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Shambhala International (originally named
Vajradhatu Vajradhatu was the name of the umbrella organization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist lamas to visit and teach in the West. It served as the vehicle for the promulgation of his teachings, and was also the name by w ...
) is the umbrella organization that encompasses many of the distinct institutions of the
Shambhala Shambhala (, ),Śambhala m. (also written Sambhala): Name of a town (situated between the Rathaprā and Ganges, and identified by some with Sambhal in Moradabad; the town or district of Śambhala is fabled to be the place where Kalki, the last ...
spiritual community, founded by the students of the
Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...
teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Based in
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, Shambhala International links a worldwide network of urban
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
meditation centers and retreat centers, as well as a Western
Buddhist monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
and other institutions.


Scope and function

Shambhala International functions to support the activities of the
Shambhala Shambhala (, ),Śambhala m. (also written Sambhala): Name of a town (situated between the Rathaprā and Ganges, and identified by some with Sambhal in Moradabad; the town or district of Śambhala is fabled to be the place where Kalki, the last ...
spiritual community. It is led by an independent Board of Directors, who manage a central administrative team called Shambhala Global Services that offers infrastructure and support to the community globally. Shambhala International supports more than 150 Shambhala Centres and Groups, which are meditation communities of varying sizes in cities and towns across North and South America, Europe, and Oceania. It also supports several retreat centers and other organizations. Below is a partial list of notable organizations affiliated with or managed within Shambhala International: * Dechen Chöling (retreat center in
Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...
, France) *
Gampo Abbey Gampo Abbey is a Western Buddhist monastery in the Shambhala tradition in Nova Scotia, Canada on the edge of the Pleasant Bay community. Founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1983, it is a lineage institution of Shambhala and a corporate di ...
(monastery in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
) *
Karmê Chöling Karmê Chöling is a Shambhala Buddhist meditation retreat center and community in Barnet, Vermont. It was originally known as "Tail of the Tiger". The staff there offers meditation programs and retreats in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition to h ...
(retreat center in
Barnet, Vermont Barnet is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,663 at the 2020 census. Barnet contains the locations of Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Mosquitoville, Passumpsic and West Barnet. The main settleme ...
, United States)


History and leadership


Foundation by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

In 1970, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche arrived in North America. The first established center of his teachings was "Tail of the Tiger" in
Barnet, Vermont Barnet is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,663 at the 2020 census. Barnet contains the locations of Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Mosquitoville, Passumpsic and West Barnet. The main settleme ...
(now
Karmê Chöling Karmê Chöling is a Shambhala Buddhist meditation retreat center and community in Barnet, Vermont. It was originally known as "Tail of the Tiger". The staff there offers meditation programs and retreats in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition to h ...
). A second branch of the community began to form when Rinpoche began teaching at the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...
. The Rocky Mountain Dharma Center was established, now known as
Drala Mountain Center Drala Mountain Center (DMC) is a 501c3 educational non-profit originally founded in 2000 as the Shambhala Mountain Center, with the name changing to DMC in 2022. It operates a spiritual retreat center located on 600 acres in a valley in the nor ...
, near Red Feather Lakes,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. In the early 1970s, the community grew rapidly and attracted the involvement of notable figures such as
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of th ...
and
Anne Waldman Anne Waldman (born April 2, 1945) is an American poet. Since the 1960s, Waldman has been an active member of the Outrider experimental poetry community as a writer, performer, collaborator, professor, editor, scholar, and cultural/political acti ...
. In 1973, the community was incorporated in Colorado as
Vajradhatu Vajradhatu was the name of the umbrella organization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist lamas to visit and teach in the West. It served as the vehicle for the promulgation of his teachings, and was also the name by w ...
. Vajradhatu hosted visits by the Sixteenth
Karmapa The Karmapa Tulku lineage of the Gyalwa Karmapa is the oldest among the major incarnating lineages of Tibetan Buddhism,The Karmapa, "The Karmapas Lineage", Kagyu Office established in 1110 CE by the 1st Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa. Karmapa means " ...
(head of the
Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, M ...
lineage of
Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...
) in 1974,
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Tashi Paljor () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, Terton, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism f ...
(head of the
Nyingma Nyingma (, ), also referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school was founded by PadmasambhavaClaude Arpi, ''A Glimpse of the History of Tibet'', Dharamsala: Tibet Museum, 2013. ...
lineage of Tibetan Buddhism) in 1976, and the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...
in 1981. In 1974, Naropa Institute was founded, a contemplative studies and liberal arts college, now fully accredited as
Naropa University Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, it is named after the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda. The university ...
. Beginning in 1976, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche presented a series of teachings known as the Shambhala teachings to the community. These teachings presented the principle of
basic goodness Basic goodness is a term coined by Tibetan spiritual teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and is a core concept in his terma. It is used both to discuss the experience of reality and also basic human nature, which arises as fundamental virtue. Every ...
, and a secular rather than religious approach to enlightenment. They were encoded into a
Shambhala Training Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation and a new religious movement developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened soci ...
series offered widely throughout the community. In 1979, Trungpa Rinpoche empowered his eldest son,
Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradül, born Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo (November 1962), is a Tibetan Buddhist master and holder of the Sakyong Lineage of Mukpodong, his family lineage. The Sakyong was recognized by Penor Rinpoche i ...
, as his successor and heir to the Shambhala lineage. In 1986, Trungpa moved the international headquarters of
Vajradhatu Vajradhatu was the name of the umbrella organization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist lamas to visit and teach in the West. It served as the vehicle for the promulgation of his teachings, and was also the name by w ...
to
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. A large number of his students emigrated from the United States to Nova Scotia along with him.


