Our Lineage
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, a spiritual and family lineage that descends through his family, the Mukpo clan. This tradition emphasizes the basic goodness of all beings and teaches the art of courageous warriorship based on wisdom and compassion.
Rinpoche is the son and heir of the Vidyadhara, the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. His background embraces both Eastern and Western cultures. Born in India, he received spiritual training from his father and other distinguished lamas and received further education and training in Europe and North America. He now travels extensively teaching worldwide.
"When we talk about enlightened society, we aren't talking about some utopia where everyone's enlightened. We're talking about a culture of human beings who know the awakened nature of basic goodness and invoke its energy in order to courageously extend themselves to others."
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was one of the most dynamic teachers of Buddhism in the 20th Century. He was a pioneer in bringing the Buddhist teachings of Tibet to the West and is credited with introducing many Buddhist concepts into the English language and psyche in a fresh and new way.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the former supreme abbot of Surmang Monasteries in Tibet, is known as the foremost meditation master and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. In the early 1970s, he founded Naropa University, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America, along with over 100 meditation centers worldwide and authored two dozen books on meditation, poetry, art and the Shambhala path of warriorship.
"The Buddhist tradition teaches the truth of impermanence, or the transitory nature of things. The past is gone and the future has not yet happened, so we work with what is here -- the present situation. This actually helps us not to categorize or theorize. A fresh, living situation is taking place all the time, on the spot. This noncategorical approach comes from being fully here, rather than trying to reconnect with past events. We don't have to look back to the past in order to see what people are made out of. Human beings speak for themselves, on the spot."
How to Participate
Durham Shambhala Center membership is a statement about your personal inspiration, curiosity, and commitment to the path of awakening.
Membership usually includes three things: 1) an engagement with meditation; 2) financial donation on a regular basis; 3) participation in a community of practitioners who aspire to relate to each other with honesty, warmth and openness. Your generosity allows us to offer the practice of meditation and the Shambhala teachings to everybody, regardless of financial resources. Our monthly expenses are paid for through membership dues and donations. Please consider joining and making a monthly contribution, which can range from $25 per month to $100 per month based on individual income. Automatic deduction from a checking account is greatly appreciated.
The greatest benefit of membership for many people is deepening your connection to the Shambhala-Buddhadharma. Members receive a discount on selected programs, as well as email newsletters to keep to inform you of upcoming activities and programs.
To become a member of the Durham Shambhala Center, click here.