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Archive for the ‘generosity’ Category Meditation Space: Austin, TX
Sunday sitting practice at Austin Shambhala Meditation Center comes together regularly based on the generosity and inspiration of individuals committed to developing bravery and gentleness through mindfulness-awareness meditation. On the path of meditation practice, one develops positive qualities by fully inhabiting one’s own life, and therefore supporting one’s community.
The format of a three-hour Sunday meditation session is firmly but gently prescribed: the staff arrive early and open the center, meditation cushions are set out or straightened up into a comfortable but orderly staggered grid pattern, and finally, the staff makes ... continue reading
 Meditation Space: New York City
by David Allen McKeel
I live in New York City and I work at a meditation center.
By the way, this is a great conversation starter at parties.
“And what do you do?”
“I’m the Director of Practice & Education at a meditation center.”
“Really. Is that a thing? …Can you get me tickets?”
People may not know exactly what my job is all about, but they know there’s potentially something hip about it. Meditation is, after all, “a thing”. You can just picture your favorite model on your favorite magazine cover, sitting on a ... continue reading
 Meditation Space: Boston, MA
In Pamplona it’s the running the bulls. During Holi in Mathura it’s an explosion of colored powders. And at the Boston Shambhala Center it’s the stacking of the meditation cushion known as the Gomden. Each of these traditions has its own flavor, developing slowly over time.
In 1981 the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche introduced the “Gomden,” a firm, foam core, meditation seat. Not only did this enrich the experience of the meditator, but it made possible “the stacking of the Gomdens.”
Uniform size and stability of the Gomden means they can be ... continue reading
 Giving and Knowing
Generosity is our genes. The word comes from the root genus, meaning of good or noble birth. Noble, in turn, comes from the root gnosis—to know. Generosity speaks to the natural expression of an inherent goodness in human beings that both knows, and by its expression, is known.
This summer, my wife and I are hosting Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and his family at our home in Vermont. The Sakyong (a Tibetan title meaning ‘Earth Protector’) is leading back-to-back retreats at Karmê Chöling, the meditation center in Barnet.
For the month-long visit, Jeanine ... continue reading
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