The first time I walked into the main meditation hall at the Shambala Center in Boulder, Colorado, I was dropped instantly to my knees. Such a tactile flood of loving presence coupled with great peace moved into my body. I wept in joy and astonishment at how palpable the bright and benevolent energies were in that place and how it was tended by such powerful beings full of grace. The entire hall was filled with unnaturally golden light and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains were reflected in all the towering windows. I was held in a bowl of light.
I am not a Buddhist.
This place is a place where so many Roshis and great Buddhist teachers have come in illness and near death or have been brought here after death. It is a place where untold thousands have gathered in hopes of touching their deepest humanity through the practice. It is a place where great teachings of mindfulness, of what it means to be a conscious human being have occurred over and over, endlessly. And this history has created a songline of sorts in this gathering space. You can actively feel the presence of all those glorious beings watching over you and filling you with awe.
(fade left)… My work’s primary purpose is to be participant in people connecting with their true nature and finding equanimity with whatever stands in the way of that. What I experience as fundamental to this is guiding them to connection with the conscious Earth and all of her non-human species and with the participation of all the benevolent spirit beings, elementals and Ancestors who wish us well and who have such beauty and knowing to share with us.
