The Lu Collective: Inscrutable Action on Inclusivity
Our Mission Statement
For the benefit of ALL beings, we resolve to promote and nurture a culture of welcome, kindness, and inclusion at the Boulder Shambhala Center. Our areas of action include, programs, trainings, and policy review that constructively address unconscious, explicit, and systemic bias and marginalization. We also endeavor to build community relationships through active invitation and engagement with regional organizations.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
- The Black Experience? A Film Series Fridays in July, 7PM
- Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger—Reading Group Sundays in August, 2PM
PAST EVENTS
- Anti-Racist Allyship Foundations with Regan Byrd
- In Love with The World Reading Group
- Inclusivity & Anti-Oppression Training with Regan Byrd
- Maitri Awareness and Queer Identity w/Sorin Thomas and Anne Marie DiGiacomo
- LGBTQ+ Awareness Training w/Sorin Thomas, Founder of Queer Asterisk
- Way of Tenderness Reading Group
- Radical Dharma Reading Group
- An Evening with Sensei Earthlyn Zenju Manuel
- Lu Collective Taco Social November 24, 2019
INITIATIVES
- Large Print Liturgy
- Gender Pronoun Policy
- Community Table Volunteerism – First Saturday of each month
- Restorative Justice
IN THE WORKS
- Inclusive Insight Dialogue with Acharya Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown
- People of Color Teaching Series
- Inter-Religious Dialogue Events
- Active Peace Circle Pilot Project—Healing Justice
Why “The Lu Collective”?
The dralas of lha, nyen, and lu were part of the rich Tibetan tradition passed to Shambhala by the Vidhyadhara, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Although not a traditional feature of Tibetan Buddhism, they are however part of Tibetan folklore and relate to good order and decorum.
Spatially, lha represents the mountain peaks; nyen, forests and jungles; and lu, waters, rivers, and lowlands.¹ There is a natural hierarchy that exists in this worldview. That is not to say one is superior to the other. Lha, nyen and lu are different, equal, and interdependent.
Lha, as represented by the mountain tops, is where ice melts. That water flows through nyen and down to lu, where it collects. However, lu doesn’t only receive. The wetlands are the dwelling place of the nagas, mythical beasts both human and snake. Lu has a sense of richness; the rivers and lakes are sources of nourishment, and the nagas are keepers of wealth and treasure that can also flow upward.²
Lu is also associated with the outer mandala, outreach, and education.³ We believe that the natural hierarchy has become stagnant within the Shambhala household. The dialogic quality of lha, nyen and lu has been lost. Marginalized voices remain on the fringe of the mandala near the charnel ground, where the richness and treasure of the mandala can be found.
The Lu Collective aims to restore the balance of lha, nyen, and lu by bringing rich treasures from the margins to the center. The Lu Collective’s task is to uplift and welcome diverse voices, to include all with respect and dignity.
If you have any questions, comments, or would like additional information, please email [email protected]
