December 2006 ARP Newsletter

Audio Recovery Project Newsletter 4 December 2006

Dear Friends,

This is the fourth issue of the Audio Recovery Newsletter, which is being sent to all of the centres that are participating in the Audio Recovery Project (ARP) to digitally remaster the recordings of the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and create digital CD libraries in many locations. The newsletter is also being sent to supporters of the Audio Recovery Project, including individual donors and groups such as the Shambhala Trust, as well as to other interested parties.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide practical information, inspiration, discussion and updates on the project.

Change in Schedule

We are about to send out the fourth ARP shipment, containing 150 CDs. This brings the total shipped to 532 CDs. We expect to continue shipping CDs 3 times per year, with the final shipment expected Summer 2008. This represents a change in schedule. We now anticipate needing an additional four to six months to complete the project.
Schedule updates will be sent in future newsletters. Production is going extremely well, but this is turning out to be a bigger project than we could have anticipated!

Cataloging the ARP Material and Educational Guides

We have heard from a number of centers that you are anxious to receive an electronic catalogue of all the ARP material and that many centers would also like syllabi and guides for using the material. We hear you! In association with the Shambhala Archives, the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project is beginning an online archive project. In 2007, we are planning a pilot project that includes an online catalogue of all of the Vidyadhara’s talks. Not all the information about each talk will be available initially, but there will be information to identify Place, Name of Talk, Date, ARP Number etc. We also hope to begin the much bigger task of organizing all the material and providing syllabi, keywords, abstracts, etc for the talks. We think that we will need the help of many volunteers in the sangha to complete this aspect of the catalogue. We are looking at various variations on a “Wiki” to help us move forward with transcribing and cataloguing this precious collection.
Please see the attached letter of support for the Legacy Project from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche as well as the attached description of the project.

The Search for Syllabi Is On: You Can Contribute

Before we start new curriculum initiatives, we want to gather all or many of the existing syllabi that pertain to the Vidyadhara’s teachings. Many centers have a “stash” of old and venerable syllabi that pertain to the Audio Recovery material. Senior students also have syllabi that we hope they will share. We invite all Shambhala Centers to send us copies of syllabi that use the Vidyadhara’s talks/book/and transcripts. We will post them to an electronic work space, so that they can be shared. There will need to be updating, some cleaning up of material, etc, but this is a good way to begin to access what is already a great archival mine of educational material.
We will also be looking in the Shambhala practice and education office for material that dates back to the Office of Three Yana Studies, which created many syllabi with this material during the 1970s and 80s.
If you have curriculum material to send in, you can mail it to the Shambhala Archives, 1084 Tower Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H2Y5 Canada or you can send it as an electronic file to archives@shambhala.org.


Financial Update: Deficit in 2008

We now estimate that there will be cost overruns of about 15%, or approximately $40,000 for the cost of the entire Audio Recovery Project. This is due to a number of factors, including the following: 1) change in US dollar. The US dollar has dropped in value approximately 20% against the Canadian dollar since ARP began. All Canadian businesses/non-profits that rely on US income have been affected. This has reduced our ARP income by over 15% of the total expected. 2) It will take us four to six months longer than originally anticipated to complete the project. We will have additional salary expenses connected with this. 3) We have more material than originally calculated. This is largely because early talks often exceed one hour in length. We were not able to calculate the total number of hours in advance. So we have additional mastering and copying expenses.
Overall, we are extremely proud of how far we have been stretching every dollar and pleased at the amount of work that has been accomplished. Of course, we also wish the budgeting had been 100% accurate. However, the size of the deficit seems manageable if we begin addressing it now.

Financing the Deficit

We are looking at options for handling this deficit. We hope that centers will be able to contribute an additional something additional to the project. We will be contacting you about this in the months to come. In addition, we are looking at other options: 1) a fundraising campaign to solicit additional help from committed donors; 2) an ARP lottery among centres (those not participating in ARP could win almost a complete set of CDs) and also for individuals – with the grand prize being 1,000 ARP CDs or an IPOD loaded with the Vidyadhara’s talks; 3) sales of several smaller CD sets ( such as seminary transcripts and Vajrayogini tris for non ARP centers and individuals), and 4) other creative ideas. We are giving you a heads up now, so that the shortfall will not come as a last minute shock.


