What is Shambhala?
'There is a natural source of radiance and brilliance in the world, which is the innate wakefulness of human beings.'
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
The London Shambhala Meditation Centre
is part of Shambhala International,
a international community of Buddhist meditation centres founded by the late Tibetan meditation master and Buddhist teacher
Chögyam
Trungpa Rinpoche and now under the direction of his dharma heir Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
The centre is affiliated to Shambhala Europe,
based in Cologne in Germany and is registered as a UK charity (No 1073977).
The centre provides public
meditation sessions and instruction, talks,
evening
courses, and weekend
programmes. Small residential retreats are sometimes held by the Centre in a retreat house in Hampshire. Larger and longer residential programmes are held in Dechen Chöling in France.
The centre offers teachings on Buddhism, "non-religious" meditation training and meditative arts
disciplines.
The Three Gates of Shambhala
The term "three gates" is sometimes used to describe three possible approaches offered by the centre.
The Vajradhatu Gate offers a comprehensive path of specifically Buddhist meditation
and study in the Kagyü and Nyingma schools of Tibetan
Buddhism. Elements of the Japanese Zen tradition are also integrated
within the practice. Strong emphasis is placed on the practice of shamatha
sitting meditation as a foundation for mahayana and vajrayana
practice and study.
The Shambhala Training Gate offers a secular approach to meditative training
founded by the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The Shambhala Training
path promotes fearless and gentle action in the world; it is open to people
who follow any spiritual tradition or who have chosen no particular spiritual
tradition.
The Nalanda Gate brings a meditative perspective to the arts, health,
education, and business. It may include such disciplines as poetry, visual
art, theatre, kyudo (archery), and ikebana (flower-arranging).
