Sexual Misconduct Training with Boulder’s District Attorney
All are welcome to participate in training on sexual misconduct provided by Boulder’s District Attorney office on Saturday October 5, 10am to noon. At this training held at BSC, Officer Catrina Weigel will provide instruction for how to recognize and respond to sexual misconduct and how to better protect against it. Everyone is welcome, and all current teachers and leaders are highly encouraged to participate. (There will be a mandatory training for teachers/leaders on this subject offered by Shambhala at a later date.)
As for the other four initiatives underway, here’s their status:
1. Community Council – BSC will establish a Community Council to better represent the concerns and ideas of our community to the Governing Council and Executive Director. In October, members of BSC will be able to nominate themselves (or encourage friends to do so) on a dedicated webpage, upload a short bio and image, and submit a statement about why she/he/they seek this role. The Community Council will advise the Governing Council and Director and be chartered with identifying options for integrating the Community Council more formally into BSC governance. Online voting (with a postal option) will take place in November to select seven Council members who will be installed on Shambhala Day 2020.
2. Small Group Exploration – Starting in January, BSC will help create six or more small group discussions on topics such as Hierarchy, Monarchy and Court; Power and Patriarchy; Sexual Misconduct, Protection and Healing; the Sakyong and Accountability: and Reconnecting the Shambhala sangha. Facilitated by member hosts, these monthly small group conversations are intended to go deeply into these challenging subjects in a supportive, respectful, and direct manner. Larger gatherings, where small groups can share and invite new participants, will take place quarterly. The arc of each exploration will begin with “Where have we come from?” and continue to “Where are we now?” and “Where are we going?” This will be meaningful only if many different perspectives engage. Please consider participating!
3. Our newly formed diversity/welcome team is developing ideas under the leadership of Jeffrey Neering. Stay tuned for more soon—including the official name of the group.
4. Main Shrine Room – The changes that were initiated last month are continuing to be rolled out. Later this fall, a survey will be conducted asking for your feedback. The large throne has been relocated to the east wall, signaling space for contemplating monarchy. A new Werma Shrine is coming together to inspire the embodiment of noble rulership in practitioners and with questions still open about how we will relate to it in feast practice. Three Dharmakaya Buddhas representing the three wisdom streams of Shambhala have been placed above the Trungpa Rinpoche relic shrine to honor their vital place in our culture. Newer, larger versions will soon replace the images now on display. The Shambhala Lineage thangka will be lowered for ease of viewing and the associated key identifying all the figures will be framed and hung beneath it. The photos of the Sakyongs have been removed from the Front Lobby in recognition of concerns about conduct, Court, and lineage so as to create space to acknowledge and address these concerns (as part of the small group exploration as described above).
As always, please share your concerns and ideas with us,
The Boulder Shambhala Center
