The Shambhala Board

Dear Shambhala community –

We are writing with two brief updates to our previously announced initiatives regarding community grants and nominations/applications for Board positions.

Deadline Extended: Community Grants Fund Applications

The Shambhala Board has received a number of requests to extend the deadline for the Shambhala Community Grants Fund so that applicants have enough time to complete their proposals. The Board is extending the application deadline from January 5, 2020 to January 31, 2020.  If your proposal is complete by the earlier date, we would appreciate receiving applications as soon as they are ready. The link for more information and the application is here.

Board Nominations and Applications Invited Globally

The Board would also like to make clear that although our authority is over Shambhala USA and Shambhala Canada and that it extends to Shambhala Europe, we are looking for applicants for Board positions globally.  Please note that the application deadline for Board membership is unchanged at January 15, 2020. To view the job description for Shambhala Board membership, please click here. To nominate someone or to apply, please use this link.

 

Sincerely,

 

The Shambhala Board

Veronika Bauer
Mark Blumenfeld
John Cobb
Jennifer Crow
Susan Ryan
Paulina Varas

To the Shambhala Community —

As the Sakyong expressed in his recent letter, during the past year he has received numerous supplications from students, including a large group of 125 students who have directly requested the Rigden Abhisheka in order to continue on their Vajrayana path. Earlier this fall, the Board received a request from Dechen Chöling (DCL) that they wished to support those students by inviting the Sakyong to confer a Rigden Abhisheka in June 2020.

The Board has considered this request seriously. We have sought advice and had extensive discussions among ourselves, and have come to a decision to join with DCL’s invitation to the Sakyong to confer the Rigden Abhisheka in June 2020.

We are writing to provide further background and detail about the decision-making process which led us to support this invitation.

As individual practitioners, students and community members, not all members of the Board have the same feelings about the way forward. However, as a Board, we have arrived at a consensus behind this decision.

We acknowledge there will be a wide range of opinions in the community in reaction to this decision. We believe it is important to support students in our community who are requesting to continue on their practice path. We hope that by inviting the Sakyong to confer this pivotal dot on the path, these students will be able to continue their commitment to the Shambhala teachings. We understand that the Sakyong will seriously consider this request to confer the Rigden Abhisheka.

At the same time, we are also working to support the paths of all students in the Shambhala community. Within our lineage, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings and contemplative traditions offer a large treasury of knowledge and practices. It is our heartfelt wish that we all can go forward to deepen our understanding and strengthen our individual and group practices together.

Meeting Between the Sakyong and the Shambhala Board

In late October, the Board requested a meeting with the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo about this and other topics. We had the meeting by Zoom and they joined from their residence in Nepal.  A key part of this exchange was the presentation of Shambhala’s new draft Code of Conduct, which the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo had reviewed and expressed support for this work.

At this October meeting, we discussed a number of topics including:

• The Board’s wish that the Sakyong communicate with the community and that many members of the community wish to hear more from him.
• How best to respond to the requests from students who want him to offer Vajrayana teachings, in particular those in the community who have made supplications for a Rigden Abhisheka in Europe as well as the implications of various approaches on how to respond to these requests.
• Progress in the area of Care and Conduct and the direction of the Process Team’s Care and Conduct draft.
• The Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo’s support of the draft of the new Code of Conduct composed by the Process Team that they had received and reviewed prior to the meeting.
• The relationship of the community and the Shambhala organization to the Shambhala lineage and the role of the lineage in Shambhala.

The Board appreciated being able to meet directly with the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo and felt that this recent meeting was a valuable step in terms of working on a path forward.  We look forward to continuing our dialogue.

Board Considerations

The Board considered the students’ request for the Sakyong to confer the Rigden Abhisheka seriously, has sought advice, and has had extensive discussions among ourselves. We would like to share our considerations with you. Please note that these are the result of our own discussion, and we do not presume to speak for the Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo. In our discussions, among other things, we considered:

• The Sakyong is the lineage holder of Shambhala and the author of the Scorpion Seal curriculum and path based on the terma of the Druk Sakyong (the Sakyong’s father, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche).
• He alone can confer the Rigden Abhisheka.
• The community, the Process Team and the Board are all working on initiatives to promote a safer community. However, this work is nowhere near finished. Much more needs to be done and sustained. It is our hope that by trying to involve and engage the Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo in the various processes, it will be healthier and more clarifying than a separate, even parallel, process. In this regard, the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo support the work of the Board and the community on the new Code of Conduct and will be part of this process.
• As we communicated in our letter to the community on August 21, the Sakyong has delegated the management and supervision of Shambhala USA and Shambhala Canada for a two-year period ending in October 2021. This has not changed.  The Board values and protects this independence as it has enabled us to promote greater clarity and, hopefully, trust around issues of finances, accountability and fiduciary responsibility.

