by Ira Abrams, Rusung, Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago

“The success of our community, and its future, is going to depend heavily on the visible and ‘feelable’ kindness that is in our mandala,” said the Sakyong, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche, at the concluding session of the Fourth Shambhala Congress. “We can be doing a lot of things right when it comes to programs, but if there is not a feeling of kindness, nothing is really going to stick. As a community based on basic goodness, if somehow we do not exude kindness to other beings, all the posters will be in vain.”

I had my first taste of Kasung practice at Shambhala Mountain Center in 2003, during my 5-week Sutrayana Seminary. I sat on the outskirts of a few talks for “protector practice;” I drilled every second morning instead of doing lujong exercises, and I ended the summer with a mess and banquet that went on into the early hours of the morning and overhauled all my notions of decency, fellowship, and moderation. I took the one year oath when it was all over, and within a year I had taken my oath to serve in the Dorje Kasung for life. But the most important thing that this encounter taught me was that I had been very wrong about what it means to be kind to oneself and others.
Before that summer I had had very little contact with the Kasung. I had regarded them as an aggressive group of zealots, irritable, secretive, and not particularly important to my participation in Shambhala. In all likelihood, I would have continued in this vein had I not been having such a hard time in the Sutrayana program. Unprepared for the intense encounter with the dharma of egolessness, the lack of opportunities to assuage myself, and the academic precision of Acharya Gaylon Ferguson’s teaching style, I shut down and considered leaving the program.
It is hard to imagine being among a nicer bunch of people than the ones with whom I did this program; nevertheless, with the exception of a few personal friends, I reached a point where I could not bump into someone in the food line or face the simplest question without experiencing an excruciating and paralyzing fear of either my own or the other person’s aggression bursting forth.
Much to my surprise, when I found myself choking on my own hesitation and on my fear of upwellings of aggression in simple interactions, the only gentleness I was able to connect with was when I was engaged in Kasungship. Everything I had thought turned out to be 180 degrees wrong. The aggression was mine and the gentleness belonged to the military. In particular, drill—that most provocatively militaristic Kasung pastime—turned out to be the most gentle of sports for me.
These early experiences with Kasung practice shaped my understanding of gentleness and I have often reflected on what exactly I could take from this and apply more broadly in my sangha activity and elsewhere. When the Sakyong pronounced kindness to be of central importance to Shambhala community late last year, few sangha members probably thought immediately: “He must be talking about Kasung practice!” We often tend to see the Kasung not as the gentling of aggression but as the expression of it. Or, at best, as a way for particularly aggressive people to channel their energies in a more or less harmless way. Nevertheless, as I discovered when I first engaged Kasung practice, if we want to understand how to practice genuine kindness, genuine gentleness within the sangha, we could look to the Dorje Kasung.
Anyone who has taken a few levels of Shambhala Training has already been somewhat prepared to find kindness in unexpected places. We have encountered the teachings on idiot compassion that alert us to the common habitual tendency to use acts of seeming kindness toward others in order to build up our own ego. There is a certain currency of idiot compassion that is traded in organizations of basically nice people. But, ultimately, this is a bogus currency that won’t buy us wisdom and won’t buy others freedom suffering. This is Shambhala Social Life 101 and we all know that we must often resist the urge to express ego-clinging in the guise of helpfulness, support, pity, or other superficially kind gestures that only intensify our own and others’ suffering.
This is not to say that we should be mean or cold toward ourselves or others; however, the Buddhist path of letting go and examining the nature of reality makes no exception for acts of kindness. When we use our so-called kindness in order to hide the nature of suffering, to build ourselves up or to wall others up in prisons of fixed identity, we are not being kind. On the contrary, we are blowing golden opportunities to let go of our projections and to develop a greater and more genuine ability to help.
True kindness, in human and social terms at least, is not a “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” thing. It is not even about altruistically being a back-scratcher. True kindness is about not giving in to the projections of ego—not aggressively stamping the self-reference-point of ego all over everything. A teacher I once studied with said in a talk, “If you really want to help someone, just listen to them. It’ll probably be the first time anyone ever did that for them and it will change their life.” Kindness is about helping people realize that it is possible to cut the habitual patterns that keep them circling in cycles of suffering. It is about letting space in, not filling the space with activity and verbiage. And it can only happen when we do that with ourselves first.
Even within the sangha, we rarely experience the kind of space and stillness that characterize real gentleness and kindness. We make projects out of nearly everything—meditation, serving, teaching, administrating. Although in a general and relative sense, being in a dharma program is being in a gentle situation, our actual experience of aggression comes from within, and when we find ourselves in a quiet place we are attacked by our own mind as if from without. This is a valuable service that Shambhala provides–simply allowing people to experience their own aggression. However, Dorje Kasung practice goes beyond this and offers us skilful means to transmute aggression into peace itself. This is the kindness of the Kasung path.
I believe that my experience of Dorje Kasung practice that first summer was gentle for the simple reason that it was the only place in which the habit of ego-projecting was largely tamed. Drill in particular, as I have said, was for me an experience of space and kindness. I wasn’t any good at it, I couldn’t keep my left and right feet from confusing themselves; I didn’t have the right clothes; but somehow the terror and self-consciousness I had been feeling gave way to what I can only call joy. While marching in lockstep might seem aggressive in a superficial sense, in experiential reality, what is happening is that the aggression of ego is transmuted through the synchronization of bodies, voices, and minds. Somehow, it is important too that we don’t do this alone. It becomes possible for us to manifest this level of existence with and for others.
One could examine all the aspects of Kasung practice and find the same thing everywhere. In terms of how we tame ourselves by stepping into the practice, how we relate to our fellow Kasung when we gather together according to our forms, and also how we relate with civilians when we are on duty—in all three ways, Kasung practice promotes the possibility of true kindness and gentleness because it is the practice of forms. It is not a practice conducted by egos. It is true that many people perceive the Kasung uniform and martial activity, as I initially did, as aggression—as I once did—in the long run, if we as Kasung understand that our practices are about gentleness and we remain true to our post, our command, and our forms, then we can cut through such preconceptions and make it possible for ourselves and others to experience true gentleness. That is a great kindness.
In a nutshell, here it is: Kasung practice is kind as long as we have the intention of compassion and we abide within our forms—in particular the chain of command that cuts our tendency to act out the impulses of ego. The Makkyi Rabjam Dorje Dradul, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, often said that we shouldn’t shit all over the place and we should clean up after ourselves. What he was pointing to was the way in which discipline and form are actually the path to gentleness, to fulfilling our vows to help sentient beings be free from suffering. Only by taming ego on the spot through discipline can we express that kindness. As Dorje Kasung, we have been given powerful forms within which we can manifest as something beyond aggression—that seems to be what the Makkyi Rabjam Dorje Dradul meant when he said, “Basically speaking, you are all trying to be Mahakalas.” That is how we can be kind and how we can actually help our fellow sangha members and all sentient beings.

