Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation and a new religious movement developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his students.Midal (2001) pp 233-247Gimian (2005) pp 337-345 It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened society as not purely mythical, but as realizable by people of all faiths through practices of mindfulness/awareness, non-aggression, and sacred outlook.Mukpo, pp 223
History
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche arrived in North America in 1970, and began teaching Western students from within the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These students formed a growing spiritual community, which incorporated as Vajradhatu (now Shambhala International) in 1973.
Beginning in 1976, Trungpa Rinpoche presented a series of teachings known as the "Shambhala teachings" to the community. These teachings presented the principle of basic goodness, and a secular rather than religious approach to enlightenment.
In 1977, Trungpa Rinpoche first trained senior students to teach Shambhala Training, a series of weekend meditation programs offered widely throughout the community, and in 1978, Trungpa Rinpoche conducted the first annual Kalapa Assembly, an intensive training program for advanced Shambhala teachings and practices.
In 1984, Trungpa Rinpoche published the book Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, which gives a detailed presentation of the core Shambhala teachings.
In 1987, Trungpa died of illnesses related to his long-term alcohol abuse. He was 47 years old. After Trungpa's death, Vajra Regent Ösel Tendzin became spiritual head of Vajradhatu until around 1989. Tendzin died in 1990 at the age of 48 from AIDS-related complications. Both Trungpa and Tendzin had sexual relationships with many of their students, with Tendzin passing along the HIV virus to at least one student who later died of the disease. This history led to a period of instability and conflict within the organization, until Trungpa Rinpoche's eldest son, Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo, became spiritual and executive head of the Vajradhatu community.
In 1995, Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo was endorsed by Penor Rinpoche, head of the Nyingma lineage, as the reincarnation of Ju Mipham, and enthroned as Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.Sakyong Shambhala Bio https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004539/http://www.mipham.com/biography.html
Beginning in 2000, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche moved to enclose the previously secular teachings of Shambhala within the container of a new lineage known as Shambhala Buddhism.Kalapa Assembly 2000 Collaborations Mipham Rinpoche, Sakyong. (2000) "Shambhala Buddhism". Published letter In the following years, the Shambhala and Buddhist curricula were merged, and Shambhala versions of practices such as Ngöndro were developed.
In 2018, Sakyong Mipham was accused of multiple counts of sexual misconduct and abuse of power and temporarily stepped back from teaching. Further investigation found enough of the accusations to be credible and established a pattern of abuse of power. In September 2020, an investigative report detailed a culture of abuse dating back to early days of the Shambhala organization. In February 2022, the Shambhala organization reorganized itself to be self-governing and financially independent of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche,shambhala.report https://shambhala.report and continued to offer the Shambhala Training path under its new structure.
Teachings In Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote:
The teachings cover art, society, and politics and the goal of creating an enlightened society. This is thought of not only as a social and political process but a practice requiring individuals to develop an awareness of the basic goodness and inherent dignity of themselves, of others, and of the everyday details of the world around them. This is facilitated by cultivating gentleness and bravery.Kohn, pp 674
Overview Some key concepts presented in Shambhala Training include: Basic goodness: Our essential nature is good, workable, and worthwhile. This is sometimes contrasted with the idea of original sin, although it is arguable that both notions include the concept of a primordial purity that is stained or covered over.Manning, pp 9-10 Enlightened society: A vision of a culture that expresses basic goodness in its cultural forms, relationships, and traditions. Cocoon: Conceptualization can become armor that cuts us off from the vividness of the world around us. We are advised to discard that armor.Trungpa (1984) pp 60-64 Warriorship: Personal bravery, dignity, decency, and gentleness in working with one's mind and life. Windhorse (Tib. lungta): Akin to QiTrungpa, (1999), pp 234 or life force, practitioners cultivate windhorse through a variety of practices and disciplines.Trungpa, (1999), pp 109-110Trungpa, (1984) pp 114-115 Drala: Akin to kami or spirit conventionally. This term refers to the use of direct sense perceptions to overcome conceptual mental fixation.Hayward (1997) pp 17Trungpa, (1984) pp 103-115 The Four Dignities: Meek Tiger, Perky Lion, Outrageous Garuda, and Inscrutable Dragon. Heaven, Earth, and Humanity: The role of humanity is to connect the ground of the situation (earth) with the vision of possibility (heaven), so to rule oneself or society is to join heaven, earth, and humanity.Trungpa, (1999), pp 112-113Trungpa, (1984) pp 129-130 Natural hierarchy: Akin to an arranged mandala where people are connected, interdependent, and communicate in natural ways.Prebish and Tanaka, chapter 14, pg 247-249Trungpa, (1999) pp 101-103
Meditation technique The basic meditation technique initially presented in Shambhala Training includes sitting with legs loosely crossed, taking good posture, leaving the eyes slightly open, and focusing attention on the out-breath. A feeling of dissolving accompanies the out-breath but no specific attention is prescribed during the in-breath. The hands are placed face down on the thighs. Thoughts may be labeled neutrally as "thinking" before attention is returned to the out breath.Trungpa, (1984) pg 37-40 Variations on the technique are taught during the first five "Heart of Warriorship" weekends. Meditation is described in Shambala as "a natural state of the human mind—at rest, open, alert."
