One of the most important findings of the survey is that a majority (64%) of those who responded said they felt they were part of a community as a result of being a member of Shambhala. Most said that "being part of a community" was an important factor in joining Shambhala. Unhappiness was associated with lack of participation, as well as not having a sense of belonging, and with lingering ongoing conflicts. It is interesting to explore some of the areas where people reported room for improvement. Several themes emerged indicating: barriers to participation, some people lacking a sense of belonging, unresolved conflicts lasting more than two years, and various areas of improvement related to governance.
The most salient characteristics of the sample can be summarized as: living in the USA, healthy, between 45-60 years old, partnered without any children at home, full-time employed, and contributing to the local center by attending programs, talks, community events and contributing financially through dues. The sample is fairly evenly represented in terms of gender, years of involvement in Shambhala, (non)vajrayana students, and age and size of the local centers. A comparison of the sample data against the international data base suggest that both are significantly related.
A majority of the members participate at least once a month at the local centers even though they experience one or more obstacles to participating more frequently, such as work and family obligations, travel distance or financial reasons. Although the presence of barriers lowers the frequency of participation, it is mostly the travel distance and multiple barriers that affect frequency of participation. In particular, when travel distances are large and/or perceived unfriendliness is added, especially if people perceive in/out groups, participation drops way off.
Several patterns of participation are distinguished including general participants, teachers, coordinators, and various other specific volunteer roles. For example of different ways of participating, teachers, (people who identify as MI and who teach), generally don’t coordinate programs, have lower rates of participation and practice less frequently than general participants. Across the sangha, teachers, MIs, and leaders all are considered to be very important roles as well as for the examples they set. People want to be invited to participate and to be given roles.
There is recognition of the need for centres to have a greater sense of warmth and friendliness. Centres that have a more welcoming environment for families and children have a somewhat higher sense of belonging. Initiatives that strengthen a sense of belonging are community-wide shared activities, including both practice and social activities. In addition to these social and practice opportunities, the importance of regular programming gives members a sense of stabililty and continuity. More specifically, vajrayana students have a higher sense of belonging than those students who have not yet enteredthe vajrayana. Students who do not consider Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche as their main teacher experience less sense of belonging than students who do consider Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche as a main teacher even though they may also have other teachers.
Regarding the need for community care, many of these needs are being met informally with family and friends. What is working well is care of the dying, children's programs, and the role of desung. About 25% of the members affirmed that their centre has an organized way of assisting with child care,. assistance for accessibility for the handicapped (25%), end of life issues (16%), support for people with physical or chronic illness (12%), while only 4% offered resources for elder care. About 1/3 of the members had no idea about the availability of such services.
The greatest request for needed resources was for childcare, followed by the need for eldercare and for end-of-life training. Community care groups, often the growing edge in larger centres, and desung offer a great deal of support throughout the sangha, but smaller centres are meeting these needs informally on an ad hoc basis. The need for care services and the availability of these services does not appear to be associated with a difference in sense of belonging.
Deleg systems, small organized community support systems, have some potential to meet community needs as more than half indicate a willingness to participate. Members who have a deleg or had an experience with delegs in the past (40%), report it to be an enjoyable way to socialize (80%), a useful way of communicating with local leadership (50%) and a good way of reaching out or helping others (50%). However, an increased sense of belonging was experienced only among people who have been part of a deleg and experienced the deleg as either an effective group to turn to in times of need or as providing a way to help others. Perhaps because the internet and email are now such favorite ways of communicating, the communications function of delegs does not score as high in people’s assessment of the need for them. Delegs are seen as a way of helping newer members find a sense of belonging in larger communities or in large programs.
As a sangha, we want more diversity than we have. We see ourselves as being predominantly white, well-off, and educated, but few centers have taken specific steps to address issues of diversity even thought most centers are seen as being very welcoming of diversity and would welcome efforts in this area. The most important ways of increasing diversity mentioned are increasing the friendliness of our centres, of being willing to discuss issues of privilege, recognizing and addressing the adverse effects of in/out groups, and encouraging appreciation of differences.
