A Letter to Our Community

The world today faces major challenges. We witness increasing economic inequality, surges in ethnic and racial violence, climate change and other forms of environmental destruction, and a rise of authoritarian governments.

As practitioners in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, we are called on to hold our conviction in basic goodness in our hearts and minds, as we work to liberate all beings from suffering. Therefore, to end suffering, we are also called on to undo the injustice and inequality that is deeply embedded in our history as a nation. Some of that work needs to be done internally, to face and address our internalized patterns of domination and hierarchy based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and entitlement. Otherwise, we will continue to perpetuate the suffering of beings and  the planet even when we try to act at the societal level.

As we do that work, we encourage social action expressed in acts of compassion, grassroots empowerment, non judgment, and nonviolence. This is how we might work for solutions to the challenges that threaten the peace and well being of our planet and its people.

This is a time when what each of us does next really does matter. We respect the diversity of feeling and experience that exists in our community, and acknowledge that each of us will have our own personal approach to doing something. Uncertainty may arise when we try to figure out what the “right” thing to do is. Always, the basis of right action is the willingness to be present to suffering. As James Baldwin has said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

“It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefiting others, one needs to be engaged, involved.” – The Dalai Lama

The Central Governance Circle:

Alexander deVaron

Mark Jacobson

Jessica Levy

Marilia Marien

John Murphy

Jude Robison