Shambhala Mountain Center Open House

Detail of the Great Stupa, south side

Last Sunday afternoon, September 2, Kali and I visited the Shambhala Mountain Center, located about seven miles from our house.  The center has an open house on the first Sunday of each month to introduce visitors to the center and its programming in meditation, Buddhist studies, and massage.  Kali and I know next to nothing about Buddhism (we watched the two-hour PBS series about the Buddha), so we were open and receptive.

We first had lunch in a large tent, joining participants from some of the center's organized programs.  After lunch, we walked to another tent for an introduction to meditation.  Kali had had had instruction in meditation on several previous occasions, but this was my first time.

Following the meditation instruction, the large group of open house visitors walked two-thirds of a mile to the Great Stupa, the reason most people come to the center.  A guide briefed us on the basic tenets of Buddhism and the iconography of the stupa.  Kali and I agreed that the entire experience was much more engaging than either of us had anticipated and that felt like we had made a good investment of our time that afternoon.

By the way, I took the images accompanying this post with my cell phone, then enhanced them with my Canon PhotoProfessional program, but there is only so much that can be accomplished with inherently low-density images.

Open house visitors walking to the stupa

Approahcing the stupa from the north

Approaching the stupa

More detail of the south side