Face to Face: Tim Cordier

After a long break, our new Face to Face person is Tim Cordier. Tim came to the Atlanta Shambhala Center because he was looking for a community here in the Atlanta area.
F2F: What brought you to the Atlanta Shambhala Center?
Tim: I tried several sanghas in the area, but this place felt especially good to me after spending time here with the One Breath at a Time group. I first heard of the Shambhala teachings through the writings of the beatnik poets, especially Gary Snyder. Chogyam Trungpa asked to be introduced to the poets of American society when he first came to this country, and he spent some time with the Beatnik poets. Gary Snyder wrote about Chogyam Trungpa in some of his writings, and I was intrigued with these ideas when I first read about them, many years ago.

I enjoy my time at the ASC. I meditate here, meet here, and volunteer here. I take care of the grass and landscaping at the center as part of my volunteer work. Tending to the land around our spiritual centers is a family tradition in my family. My father and grandfather both tended the landscape around their churches. Sometimes, I bring my 10-year old son with me while I work around the ASC. Working around the yard here is like a refuge to me, a sanctuary. You could say that I’m a third generation spiritual landscaper.