Deleks – Neighbourhood Groups

Delek, which means “good happiness” in Tibetan, is the name for a neighbourhood group of Shambhala community members and friends. All members of the Halifax Shambhala Centre are invited to be members of their respective deleks and may participate as they are able.

The premise of Shambhala vision is that, in order to establish an enlightened society for others, we need to discover what inherently we have to offer the world. So, to begin with, we should make an effort to examine our own experience, in order to see what it contains that is of value in helping ourselves and others to uplift their existence.

Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
from Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior

Purpose and Activities

Through the delek system, Shambhala Centre members connect and socialize with other members who live in their neighbourhood. Delek meetings and get-togethers offer a place to make friends, catch up on community and personal news, talk about issues that affect the local and Shambhala-wide community, and just have a good time. Non-member neighbours and friends are often invited to parties and special celebrations as well. The delek system is intended to be inclusive, like a clan or extended family.

Deleks provide a vehicle not only for neighbourhood get-togethers and important discussions, but also for support. Most deleks have an informal system of assisting members who are sick or need help in some way. The delek system is also a means for contacting everyone quickly, via phone tree, in urgent situations.

The members of each delek choose a dekyong to be the “protector” of the well-being of their neighbourhood group and their representative on the Centre’s Dekyong Council. The dekyong is the person delek members can go to with questions and issues; the Dekyong Council acts as the link and intermediary between community members and the Centre administration.

Community Projects

In addition to gathering together, some deleks support projects in the local or greater community. For example, a number of deleks (and individuals) contribute to support of Himalayan children at Thrangu Rinpoche’s School (Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School) in Nepal.

Please consider helping in this or other community projects. Your support makes a difference!