The Board looks forward to continued community dialogue on what it means to be Shambhalian and how to manifest as a Shambhala community together. This applies to all community members inclusively, whether they wish to study with the Sakyong directly, as the head of the lineage, at this time or not. The Board is steadfast in holding to the basic approach that we must learn from our mutual experience, engage in dialogue, and then act skillfully together to heal wounds and reconcile differences. We believe we can move forward as members of the Shambhala lineage manifesting as a stronger, kinder, more caring and inclusive practice community. It is our intention to allow space for all points of view within our community and to support all Shambhala students in their path.

As always, you can reach us at board@shambhala.org with questions, concerns and comments.

Sincerely,

The Shambhala Board
Veronika Bauer
Mark Blumenfeld
John Cobb
Jen Crow
Susan Ryan
Paulina Varas

Dear Shambhala Community –

The Shambhala Board intends to utilize a portion of the proceeds received from the sale of Marpa House to strengthen community and support new initiatives proposed by sangha members. Our vision is to invest seed money into projects that provide a positive contribution to regional or local development and the mandala as a whole. These grants will be made available to Centres, Groups, and other Shambhala affiliated groups and organizations.

With this process the Board wishes to offer resources for investment rather than subsidies for operating costs. The purpose is to inspire community creativity, ideas and engagement for the long-run success of Shambhala. After the projects are chosen, we will announce the initiatives to the community and continue to follow their progress.

The Scope and Amount of the Grants

We encourage applications for projects that include multiple Centers and/or Groups working collaboratively together. Additionally, we encourage applicants to enhance their application with co-funding from other sources; such as matching funds from the entity sending in the application (Center, Group, etc…), from individuals, or by a specific fundraising strategy among other constituents. Co-funding from other sources will increase the likelihood of funding as it demonstrates broad support for an initiative.

We have set aside the amount of $400,000 USD to fund accepted applications. We are open to requests with budgets of all sizes. A measurable outcome and reaching defined milestones within 3-9 months are a prerequisite for funding.

The Grant Guidelines

In applying for a grant, please refer to the following guidelines:

1. The grant will lead to greater community harmony and / or engagement;
2. The grant will increase the scope of Center, Group, or overall mandala activities and result in higher membership, greater member involvement, community outreach, and/or attract more financial support;
3. If the grant is for operational support, the project outcomes will lead to greater long term financial sustainability;
4. If the grant is for training or curriculum development, it will respond to a community need, and can be replicated for other Centers, Groups, and affiliated organizations; and/or
5. The grant will allow the Center, Group, or mandala affiliated organization to partner with a significant number of local community members and/or a local community group(s).

It is essential for us to understand the objective of the application from the ground, path, and fruition point of view. We will want to know how the proposal was developed locally and how it will have a positive impact on the mandala as a whole. In the same way, the practical aspects need to be clearly presented: the objectives, the needs, milestones, possible risks and obstacles, the timeline, the people and resources involved and the accompanying financials. There needs to be an identifiable person and contact information for the responsible person(s) in charge of the grant.

The timeline of the suggested project is requested to be 6-24 months.

How and When to Apply

To present an initiative and ask for funds, please download the template and e-mail your application to grants@shambhala.org. You can add more materials to support the application if you wish. If you intend to apply for a grant, please submit your application by January 5, 2020. It is helpful to let us know at any time that you intend to apply and are working to complete the grant at grants@shambhala.org. Please also send any questions you may have to this address.

We anticipate having short online oral presentations for every application received before making a decision.

It is our intention to make these grants within a thirty to ninety day period. Dependent on the outcome of this initiative, we may institute a second round of applications.

If your initiative is funded, please keep in touch!

When receiving a grant or a loan, you will need to keep us informed about the progress of the initiative. A grant may be subject to particular conditions. Grant recipients will be required to complete a quarterly report using a template and instructions provided by the Board. Reports will include an update on progress, milestones budget and a request for release of granted funds for the upcoming quarter. Please understand that we reserve the right to revoke all or parts of a grant or loan if a project deviates too much from the course the funds were given to, it is not getting started, or if satisfactory reporting is not received.

