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Karme Choling: what you have taught me, what I have learned, and what I will remember. A.K.A., the List.
I’ve learned how to open I’ve learned how to love I’ve learned about heartbreak Over and over again I’ve learned about loneliness And connection
The joy of laughter in the air The comfort of silence The excitement of many people The sadness of empty space once they have gone
The green of green The brightness of snow The dullness of dead growth The crawling of lady bugs in the corner of the walls The swarms of wasps The fear of ticks The soft petals of the iris, the poppy, and the peony
The trees showing off their bright colors, dancing in the wind The Northeastern wintery mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow Mud season The fear of driving down the driveway and being stuck in a rut
The excitement of the Sakyong coming The clouds in the sky The mists in the hills The sun over the horizon The moon and the stars illuminating the night in winter, spring, summer and fall
The irritation of the dish room The avoidance of the person who just broke your heart The laughter in the service line The unfounded explosion of anger towards the dishes in the hospitality kitchen The feeling when the person you were just talking about, comes around the corner
Disappointment Confusion Joy Devastation and loss Holding
Splinters on the porch with never ending blooming flowers Herds of deer at dusk The Purkhang The solitude of retreat The cozy corner Memories of people gone and versions of myself over time Snow on my eyelashes Finding space Being Offering, offering, and offering again. But nothing that I have offered compares to what Karme Choling has offered me.
Tara Bass was the Assistant Director of Karmê Chöling from September 2014 to December 2016. She discovered Shambhala and the magic of land centers at Shambhala Mountain Center in 2008. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and was an elementary teacher in New York. She feels privileged to be able to combine the collective experience of her education, training and interests to work with individuals and community by leading from the heart, celebrating collective wisdom, and engaging in the full experience of living.
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