Summer News from the Director
Dear Members and Friends of the Halifax Shambhala Centre,
It’s been a quiet summer here at the centre. Jeff and I both went to Shambhala Mountain Centre for Scorpion Seal Assembly and Angie has been there attending Sacred World. Michelle is currently visiting NYC and Bob and Jessie celebrated their birthdays this week with some much deserved time away. Dinah has also been at SMC working as a secretary for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche with David, and Andrea Doukas and Pam Johnson have both been filling in at the front desk. Despite all the summer winds, we have been making some exciting changes around the centre.
The Shambhala Centre’s library has a new look, both physically and virtually: We now have Staff Picks and New Additions sections. Wondering what to read? Check out something hand-selected by one of our staff members, or see what has been newly acquired to our collection. If you have recommendations for picks, let us know. We also have an area for Books for Sale. Books such as Shambhala Principle and Shambhala: Sacred path of the Warrior can now be purchased during regular HSC hours or at individual programs. In the central area we have books by Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and Pema Chodron. Books are arranged by alphabetical category.
You can now browse or search the whole collection on our website to see if we have the book you are looking for, or see what has been newly acquired by using the keyword search, “new.” Please note that the online function of placing books on hold is not yet functioning, so please simply contact the centre if there is something you’d like to set aside. Many thanks to Jessie Litven, Chris Morel, Calandra Smith and Pam Johnson for their help in putting this together.
Back Lot: The back parking lot is being revamped with new drainage and a garden on the bank, thanks to Curtis Cando, Petra Mudie, Ryan MacDonald, Paul Hay, and lots of volunteers.
Gardens: The front garden is full of flowers due in large part to the work of Colin Macrae, Petra Mudie, Pam Johnson and Boo Stover. In addition to the garden work at the centre, we have two community garden plots in the city and are already harvesting veggies and herbs for Taste of Shambhala.
Painting and Repairs: Fhinn has been busy painting the front entry hall and coat closet, some bathroom and ceilings, and offices, the carpets have been cleaned, and things are looking more fresh every day. Ann Shaftel repaired our Dawa Zangpo thangka. Thanks to Jeanine Greenleaf and Samadhi Cushions, we’re replacing the Sakyong’s throne cushion, which was getting quite old and misshaped.
New windows are going into A-Suite, where we’ve been growing some thick mold, and many small repairs are happening all around the building.
Program Pricing Options:
We’ve made some exciting changes to the website so that when you register for programs you will notice a few new options. As part of adopting unified giving, we now have three price options for most programs: a patron price and a regular price, and the generosity policy. If you choose to pay the patron price, you will receive a tax receipt for the amount above the regular price that you generously give.
Changes to the Registration Process:
If you choose the generosity policy, you can now fill in the amount you are able to offer and even pay online. Our hope is that this will encourage more people to register and pay in advance and also alleviate any embarrassment people might have in opting to use the generosity policy, so that when you come to the door to pay you do not have to request the generosity policy, but simply pay the amount owing. At the same time, we have the patron price to allow those with means to help make it possible for others to use the generosity policy. Other centres that have been working this is model have found it to be very successful. Thank you to Anna Weinstein and the database team at Shambhala for helping make this possible.
To learn more about these changes, take a look at out Program Pricing page on the website.
Banner: You have probably noticed we have a beautiful new Banner design, thanks to Aaron Bihari. The Banner can be viewed online here, or copies are available at the centre to pick up. In the latest edition, there is information about our participation in Halifax Pride events, a new Family program beginning this fall, our big Snow Lion sale in August, Volunteer Enrichment, and our new Chronic Health Support Group.
Thanks for taking the time to read about what’s happening at the centre and especially for lending your support for all of our activities. We look forward to seeing you soon!
