Governance Working Group

David, a valued member of our Shambhala community, was once asked to provide a short bio. When informed it was too long, he then produced a one-line bio: Reads, Ponders, Doubts, Reconsiders, Conserves, Produces. His name, Takahashi, comprises characters for Taka (tall or long) and Hashi (tree or stick). Take a tall tree and lay it on its side, and you have a bridge; therefore, bridge building is in his DNA: he is a connector. His connection to CTR is through encounters with Meditation in Action in the early seventies and having Sacred Path of the Warrior fall off a bookshelf in the Boulder Bookstore (1986). He met his wife, Emily, during Level 3 and was married in a Shambhala wedding precepted by Jim Spearly and Kanjuro Shibata Sensei. His family, including his two most excellent children and a budding granddaughter, is a source of joy and inspiration for him. He has spent the last 35 years in what he calls an estrogen-rich environment. He joined the Governance Working Group in 2024. He is currently helping to found a Dorje Dzong Building Improvement Corps. His motto is “Let’s do the best we can, with what we have, then repeat.”

I grew up in Prague, the Czech Republic and came to Colorado in my early twenties. Because I’m a snow lover, I moved to Steamboat Springs and spent the whole season on the slopes. When it was time to grow up and settle down, I relocated to Erie and started my family. I have two teenage boys that I love very much but who keep me on my toes at all times. Besides skiing, I enjoy any outdoor activity all year long, as long as I get to spend time in nature. 

After several years of working for big corporations, I decided to change careers and began to work as an office manager for QCON LLC, a small basement remodeling company. The flexibility and freedom of this job allows me to spend more time with my children, practicing Ikebana, reading and deepening my meditation practice. 

Hi, my name is Erik and I use he/him pronouns. I was first exposed to meditation practice while attending the University of Florida some years back. My inspiration led me to live at Buddhist retreat centers (Ratna Ling & Nyingma Institute in California; Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado). I am a social worker at Windhorse Community Services, helping clients with mental health challenges to survive and thrive in Boulder. I am inspired by the members of the Boulder Shambhala Center coming together to form working groups and try to further make sense of and improve the organization. In my free time, I enjoy salsa dancing and learning about the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances.

QA Engineer by trade, sometimes-artist by calling. Aries. Confirmed idiot. Lifetime Boulderite.

My world began to shift when many years ago, my roommate whisked the entire household away on a surprise quest to see the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. I have been connected to Shambhala for about ten years and on the path for about five now!

Supporting myself and the community has become a j-curve of importance in my life.

Steve has been a student in the lineage of the Druk Sakyong Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoce since 1972. He has served the mandala in many capacities including bookkeeping, meditation instruction, teaching, practice & study administration, and as an officer in the Dorje Kasung. He has held staff positions at Karme Choling and (what was then called) RMDC. He was the Safety and Security Manager in the Facilities Department at Naropa University for 12 years.

Having participated as a member of the Process Team in the early stages of our re-organization, after taking a few years off to find some ground, he is now curious to see how we can help this lineage continue to benefit old and new members and, through community, the whole world.

I moved to Boulder in 1986 to attend The Naropa University, in the Dance-Movement Studies Certificate program. Thought I'd stay one year, and am now here 38 years, so far. Naropa was my gate to the study and practice of meditation, buddhadharma, and Shambhala Training levels. Since then, I've been practicing and studying in Boulder, along the Front Range, and at many other associated land and urban dharma centers. I served on the Naropa University board for 25 years. Wild. Some of the most precious jewels in my heart: my family, friends, sangha, Shambhala and Buddhist dharmas, The Boulder Shambhala Center, movement and dance practices.  I joined the Governance Working Group of the BSC in Winter of 2023, and the Front Range Board in Fall of 2023, out of an inspiration to connect with the new paths this organization is taking in leadership and community involvement.