Curriculum Though Shambhala Training is a personal, ongoing practice of meditation and engaged activities, the Shambhala Training curriculum is presented in a series of progressive weekend programs, and then longer retreats. "The Heart of Warriorship" curriculum consist of five weekend programs with each weekend followed by a corresponding 'Everyday Life' class. The latter seven weekends are called "The Sacred Path," as follows:
The Heart of Warriorship Level I: The Art of Being Human Meditation in Everyday Life Level II: Birth of the Warrior Contentment in Everyday Life Level III: Warrior in the World Joy in Everyday Life Level IV: Awakened Heart Fearlessness in Everyday Life Level V: Open Sky Wisdom in Everyday Life
The Sacred Path Great Eastern Sun Windhorse Drala Meek Perky Outrageous and Inscrutable Golden Key
Warrior Assembly The Warrior Assembly is a residential program of less than two weeks' duration. These weekends are intended to be completed in order. Windhorse and Drala are sometimes exchanged in the sequence. Students may then continue onto an intensive nine- to fourteen-day-long residential retreat called Warriors Assembly. Practices and root texts are made available as students complete the prerequisite study and practice stages. However, it is claimed by Shambhala adherents that much of their content is found in the book Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior and others.Seager, pp 133
During the Sacred Path weekends and Warriors Assembly, students study Shambhala texts composed by Chögyam Trungpa, as well as practices such as that of the stroke of ashé. The stroke of ashé was first produced on the night of October 25, 1976, while Trungpa was leading a three-month seminary in Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin.Mukpo, pp 220-223 It was followed by subsequent texts, some of which were considered to be terma, which were received over the next few years.Midal, (2001), pp 220-232
Distinguishing characteristics Shambhala partly derives from Chögyam Trungpa's Shambhala teachings, named after the mythical Tibetan Kingdom of Shambhala. Shambhala in its current form is a new religious movement, the advanced levels of which involve secret teachings and a vow of devotion to the guru, a position currently held by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
Shambhala and Shambhala Training
The concept of Shambhala is part of the lore of Tibetan Buddhism, and is described in the Kalachakra tantra. The Kalachakra tantra was presumably introduced to Tibet still in the 11th century, the epoch of the Tibetan Kalachakra calendar. In the Kalachakra narrative, King Manjuśrīkīrti is said to have been born in 159 BC and ruled over a kingdom of 300,510 followers of the Mlechha religion, some of whom worshiped the Sun. He is said to have expelled 20,000 people from his domain who clung to Surya Samadhi (solar worship) rather than convert to Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) Buddhism. After realizing these were the wisest and best of his people and how much he was in need of them, he later asked them to return and some did. Those who did not return are said to have set up the city of Shambhala. Manjuśrīkīrti initiated the preaching of the Kalachakra teachings in order to try to convert those who returned and were still under his rule.
The Kalachakra tantra prophesies that when the world declines into war and greed, and all is lost, the 25th Kalki king Maitreya will emerge from Shambhala, with a huge army to vanquish Dark Forces and usher in a worldwide Golden Age. This final battle is prophesied for the year 2424 or 2425 (in the 3304th year after the death of Buddha).
Shambhala Training is administered worldwide by Shambhala International. Shambhala Training is presented in a series of paid weekend programs, the first five of which are called "The Heart of Warriorship", and the subsequent seven "The Sacred Path". The Warrior Assembly is the final program in the Shambhala Training Sacred Path, after which students must take vows of devotion to the guru if they wish to continue. During Warrior Assembly, students study the Shambhala terma text, The Golden Sun of the Great East, and receive the practices of the "stroke of ashé" (said to be a terma through TrungpaMidal, Fabrice. (2001). Chögyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision. , pp 220-232) and lungta.
The Satdharma community, established by Trungpa's appointed regent and Dharma heir Ösel Tendzin (Thomas Rich), offers a comparable "Shambhala Education" course of training in Ojai, California.
Shambhala within Shambhala Teaching After the year 2000, with the merging of the secular teachings of Shambhala and the teachings of Vajradhatu into Shambhala Teaching, completion of Shambhala Seminary (which requires taking Buddhist refuge and bodhisattva vows, as well as Buddhist samaya vows of devotion to the guru) became a condition for progressing on the path and receiving the most advanced Shambhala teachings, such as those of Werma and the Scorpion Seal Retreat. In turn, Warrior Assembly became a prerequisite for attending the Seminary.
The Rigden Abhisheka enters the student into the practice of the Werma Sadhana. It is open to graduates of Shambhala Vajrayana Seminary who have completed their Shambhala ngöndro and to students who have already received the Werma Sadhana and completed their Kagyü Ngöndro.
Shambhala Terma