ARP Financial Statements

To help all of us keep track of payments made, owing, and due, the Shambhala Archives has begun sending financial statements to you every quarter, indicating when your ARP contributions are due, as well as other charges such as shipping and insurance. We hope these statements will serve as a reminder, to help centres stay up to date in their contributions.

Storage

We continue to highly recommend the MC3D20 cabinets from CanAm, which can be seen at http://www.can-am.ca/ Please mention that you are part of the Audio Recovery Project when you order. If enough centers order, we may receive an additional rebate in the future. Now that you have 500 CDs, you probably can see why you need a cabinet for them!

General storage considerations:

Humidity and Temperature Recommendations
In order to maximize the longevity of the CDs you receive, they should be stored at a cool or moderate temperature, with low to moderate humidity. It is preferable to keep the CDs in a stable temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. If a climate- controlled room is not available, a home dehumidifier can help to remove a great deal of excess humidity from the environment. A window/room air conditioner is very helpful to control high temperatures in the summer. If you cannot provide air-conditioning, then be sure to have adequate ventilation of the room. You can use a window fan to help bring in cool air in the evenings and early mornings. High humidity and temperatures can greatly decrease the life expectancy of the CDs. Specific recommendations for your space can be discussed with Gordon Kidd or Carolyn Gimian.

Additional Information on Storage
If you decide to use some other means of storage, we would suggest that you check out the cabinets on the Can-Am website, to give you some idea of the features you may want to consider. We will be happy to provide you with advice. The key features of your storage system would be: security (a locking cabinet is essential if you want to keep the collection intact) and an inert archival environment (low light and cabinets made of inert materials that don’t off gas. If you choose to use wood shelving, it should be specially treated before use.)

Care and handling of the CDs

 Always handle CDs by the edges or inner hub.
 Press down on the inner hub to take a CD off the tray (pulling from the edges can bend the disc).
 Press on the hub to return the CD to the case.
 Remove fingerprints and other embellishments with a soft cloth in a center to edge radial direction (watch for scratches - stop if you make one and use a softer cloth!)
 Wash with warm soapy (non-chemical) water if CD is very soiled, dry with a soft cloth in a center to edge radial direction.
 Avoid leaving a CD in direct sunlight - i.e. near a sunny window or the dash of a car; sunlight breaks down plastic polymers over time and the CD will not play.
 Avoid leaving the CDs out of their cases.



ARP Staff Updates

The names, duties and contact information for all ARP staff appear at the end of the newsletter, in case you need to speak with any of us.

Duplication
Please refer to the attached policy on the duplication of ARP CDs. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Restricted Materials
All centres participating in the Audio Recovery Project will receive 1,500 CDs of the Vidyadhara’s teachings. Access to the content of some recordings is restricted. There may be restrictions on reproduction of these materials for participating centres who are not Shambhala Centres. If due to access restrictions we are not able to provide some recordings to centres outside of Shambhala International, we will provide alternative recordings or a partial refund. This will be negotiated and discussed on an individual basis. We will endeavour to provide the most complete set to the largest number of centres.


Finally
Once again, thank you thank you thank you all – for your participation in the Audio Recovery Project. Please feel free to post this e-mail newsletter in your centre and please forward it to other members of your centre or other parties interested in the Audio Recovery Project.

Yours in Oceans of Dharma,


The Staff of the Audio Recovery Project of the Shambhala Archives

Centres Participating in the Audio Recovery Project as of Dec 2006


Please note: in some cases, more than one centre is sharing a set of CDs. New participants are indicated in italics.

