Dear Dharma Friends,

welcome to the Shambala Trust Spring 2005 Newsletter. We have been really busy over the past 6 months and i am happy to announce that we have made steady progress in all areas of our service.

Here are the topics of our spring issue:

"If you build it they will come" - Dorje Naljorma Buddhist and Retreat Centre
Welcome to Venerable Angie Muir - A Scottish nun has joined the Trust
Teachings by Ven. Sangye Khadro  
Saka Dawa - come and celebrate with us  
Ongoing Courses and Groups
Forthcoming Events
Shambala Trust Membership Programme
About the Shambala Trust

I hope you will enjoy reading our newsletter and I pray that all our actions and activities will be for the benefit all living beings everywhere.

With best wishes and many prayers,

Thomas Warrior
(chairperson of the Shambala Trust)

"If you build it they will come" - Dorje Naljorma Buddhist and Retreat Centre

Most of you will know by now that one of the main objectives of the Trust is to build a residential Buddhist and Retreat Centre, which is to be a place of inter-religious exchange, to serve the needs of the students and practitioners of all Buddhist traditions in the area, as well as the needs of the growing population of the ecological village in this community.  

In 2002 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, spiritual director of Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu and firm supporter of the project, suggested Dorje Naljorma Centre for Retreat and Meditation as the name of our building project. Dorje Naljorma is the Tibetan Name of the popular female Tantric Deity, Vajrayogini, who is a representation of complete Buddhahood in female form.

Architectural Drawings

Our architect David Dittman has continued to work on translating our vision for the Buddhist and Retreat Centre into architectural drawings and has now produced detailed floor plans and a very beautiful elevation which really captures everyone's imagination. You will be able to see these drawings on our web site shortly.   

This residential centre will have a multi purpose meditation room, a Buddhist library, facilities for individual and group retreats and accommodation for up to 25 people. The centre will also incorporate a teacher's flat, a consultation and meeting room, and a flat for a resident manager. David estimates the building cost to be just under 1 million Pounds.  

Time Share Retreats

Raising this kind of money will of course require great fundraising skills and we are now exploring to raise the bulk of the money by selling time share retreats to interested people. Unlike its commercial counterparts in the holiday industry, these time shares will of course be a non-profit enterprise, offering a service at cost price.

The principle is quite simple: you will be able to buy retreat spaces at the centre in units of one week each, which you will occupy at the same time every year. Ownership will be for life and apart from using it yourself you will also have the right to rent out your space to another party or to sell your retreat at any time. Our vision is to offer tailor-made retreats to each person offering a number of unique facilities, such as a personal retreat guide, a choice of special meals and retreat diets, and the use of an extensive Buddhist library.

We hope and pray that the proposed centre is very relevant to fulfilling the needs of the people of this community, the needs of the people living in the north-east of Scotland, as well as the needs of the thousands spiritual seekers that are drawn to this place every year. One of our next steps is to consult with the people in this community to identify people's needs in relation to this project, to hear people's concerns, suggestions, advise and inspirations and - hopefully - attract wide support for the creation of the centre.

Welcome to Venerable Angie Muir - A Scottish nun has joined the Trust

Following the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche a dedicated Scottish Tibetan Buddhist nun, Ven. Angie Muir, has joined us at the Shambala Trust. She is helping us to perform pujas which Rinpoche has kindly advised us to do in order to create the right causes and conditions for the quick manifestation of the proposed residential Buddhist and Retreat centre.

Ven. Angie has been a Tibetan Buddhist nun for almost 8 years. She spent her first 3 years as a Buddhist practitioner primarily in meditation retreat in India and Nepal. She then moved to Caifornia to perform extensive water bowl offerings and other duties at Lama Zopa Rinpoche's house for almost 3 years. The last two years before coming here she was the Spiritual Program Coordinator at Vajrapani Institute in California.