We are excited to be able to initiate this process and are looking forward to applications.

Sincerely,

The Shambhala Board

Veronika Bauer
Mark Blumenfeld
John Cobb
Jennifer Crow
Susan Ryan
Paulina Varas

To the Shambhala Community —

As the year comes to a close, we are writing today to update you on several important initiatives that the Board has been working on. The topics in the letter include updates on proceeding with recommendations to changes to our current code of conduct, an update on the Flynn Group investigation, information on the Shambhala Community Grant program, information on applying or nominating someone to be a member of the Shambhala Board and an important new Shambhala Global Services (SGS) hire.

Shambhala Board Decisions:

• Initiated a Shambhala Community Fund grants program.
• Established the Board Advisory Nominating Group to solicit and select nominations for the Shambhala Board of Directors.
• Accepted the draft Code of Conduct received from the Process Team Code of Conduct Task Force as the working basis for moving forward towards a new code of conduct for Shambhala.
• Appointed the Process Team Care and Conduct Task Force, a subcommittee of the Board for a period of a year, as a working group to implement the new Code of Conduct.
• Assisted Shambhala Mountain Center in managing a cashflow shortfall by providing a short-term loan of $150,000.
• Began a campaign to support bequests to Shambhala and to hire a part-time employee in the Shambhala Development office to focus on bequests and grants from estates.
• Hired Melanie Klein as the Shambhala Global Services Operations Director.
• Promoted John Shaw, former Donor Relations to the position of Donor Relations and Centre Transfer Coordinator.
• Approved an operating budget for 2020.

Board Advisory Nominating Group

Effective October 17, the Shambhala Board was given the authority to replace its members, an authority that the Interim Board did not have. In this regard, the Board is pleased to announce that we have established the Board Advisory Nominating Group and had its initial meetings. The purpose of this group is to seek, vet and present candidates to the Board for approval as Board Directors. The group is now beginning the application and nominating process.  As with the Transition Task Force process, community members will be able to nominate candidates for the Board ensuring that they intend to apply.

The application process will be open until January 15, 2020.  Please find the link to the job description here and find the link to the application and nomination document here. If you feel you have strong professional experience to contribute, a strong personal practice and the heart to be of service to our community, please apply.

The Board Advisory Nominating Group members currently include: Gabe Dayley, Christine Heming, Patricia Anderson, John Cobb and Susan Ryan.  You can contact the group at boardnominations@shambhala.org.

Care and Conduct

Code of Conduct:  The Board received the draft Code of Conduct from the Process Team Care and Conduct Task Force and in consultation with them, the Care and Conduct panel and other advisors has accepted this draft as the working basis for moving forward. The Board recognizes and is grateful for the immense amount of work and dedication of the Process Team Task Force in producing this comprehensive draft. The Board has appointed the Process Team Care and Conduct Task Force, a working sub-committee of the Board called the Code of Conduct Support Group (CCSG) to develop and implement a roll out plan for this major initiative which will involve the entire the entire community. We anticipate that the roll out will be in stages and require significant feedback, training, education, resources,  and infrastructure. Members of the CCSG are: Jim Fladmark, Claudia Arnau, Greg Lubkin, Kristine McCutcheon, Jan-Frans Sturm and Susie Vincent.

This Code of Conduct draft includes a general Code of Conduct together with specific policies covering:

• Child Protection
• Policy to Address Sexual Misconduct
• Conduct of Those Holding Positions of Authority
• Anti-discrimination Policy

Once a roll out plan has been drafted by the CCSG and reviewed by the Board, we will be announcing specific ways for the community to be involved.

Child Abuse Investigation: As we previously reported, the Board initiated an independent investigation in response to allegations of child abuse in 1998 involving a Shambhala member. The Board hired Employment Matters LLC Flynn Investigation Group to investigate how Shambhala handled its involvement in events surrounding the allegations leading to the recent arrest of Michael Smith, a former Shambhala member. The Flynn Group reviewed records, interviewed over 20 people and submitted its findings to the Board at the end of October. The key investigative findings in the particular case were that:

• The case was reported to the police at the time and the parents decided for various reasons not to pursue the matter in the criminal process;
• Shambhala did not in any way pressure the parents of the minor not to bring charges, either civil or criminal, against the alleged perpetrator;
• There was a second alleged incident involving the same perpetrator at Karmê Chöling. Flynn Group was unable to follow up on the claim as the alleged victim would not come forward and respect for her confidentiality foreclosed any further investigation. If it occurred, it would have occurred prior to the 1998 Boulder incident.

