Shambhala Self-Reflects
The Societal Mirror initiative pulls together information from multiple sources to help us see ourselves more clearly…
Societies are strengthened when we self reflect.
Self-reflection means:
- Assessing how fully we’re living our values and aspirations, and where our self-perceptions may be clouded.
- Seeing what strengths we are displaying and what we need to address in order to thrive – or survive.
- Seeing how our many facets come together to make a whole, and the interactions that must be nurtured to create genuine well-being in Shambhala.
What is on this site
- The navigation bar at the top has useful links to every page on the site
- Survey links to all the pages that report on the 2022 and 2023 surveys of members and leadership
- History links to pages that show historical data derived from the Shambhala Database
- Project links to pages that describe methods, who participated, and other project details
- Blog links to deeper dives into topics that are interesting but were not covered in the main pages of the site
- Each of the survey pages has a section reporting on membership and one reporting on leadership.
- A background color indicates which survey is shown on a plot (light tan for members and light blue for leadership).
- You’ve already found one useful navigation trick: click on the “Details” sections to get more information about a topic (often exact quotes from individuals)
What are the sources of data for the Societal Mirror?
Click here
The Shambhala Societal Mirror summarizes data from three sources.
- A survey of Shambhala community members and friends.
- A survey of Shambhala community leaders.
- The Shambhala Database, which provides essential data on demographics and levels of participation.
Contact information for community members, friends and leaders comes from the Shambhala Database. These two surveys have each been conducted twice: once January-February 2022 and once January-February 2023.
See more information on the methodology for the community members and friends survey here.
See more information on methodology for the members survey here.
Data from the Shambhala Database on demographics and levels of participation is updated periodically.
What is wellbeing in Shambhala?
Click here
Wellbeing is the realization of what really matters to us in terms of general health, sustainability and welfare. In this initiative we have identified four core principles of wellbeing in Shambhala and eight indicator questions to measure these principles. Those principles and indicator questions came from focus groups and community conversations held in mid-2021. These principles and indicator questions are shown below. Information answering these questions can be found by clicking the questions below or the survey tab at the top of the page.
Core principles of wellbeing
- Kindness, Inclusivity and mutual respect
- Responsibility and accountability
- Vitality, energy and resources
- Trustworthiness and transparency
Who is reflecting?
Click here
This mirror emphasizes measures of wellbeing for individuals who have identified themselves as members or friends of Shambhala. However, the activities within Shambhala touch a much broader group of individuals, including those who have previously been members and many who register for Shambhala programs and practice meditation within Shambhala.
We create Shambhala society together, based on the ways we relate to each other. We share ownership of our own wellbeing. With reflection, each of us can gain the awareness that will allow us to support each other in aligning our environment and our actions with our values.
What’s New — Spring 2023
Click here
Shambhala Community and Leader Surveys for 2023 are complete!
As in 2022, about 20% of community members and about 30% of Leaders answered the survey.
Although they were registered as members (or friends) in the Shambhala Database, a third of those who answered the survey were ambivalent about their membership.
People identifying as members said membership was part of their spiritual path, they wanted to support Shambhala or their local centre, and they have personal relationships with other members.
People ambivalent about their membership felt alienated from the global community and were put-off by changes in the organization.
See full results for this question HERE.
More community members would recommend Shambhala to others in 2023, compared to 2022. Members were more positive about Shambhala than those who were ambivalent about their membership. Still, most community members were either neutral or likely (but not very likely) to recommend Shambhala to others.
See full results for this question HERE.
While encouraging members with different relationships to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche to accept and support each other was among the most important membership issues for centre and group leaders, many are satisfied with their efforts. Encouraging participants in activities at the centre to join as members was the issue they felt needed more effort.
See full results for this question HERE.
To view more survey results, organized by eight features of well-being in Shambhala, click on the “Survey” tab above.