Canada
1. Halifax Shambhala Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia
2. Dorje Denma Ling, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
3. Gampo Abbey, Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia
4. Toronto Shambhala Centre, Toronto, Ontario
5. Vancouver Shambhala Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
6. Khyentse Foundation, Vancouver, British Columbia
Mexico
7. Mexico Shambhala Centre
Chile
8. Chile Shambhala Centre
United States of America
9. Washington/Philadelphia
Washington Shambhala Centre, Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia Shambhala Centre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10. New York Shambhala Centre, New York, New York
11. Boston Shambhala Centre, Boston, Massachusetts.
12. Karme-Choling Meditation Centre, Barnet, Vermont
13. Southeast Shambhala Centres
Atlanta Shambhala Centre, Atlanta, Georgia
Durham Shambhala Centre, Durham, North Carolina
Birmingham Shambhala Centre, Birmingham, Alabama
14. Chicago Shambhala Centre, Chicago, Illinois
15. Boulder Shambhala Centre, Boulder, Colorado
16. The Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado
17. Shambhala Mountain Centre, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
18. Dharma Ocean Foundation, Crestone, Colorado
19. Los Angeles Shambhala Centre, Los Angeles, California
20. Ojai Valley Dharma Centre, Ojai, California First Year Only
21. Bay Area Shambhala Centres, California
Berkeley Shambhala Centre, Berkeley
Davis Shambhala Centre, Davis
San Francisco Shambhala Centre, San Francisco
Sonoma Shambhala Centre, Sonoma
Santa Cruz Shambhala Centre, Santa Cruz
Grass Valley Shambhala Meditation Group, Grass Valley
Monterey Shambhala Meditation Group, Monterey
Santa Rosa Shambhala Meditation Group, Santa Rosa
Silicon Valley Shambhala Meditation Group, Mountain View
Tamalpais Shambhala Meditation Group, San Rafael

Europe
22. Shambhala Europe, Cologne, Germany
23. Longchen Foundation, Oxford, England

Nepal
24. Pullahari Monastery and Retreat Center, Kathmandu, Nepal

Other
25. Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project
26. Shambhala International, Practice and Study Department
27. The family of Chögyam Trungpa
28. Shambhala Archives Reference Set



Audio Recovery Staff and Contact Information

Sandra Kipis: 425-4275 x 22. archives@shambhala.org Administrative Support. Questions about your contract, financial contributions or other administrative details. Also contact Sandra if you have questions about donations to other Archives projects.

Gordon Kidd: 425-4275 x 21. gkidd@shambhala.org Technical Director of the project. Contact Gordon with general as well as specific questions about your participation in ARP. Technical questions can be directed to Gordon or to:

Chris Levy: 425-4275 x 22. clevy@shambhala.org ARP Technician.

Carolyn Gimian: 420-0009. cgimian@suchns.com Overview. Send questions to Carolyn about any aspect of the project that aren’t covered above. Also questions about the content of the tapes, database overview, etc. may be directed to Carolyn or other staff members.


If you do not wish to receive future newsletters and would like to be removed from the distribution list, please send an e-mail to that effect to cgimian@suchns.com

The Audio Recovery Project of the Shambhala Archives

Duplication Policy

May 2006

1. The recordings included in the Audio Recovery Project of the Shambhala Archives are copyrighted materials. These copyrights must be respected. No duplication for commercial purposes, broadcast or for use in any published material is allowed without the express written permission of the Shambhala Archives.
2. Definitions for the purposes of this document:
a. Master: refers to the archival copy provided by the Shambhala Archives to the participating ARP centre.
b. On demand: means that a centre will not duplicate ALL of its ARP masters, but will only duplicate individual CDs as requested by members of the centre or other participating centres.
3. Centres participating in the Audio Recovery Project may make a copy of an individual ARP CD in the following situations or for the following purposes:
a. Where more than one centre is participating in ARP, the centre library that has the master CDs may provide a copy of an individual CD, on demand, to one of the other participating centres.
b. A single copy may be provided to a retreatant, to a teacher preparing for a class, and to a student or teacher wishing to pursue private study.
c. The centre may choose to make an individual copy, on demand, to be played in educational classes, rather than playing the master recording.
4. If a centre not participating in ARP requests a copy of an ARP CD from one of the participating centres, after consulting with Kalapa Recordings or the Shambhala Archives, the participating ARP centre may provide a copy, subject to the requesting centre sending a negotiated payment to the Shambhala Archives.
5. Participating centres will not duplicate the ARP CDs or their contents in any other formats without the express written permission of the Shambhala Archives.
6. If a centre wishes to replace an ARP CD, the replacement charge will be $15/CD up to 10 CDs and 10$/CD thereafter, plus shipping. Replacements may take 6 to 8 weeks.
7. Please contact the Archives if for any reason you want to make multiple copies of a CD. We are working on a license agreement to cover that possibility.
8. As a participating centre, you agree to keep a log of all CDs duplicated, for what purpose copies are made and to whom they are given.





