Unless otherwise stated, all events, programmes, classes and courses take place at the London Shambhala Meditation Centre in Clapham. Please see Location Map for directions. Evening sessions usually begin with a short session of meditation.
No special events are available for listing at present.
WEEKEND PROGRAMMES
Friday 3 to Saturday 4 September
Changling Rinpoche: Crazy Wisdom & the Sadhana of Mahamudra
"Crazy Wisdom" (yeshe chölwa in Tibetan) is one of the main underlying principles of the Sadhana of Mahamudra, a text revealed by the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and practised on the new and full moon days within the Shambhala community, as well as at Shechen Monastery in Nepal, where Changling Rinpoche resides. Based on his own practice of the Sadhana of Mahamudra, as well as his study of the Vidyadhara's teachings on crazy wisdom, Rinpoche will teach on the central deity of the Sadhana, Dorje Tröllo.
At the age of ten, CHANGLING RINPOCHE was recognised as a tulku by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He is a lineage holder of the Rechung Kagyü, based on the transmission of Milarepa's disciple Rechungpa. He resides at Shechen Monastery in Nepal, founded by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and works closely with Rabjam Rinpoche in directing the monastery. Changling Rinpoche is known for his very direct and engaging teaching style. Rinpoche teaches in English.
All are welcome, but this programme is not primarily intended for those new to Buddhism or meditation.
To pre-register, please send a deposit of £20 payable to: 'The London Shambhala Meditation Centre' C/O London Shambhala Meditation Centre, 27 Belmont Close, London, SW4 6AY.
For further information, please contact Tony McAdam at
The programme begins at 7:00 pm on Friday with a talk (which can also be attended separately), and continues on Saturday from 10:00 am until 6:45 pm.
The fee for the programme is £75 (Friday talk only: £25); in addition, participants are invited to make the traditional gift of money to the teacher.
Friday 24 to Sunday 26 September
The Art of Being Human
An introductory weekend with Shastri Jim O'Neill
This weekend is one of the main introductions to meditation that we offer. We highly recommend it for anyone interested in meditation, Buddhism or Shambhala.
It offers both a good introduction for complete beginners and a fresh inspiration for those who may already have some experience of meditation within their own spiritual traditions.
This weekend is also one of the first parts of Way of Shambhala, a ongoing training in meditation and how we can use Buddhist teachings to awaken to our inherent potential.
The weekend begins with a free public introductory talk on Friday at 7.30 pm, and continues on Saturday from approximately 9.00 am - 7.00 pm, starting with breakfast and going out for an evening meal. Sunday continues from 9am ending with a reception at roughly 7.00 pm.
TALKS
No talks are available for listing at present.
COURSES
Tuesdays 28 September to 16 November or Wednesdays 29 September to 17 November
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - Eight week courses
Please note that these courses are being organised by Being Mindful.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a leading programme aimed particularly at reducing stress and anxiety. It has been widely approved by the international medical community.
For more information and booking, please visit the Being Mindful web-site. (Please note it is essential to book ahead for these courses)
Time: From 7:30 to 9:45 pm
Cost: £250 (including CDs and hand-outs to work with at home)
Thursday 30 September to Thursday 28 October
Meditation in Everyday Life
An introductory evening course over 5 Thursdays with Shastri Jim O'Neill
This five week evening course is one of the main introductions to meditation that we offer. We highly recommend it for anyone interested in meditation, Buddhism or Shambhala.
It offers both a good introduction for complete beginners and a fresh inspiration for those who may already have some experience of meditation within their own spiritual traditions.
This course is also one of the first parts of Way of Shambhala, a ongoing training in meditation and how we can use Buddhist teachings to awaken to our inherent potential.
Residential weeekend retreats are held from time to time at IvyBank our retreat house in Hampshire. No retreats are available for listing at present
SCHEDULED PRACTICES
Kyudo Practice
The way of the bow
In 1980 the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche invited Onyumishi Kanjuro Shibata XX to come and teach Kyudo to his students. Rinpoche said “Through Kyudo one can learn to live beyond hope and fear, one can learn how to be”. Since then Shibata Sensei has travelled extensively and established Kyudojos throughout North America and Europe and continued to manifest as a true warrior and teach Rinpoche’s students.
