Vancouver Shambhala Meditation Centre

The Vancouver Shambhala Meditation Centre is a part of an international Shambhala community of meditation centres founded in 1973 by the Tibetan meditation master, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and now led by his son and lineage holder, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. "Enlightened society is not a utopia, but a place where we are brave enough to see— and be—just who we are, surrendering our fantasies of something better. When we do that, the discovery of our own goodness on this planet becomes an exercise in appreciation and wonderment. Slowing down to self-reflect and feel our worthiness, and to feel confidence in it, creates space. Then we have the actual intelligence to know which way to go." - Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche The Shambhala Principle The vision of Shambhala is based on the wisdom, sanity and compassion that comes from mindfulness-awareness meditation. It proclaims that our lives are workable and even wonderful. Through the path of meditation, we can touch our inherent sanity and by sharing that with others, actually create an enlightened society. The Shambhala community is a support for all who aspire to follow this path. Shambhala represents a willingness to awaken into our world with fearlessness and to appreciate the wealth and subtlety that surrounds us. This can be discovered through the study and practice of traditional Buddhism or other disciplines which cultivate our hearts and our awareness. At the Vancouver Shambhala Meditation Centre, we present a range of disciplines which share one core ethic: wakeful intelligence. Our community consists of new and longer-term members who engage in exploring their world as individuals, together. We offer free meditation instruction, classes, a comprehensive curriculum in Buddhist Studies, and Shambhala Training -- a progressive series of weekend secular workshops that help students establish a personal meditation practice aimed at engaging more fully and compassionately in the world.