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Shambhala Training is a secular meditation path that involves the study and practice of spiritual warriorship - not being afraid of who we are. The program was founded by Chogyam Trungpa and the principles on which it is based are explained in his book: Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior. Shambhala Training is inspired by the ancient legend of the Kingdom of Shambhala, an enlightened society based on gentle and fearless action which is grounded in the basic nature of human beings. If we look directly at our own experience, we discover a continuity of wakefulness underlying all the changing conditions of our lives. This wholesome, wakeful presence enables us to experience our lives fully and directly. In Shambhala Training, this is referred to as "basic goodness". The path of warriorship based on our experience of basic goodness shows us how to take the challenges of daily life in our modern society as opportunities for waking up and discovering our inherent gentleness and fearlessness. The tool which enables us to look precisely at our state of mind is the mindfulness-awareness meditation taught in Shambhala Training programs. The practice cultivates openness towards ourselves and our environment, moment by moment.When we practice openness our lives become a journey of wakeful and genuine existence. The Shambhala teachings recognize that the truth of innate human wisdom and basic goodness does not belong to any one religion or doctrine. We can appreciate all genuine contemplative paths whether they stem from the great religions, the arts, or from native spirituality. The Shambhala teachings recognize, however, that this wisdom arises only when the grasping and confusion of ego is stilled through continuous practice of a contemplative mindfulness/awarness discipline. Heart of WarriorshipThe Shambhala Training path begins with a series of weekend levels, known as the Heart of Warriorship, which provide the tools needed to establish a personal discipline of meditation practice and to discover the basic principles of warriorship in your daily life. The principles explored in the Heart of Warriorship are: The Art of Being Human: (Level I) The practice of meditation opens you to the experience of basic goodness in the freshness and vividness of each moment. Level 1 is the beginning of the Shambhala Training path, a series of weekend retreats that offer an effective way to learn to meditate. By settling the mind, we begin to experience the richness and brilliance of the world beyond our habitual patterns and filters. This experience of basic goodness becomes the basis for cultivating bravery and compassion in our everyday lives. The weekend includes meditation instruction and practice, talks and group discussion, and individual interviews with meditation instructors. Birth of the Warrior: (Level II) Our habitual ways of thinking and experience obscure the brilliance of the world we live in and our own genuineness and tenderness—the ground of basic goodness. This level investigates our experience of fear, and how to use it as a stepping stone to fearlessness. Warrior in the World: (Level III) As warriors in the world we can step out of the self-created cocoon of habitual patterns and fear. We are then open and awake to the world, and can experience it with confidence, gentleness, and fearlessness. Awakened Heart: (Level IV) In Level IV, we learn to enter the world in an open and vulnerable way. We let the world touch our heart, and our heart wakes up to the touch. We then can encounter the world with clear perception, freed of our conventional ways of thinking and experiencing. Open Sky: (Level V): The final weekend in the Heart of Warriorship program focuses on the pervasive quality of awakened mind. In our day-to-day experience, one finds the open clear sky of mind—a delightful source of wisdom and uplifted energy. We learn to trust our true nature of basic goodness enough to let go into the present moment. Sacred Path Graduate ProgramThe Sacred Path Program is a graduate level program for graduates of the Heart of Warriorship program. The intro class to this path is Great Eastern Sun, a Saturday-Sunday class. The six class series including Windhorse, Drala, Meek, Perky, Outrageous and Inscrutable, and Golden Key - engages us more deeply in the living energies of our world. Classes are scheduled depending on demand and number of participants, and are typically offered once a year. The culmination of the Sacred Path program is Warrior Assembly, a two-week program held each summer at one of the Shambhala residental land centers (Shambhala Mountain Center, CO; Tale of the Tiger/Karme Choling, VT; Dorje Denma Ling, Nova Scotia, Canada). If you have questions about the Sacred Path program, please call the center. Shambhala, Shambhala Meditation Center, and Shambhala Center are registered service marks of Shambhala International (Vajradhatu). Shambhala Training is a registered trademark of Shambhala/Nalanda Foundation.” |
Shambhala Training Class DatesRegister Online: Register for events and classes in advance, via our online registration form. Click here for details.SEE CLASS DETAILS BELOW Questions? Contact us! Wednesday night class:
Heart of Warriorship (must be taken in numerical order) Sacred Path (must be completed in order: GES, Windhorse, Drala, Meek, Perky, O & I, Golden Key) Shambhala Training Schedule Shambhala Training Level II: Birth of the Warrior Shambhala Training Sacred Path: Drala Shambhala Training Level III: Warrior in the World Shambhala Training Sacred Path: Meek Shambhala Training Level I: The Art of Being Human
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