Chicago member Renee Una has a blog post at Chicago Artist’s Resource about the intersection of these three areas of endeavor and their integration.

Are you a Chicago member with entries in the blogosphere? Drop the center a line!

In Shambhala, the biannual Congresses have developed as a forum available to all members for information-sharing on Shambhala activities, and priority development for the mandala. Halifax is considered the capital of Shambhala, where the international headquarters is located. Some very capable members in Halifax are working on a project to build the Kalapa Capital Center, to manifest the presence and confidence of the Shambhala community. This impressive structure will house the Halifax Shambhala Center, as well as the offices of other Halifax Shambhala groups, such as Shambhala Online, Shambhala Media, and possibly host other groups as well.

Several important milestones were observed during the Congress. Fleet Maull of Boulder, was appointed to be an Acharya, and Sangyum Wendy Friedman was named to the post of Director of the Office of Culture and Decorum, reporting to the Sakyong Wangmo. Warrior-General Marty Janowitz was honored for his profound contributions to the energy of the kingdom of Shambhala through his work with the Warriors of the Lodge, the Council of Governors, and Warriors at the centers. All of these Warriors are now retiring. Because manifesting Shambhala, or enlightened society, has been established as the central mission of our mandala, we are all asked to step up and be bodhisattva-warriors for peace and prosperity everywhere.

During the Congress, issues submitted for discussion by centers from all over the world were discussed and recommendations developed. Some of the most popular were
• How do we work with conflict and differing points of view in our community?
• How can we best relate to finances and fundraising?
• How can we best develop and support volunteers?

In addition, the topic One Mandala, Many Paths was discussed in several plenary sessions. To read the preliminary report from all of these discussions, go to
http://www.shambhala.org/community/congress.php

Several of the current Working Groups on the Sakyong’s Council are being included in a body called the Community Care Council, chaired by Mary Whetsell. In part this is because they share many concerns, such as caring for different groups of sangha members. Mary presented an overview of the results of a comprehensive survey of a random sample of shambhala members worldwide. For more information about the survey, see the Shambhala News Service article

The next Congress will be held sometime in 2011, probably in Europe, perhaps Amsterdam. It is open to all members—wouldn’t you like to go?

On October 23rd - 25th, four members of the Chicago Sangha attended Milwaukee’s Shambhala Training Assistant Director program and were authorized: Ira Abrams, Gina Caruso, Zane Edwards and Ann Tyndall.

Congratulations to all of these dedicated Warriors!

Robert Wallace and Nancy Toncy are delighted to announce the birth of their son Sayge Toncy Wallace.

He was born on Wednesday, October 28th 2009 at 11:02 PM. Sayge is 20″ long and weighs 7lbs 3ozs. All are well, happy and healthy and resting at home.

Enjoy this picture of Sayge attached. We appreciate your love, blessings and support and look forward to connecting with you as soon as we are able.

