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Welcome to the website for the Longmont Shambhala Meditation Group.
The Longmont Shambhala Meditation Group (LSMG) is a small group of meditators which currently meets on Zoom on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 7-9 PM. We are practitioners of the Kagyu/Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism and also part of the Shambhala tradition. You are welcome to join us whether or not you are already familiar with those schools and traditions.

Contact information:
 
For the security of our participants, we are not posting the Zoom links on our website. To contact us, please send email to longmontshambhala@gmail.com.

Because of our small size, we are currently not in a position to offer meditation instruction to new meditators. If you are new to meditation, or new to the world of Shambhala, we suggest you begin by connecting with the Boulder Shambhala Meditation Center at this link. The Boulder Shambhala Center is a rich resource with lots of support for new people.

For general information about Shambhala, look at the Frequently Asked Questions at this page
For the history of the Longmont Shambhala Meditation Group, look at this page
For information about the overall worldwide Shambhala community, look at this link.  
The Longmont Shambhala Meditation Group is a place for people to practice meditation together, to get exposed to diverse teachings from the world of Shambhala, and to discuss them together. Sometimes we have guest teachers present the talks, sometimes our own members give talks, sometimes we watch a video together, and sometimes we simply sit. It's a great group of people with a diversity of perspectives, and we always welcome new people coming to enrich our discussions.



    If you have questions or need help, please email:
    
 
REGULARLY SCHEDULED ZOOM MEETINGS
    First and Third Thursday of the Month Evenings 7 - 9 pm. Sitting, usually a talk, and then a discussion.
 
 
 
 
What to Expect
Thursday Nights
meditators
 
We meet on the first and third Thursday evening of each month from 7-9 pm.

We typically meditate from about 7 to 7:30, which includes a period of Tonglen practice. Tonglen is a particular practice for opening your heart, becoming willing to explore taking on the suffering of others and giving up any ownership of your own well-being. If you're not familiar with tonglen, that's not a problem - you can just stay with your regular meditation until you get a chance to get instructions in tonglen. If there is a Thursday night talk happening, that usually goes from about 7:30 to 8:00 or 8:15. After that there's time for discussion, which sometimes gets lively. We always honor and respect everyone's opinion, whether or not we agree with it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW

  • February 20 - Sitting, Book reviews, and Discussion

  • This week, Bill and Eric will talk about two books by Arlie Russell Hochschild, who is a sociologist from Berkeley (the home of the left) who has been spent time among right-wing people in two communities. Her earlier book is set in rural Louisiana: "Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right." Just recently she came out with a new book, set in the coal country of rural Kentucky: "Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right." These books have no connection with Buddhism or Shambhala, but many of us in the group (who tend to be on the left) have expressed distress and confusion about the recent election. "How could anyone vote that way?" Our intention is not to persuade anyone of any political position, but rather to help try to understand the rightists, and potentially come to recognize our common humanity. They may have views we don't share, but they are not stupid, crazy, or evil; they are not a monolithic block who all agree with each other; and it seems valuable to try to appreciate them and even respect their views. You do not need to have read the books to participate in the discussion.  
     
    As usual, we will begin with about half an hour of sitting and tonglen practice before starting the video around 7:30.  
     
     
     
     
     




     
    AUDIO LIBRARY
    Use this link to the Members Page to listen to some of the talks that were given by senior teachers on Thursday nights at our regular gathering at The Meditation Place. Enjoy them for the first time -- or hear them again!
     

     


     
    For all general questions, contact us:

     
    Our Mission Statement: The Longmont Shambhala Meditation Group aspires to create a more harmonious and sane society and a culture of kindness, generosity, and courage. We invite all people to connect with their inherent wisdom and compassion through meditation practice, the study of the Shambhala teachings, and service to the community.
     
    The Sun image, Shambhala®, Shambhala Meditation Center®, and Shambhala Center®
    are registered service marks of Shambhala International (Vajradhatu).