Vajradhatu: The Buddhist Path of Practice and Study

The facet of Shambhala that offers specifically Buddhist practice and study is known as Vajradhatu. Each centre offers a comprehensive path of traditional Buddhist study and practice, as described below.

Some 2,500 years ago, an Indian prince, Siddhartha Gautama, sat quietly in a place known as the Deer Park at Sarnath. In this quiet place, before a small assembly he began to offer teachings based on his own experience. These teachings, referred to as the dharma meaning "truth", were practical instructions on how to relate to one's experience of life and mind.

Because his realization was profound, he became known as Buddha which means "awakened". The teachings he offered came to be known as buddhadharma ("the teaching of the awakened one") or simply dharma, and ultimately in the West as "Buddhism". The Buddhist teachings proclaim the possibility of awakening the potential within every human being, and they provide a practical method for doing so. This practical method, passed down from generation to generation, is known as meditation, which is the practice of mindfulness and awareness.

Meditation is a natural process of allowing oneself to examine the nature of thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, and to discover the inherent purity of one's being. It is a practice based on direct experience, rather than on blind belief.

Buddhism is taking an increasingly prominent role in contemporary western society as interest increases in this approach to life. A unique quality of the Buddhist teachings is that they can be expressed through existing cultural norms, making use of them rather than destroying or replacing them. This allows many westerners to practice Buddhism today without renouncing their cultural heritage or radically changing their lifestyles.

Vajradhatu (Sanskrit for "indestructible space") provides a spiritual journey of training on the Buddhist path following a well-defined, graduated method of practice and study developed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. This path places strong emphasis on joining the view and practice of meditation with everyday life, rather than the monastic approach.

Vajradhatu oversees and supports Buddhist educational and practice programmes for all levels of students. This includes the training of meditation instructors and teachers, as well as the development of meditation and study programmes for students.

The Vajradhatu path set out by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche is based primarily on the teachings of the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages of Tibet, but also includes elements from the Zen tradition. The path Vajradhatu presents is characterised by a strong emphasis on mindfulness-awareness practice. The teachings of Buddhism are presented in English (as well as other Western languages, as required), and programmes are designed to deepen students' understanding and experience of buddhadharma in a gradual and systematic way.

Many Western students of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche are now accomplished dharma teachers in their own right,  such as Acharya Ane Pema Chödron.

In addition Tibetan dharma teachers who have taught at London Shambhala Meditation Centre in recent years include the Venerable Ato Rinpoche, Venerable Khandro Rinpoche, Venerable Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Venerable Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and Venerable Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche.

His Holiness Karmapa XVII

His Holiness Penor Rinpoche

Venerable Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Venerable Khandro Rinpoche

Venerable Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche

Venerable Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche