Robert Mitchell passed away on the morning of December 3rd in his home in Boulder, Colorado in the company of his wife Susan and his daughter Tara. He had a five year journey with cancer and had undergone a recent significant surgery that resulted in complications. Our condolences to Rob’s family and friends. Please post tributes below.
Tributes
A Sadhana of Mahamudra with funeral liturgy practice for Robert will take place at the Boulder Shambhala Center, on Sunday afternoon, December 7 at 5pm Mountain Time. A reception will follow the ceremony.
The ceremony will be live-streamed on Zoom at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81471457246?pwd=PgQdt3Ne88WKCioHjvnd27Pn0escwu.1
Meeting ID: 814 7145 7246
Passcode: 496348
People may sit with Robert's body in the Boulder Shambhala Center shrine room starting from 11am on Sunday, December 7.
Dear Noble Sir,
although we did not meet, I felt your trust & generosity through your wife, Susan, who offered me the refuge of your home at a difficult crossroads in my life following the death of our root guru, o!
Kye ma!
hut!
may the kindness and generosity in the well spring of your being, nourish you now in leaving your loved ones in the sensory world as you dissolve and rise again, in that ordinary, extraordinary way.
Robert was born in Montana and was the eldest of 14 siblings. Starting at a very young age, he became a protector to his 13 siblings and remained a protector his entire life. He made countless sacrifices such as giving away his college fund when he was 12 to help support the family without any complaint. His unflinching courage to do whatever a situation called for without expecting anything in return, his unwavering devotion to his family and friends and finally his generosity to the sangha across the decades is what drove him. He came into this world as a protector and it was his path as a bodhisattva in this life. Connecting with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the late 70’s gave his life the meaning and ground he was searching for. When he retired in 2010, he tremendously appreciated the opportunity to focus his time and energy on practicing the dharma wholeheartedly and doing many solitary retreats. Despite his humble beginnings, he never spent much on himself and instead focused on giving to the dharma and to other worthy causes as part of his bodhisattva vow. He was a steady beacon of light for many lonely and distraught beings in this world.