The Flynn Report suggested several areas needing attention, including:

• Training in, and knowledge of mandatory reporting requirements to authorities where children are concerned.
• Clear and documented decisions as to when, how, and where intervention is appropriate.
• An effective database (that is confidential and protective of rights) that can be referred to by Shambhala leadership, including the Dorje Kasung, to ascertain repeat offenders or a pattern of behavior.
• When spontaneous interventions are necessary, afterward they should be reported to supervisors, documented and debriefed.
• Practical limits on intervention in cases beyond the expertise, responsibility, or  jurisdiction of the Shambhala leadership, which will require a well-known referral process.
• A sensitivity to any tendency to rationalize harmful behavior by using non-conventional justifications or solutions.

The Board will work with CCSG to insure that the Code of Conduct and its implementation, in particular the child protection policy, addresses the above issues.

The Board wishes to thank the many Shambhala members who responded to the Flynn Group and provided helpful information.

Director of Community Care and Conduct: The Board, working with representatives from the Process Team Care and Conduct Task Force and the Care and Conduct panel have concluded candidate interviews and are currently in discussion with finalists for the position.

Shambhala Online Course available for Shambhala Members:  We encourage members to consider registering either as individuals or groups for the highly praised Sexual Harm, Trauma and The  Healing Journey course with Robert Wright, Acharya Noel McLellan and Basia Solarz. The course is available at no charge to Shambhala members thanks to the generosity of donors supporting the community work in Care and Conduct.

Shambhala Community Fund Grants

 As mentioned in the Q3 Financial Report, the Board has set aside a protected fund of $400,000 from the Marpa House proceeds to fund proposals from Shambhala centers and groups intended to benefit Shambhala communities. The specifics of a grant proposal process for projects and the application is posted on our website here.  Applications are open until January 5, 2020.

The intention of the grant is to fund efforts that will promote community harmony and health, greater member involvement, or community outreach, increased membership and lead to greater community engagement. We encourage you and your community to begin conversations around  the prospect of creating a proposal for submission. We plan to award the initially accepted proposals by this coming Shambhala Day.

Shambhala Global Services Budget 2020

The Board has approved an operating budget for calendar year 2020. We will be sharing this budget and its goals and objectives with leadership over the next month, and it will be discussed in our year end financial report which we hope to deliver to the community by the end of January 2020.

New Shambhala Global Services (SGS) Director of Operations

We are very pleased to announce that Melanie Klein has been offered and has accepted the new position as SGS Director of Operations.  In this capacity, Ms. Klein will oversee the administration, programs and operations of SGS and work closely with the Shambhala Board to develop and implement SGS operational mission and goals. Other duties include oversight of financial, fundraising, programming, communications, and community care staff. The position reports directly to the Shambhala Board of Directors. Ms. Klein will transition from her current role as Director of the Boulder Shambhala Center to her new role with SGS early next year. We are delighted to have her, and look forward to her bringing her deep experience in business and dharma administration to our work going forward.

Administrative

Information Technology: We have asked the Shambhala IT group under the leadership of Cynthia McKay and John D. Smith to present project plans to do long delayed maintenance and modernization of the Shambhala Database (SDB), the web sites and related systems. Details will be included in the 2020 budget presented with the end of the year financial report.

Appointments and Departures

• Orange County, CA – James Murphy Group Coordinator succeeding Sepideh Tabai
• Shambhala Global Services: John Shaw, new staffing position of Donor Relations and Centre Transfers Coordinator
• Stuttgart, Germany – Disbanding as a Shambhala Group
• Truro, NS –  Disbanding as a Shambhala Centre
• Vancouver, BC – Rolf Erni stepping down as Shambhala Center Director

Please continue to communicate with us at board@shambhala.org.

All best wishes,

The Shambhala Board

Veronika Bauer
Mark Blumenfeld
John Cobb
Jen Crow
Susan Ryan
Paulina Varas

Dear Shambhala Community –

The Shambhala Global Services third quarter financial report is now available here on the Shambhala website.

You will find that our balance sheet now reflects the receipt of the Marpa House funds and the elimination of our loan liabilities. Revenue and expense lines are close to budget and in line with our previous quarter.

We will provide a full update of our recent activities in our November community letter later this month.

Sincerely,

The Shambhala Board
Veronika Bauer
Mark Blumenfeld
John Cobb
Jen Crow
Susan Ryan
Paulina Varas