In the words of Shibata Sensei “One is not polishing one’s shooting style or technique, but the mind. The dignity of shooting is the important point. This is how Kyudo differs from the common approach to archery. In Kyudo there is no hope. Hope is not the point. The point is that through long and genuine practice your natural dignity as a human being comes out. This natural dignity is already in you, but it is covered up by a lot of obstacles. When they are cleared away, your natural dignity is allowed to shine forth.”
The way of the bow is a living tradition of meditative archery, rooted in the warrior traditions of Japan. It is an art form with no other goal than the highest experience of the present moment beyond the strategies of thought and concept. Through working with the precision of form a natural process gradually unfolds through which direct experience of the essential nature of mind is realised. This is the target.
RICHARD BLECKMAN has been a student of Shibata Sensei since 1992 and was authorised by Sensei as a Kyudo instructor in 1996.
Kyudo practice is generally held at the centre on the Saturday before the nyinthun day (see below: the first Sunday of the calendar month). Next date: 2 October.
Nyinthün
Nyinthün is held on the first Sunday of the calendar month.
Meditation practice is from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm in the main hall.
Newcomers are very welcome. However if you require meditation instruction, please arrange this in advance.
Sitting meditation usually also takes place in the afternoon from 2.30 to 4.30, and sometimes additional afternoon events are organised (please check in advance if you are travelling especially to attend during the afternoon).
First Sunday of the calendar month, from 10.30 am. Forthcoming dates: 5 September, 3 October, 7 November, 5 December, 2 January 2011, 6 February 2011, 6 March 2011, 3 April 2011, 1 May 2011, 5 June 2011, 3 July 2011, 7 August 2011, 4 September 2011, 2 October 2011 and 4 December 2011.
Maitri Bhavana
Maitri Bhavana is a meditation on loving kindness which is practised for those who are seriously ill, either physically or mentally. It cultivates our compassion through taking on the sense of suffering of others, provides an opportunity to share our health with them, and acknowledges our deep interconnectedness. A list is pinned up at the centre for any of us to add the names and illnesses of relatives and friends who are seriously ill, so they can be explicitly included in the practice. You should include someone because you feel a personal concern for their suffering, such as a relative dying of cancer or suffering from clinical depression. (It would not be appropriate, for example, to include someone who has a cold or a sprained ankle.)
If you would like more information or would like to add someone to the list for the next practice session, please email . Please include both the name of the individual and the illness. You can submit the same name(s) each month if you wish.
One Wednesday per month, at approximately 8.00 pm. .
Sadhana of Mahamudra
The Sadhana of Mahamudra is special practice which takes place once a month during the Wednesday practice evening closest to the full moon.
The practice involves the meditative recitation (in English) of a sadhana (meditation text) written by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1968. The vivid imagery of the sadhana evokes the qualities of enlightened mind as exemplified by Dorje Tröllo, a manifestation of Padmasambhava, and Karma Pakshi, the second Karmapa.
Held on the Wednesday of the month closest to the full moon, at approximately 8.00 pm. Forthcoming dates: 22 September, 20 October, 24 November, 22 December, 19 January 2011, 16 February 2011 and 16 March 2011.
London Shambhala Meditation Centre
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"Crazy Wisdom" (yeshe chölwa in Tibetan) is one of the main underlying principles of the Sadhana of Mahamudra, a text revealed by the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and practised on the new and full moon days within the Shambhala community, as well as at Shechen Monastery in Nepal, where Changling Rinpoche resides. Based on his own practice of the Sadhana of Mahamudra, as well as his study of the Vidyadhara's teachings on crazy wisdom, Rinpoche will teach on the central deity of the Sadhana, Dorje Tröllo.
All are welcome, but this programme is not primarily intended for those new to Buddhism or meditation.
This weekend is one of the main introductions to meditation that we offer. We highly recommend it for anyone interested in meditation, Buddhism or Shambhala.
Please note that these courses are being organised by 