Leadership by Ösel Tendzin

In 1987, one year after moving the organization to Nova Scotia, Trungpa Rinpoche died of illnesses related to long-term alcohol abuse. He was 47. A senior American student named Thomas Rich, whom Trungpa Rinpoche had given the title Vajra Regent
Ösel Tendzin Ösel Tendzin (), born Thomas Frederick Rich Jr. (June 28, 1943 – August 25, 1990), was an American Tibetan Buddhist master and the principal student of Chögyam Trungpa. On August 22, 1976, Trungpa empowered Tendzin as his Vajra Regent and ...
, assumed leadership of the organization. Tendzin acted as spiritual head of Vajradhatu until around 1989. In December 1988, the community learned Tendzin had passed
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
to a male partner in the Colorado congregation, who in turn unknowingly infected his female partner. Tendzin, who was HIV-positive, knowingly had sex with students for three years without disclosing his infection, believing that his spiritual practice protected himself and others from AIDS. It eventually came out that the Vajradhatu board of directors had known of the problem for more than two years and had done nothing about it. Tendzin died in 1990 from HIV/AIDS, and Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo, now known as
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradül, born Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo (November 1962), is a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist master and holder of the Sakyong Lineage of Mukpodong, his family lineage. The Sakyong was recognized b ...
, assumed spiritual and executive leadership of Vajradhatu.


Leadership by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche renamed the organization to Shambhala International in 2000, and led it through a range of organizational forms. Also beginning in 2000, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche moved to enclose the previously secular teachings of Shambhala within the container of a new Buddhist lineage, known as Shambhala Buddhism. In early 2018, allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct and misuse of power by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche toward his students. Following a series of reports by an initiative called Buddhist Project Sunshine on sexual misconduct within Shambhala International, the sitting board, known as the Kalapa Council, resigned. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche stepped back from his teaching and governance roles, and has not acted in a spiritual or executive leadership role within Shambhala International since that time. Shambhala International hired a law firm to investigate the allegations, and in February 2019 the investigator issued a report of its findings, which included finding a pattern of sexual misconduct and at least one credible incident of sexual assault by Sakyong Mipham.


Leadership by Shambhala Board

In late 2018, a Shambhala Board of community members assumed executive leadership of the organization. According to the organization, it has implemented some of the third-party recommendations for addressing community harm, including instituting a new Shambhala code of conduct. In February 2022, the Shambhala Board reached a mediated agreement with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche that he would no longer hold administrative responsibilities in Shambhala International, and the organization's bylaws were amended to establish the Shambhala Board as an independent leadership body.


See also

*
List of Buddhist temples This is a list of Buddhism, Buddhist temples, Monastery, monasteries, stupas, and pagodas for which there are Wikipedia articles, sorted by location. Australia Bangladesh Bhutan Brazil * Khadro Ling Buddhist Temple, Três Coroa ...


References


Works cited

*


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links

*{{official website, https://shambhala.org/
Nalanda Translation Committee
Buddhist organizations Non-profit organizations based in Nova Scotia Religious organizations based in Canada Religious organizations established in 1990 Religion in Halifax, Nova Scotia Shambhala vision