By Travis Newbill
Floral Notes and Bardo: The Creative Chronicles of a Shambhala Mountain Resident is a daily feature on the SMC blog in which a member of our staff/community shares his experience of existing as part of Shambhala Mountain Center.
The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down…
The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion) runs through Shambhala Mountain Center…
The Dead and the dharma. Thus it is.
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(I created an image for this post–a mash-up of the Great Eastern Sun and the Grateful Dead Steal Your Face logo. I really liked it a lot, because it fit so well here, and also because I know so many Shambhalian-Deadheads who I think would have liked it a lot also. However, it seemed inappropriate for public display/internet, since it may be too easily misunderstood. So, instead, here’s Dorian enjoying a moment of psychedelic arising at Elkhorn, on a night the weekend prior to the events described here.)
Still not quite settled into my house, but I spent a great deal of the weekend setting up the Sakyong’s residence. At first I felt resentful. Why am I working on this house when mine is in disarray? I wanted to feel selfless devotion and inspiration. Eventually I did.
I skipped out of my window cleaning duties for thirty minutes one morning to go online and score Phish tickets right when they went on-sale… Yea!
Then, back to cleaning and setting up Rinpoche’s household. Friday evening, a gathering at Elkhorn. I screened the Grateful Dead Movie. Fun! Warm up for Saturday night field-trip:
A group of us went down to Boulder to Dark Star Orchestra concert (Grateful Dead tribute). We were well hosted by a friend named Lee, who lives in a legendary house on the East-side of the valley (Boulder-town below).
The concert was explosive-color-fun. Singing and dancing. Wonderful to be with my SMC peeps in that space, that energy-field.
Back up the mountain Sunday, just in time for lunch, then a talk on diversity from two Acharyas: Eric Spiegel from New York and Marianne Bots from the Netherlands.
I asked about the tension between individual intelligence, individuality, and devotion, or faith, or going along with this Shambhala thing.
Acharya Spiegel’s answer was powerful, and I don’t quite think I can do it justice. Something about getting a strong enough whiff of familiar truth and lineage that you trust the whole thing enough to go further. Further. It’s personal, and quite mysterious. First you understand the words, and then the meaning. So…a journey.
I felt a strong connection with Acharya Spiegel. I think I’ll travel to NYC in May to do Rigden Weekend (the next retreat for me along the progression of the Shambhala Path), which he is leading. I was going to do it in Boulder with Acharya Hessey, but the dates conflict with a program that we’re hosting here at SMC called “Relationship as a Path of Awakening,” which I’m really excited for after speaking with the teacher — Bruce Tift, a long-time Buddhist in the Shambhala sangha and a psychotherapist. Since a relationship is happening in my life these days, I feel I ought to do the program to nourish and encourage its “path” potential.
–March 31, 2014
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Travis Newbill is a curious dude on the path of artistry, meditation, and social engagement who is very glad to be residing at Shambhala Mountain Center. His roles within the organization include Marketing Associate and Head Dekyong–a position of leadership within the community.