With love and blessings,
Robert, Nancy & Sayge

It’s not humans who are subject to the impermanence of birth, old age and death.
Left to entropy, buildings will exhibit this same pattern!
Fortunately, with a little elbow grease - and the judicious application of a few dollars - this can be reversed, at least for buildings.

This fall has seen a number of nontrivial, unbudgeted repairs on our center. They include:

• A new furnace for the ground floor ( there’s a second furnace for upstairs )
• Removal of roots which were causing a plumbing backup in the basement
• Rebuilding bits the drainage system - as you may have noticed while negotiating the construction in the parking lot. There should be no further overflows via the basement floor drains!
• Repairs to the Alarm system.

There are two more item on our short-term list, both of which are in process:
replacing the ballasts so that the lights in the parking lot will work, and signage for the front window and doors.

These should be completed soon, and we will be all caught up until something else happens!

September 2009

Council meetings are open to members of the Center.
Over the summer Council meetings were held on August 4th and September 1st.
Fall meetings will be September 22nd, October 27th, and November 24th.
Please let Alice Dan know ahead of time if you wish to speak on a particular topic during the meeting. The meetings are from 7 to 9 pm, generally in the Main Shrine Room. Members are requested to observe quietly and not to wander in and out.

Harvest of Peace Community Gathering
September 20th saw the Harvest of Peace Celebration with an update to our community on the Vision to Action Project. A report will be posted on our Chicago Shambhala Blog, online at http://chicago.shambhalatimes.org. Thanks to Erin Haley and Aarthi Tejuja for coordinating a wonderful celebration! Former Center Warrior Jim Duetsch lit the juniper for a lhasang and Co-Director David Stone led the chanting of the Sadhana of Mahamudra.

Meditation Instructors and Shambhala Guides held a half-day retreat on Saturday September 19th. David Stone led those gathered in Mudra Space Awareness exercises, and the group listened to a 1974 recording on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

A successful Ice Cream Social was offered to the neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, September 6th. Coordinated by Barbara Wolkowitz, it attracted about 40 curious newcomers, who enjoyed Homer’s ice cream and toured the center. Many also received meditation instruction from Nancy Newton or Blessie Selvig. Thanks to all who contributed time and effort!

Member Appreciation Event!
August 30th was the first event sponsored by the Membership Committee of the Center to honor and appreciate our wonderful members. New and seasoned members attended a delicious lunch, and received handsome reproductions of pithy quotes from the Vidyadhara. The Membership Committee plans to make this a twice-yearly event.

Practice news
We now have newly compiled chant books in sufficient numbers to serve our shrine room, thanks to Jeff Stone, Erin Haley and Michael Duerr.
Wednesday nights are Senior Practice evenings, when those who have received the necessary transmissions will practice Ashe or Werma. For more information, contact Catherine Harding or Jeff Stone.

Administration
A new computer use policy was approved by the Council and is posted in the second floor office. Our web broadcast capability should be improved by the new wiring contributed by Michael Duerr and Gerhard Barth.

Building
Our catch-basin is being repaired to provide proper drainage for the kitchen sink. In addition, a new furnace is needed before winter sets in. Additional lighting for the kitchen is being installed. Sayre Vickers has helped with rearranging and repainting the kitchen. We are looking for help to coordinate a Community Work Day to uplift our premises in a variety of ways. Painting, cleaning, repairs and other help will be needed.

To submit material for our center blog, email it to the Blog editors. At the moment those are Alice Dan, Michael Duerr, Jon Feller, Alisa Roadcup and Coman Poon.

You can reach our editing team via email: blog at chicagoshambhala dot org

Summary on Vision to Action process
(Writeup courtesy of Rebecca Crall)
On the last weekend in May 2009, over 40 Chicago Shambhala Center community members and friends participated in the follow-up to the February 09 Vision to Action (VTA) community retreat. During this follow-up many ideas and action items were presented in order to move the VTA plan forward.
The Shambhala Council spent time reviewing the recommendations, consolidating and prioritizing them, and then giving feedback to the committee teams (and the community) on next steps.
One of the meaningful next steps currently being implemented is a change to the governing structure of the Chicago center. Currently the Shambhala Center of Chicago has a council that spends a significant amount of time on programmatic and logistical matters. The aim of the new Governing Council structure is to allow council members to focus on larger, “big picture” issues, leaving the programmatic and logistical items to committees within each of the sectors.

The new council structure was also founded on three basic principles:
Lha or Heaven, Wisdom Council
Nyen or Human, Chair, Vice-Chairs and Center Directors
Lu or Earth, different center committees

The Governing Council = Joining Heaven and Earth

The idea is that all sectors of the Governing Council will be in contact with one another, ensuring good communication among all aspects of the center.

An update on this new governing council will be presented to the Chicago Sangha at the Harvest of Peace on September 20th this fall, plus various brief updates will be given at community gatherings before this event.

Here are some photos of the Shambhala Ball at the start of the year of the Female Earth Ox …