Shambhala Meditation Center

Acharya Alan Schwartz and Oakland Coordinator Kelsey Blackwell for an open-hearted community discussion on societal injustice and our own personal struggles to secure happiness as we position ourselves in “tribes” determined by political party, faith, class, race gender, and so on to create a sense of safety and a feeling of “belonging.” Is it possible to cultivate lasting change?

“Mindfulness” doesn’t mean anything without embodiment. What are we mindful of? The Buddha’s first ‘foundation’ for mindfulness was our body. The unique Shambhala discipline of Mudra Space Awareness challenges us to see that even ‘highly trained’ people aren’t often willing to relate in a raw way with sensory experience. Instead of relating to our actual body, we tend towards what Chogyam Trungpa called “psychosomatic body” — where we think about our bodily experience, rather than actually feeling embodied. This process is one of the main ways we disconnect from experience and lose our innate confidence. This workshop will introduce Mudra to those not familiar, and deepen it for those that are. Note that Mudra Space Awareness is entirely distinct from Maitri Space Awareness. The two disciplines are not directly connected in their practice or presentation. More about Mudra Space Awareness can be found here.

What We Offer

Meditation is a natural state of the human mind—at rest, open, alert. The practice of meditation has been taught for over 2,500 years as a vehicle for realizing the beauty and magic of the ordinary world without aggression or manipulation.

The teachings of Shambhala Buddhism emphasize the potential for enlightenment inherent in every situation or state of mind. Through discipline, gentleness and a sense of humor, the practitioner is invited to let go of conflicting emotions and wake up on the spot.

Mindfulness/awareness meditation is the foundation of all that we do at the Shambhala Meditation Center.This ancient practice of self-discovery is rooted in the simple but revolutionary premise that every human being has the ability to cultivate the mind’s inherent stability, clarity and strength in order to be more awake and to develop the compassion and insight necessary to care for oneself and the world genuinely.