New Millennial Practice Group Starting

For many of us, our curiosity with meditation and spirituality was sparked by suffering. We seek an ability to manage the craziness of our minds so that our minds work for us, instead of against us. Western psychiatric medicine and self-help have adopted mindfulness as a go-to intervention for a host of conditions, mental and physical.

But many of us have also meditated, possibly for years, and are still suffering. We still have relationship problems we can’t sort out. We have aspects of ourselves that we don’t like. We react to the same situations in the same habitual ways, and feel helpless to stop it.

Is there more to working with these aspects of ourselves than a clinical application of mindfulness meditation? What does it mean to be a complete human being, without being psychologically and physically perfect?

We need a view that encourages us to open ourselves to our experience, to soften the solidity of our traumatized egos and to develop gentleness towards ourselves and others. We can include the practice of meditation in this view, so that we aren’t just meditating for the same reasons we perform other compulsive and controlling behaviours.

It is very difficult to do this alone. Communities help to reinforce positive values. We can also take these positive values that we cultivate ourselves back to our more intimate communities. This can lead to businesses that make more ethical choices and romantic relationships with a greater degree of mutual respect.

Communities also thrive where shared experience is maximized. Let us help address some of the cultural hurdles of our times with communities that are found on the principles of basic human dignity.

On Monday, January the 13th the Shambhala Toronto Millennial Practice group meets for the first time. The aim of this group is to go beyond the simple technique of mindfulness meditation, and into more holistic principles of basic goodness and community that are so central to the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. We seek to do this through a group where shared experience is maximized, and where members can take the principles practiced within the container of the group to other communities where they are involved.

If you are a member of the Millennial generation, come join us for these get togethers on the second Monday of each month.

I look forward to seeing you there,

Alex.