To the Noble Sangha,

I would like to offer my blessings to the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project. The heart of this project is the intention to support and enhance the preservation, propagation, and publication of Trungpa Rinpoche’s vast and profound teachings. Like presidential libraries in the United States, this project will focus on the legacy of my father and help to ensure the living continuity of his priceless teachings.

As scholars, practitioners, and social innovators around the world increasingly come to appreciate the impact of my father on so many aspects of human culture, the need for a specialized reservoir of his teachings becomes ever more necessary. Keeping it under the protection of the Sakyong lineage will be a wonderful step forward in fulfilling the aspirations of the Vidyadhara.

The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project will also initiate new projects. For example, next year, the twentieth anniversary of his parinirvana, a traveling exhibit of his artwork and belongings might be mounted.

Lady Diana Mukpo has been supporting this project for some time now, and she and other members of the Mukpo family will continue to play a leading role. President Reoch is working closely with the project's acting director, Ms. Carolyn Rose Gimian, to ensure that this initiative proceeds with the encouragement and support of the Shambhala mandala. Within the coming year, there will be a process of consultation on the structure of the foundation, after which the way it will function and be governed will be announced.

I want to express my great appreciation to Carolyn Rose Gimian, whose work as the acting director has been vital in bringing the legacy project into being. She has my full support. All students, young and old, new and senior, please consider how you might contribute in any way you can.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche






THE CHÖGYAM TRUNGPA LEGACY PROJECT: DEC 2006

April 4, 2007 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the death of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche [1940-1987]. We are only now beginning to realize the tremendous scope of his personal contribution to the introduction of authentic Buddhist practice and knowledge in the West. His books are considered classics on meditation and the Buddhist path, and he is certainly one of the most important and influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century.

Chögyam Trungpa presented a truly vast view. He proclaimed not only the entire nine yanas [stages] of the Tibetan Buddhist path, but also the Shambhala path of warriorship and compassionate action. His vision was that the Shambhala teachings could apply equally to practitioners from all of the world’s traditional religious approaches, providing a fundamental ground on which all religious traditions could flourish. He himself was an artist, a poet, and many would say a warrior-statesman. He practiced and offered innumerable skillful means to wake people up, in fields as diverse as art, poetry, psychology, theater, and politics.

In his honor and in his footsteps, please join in establishing the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project. We envision this project as creating a very large tent of dharma—a space as vast and open as Trungpa Rinpoche’s mind, or as close to that as we can project. We want to establish a place for everyone who connects with Rinpoche’s legacy, now and in the future, and we invite you to contribute to manifesting that legacy, keeping it alive in the deepest sense of the word.

Chogyam Trungpa himself described this as the proclamation of “open house.” At the opening of the first Karma Dzong meditation center in Boulder, Colorado in 1972, he said:

This event is a proclamation of open house. Those who want to practice are invited to take part in meditation, to go through the pain, go through the bliss, whatever you experience. Creating an open house situation is a gesture proclaiming that our aim and object are not related with dogma but on trying to encompass all areas of openness. That knowledge can be found throughout the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism in general --Sanskrit Buddhism, Pali Buddhism, or other schools of Buddhism. Since it is known that all dharmas are marked with emptiness, therefore all dharma is marked with openness, at the same time. There is tremendous room to work with chaos or confusion.

The sole purpose of the Chogyam Trungpa Legacy Project is to promote and support the dharma legacy of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. The Legacy Project will be an independent non-profit foundation incorporated in the United States, in Canada (as a charitable organization) and in Europe, serving to preserve, disseminate and expand Chögyam Trungpa’s legacy. The Legacy Project will support and augment the preservation, propagation and publication of Trungpa Rinpoche’s dharma teachings. It will further these goals through support for existing programs as well as the initiation of new projects and programming. This will include the creation of a comprehensive virtual archive and learning community. The project will also help to create the financial base for current and future generations to support this mission. Through this process, the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project will enhance, enrich, and further inspire existing institutions and other manifestations of the Shambhala world Chögyam Trungpa created.

