Shambhala Boston: In the World
Written by Mary Coonan
At the Sakyong’s urging, the Boston Shambhala Center has been actively connecting with synergistic opportunities in the community to join with efforts to uncover basic goodness within different professional realms. On October 25th, Shastri Carolyn Krusinski presented meditation instructions to over 250 doctors, nurses, nutritionists, chiropractors, and other medical personnel at the Seasonal Therapeutics Conference held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The conference, entitled “Autumn”, was the first in a series of four gatherings, sponsored by Innate Response Formulas, which explores the role and rhythm of the seasons as a timetable for an integrated approach to patient care. The conference presenter, Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, combined the wisdom of natural rhythms with knowledge from western medicine. Shortly before lunch Shastri Krusinski led the audience through a contemplation exercise which skillfully integrated the context of the conference with the Shambhala principles of basic goodness and enlightened society.
The Shambhala Center also hosted one of a handful of booths where Larry Teitelbaum, Dan Glenn and Mary Coonan had an opportunity to speak one on one with conference attendees about their personal and professional interests in meditation. Participants were interested in a variety of areas including, where to refer patients to learn how to meditate, program offerings integrating meditation and medicine, how Shambhala integrates body work and meditation, the difference between Shambhala and Zen Buddhism, where and who to connect with in their home towns, and retreat offerings for seasoned meditators from other traditions.
Larry Teitelbaum reflected on the experience of meeting conference attendees, “I was delighted by the interest in Shambhala at the conference. The prominent location of our booth enabled us to connect with a wide variety of health practitioners intimately. As a ‘co-sponsor’ of the event we were able to sit at the center of the conference. We were selected by Dr. Low Dog from a number of meditation communities to present the meditation. According to the main sponsor of the conference, when shown the web sites of three choices, Dr. Low Dog pointed to our website and said “I choose Shambhala.”