We’re All Part of One Big Band.

Raising Human Consciousness

Karuna Mandala Initiative

 
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By Nicole Churchill, Executive Director & Trustee

A few years ago we were given the opportunity to steward a non-profit organization called The Karuna School from mentors in our community, Prajna & Ted Hallstrom. We were inspired by their vision to build a High School for Peace, and by the strong foundation that they laid down before us. We have two children that we are deeply committed too, and felt the enormity of generating a legacy that is part of the cure and not a part of the disease on Gaia. But, when we took the stewardship over and became trustees, we weren’t quite ready to activate our inspiration. We needed to sit with the possibility of Karuna for a few years.

As time rolled by, and the vision quest continued, we became certain that the non-profit vessel for The Karuna School was expanding and holding multiple projects that all had a similar aim: to raise human consciousness and create peace on the planet. Projects such as Planetary Dharma, One Big Band, and Dharma Army continued to be downloaded along side the Karuna School in a swirling constellation of bright stars.

We finally were able to see the fullness of the Karuna Mandala constellation during the Covid pandemic. Like so many of us, we had a lot of time to sit and dream about how we could make the world a better place. We became certain that the Karuna School would become a life-long learning vehicle that included the High School for Peace, along side other projects that promoted psychospiritually informed, ethical education.

And so….Karuna, the heart of compassion, the Mother, opened her arms up wide to create a mandala, a multi-dimensional structure of holding, that is built to synthesize the biological, psychological, cultural and systemic fields into an integrated whole. As a structure she exists on the physical, subtle and very subtle levels of reality providing an holographic template for psychological development and the generation of an enlightened civilization. Karuna as a mandalic organization is being designed to support its members through the life journey and provide a multi-generational means of transmitting cultural wisdom through time. The intention behind such a time machine (kalachakra skt.) is to support the larger endeavor of transforming our time of crisis to a new time of planetary integration brought about through social justice, environmental healing and human flourishing.

We have four initiatives for fundraising and programming, and each of them will require further design, development, content management, and content roll out:

  1. Karuna Mandala - the organizational vessel itself

  2. The Karuna School - for deliberately developmental education & learning

  3. Planetary Dharma - the integrally informed, psycho-educational, and spiritual teaching offered on Karuna’s platform aimed to raise human consciousness and ethical activity on the planet.

  4. Dharma Army for Peace - an expression of giving back to the world what we have learned. A path of training and support for modern Bodhisattva activists, who are strategic in their creating a culture of change.

2023: Phase 1

  • Karuna Mandala (Governance)

    Expand the Trustees & Define the Structure of the Mandala (Holocracy)

    Hire an Executive Assistant to the Director (Karuna Mandala Organization)

    Hire Project Leaders (Planetary Dharma, Karuna School, Dharma Army)

  • The Karuna School (Yana/Vehicle)

    Online Learning Platform Design & Development

    Offering:

    Planetary Dharma Apprentice Training

    Teen Camps & Enrichment Programs

    Media & Production: Video, audio, podcast, web management, library of teachings, Evergreen content.

  • Planetary Dharma (Developmental Teaching)

    Apprentice Curriculum Design, Development, and Management.

    Specifically: Copy/Editing/Formatting Content.

    Teen Curriculum Design, Development, and Management

    Specifically: Copy/Editing/Formatting Content.

  • Dharma Army (Outreach Community)

    The Path of Sacred Warriorship

    One Big Band

    Media & Production: video, audio, podcast, web management, library of teachings, and support and time to create Evergreen content.

“We human beings are naturally intelligent and when we are young, unencumbered by other obligation, we have some freedom and flexibility of thought and action. However, our natural freedom and intelligence will only become fruitful if they are given proper guidance and encouragement. In setting out to educate the mind and awaken the heart, the Karuna School is taking practical steps to help students not only to improve themselves as individuals but to contribute to the development of society as a whole. I have no doubt that if we can sustain and develop the positive human qualities that come naturally to us, we will ensure a more harmonious, peaceful and productive future of all of us.”

— H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama

Photo by: Peter Hönnemann (licensed and used with permission)

A Blessing for Our School from the Dalai Lama

“We believe that growth and evolution of spirit is the birthright of humanity. We believe that psycho-education is essential for the human race to evolve ethically and morally.”

— Karuna Mandala Initiative Founders