The Halifax Shambhala Centre is pleased to announce that Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche—the grandson and spiritual heir of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of Trungpa Rinpoche’s principal teachers—will be visiting Halifax during the first week of August 2026.

Lady Diana’s Life Story

I’ve been asked by the family of Lady Diana Mukpo to make some remarks today about her life story: who she was, what she did and what her connection is to all of us! It’s difficult to do this for someone of her stature and also for someone who was such a beloved friend of many...

Ringu Tulku on the Sadhana of Mahamudra & the Four Dharma’s of Gampopa

Thank you to Ringu Tulku and his organization, Bodhicharya, for permission to post this talk.

The Passing of Lady Diana Mukpo

Dear Shambhala Sangha, Our community has experienced an incredible loss. We write with heavy hearts to share that Lady Diana Mukpo - wife and widow of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, mother, grandmother, accomplished equestrian, and steadfast protector of the Shambhala teachings and vision - passed away surrounded by family and close friends at her home in Florida on...

Journey to Taktsang 57 Years Ago

The Sadhana of Mahamudra was completed at Taktsang in Bhutan on September 6, 1968. Here, in his own words, is the story of traveling to Taktsang and receiving the sadhana.

Lack of Credentials

Excerpted from The Way of Basic Sanity, A Brief Overview of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's Perspective on Sutric Buddhism

Jonathan Barbieri on Meeting our Kagyu and Nyingma relatives for the first time

Jonathan Barbieri has taught Buddhist and Shambhala trainings extensively throughout North America for over 40 years. He served as a Shastri, a senior teacher, in the Shambhala lineage for several years. Jon has been engaged in several livelihood pursuits including 10 years in educational non-profits, consulting with cities and counties on workforce development, creating contemplative co-housing...

Tim Olmsted on Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Pema Chödrön and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

These Sons and Daughters of Noble Family lectures showcase the rich dharma heritage of our extended dharma family. They were originally presented live by Karme Choling and hosted by Julia Sagebien & Karme Choling Co-Directors JT Buck & Vegan Aharonian between April and October 2024. The Chronicles is now in the process of making all sixteen of these lectures available permanently here, adding a new episode to this page every few weeks.

It Was the Memory of His Kindness

I read something recently that recalled the evening I heard Chögyam Trungpa speak in Toronto in the autumn of 1971. My memories of that evening come back to me occasionally, and they surfaced again while I was reading Opening a Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters. The book is a deeply contextualized collection of stories and...

Joni and Rinpoche

Here is Joni Mitchell in conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden after receiving the Gershwin Prize. When asked what themes she might want to explore currently in her songwriting, Joni talked about her connection with Trungpa Rinpoche

Calligraphy Lesson

I loved Trungpa Rinpoche beyond words and admired him more than anyone I had ever met (I was also a little afraid of him).

Father Thomas Keating and Trungpa Rinpoche Talk About Egolessness

This conversation took place during Naropa’s 1983 Christian Buddhist Conference

Stories of Sechen Kongtrül, told by Tulku Urgyen

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's Stories of Shechen Kongtrül, read by Larry Mermelstein.

Myth of Freedom and the Cosmic Joke with Ani Pema Chodron

In this talk, which is presented in three segments, Pema guides us through the beginning chapters of Trungpa Rinpoche's Myth of Freedom.

The Heart of Enlightened Action

Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche teaches on the mahayana at the Berkley Shambhala Center, August 2007. Here are talks One, Two, and Three of the five talk series.

Vajradhatu Seminary Lake Louise

A slideshow of Lake Louise from Charles Marrow

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s Cremation Ceremony

Thirty Eight Years Ago in Karme Choling's upper meadow

Why Now?

Tashi Colman's Review of The Sadhana of Mahamudra, a new title from Shambhala Publications

Indigestion in the Mind

To work with the dichotomy of self and others, first it is necessary to consider the facts and patterns of life, that is, your behavior, your approach to communication, and your way of life overall. There are certain aspects of your life that are not balanced, but those things can be developed into a balanced state of being, which is the main thing that we need to achieve. Three things make for imbalance: ignorance, hatred, and desire. Now the fact is, they are not bad. Good and bad have nothing to do with this. Rather, we are dealing only with imbalance and balance. We are not discussing only the spiritual aspect of our lives or only the mundane aspect, but the whole of life. In the unbalanced way of behaving, one does not deal properly with a situation. One’s action is not appropriate. One action overlaps another, and the action is not fully completed. This boils down to not being fully aware in the situation and not feeling present. The present moment of action is not properly accomplished, for when a person is halfway through dealing with the present action, he is already drifting on to the next action. This produces a kind of indigestion in the mind, for there is something always left incomplete, like leaving a fruit half-eaten.

— From “The Martial Arts and the Art of War,” in The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volume Eight, page 414.

I Am Immensely Grateful

The importance of what the Vidyadhara did in the West is becoming more and more evident as time passes. He made so many sacrifices so that buddhadharma could flourish...

Lynn Friedman on The Profound Treasury Retreats, Three Yana Retreat, the...

Lynn Friedman has been a dharma practitioner since meeting Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974. She was a software developer and systems architect for 35 years,...

The Top Ten Reasons Why …

Asked to give a toast to the Vidyadhara at the events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Vidyadhara's parinirvana in Halifax, Barry Boyce began to compose a toast telling...

An Unexpected Reply

Fifty years ago, Trungpa Rinpoche gave a community talk in the shrine room of the Boulder center at 1111 Pearl Street (now the Boulder Book Store). In the question...

Laughter and Relief

At the 1981 Seminary at Lake Louise, as the physician I was called to see Rinpoche one morning. The staff were alarmed because he had vomited several times. As...

Peony

I stopped talking. He was silent. We both looked at the peony.

No Man’s Land

In No Man's Land, Robert Merchasin talks about an extraordinary day in September 1971, and reflects on the lasting impact the events of that day have had on his life.

Servant

One evening in 1971, at the Four Mile Canyon house

You Knocked Over the Musician!

The 16th Karmapa's second visit to the San Francisco Bay Area occurred during the Chinese and (that year) Tibetan new year's celebrations. On the big day the Karmapa hosted...

The Kids and the Garuda

A story told by Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche at Dorje Dzong, Boulder, May 18, 1990

The Karmapa’s Golden Handprints

If the Vajradhara of Dorje Dzong is the living embodiment of the primordial buddha, it has watched and listened ...

Grief On The Path Of Dharma: A Panel Discussion

This panel discussion took place on September 26, 2024 at the Boulder Shambhala Center, with panelists:  Miriam Tarcov, Jon Barbieri, Bryan Welch, and Colin Stubbert; moderated by Judy Lief. Presented...

Dreamers and Their Shadows

In the bombed-out wreckage of post-war Tokyo, a safe is discovered that contains several scrolls within a gorgeous antique lacquer box. They chronicle the strange trajectory of the Prince...

The Rinchen Terdzöd Transmission at Mindrolling Monastery

The Rinchen Terdzöd contains only the authentic termas, the original words of Padmasambhava prophesized directly by Shakyamuni Buddha.