To receive a monthly e-mail which lists the dates and venues of all the pujas and practices lead by Ven. Angie, please send an e-mail request to admin@shambalatrust.co.uk

Teachings by Ven. Sangye Khadro

In case you still haven't heard: Ven. Sangye Khadro is back to teach at Findhorn. Ven. Sangye Khadro (Kathleen McDonald) has been a Tibetan Buddhist nun for more than 30 years and is one of the foremost teachers of Buddhism in the West today. She is the author of the best-selling Dharma book “How to Meditate”, a beautifully simple guide book on Buddhist meditation. Don't miss this rare opportunity to receive her teachings. Here is her teaching schedule:

Friday 13 May: Awakening the Kind Heart - A Public Talk in the Universal Hall at 8:00 pm. Entry by donation
Sat + Sun 14 + 15 May: "BraveHeart" - A weekend retreat at Cullerne House. Cost: £30/25. Very few places still available. For bookings and more details please contact Thomas Warrior, Tel. 01309 690690.
Mon + Tue 16 + 17 May: "The Wheel of Life" - two evening talks at Cullerne House, each at 8:00 pm. Entry by donation.

Saka Dawa on 23 May - come and celebrate with us

As you probably know, May is a very special month in the Tibetan calendar as we will celebrate Saka Dawa, which is the anniversary of Buddha's birth, Enlightenment and paranirvana (passing away). It is celebrated on the full moon of the 4th Tibeten Lunar calender month.  

Saka Dawa and even the whole month of May is a particularly auspicious time to engage in spiritual practices, since any practice we do this month is multiplied thousandfold. It is said that doing just one Medicine Buddha puja at Saka Sawa is equivalent to doing over 100,000 pujas on any other day!

We will celebrate this special event on Monday 23 May with a Medicine Buddha Puja, lead by Ven. Angie Muir, from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. If you live locally and would like to participate please contact us by e-mail or telephone for more details and venue information.  

Ongoing Courses and Groups

Summer Practice Group: Ven. Angie Muir is offering Tibetan Buddhist practice sessions based on the Lam Rim teachings, suitable for both beginners and experienced students, between June and September this year. Sessions are on Wednesdays from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm. For more details and venue information please contact Ven. Angie, Tel. 01309 690690.

Tibetan Buddhist Study and Practice Course: two popular courses just completed this week. New courses, for both beginners and experienced students will start again in September this year. For more details and venue information please contact Thomas Warrior or Ven. Angie Muir, Tel. 01309 690690.

Mindfulness Meditation events in the tradition of the Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh:  

• Mindfulness Meditation, Mondays, 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm in the Park Building Sanctuary. Contact:           Chris Taylor, Tel. 01309 676001
    • Mindfulness Morning, every Saturday from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm in the main Park Sanctuary. Contact: Chris Taylor, Tel. 01309 676001.
• Mindfulness Day, about once every three months. Includes shared lunch. For details please         contact Chris, Tel. 01309 676001
•    Vipassana Meditation, Tuesdays, 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm in the Park Building Sanctuary. Contact:         Chris Taylor, Tel. 01309 676001.
 
Meditations with Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO): Mondays, 7:15 pm - 9:15 pm, Contact: Chris Taylor, Tel. 01309 676001.


Forthcoming Events

Teachings by Ven. Ngawang Pende: Ven. Pende lead a very popular retreat entitled "Opening the Loving Heart" in November last year and the good news is that he will be back for more! He will lead another reatreat the weekend of 10 + 11 September 2005. Details of this event will be sent via a News Flash to your e-mail address closer to the time.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche's visit: In a joint venture between the Shambala Trust and the Findhorn Foundation we have invited the great Tibetan Buddhist master Lama Zopa Rinpoche to visit and teach in our community. Watch this space for more details in one of our next issues or via our News Flash.

Ven. Robina Courtin's visit. Ven. Robina has visited our community on two occasions before, giving a number of inspiring public talks and leading meditation workshops. We invited her to come back for more and she just recently replied to confirm that she will come to teach again on her next visit to the UK. We will of course contact you with a News Flash as soon as we have more details.

