February 2012

The Cologne Shambhala Meditation Centre will host an education programme offered by the Office of Societal Health and Well-Being and the Desung Arm of the Dorje Kasung programme, Conflict as path of transformation, on 15-17 June, facilitated by kasung Fred van Welsem with introductions by the European Director of the Office of SHWB, Mrs. Angela Belfor and the Desung Arm Commander, Debra Coats Rupön.

Question : What would you do if there were no conflict? 
CTR : "It would be deadly. Working with conflict is precisely the idea of walking the spiritual path. The path is a wild, winding mountain road with all kind of curves; there are wild animals, attacks by bandits, all kinds of situations cropping up. As far as the occupation of our mind is concerned, the chaos of the path is the fun."        
Chögyam Trungpa - Dawn of Tantra

Basic Goodness is the fundament of the Shambhala Society.                                                               

The training aims to deepen the connection with that basis so that kindness can flourish.  Mrs. Belfor will introduce the view of SHWB on creating a culture of kindness and how to realize and integrate that vision in the Shambhala councils and communities. Coats Rupön will present the practice of the Desung Arm of caring for situations of disharmony or obstruction between Shambhala members.

We will train in the practice of mediation, guided by Mr. Fred van Welsem, who has experience and expertise in Transformative Mediation. This is a widely respected system of mediation, consistent with the vision of Shambhala. Mr. van Welsem received his first mediation training in the US and became one of the first mediators in the Netherlands in 1994. He is a full time mediator and mediator trainer.

Directors, council members of Shambhala Centers and Groups, Dorje Kasung and Shambhala practitioners with an interest in ‘Health and Well-Being' are warmly invited to participate. The training starts at 19:30 on Friday 15th June, a full day on Saturday and ends at 16:00 on Sunday 17th June.

For information and registration, please contact: Irene Vliegenthart at irenev@xs4all.nl or call +31358871654 or +31645210989