Tuesday - Ikebana - the contemplative art of flower arranging. 7pm-9pm
most tuesdays, Mrs. Yukawa, renowned teacher in the Sogetsu School of Japanese flowering arranging, conducts ikebana classes at our centre. Classes range from beginner to advanced. The Sogetsu Ikebana school believes that anyone can arrange anything, anywhere at anytime.

Wednesday- Open House 7pm - 9:30. All are welcome; no charge. 7pm: Sitting meditation, meditation instruction. 8pm: tea and cookies followed generally by a talk or video and discussion on topics of Shambhala Buddhism and applications of meditation in daily life. Open House is offered on most Wednesdays except for Statutory Holidays and some special events. Check the webcalendar.

Shambhala Training is a secular practice established in the West by Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. and currently by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Shambhala Buddhism is a lineage embracing the Tibetan Kagyü and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism as brought to the West by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. The current lineage holder of Shambhala Buddhism is the Sakyong, Mipham Rinpoche

First Thursday of the month - Awake in Action- 7pm
Bringing our insights from the meditation cushion into the world of personal relationships, community service and work through a meditation, talk and discussion format, this group engages the Shambhala world of warriorship and the Buddhist world of bodhisattva action. The next meeting is scheduled for June 5. •email•   •website•

Shambhala Training - The Heart of Warriorship

Each Shambhala Training weekend program includes breakfast and at least one lunch. Please let us know of any dietary considerations. Breakfast begins at 8:30am. Wear comfortable clothes for sitting through the day (layers recommended). mats and cushions are provided, though you are welcome to bring your own.

What Is Shambhala Training®? (read an overview here)

Shambhala Training is a series of five contemplative workshops based on the Shambhala path of "warriorship" which emphasizes the development of genuineness, confidence, humor, and dignity within the complexity of daily life. The very challenges of daily life are opportunities for both contemplative practice and social action. Each workshop includes mindfulness-awareness meditation training and practice, talks by senior instructors, personal interviews and group discussions. Both new and experienced meditators, as well as for those looking to enrich their existing spiritual path, will benefit from these workshops.

Note: Shambhala Training levels are designed to be taken sequentially (in numercal order), previous levels are pre-requisites. For more information, or to register,note: Shambhala Training levels are designed to be taken sequentially (in numercal order), previous levels are pre-requisites. for more information, or to register, contact our Heart of Warriorship coordinator.

Missed levels may sometimes be made up at other nearby centers

Shambhala Sacred Path program

Meek, Dates TBD
to register or for more information

The Sacred Path is a "graduate" program for those who have completed the Heart of Warriorship and wish to continue exploring warriorship more deeply.. For more information or to register, contact our Shambhala Training Resident Director, Erica Hendry

.

How to Meditate

Ideally, meditation instruction is best given in person, where there is an opportunity to have an experienced meditator pay attention to posture, answer questions, and arrange to check in as experience deepens. People in Vancouver wishing to learn to meditate are encouraged to drop in at any Monday or Wednesday Open House, where personal meditation instruction is available at 7pm with no charge. The following links are offered as resources to people in addition to personal instruction in mindfulness/awareness mediation, (shamatha/vipashyana) and for those who for whatever reason find face-to-face instruction is not possible but who are still interested in learning to meditate.

• What is Meditation?
• How to Meditate, by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
• The Shambhala Sun Magazine's "How to meditate" section
• An Introduction to Meditation - three articles on meditation and on taking refuge as a buddhist
• Meditation Instruction - on the Toronto Shambhala Website
• Meditation and Contemplation: Using the power of thought
• Turning our Mind toward the Buddha
• The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
• The Dalai Lama's advice on meditation practice
• Listen to "Shamatha" (calm abiding meditation) by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche - mp3
• Watch "What About Me" on youtube - a video by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Gesar Mukpo

What the Open House Programs are like:

All are welcome to our weekly Open House program on Wednesdays. Wear comfortable clothese for sitting; no previous experience or reservation is required. Because each week includes people who are coming for the first time as well as returning meditators, every evening is designed to stand on its own, but also to combine with succeeding weeks' talks to create a whole greater than each single week's material. Open houses start at 7 pm with sitting meditation and first-time meditation instruction for newcomers (usually 6-8 people). A short tea break is followed by a talk and discussion or other events. Talks are often drawn from "Shambhala: the Sacred Path of the Warrior" by the founder of our center, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche or "Turning the Mind into an Ally" and "Ruling your World" by the current head of our lineage, the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. In addition to talks, evenings may also feature guided practices, group discussion and other exercises designed to help deepen one’s meditation practice, as well as videos and audio tapes. Newcomers are always welcome, as are "regular" open house participants.

You can drop in whenever you choose. There is no charge, though contributions – to cover the cost of tea and cookies – are warmly appreciated. The evenings generally wrap up before 9:30pm.

George Klima has compiled a thorough list of Buddhist temples and centers (a wide spectrum of lineages and organizations), organized by province. Meditation in Vancouver and Buddhism in Vancouver and in our region is a very rich and diverse landscape. Mr. Klima's directory of buddhist organizatons can be found at http://buddhismcanada.com

Shambhala Sun magazine

Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly

these two magazine sites offer a wealth of free content going back several years. These are useful resources for those who wish to know more about dharma life, writing, teachers, and authors.

The Shambhala Centre of Vancouver combines the Dharmadhatu Buddhist Meditation Centre (founded in 1975) and the Shambhala Training Meditation Program (founded in 1980). Both are guided by life and teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and the students and teachers he inspired. We have operated from our present storefront location at 17th and Heather Street for the past 30 years. A lot of just sitting meditation has taken place on the cushions here, in Vancouver, as well as Shambhala Training programs, classes in Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Ikebana, children's programs, and visits from teachers and meditation masters. For more on the organization we are part of, browse Shambhala International (www.shambhala.org). For local programs see our Calendar of Events.

Email vancouver@shambhala.org if you have any questions or comments or would like to receive our newsletter in the mail.

Where we are

Victoria Shambhala Meditation Centre Link

Seattle Shambhala Meditation Centre Link

Portland Shambhala Meditation Center Link

Kootenay Shambhala Meditation Centre (Nelson, BC) Link

Edmonton Shambhala Centre Link

find a Shambhala Training level or a Shambhala Center near you