Have you noticed a lot of empty gomdens next to you during Sunday morning meditation practice? Have you been having to fill in all the MI shifts and umdze spots on the Westside ROTA schedule? Have you been wondering why?

Well in the past month, there’s been a mass migration of Shambhala students to Shambhala Mountain Center in the mountains outside Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. For the very first time, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is giving teachings about his father’s terma, The Scorpion Seal, to senior students in the mandala. The prospect of receiving these teachings, after years of practice, has magnetized long-time Shambhala students from all over the world. Thirteen participants in the Scorpion Seal (last time I counted) hail from the City of Angels!

You may wonder what these people had to go through in order to qualify to receive these teachings. Some of the Scorpion Angelinos have been practicing with the Shambhala and Buddhist sangha since the days of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In fact, a few days ago, Pamela Bothwell was wearing a lovely dress during her shift as the Sakyong’s secretary. When I commented on the dress, she explained that she had also worn it while serving the Sakyong’s father as well.
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