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Update from the Process Team

This article is a repost of the June 3 emailing sent by the Shambhala Process Team to the global community.

Dear Shambhala Community,

Our work on the Process Team (PT) has proceeded much like the initial phases of a rollercoaster ride. We were facing a very high peak that seemed at times insurmountable and a little scary, but we have continued climbing. Now, as the momentum of our work is beginning to take on a life of its own and propel us forward, we are excited to see what will come in the twists and turns ahead!

Here are a few highlights of our efforts in the month of May (you can find full PT updates on our website):

  • The Code of Ethics subgroup is working toward developing a means to invite community input on how to support a healthy, trusting, safe, and vibrant society. They have proposed to the PT Steering Committee and the Interim Board that the Code of Ethics document forwarded by An Olive Branch be divided into two areas:
  1. A Code of Ethics stating the values and conduct of good civil relationships, and
  2. A Grievance Procedure detailing a process for holding people accountable for misconductMore information to come.
  • The Dialogic Methods subgroup has completed work on a basic set of guidelines for conducting community dialogues (such as around the Code of Ethics), and will be posting them to the website by June.
  • The Process Design subgroup is nearing approval and adoption of methods for engaging in difficult conversations, a timeline/map of our shared transformational journey, and a project design for information gathering and synthesis for use by the PT and the Shambhala community. We expect to share these resources through the PT website and other means in June.
  • The Survey Working Group has been assisting the Interim Board with troubleshooting the conceptual and technical issues involved in conducting a membership survey. Many issues have been identified, and they anticipate that a brief multilingual survey will be distributed very soon.
  • The Finance and Legal subgroup is currently in the information-gathering stage, and is focused on four areas:
  1. Historical development of Shambhala legal and financial arrangements,
  2. Revenue generation (fund-raising and product marketing),
  3. Accounting systems and controls, and
  4. Legal status and configuration of Shambhala entities
  • Communications and Technology Working Group continues to post information on the PT website regarding our work, and are progressively adding new items of potential interest and benefit to the community. This month, we have added a Community Experiences feature to share experiments and experiences from Shambhala Centers and Groups that may provide inspiration or ideas to the rest of us.
  • And a reminder: The Healing, Learning, and Protection Working Group continues to invite your concerns, experiences, or suggestions at [email protected].

You can find updates for all working groups, as well as review past updates anytime, on the PT website: https://shambhala-process-team.org/category/wg-updates/.

We will soon be in a position to implement the processes we have worked so hard to adapt to the rather unique situation of the Shambhala sangha. We look forward with great anticipation as the results of these efforts begin to materialize.

As always, we appreciate your messages and continue to read and process your email communications ([email protected]), even though we may not be able to respond to all individual messages.

With best regards,
The Shambhala Process Team

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