Dear friends and fellow warriors of basic kindness,   We are moving at the end of September! After 10 years at our current location, the Ottawa Shambhala Centre shall be picking-up stakes and settling new pastures. As you likely know, in spite of the market, commercial real-estate of many spaces such as ours have remained … Continue →

  Dear all, We are saddened to pass along the news of the passing of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, the longtime abbot of Gampo Abbey Monastery in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. Thrangu Rinpoche was a long-term friend of Shambhala, and his teaching and guidance will surely be missed. We pass on this information from the Chronicles … Continue →

Dear all, In the wake of our lovely retreat in recollection of the Buddha’s parinirvana, I thought that it would be a fine thing to share with you an apropos dharma talk by the late Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh  The talk was given in the year 2000 as part of a 21-day retreat, and the … Continue →

Everyone suffers. It seems unavoidable. The Buddha taught that life is suffering, that we experience big suffering as well as ongoing minor suffering and annoyances. The Buddha also taught that there is a way to overcome suffering. How does pain fit into all that? Please join Suzanne Schecter Côté at the Shambhala Centre for a … Continue →

Finding the Feminine in Buddhism by Patricia Willoughby                                                                                    Kwan Yin When I was growing … Continue →

Green Tara Mudra. …  (Sanskrit “seal”, “mark”or “gesture”; Tibetan: chakgya) is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. Most mudras are performed with the hands and fingers.  Each mudra communicates both to the person who performs it and to the observer, aspects of a particular state of mind. The most notable mudras are; … Continue →

A recent  invitation to join Mark Frutkin and Hilary Samuel in a workshop entitled Nature Mirrored Within at the Arboretum was irresistible.  I always jump at any opportunity to commune with nature.  So on a Sunday morning a small group of us joined Mark and Hilary at the Arboretum. We began with  a short meditation, … Continue →

Earlier this month Suzanne Schecter coordinated a small  group of us from the Ottawa Shambhala Centre to attend the annual peace conference organized by Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association of Ottawa. The theme of  the conference was the role of religion in the 21st century.   It was held at The Glebe Community Centre  and it was wonderful to meet … Continue →

Right mindfulness does not simply mean being aware; it is like creating a work of art. You can therefore trust what you are doing; you are not threatened by anything. You have room to dance in the space, and this makes it a creative situation. The space is open to you. (Chogyam Trungpa) 15 would-be … Continue →

So what did you do over the holidays? Well, I attended a silent retreat at the Shambhala Centre. You did what? Why? It’s hard to explain. I felt the need to slow down after the frenzy and materialism of the Christmas season. I needed to get back in touch with myself. And to review the … Continue →