Appeal for Help and Support!

To realise all of the Trust's objectives we very much rely on your help and support. It doesn't matter what skills or background you have - everyone has unique gifts to give! So, if you think our work is relevant and beneficial for others, please consider giving us your unique gift! There are many ways of supporting the Trust and its projects and activities:


Shambala Trust Membership Programme

Have you considered becoming a member of the Shambala Trust? To be able to continue our work and fulfill the objectives of the Trust we very much depend on your ongoing financial support. One great way of supporting the Trust while enjoying a number of benefits and discounts is to become a member of Shambala Trust.  

For a small yearly fee of £48 (that’s just £4 per month) we offer you the following benefits:

- 10% discount on all our courses and events
 - 10% discount on all our merchandise in Shambala Shop
 - free use of Shambala Trust Library
 - free Dharma book when you join

Joining is easy! Just follow this link: http://www.shambalatrust.co.uk/membership.html

Make a Donation to the Trust

We welcome your donations, no matter how big or small. If you would like to make a regular donation please fill in the Banker's Order Form on our our web site or contact us to receive this form in the mail.  

If you are a UK tax payer please also fill in the Gift Aid Declaration Form on our web site, or contact us to receive a Gift Aid Declaration Form in the mail. This will entitle Shambala Trust to reclaim 28% in tax from the Inland Revenue on every £1 you donate.

Offer us a Loan  

One of the most effective ways to support our building project, Dorje Naljorma Centre for Retreat and Meditation, is to offer us a long term interest free or low interest loan. Please contact us for more details if you can help us in this way.

Become a Volunteer

And last but not least, we always need dedicated volunteers to support the work of the Trust. At present we are looking for a project manager and skilled fundraiser, a building project manager who would like to manage the building of Dorje Naljorma Centre, as well as volunteers to help in the Shambala Trust library. Please contact us if you have skills in these areas and feel drawn to support us. If you have a great fundraising idea please don't hesitate to contact us straight away!


About the Shambala Trust

The Shambala Trust was founded in 1995 and was registered as a Scottish charity in 2001. The founder members are Thomas and Maris Warrior and Eva Ward, all active members of the Findhorn Foundation and Community. Margo van Greta, head of the Spiritual and Personal Development Department of the Findhorn Foundation, and James Mitchell, a businessman from Edinburgh and active supporter of the Trust for many years, joined as Trustees last year.

The Trust aims to create an inter-denominational Buddhist Centre and Centre for Interfaith Dialogue to offer a home to the many students and practitioners of all Buddhist traditions in and around the local community, to offer regular courses, study and practice groups, a space for individual and group retreats, and to promote inter-religious tolerance and understanding.

The inspiration for this project was conceived by Thomas Warrior who had a powerful vision during a retreat at Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal in 1995. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama appeared in his meditation with a clear message suggesting the creation of a dharma centre in the northeast of Scotland. The centre is to be a place of inter-faith exchange and to serve the needs of students and practitioners of all Buddhist traditions in the area.

Thomas shared his vision with his friends and teachers who have since lent tremendous support to this vision, through prayers, guidance, gifts and donations. Among them are His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Khenrinpoche Lama Lhundrup (abbot of Kopan Monastery) and Lama Zopa Rinpoche (spiritual director of Kopan Monastery).

The project also enjoys the continued support of His Eminence the Khentin Tai Situpa (head of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism) and Lama Yeshe (abbot of Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Centre in Scotland), who both visited the Findhorn Foundation and Community to offer teachings, refuge and initiations.

The Trust welcomes donations and loans towards the creation of the centre as well as dedicated volunteers in the areas of fundraising, building and administration. For more information on the Trust activities please visit our web site on http://www.shambalatrust.co.uk or contact Thomas Warrior, Tel. 01309 690690.