Spark wisdom this spring

In early August 2011 I spent a week in Halifax at a retreat called “Being Brave: Transforming Your World.” I remember seeing ads for the retreat on the sides of city buses. Shambhala in Halifax was as big in the bus ad world as musicals are in Toronto! The teachers were Sakyong Mipham, Pema Chödrön, and Adam Lobel whose words had a much longer-lasting effect than any musical. I’d already heard recorded talks by the first two well-known teachers but was unfamiliar with Adam Lobel. But even now when I remember that retreat I remember his down-to-earth accessible style, his humour, and how he created a sense of connection and even intimacy in a room that held upwards of 900 people. It was an inspiring week of practice and reflection.

On the last day of the retreat,  Adam Lobel spoke of the danger of attending to only our own peace—that we’d be bypassing reality, caught in spiritual materialism, if we somehow feel at ease while the world goes to hell in hand basket. In my notes I’ve highlighted the words “human society as a ceremony we practice.” He spoke of how meditation practice is about how we practise our lives. Lobel said that

social transformation involves deep care for ourselves, our family, our work place—that we are society and when we care for our own experience, we are practising a transformed world.

 

Now you can see him in person!

Adam Lobel will be in Toronto next month, offering dynamic Shambhala teachings on ecological and social action, personal energy, restorative practices, and much more. Sparking Wisdom takes place from 20 to 23 April in three different venues.

Whether you’re new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, hearing Acharya Lobel is sure to spark your own wisdom and inspiration for Compassionate Social and Ecological Action or Healing the Inner Critic. Sign up here for one session or all four. What a perfect way to welcome spring!