspicious symbol representing the purity and sincerity of the one offering it, with no negative thoughts or motives in their mind.

It is with this purity of intent that Tibetans and their supporters appeal to the Chinese Government to immediately cease its brutal crack-down on Tibetans inside Tibet, permit international journalist and UN monitors into the region, and immediately engage in sincere dialogue and negotiation with the Dalai Lama.

With each passing day the media black-out in Tibet has resulted in heightened anxiety and fear for the safety of Tibetans inside Tibet. The determination of supporters outside Tibet has continued unabated, even in India and Nepal where hundreds of Tibetans have been arrested for engaging in peaceful protests.

On Monday March 31 rallies, vigils, and other protests actions will take place across Canada and around the world in support of Tibet.

Oneness Wednesdays with Margo McLoughlin

Come and join us for Oneness Wednesdays when Margo McLoughlin will be leading two evenings of Insight Meditation on April 9th and April 16th at 7:00 p.m.

Insight Meditation is the practice of opening to things just as they are. At the core of this practice is mindfulness. Mindfulness of our moment-to-moment experience leads to a gradual settling of the activity of mind. In this settled place of awareness we learn the truth of impermanence. We learn to let go. What emerges out of this increasing clarity is our natural wisdom and compassion. We come to see that our practice of attending to the moments of our lives, training the mind in awareness, has far-reaching effects, touching everyone we meet.

A graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, Margo is a Victoria writer and storyteller. She will be leading a one-day Introduction to Buddhist Meditation at Royal Roads University Continuing Studies on Saturday, April 12th. For more information, visit http://www.royalroads.ca/continuing-studies/PEMS1338-Y07.htm


Oneness Wednesdays take place at the Church of Truth, Community of Conscious Living, 111 Superior Street in James Bay every Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. Oneness Wednesday evenings are open to the public and are free or by donation. For additional information, phone Linda at 380-6383 or visit http://cot.seedwiki.com.

Dharma Photography(click on poster to enlarge)

Practice Session & Discussion in support of the people of Tibet

Many of us are familiar with the deteriorating situation within Tibet over the past couple of weeks. China has recently expelled tourists and foreign journalists from the Tibetan Autonomous Zone, and cut communications from this region. At the same time thousands of military personnel have been deployed to quell a growing unrest. With the Summer Olympics around the corner, all eyes are on China to see if it will revert to its brutal policies regarding the Tibetan people or if it will step up as a global citizen and engage in meaningful dialogue to find some peaceful resolution to this ongoing conflict.

For those who feel a connection or concern for Tibet, the ancestral lands of Shambhala, and its people, the Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre will be hosting a brief practice session (including tonglen) and discussion about possible local responses to this situation - Thursday, March 27th from 7- 8 30pm at the Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre, #1 - 2033 Belmont Avenue

Please feel free to forward this invitation to others who may be interested. If you cannot make it this Thursday but would like to be involved or have any questions please contact Silas at silasmail@gmail.com

2008 Spring Meditation Challenge-Victoria Zen Centre

Hello Friends,

Announcing...

The Victoria Zen Centre's
2008 Spring Meditation Challenge
Sunday, April 6 to Saturday, April 26, 2008

We all know that consistency in our meditation practice is important.
To this end, we invite you all to accept the Challenge!

You choose your own level of commitment:

Level 1: Minimum 15 minutes each day.
Level 2: Minimum 30 minutes each day.
Level 3: Minimum 60 minutes each day.

The rules are:

1. One point is scored for each day that you meet or exceed the time you've
committed to.
2. Even if you sit for longer than your commitment, you only get a maximum
of one point per day.
3. To count as part of the Challenge, each sit needs to be at least fifteen
minutes long (so Level 2 can be broken up into 2x15 min, and Level 3 can be
broken up into 4x15, 2x30 min, 3x20 min, etc.).

It doesn't matter where you sit, or what time of day you sit. It also
doesn't matter how much time you sit on any given day above your Level.
The important thing (in this challenge) is to consistently sit every day.

SO...If you sit for two hours in one day, but don't sit for the next two
days, then you only get one point. However, at Level 1, if you sit for
fifteen minutes each day for three days (for a total of forty-five minutes),
then you would get three points because you are sitting consistently each
day.

In the Summer Challenge the sangha collectively accumulated a total of
656 points, and in the Autumn Challenge we amassed 610 points. Let's see
what we can do this Spring!

To register for the 2008 Spring Meditation Challenge, please email
with your name, telephone number, email address,
mailing address (if you would like a certificate of participation), and
which Level you would like to be in.
QUESTIONS? Email challenge@zenwest.ca or call 250-642-7936.

Visit of Changling Tulku Rinpoche

To friends and members of the Victoria Shambhala Centre,

We are happy to announce that Changling Tulku Rinpoche, a teacher in both the Kagyu and Nyingma Lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, will again be visiting and teaching in Victoria, April 7-9.

