Open House

Yesterday was a really interesting day at the center. Every first Tuesday is open house for people to come to learn about the center and receive sitting meditation instruction. What was so amazing is a woman practically came to San Antonio to visit our center from Argentina. She has read many of Chogyam Trunpa's books and studies the Shambhala teaching with her husband and a few friends in Argentina. I completely forgot to ask how she became so interested in Shambhala since she seems to have never been to one before and the nearest one to her home is in Chile. She was so excited I was floored. Thankfully Doria was the instructor last night and was able to speak to her in Spanish for any of her questions that she was having a problem asking in English. Her aunt lives here in San Antonio and when they were speaking over the phone and Shambhala was mentioned the aunt informed her there was a center here. So when she came to visit her aunt she was most interested in visiting our center as well. I wish I could have spoken to her more. I hope she is able to come to the center for the open sit on Sunday before her flight in the afternoon.

Ikebana

Saturday was a wonderful day. There was a contemplative arts class on Kalapa Ikebana, a style of Ikebana created by Shambhala's founder Chögyam Trungpa. Our teacher was Doria Cross. Normally when you have a lesson of Ikebana in Shambhala it is a weekend intensive but Doria knew that people often can not put aside a whole weekend and did her best to create a one day class to cover the basics of Ikebana and how it can relate into our everyday lives. We started out with about an hour lecture of the history of Ikebana and the basic meaning of the form we would be learning. Then we had a short 10 minute break before she did a demonstration for another hour. Afterwards we were free to make our first piece following the form she had given us with the same branches and flowers she had used. We did a critic of each piece after we 'gave them away'. In Kalapa Ikebana when you have finished with your arrangement you give it away, it is no longer yours. Then is was break for potluck lunch. Afterwards Doria did another demonstration with different branches and flowers but following the same form and then we made our own. It was very fun and then we took home the flowers we had used and some of the extra flowers too.