“Despite his occasional surliness, Mr. Ruzzamenti [the initial donor] said he felt driven to help others when possible. And as he considered the relative risks and benefits of organ donation, particularly to relieve a whole chain of suffering, it just made so much sense. “It causes a shift in the world,” he said. Perhaps, he said, there was some influence from a Tibetan meditation he had practiced when he was first drawn to Buddhism six years ago. It is known as Tonglen. “You think of the pain someone’s in, and imagine you take it from them and give them back good,” he said.”
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This is what warriorship looks like. Please read this moving article by long-time Shambhala practitioner Joan Whitacre.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/02/the-buddha-on-food-stamps–joan-whitacre/

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Thomas Anderson the acclaimed director of, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights, this is not another Adam Sandler Comedy. And it’s not a range-expanding, career-changing Adam Sandler love vehicle. Punch Drunk Love pulls back the curtain and reveals an underlying anger and bitterness and paranoia that Sandler so well sublimates in his humor and parody.

Roger Ebert says the movie, “is above all a portrait of a personality type. Barry Egan (Sandler) has been damaged, perhaps beyond repair, by what he sees as the depredations of his domineering sisters. It drives him crazy when people nose into his business. He cannot stand to be trifled with. His world is entered by alarming omens and situations that baffle him. The character is vividly seen and the film sympathizes with him in his extremity.” With vivid and tender performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman, and the radiently gileless Emily Watson, who loves him just the way he is.

Comments from some Paul Thomas Anderson fans —

Diablo Cody (Screenwriter Juno): “I’m the most insane unrepentant Paul Thomas Anderson fan girl. I’ve been watching actually Punch Drunk Love a lot lately. I really love that movie. To express that kind of truth in a film is to me so amazing”.

Laura Dern: “When he takes on the subject matter, any subject matter, he is there to examine what it offers; not just take anything down. It’s funny when people think filmmakers are irreverent. It’s like, ‘Ooh, what’s he doing. I heard the movie’s about dot dot dot.’ They go, ‘I bet he’s really going to attack it.’ In fact, he tries to uncover what he loves. What the worth is in something”

Our Friday Night Film program provides an opportunity to hangout, socialize with other movie buffs and meditators and enjoy films that reflect the rich complexities of life. The program starts promptly at 7:30 and after the movie there’s always a lively informal discussion in the community room. Come and bring your friends. $ 5. contribution. Free popcorn.

Starts in March – worth a road trip!

http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/seeking-shambhala

This document highlights the findings from 69 Shambhala Centers, as they dialoged about kindness, society, Shambhala, and meditation in September 2011. The report provides a window into the history, present activities, and aspirations of Shambhala. Enjoy!

http://shambhalatimes.org/2012/02/07/shambhala-and-society/

Author and Shambhala Shastri (senior teacher) Susan Chapman is releasing a new book on this topic. Please read on:

The Five Keys to Mindful Communication

Good communication is essential to any healthy relationship, whether it’s between spouses, family members, friends, or co-workers, and mindfulness—the practice of nonjudgmental awareness—can help us communicate more effectively and meaningfully with others in our personal and professional lives. Here, Susan Chapman, a psychotherapist and long-time Buddhist practitioner, explains how the practice of mindfulness awareness can change the way we speak and listen, enhance our relationships, and help us achieve our goals. Chapman highlights five key elements of mindful communication <!–more–>

Stay tuned here to find out more details. You can pre-order now on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Running-Mind-Meditation-Lessons-Training/dp/0307888169

Our next movie night at the Center features “The Hours” with Meryl Streep, Juliana Moore, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris, score by Philip Glass, followed as always by an interesting informal discussion. $5.00 Contribution requested. The Hours is a fascinating and unusually structured film that focuses on three women in three different decades and contemplates identity, suicide, AIDS, sexuality, and creativity.

Mindfulness therapy puts the focus on improving the quality of body and spirit
By Deborah Kotz
Globe Staff / January 31, 2011

“Despite the fact that we spend nearly half our waking hours thinking about something other than what we’re doing, we’re actually happier when we focus on what’s happening in the moment. The way we direct our brains can help us manage pain, as well. And new findings suggest…” Read the rest of this entry »