The teaching schedule follows:

Monday, April 7,

7-9 pm Teachings on Ati Yoga using the Dorje Drapal Tsal Guru Yoga practice as a basis. Suggested donation $15
Tuesday, April 8 -

9-12 and 2-5: Vajrayogini teachings from the Rechung Kagyu Lineage. Suggested donation $25
7-9 - Public talk "Living without Regret" Suggested donation $10

Wednesday, April 9 -

9-12 and 2-5: Chakrasamvara teachings from the Rechung Kagyu Lineage. Suggested donation $25
7-9 pm Teachings on Ati Yoga using the Dorje Drapal Tsal Guru Yoga practice as a basis. Suggested donation $15

Prerequisites:
The Ati Yoga techings will be restricted to those who have received the Dorje Drapal Tsal Abisheka from Changling Rinpoche two times (there will be another Abhisheka in Vancouver before Rinpoche comes to Victoria so anyone who wants to continue on can attend that first, if necessary).

The Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara teachings are restricted to those who have received those Abhishekas from any lineage holder.

All of the teachings will take place at the Victoria Shambhala Centre, 2033 Belmont Ave (corner of Belmont and Pembroke in Fernwood).

We hope you will attend Rinpoche's public talk on Tuesday evening and any other teachings you may be qualified to attend. Also, please consider volunteering to help with the many details of Rinpoche's visit.

For further information or to volunteer to help with the visit in some way please contact- ghowell42@yahoo.ca

Victoria, BC Street Retreat ~ Awake in Action

July 31st – Aug. 3rd, 2008
Social Action through Bearing Witness

"When we go... to bear witness to life on the streets, we're offering ourselves. Not blankets, not food, not clothes, just ourselves." -Bernie Glassman, Bearing Witness

We will live on the streets of Victoria with no resources other than our true nature, experiencing homelessness first-hand, having to beg for money, find places to get food, shelter, to use the bathroom, etc.

By bearing witness to homelessness, we begin to see our prejudices and boundaries directly and to recognize our common humanness.

Participants will be together throughout the retreat, meet several times a day for meditation and sharing, and spend the night together as a group.

The cost of the retreat is $400. All funds will be donated - 2/3 to Homeless Service agencies in Victoria, BC and 1/3 to the social action missions of the Hudson River Peacemaker Community.

Participants must beg for the entire registration fee in order to participate. You must ask friends, family and associates to support you on this journey – we beg right from the beginning.
In order to receive funds, you have to explain your reasons for wanting to attend. You will be surprised at the results.

The retreat is limited to 14 participants on a first come, first serve basis. Sensei Grover Gauntt, dharma successor of Bernie Glassman and student of Taizan Maezumi Roshi for twenty-five years, will lead the retreat.

To learn more about bearing witness to homelessness, read Bearing Witness by Bernie Glassman. Please also see the Zen Peacemakers website: http://www.zenpeacemakers.org/

To register please send your completed application by email to:
ericremyjordan@gmail.com
or by regular mail to:
Victoria Street Retreat
1764 Lulie Street, Victoria, BC V8R 5W6

If you have any questions, or to register please contact:
Eric Jordan: ericremyjordan@gmail.com

Three-Day Sesshin ~ Salt Spring Zen Circle

The Salt Spring Zen Circle, which practices in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, invites everyone to join us for our April three-day non-residential sesshin.

Sesshin begins at 7 PM on April 25, 2008 and ends at 3 PM on April 27.

Cost: $70 for entire sesshin, plus dana (donation) for teachings by sesshin leader, Nanfū Peter Levitt.

Meals are provided as part of the overall fee.

We do our best to accommodate off-island visitors. Billeting is available on a first come first served basis, so please register early.


For details and to receive a registration form, please contact Michelle Reed at mareed@rockisland.com
or call Judith Daylen at 250-537-2062

Japan Temple Tour

Your Invitation to join us on a JAPAN TEMPLE TOUR, October 9th - 17th, 2008. Visit several sacred sites, travel the trains and see amazing sights. Sleep at Temple Grounds, International Hostels and even one or two fancy hotels. Enjoy the food, but most importantly, change your life with an understanding of the Buddha-way of energy, practice and personal realizations. For more info: go to www.penlan.com or call Henry at 250. 715. 1976

Four Foundations of Mindfulness

The Shambhala School of Buddhist Studies presents

“Four Foundations of Mindfulness”, a community intensive weekend program.

Friday March 14th at 7 pm (Registration at 6.30 pm)

& Saturday & Sunday, March 15th & 16th, 9.00 to 4.30 pm

This weekend offers an opportunity for practitioners at all levels of experience to deepen their practice, through intensive meditation on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, as taught by the Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

The Four Foundations (Mindfulness of Body, Mind, Effort, and Livelihood) are a basic approach to the practice of shamatha and vipashyana. Traditionally, they are the first undertaking on the first path of accumulation.

The program will be taught by four senior practitioners from the Victoria Shambhala Centre - Martin White, George Howell, Kim Kelso & Jack Lalonde

Cost: $75.00 (includes lunch both days)

To help us plan the weekend, we request that you pre-register by email Victoria.shambhala@gmail.com

Co-ordinator: Marni Lalonde

If you have questions about this course please email the above or talk to one of the teachers, the co-ordinator or Linda Gould.

Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre

#1-2033 Belmont Avenue, Victoria BC, V8R 3Z7. 383-9108

www.shambhala.org/centers/victoria