Center Director Search
About Our Center:
The Sonoma Shambhala Meditation Center was established nearly 20 years ago by a group of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s senior students who migrated to the North Bay from San Francisco. Many of these original members are still affiliated with our center. Sonoma is a jewel in the heart of wine country.
Our center has approximately 50 members, and we welcome many non-member practitioners who enjoy visiting our center for sitting, open houses, Shambhala trainings, special events, etc. We have a mix of newer Shambhalians as well as a very strong core of senior students with rich histories of Shambhala practice. In addition to our senior students we are also fortunate to count among our membership Acharya Alan Schwartz and Acharya Melissa Moore, as well as Joanne Martin-Braun the current director of the Northern California region. We have a strong, rich, and deep foundation.
Sonoma is a small cozy center in the Northern California mandala. Our membership has grown and increased steadily over the past few years. We recently rented a second large room in our building that serves as an alternate shrine room or all-purpose gathering room. We are centrally located in the town of Sonoma, only a one-block walk from shops and restaurants around the Sonoma Square. We often meet at local eateries during trainings and celebrations and informal get-togethers. Our center is a favorite destination of many Shambhalians who enjoy the warmth and energy of Sonoma and our welcoming sangha.
Description the Center Director’s Responsibilities:
The Sonoma Shambhala Meditation Center Director leads the local Shambhala community and disseminates the vision of the Sakyong. The Director propagates the vision and manifestation of Shambhala society, and cultivates a culture of profound kindness and generosity in the community. The Director represents the Shambhala community to the municipality, region and the broader Shambhala mandala.
The Center Director is responsible for ensuring that Shambhala Vision radiates throughout all the practices, activities and community life of the center. Thus the Director fosters a harmonious, sane and compassionate society, leading by example in the practice and study of the Shambhala dharma.
The Director is responsible for integrating the work of the three pillars (Practice & Education, Governance & Protection), so that all the various aspects of the life of the center function coherently. The Center Director oversees the implementation of the finances, policies, plans and decisions of the center’s Governing Council in a way that helps bind the community together in all its activities.
It is important that the Sonoma Center Director have a dedicated and regular personal practice, as well as commitment to community practice. (Several years of experience practicing and training within the Shambhala Mandala are required.)
The ideal applicant will have well-developed interpersonal and decision-making skills, and a demonstrated ability to motivate others, facilitate the integration of divergent views, recognize member contributions, and work effectively with newer and senior members.
This post has three-year term with the possibility of an extension. The Sonoma Shambhala Meditation Center Director serves in that capacity as an unpaid volunteer. While there is no remuneration for the SSMC Center Director position, there are financial supports provided, such as free tuition for Shambhala trainings locally and at land centers, full or partial travel reimbursement to required Shambhala events, etc.
Interested applicants should contact Tim Derning at [email protected] for more information.
