She said the center had plans to move by 2020, but the current crisis in the Shambhala community forced the center to close sooner than expected, although she didn’t directly address the allegations against the Sakyong. “Our rent was approximately $30,000 per month, which required very aggressive programming, which required a large staff, which then required continual fundraising efforts to support all of the above.”Īccording to Tricycle, membership director Katherine Lieberson distributed an email in September calling for additional financial support from members of the community. “Although the announcement happened around the same time as the allegations against the Sakyong arose, there were serious ongoing structural issues that were being ignored,” Spiegel said, referring to allegations of misconduct by the leader of Shambhala. Spiegel says the relocation is largely due to a lack of funds. Photo by Michael Lo, via Flickr.Īccording to interim director Eric Spiegel, Shambhala Meditation Center of New York will close on December 8, eventually reopening in a smaller, more affordable location.