Of the specific steps that centres have taken regarding diversity issues, more has been done with financial (73%), sexual orientation (55%) and age related issues (60%) while mental illness and language issues have received less attention. In spite of the many efforts, still 44% of the members endorse that the sangha does not reflect the diversity of the local geographic area and 41% indicates that these issues are rarely or ever talked about. Most people (68%) account for lack of diversity by stating that people have not learned about the center.
A sense of belonging does not seem to be associated with whether the centre has taken steps to accommodate diversity issues with the exception of financial disparities. When centres have taken steps to accommodate these financial differences there is a somewhat higher sense of belonging. Data suggest that members in centres that better reflect the diversity of their local geographic areas also have a higher sense of belonging to their Shambhala community.
The degree of harmony at the local center seems related to a large extent as to how well the center is governed and to the persistence of unresolved conflicts.
When the local leadership is respected and supported by the community, understands the needs of the community, and communicates well with the community, harmony tends to be higher. Especially when the local leadership deals effectively and straightforwardly with conflict, and when there is a clear process for dealing with conflicts that is broadly understood and agreed upon, harmony tends to be higher. Further, if the center reflects the local diversity and if job duties are well defined, the community is likely to be more harmonious. Practical matters, such as lack of time in the schedule, lack of physical space at the centre, or relatively few members doing most of the work, as well as money issues, all negatively impact community harmony.
One of the most significant unresolved conflicts that has a negative impact on harmony in Shambhala Centres, according to responses to question 45, is the perception on the part of some students that the teachings and leadership of their respective root gurus are not respected by others in the community. These perceptions apply to both the teachings and leadership of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. This attachment for a teacher or a teacher’s style is a major factor contributing to elders and younger students feeling disrespected. Further, sexual misconduct and misuse of alcohol and drugs, frequently coexisting, are significant factors contributing to disharmony. The use of non-virtuous speech is another strong factor associated with disharmony in the community, and it may also be an outcome of community disharmony.
Various methods have been successfully employed to enhance community harmony, involving the local leadership, senior teachers and archaryas, usually in the form of community meetings. One-on-one interventions have also had positive outcomes. The Dorje Kasung, especially when they work well together with the local leadership, and notably the Desung, receives some credit for improving community harmony.
Communication tools
The most effective of the communication tools used in Shambhala were considered to be local newsletters, group email lists, and the Shambhala website. Nearly all members would like to be given information through email, however a few did prefer some type of more personal contact such as phone trees, telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, or on-line discussion forums.
Local-level communication
On the local level, most members felt that their Centre was communicating well with them in all areas. The greatest room for improvement was indicated in the areas ofMandala-wide communication
On the international level, most members felt that Shambhala was communicating well with them in all areas. Communication regarding events and programming was thought to be particularly good, though more advance notice for programs and more information regarding the Sakyong’s activities would make it even better. The majority of members also felt that communication regarding financial and governance matters was going well, and two out of three members were aware of Shambhala News Service, the Shambhala website, and how to access the minutes from the Sakyong’s Council. Where significant need for improvement was indicated was in communication channels from members to Shambhala governance bodies and offices. Many comments indicated a sense of disconnection in terms of how to discuss and have input into mandala-wide issues. Only one quarter of members feel they have an opportunity to give input on the international level. Many members indicate they do not know who or how to contact people within the international bodies and offices, or how to have their input heard.Practice
The three types of practice revealed as having the most positive impact on a sense of belonging within Shambhala were feast practice, group practice at local centres, and contemplation practice. Much appreciation was expressed for those opportunities in which the entire community can practice together. There was strong agreement that the Third Jewel – the sangha – was a difficult practice offering significant rewards in terms of guidance and friendship.
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