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.
Private appreciation for mystery — not exactly private, but not easily shared. I can’t tell you.
Slipping from a rock, so, trusting air to not grip my skin and for earth to bruise me nice.
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Heather doing chores:
I was thanked just now by a teacher for what I do in the community. He attributed it to my connection to practice, to the dharma, to the lineage. I told him (he already knew):
“I appreciate that connection. It’s there. And, it’s very mysterious. So, everything that I do here is very natural.”
It’s quite huge to be experimenting, playing with, forms such as social structures. It’s not about being reckless and pushing people around, but with the sincere wish for harmony, I am jamming, making statements of all sorts, all the time. In this closely interconnected situation, it’s easy to see karmic effects rippling outwards, and feedback coming around, back through. Everything that everyone does influences the shapes, tones, colors. Some statements are bigger, some more subtle.
The flavor of every “good-morning” affects the community.
It’s artistic on a big scale.
Friendliness cannot be contrived.
Genuine expressions of friendliness, care, humor, delight: ventilate stuffiness, allow for glow. So, the thing is to cultivate good-mind. I can groom my own little garden. And, that affects everything else. The rest comes naturally.
Teacher told me: “You’ve done a lot of work in the past. It’s karma. It’s no accident. But, it is mysterious.”
We shared a knowing (not-knowing) grin.
— April 8, 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.