Chögyam Trungpa came out of a largely monastic and nomadic culture, which had many elements that were still medieval. He moved from that into twentieth century life in the West and embraced the changes, the technologies, and the secular culture he encountered. At the time of his death, the revolution in the home and individual use of computers and the internet was just beginning to be felt. Now, we have the opportunity to use these technologies to create a strong on-line presence and community as one of the cornerstones of the Legacy Project. This project will be based, not in one physical location, but will have an international membership. Like the nomadic culture of Tibet, the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project could set up its tent, sponsoring programs in any number of locations, and then the caravan can move on. Much of the continuity of the project will be maintained and enhanced through communications and information shared via the internet and other electronic means.

The Legacy Project will supplement existing support for activities of the Shambhala Archives, such as the Audio Recovery Project to digitize the recordings of the Vidyadhara’s teachings and make available a complete online inventory of his work. The project may also help to fund and to encourage funding for programs and initiatives already underway at Naropa University to explore the heritage of its founder. These include several new academic courses, an annual series of conferences, and the endowed Vidyadhara Vision Fund, which will support these activities, building toward the possibility of an endowed Chögyam Trungpa chair. Other institutions now and in the future may also sponsor academic research or courses of study which make use of Chogyam Trungpa’s writings. In a spirit of open inquiry, the Legacy Project may provide support for these efforts in the form of funding editors, teachers, and students; providing access to relevant documents and syllabi; and/or providing staff and other expert help. This, in turn, could lead to the publication of new scholarly papers or books building upon Chögyam Trungpa’s original work.

The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project may also initiate new projects that expand access to the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in ways that complement existing efforts or in completely new ways. For example, a traveling exhibit of his artwork and belongings could be initiated, or a series of summer seminars could be offered at various practice centers. In general, the project will support and present both the prajna and the upaya aspects of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s dharma legacy. That is to say, we will be working with both the knowledge he imparted and the many methods that he created to transmit his wisdom.

Finally, the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project will establish an endowment to fund its activities and to ensure that the dharma legacy of Chögyam Trungpa remains available to future generations.

The timing is clearly right for the launch of this endeavor. This October, Naropa University begins its yearly conference on Chögyam Trungpa’s life and work. A major documentary film on his life is in the offing. The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa were recently published, and a number of books about his life are emerging. The Chronicles of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (www.chronicleproject.com) has established a major oral history project on the life and teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. By 2008, all of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s oral teachings—more than 5,000 hours of material—will have been digitized. Carolyn Rose Gimian, founding director of the Shambhala Archives, has agreed to act as the director of the Legacy Project during its inception. Lady Diana Mukpo is involved in the planning and execution of the project. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has given his blessing to the project. Many of Chögyam Trungpa’s senior students, a number of whom are now teachers, are supporting this endeavor. This is an excellent ground on which to manifest the Big Tent of the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project. We invite you to join in creating something truly worthy of the great gift of teachings which we have received.

How the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project will evolve depends on all of us. We are now in the early planning stages of this project. Please join us at one of the meetings this fall, or send us your inquiries and suggestions. Individual consultations and meetings can be arranged, if you are unable to attend one of the group meetings.

For information and updates, visit the website: ChogyamTrungpa.com. For more information or to express your interest, please write to: The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project c/o ctlp@chogyamtrungpa.com

Legacy Meetings have already occurred or are being scheduled, including the following:

October 23, Boulder, Colorado, Boulder Shambhala Center
November 4, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax Shambhala Center
December 6 to 16 (exact dates not yet confirmed):
Paris, France
London, England
Cologne, Germany
Vienna, Austria
January, 2007, New York, New York
May 2007 Bay Area, California
May 2007, Los Angeles, California

A videotape of the meeting held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is available, and can be used by groups in other areas wishing to schedule a meeting.