According to the Shambhala tradition, there is a natural source of radiance and brilliance in the world, which is the innate wakefulness of human beings. This is the basis, in myth and inspiration, of the Kingdom of Shambhala, an enlightened society of fearlessness, dignity and compassion.
– Chögyam Trungpa

   The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Center is the local representative of Shambhala International, an organization founded by the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Trungpa, a Tibetan meditation master who came to the United States in 1970 after fleeing the 1959 Chinese invasion of his native country, became a world-renowned teacher of traditional Tibetan Buddhism. Trungpa famously taught in nontraditional and very challenging ways. His most famous Buddhist work, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, was both a traditional explanation of the very complex Tibetan Buddhist path and a call for people to stop using spiritual techniques in ways that only enhanced their self-deception. Several years later, Trungpa developed and began to teach Shambhala Training, a secular approach to meditation practice that does not require one to become a Buddhist.

   The term “Shambhala” refers to an ancient, perhaps mythical, middle-Asian kingdom, which operated on principles of enlightened conduct and Buddhist influences. The heart of Shambhala's society was meditation and loving kindness toward one another, and its culture developed along the lines of universal, natural hierarchy – a society where each person could completely follow his or her own path to self-awareness, each person expressing the dignity of human existence and leading a meaningful life within a flourishing culture.

   In his book Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Trungpa said, “The Shambhala teachings use the image of the Shambhala kingdom to represent the ideal of secular enlightenment, that is, the possibility of uplifting our personal existence and that of others without the help of any religious outlook. For although the Shambhala tradition is founded on the sanity and gentleness of the Buddhist tradition, at the same time, it has its own independent basis, which is cultivating who and what we are as human beings. With the great problems now facing human society, it seems increasingly important to find simple and non-sectarian ways to work with ourselves and to share our understanding with others… The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is a basic human wisdom that can help solve the world's problems. This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, nor does it come only from the West or the East.”

   Trungpa's teachings explain that the heart of Buddhism and the Shambhala tradition is the practice of meditation. Both Buddhist and Shambhala paths teach that understanding the nature of one's own mind is a necessary first step to understanding the nature of reality. And, as in traditional Buddhist technique, Shambhala uses one's breath as a focus. The sitting meditation practice itself is done silently and affords the opportunity for the practitioner to “tune in” to his or her own heart and mind in a very deep, relaxed, intuitive but very clear way. Shambhala Training, which is oriented towards the development of an enlightened society, is taught gradually through a series of weekend workshops and longer retreats.

   Several years after Trungpa's death in 1987, his son, Osel Mukpo (now named Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche), became the head of the Shambhala lineage. Sakyong Mipham is the best-selling author of the book Turning Your Mind Into An Ally. Pema Chodron, Judy Lief and Jeremy Hayward are also well known teachers connected with the Shambhala community. Now headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the organization Trungpa founded has almost 150 urban meditation centers worldwide, as well as several retreat centers in Europe and North America.

The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Center, founded in 1984, offers Shambhala Training, meditation instruction and discussion groups, as well as presentations on traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings. It is located at 3615 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. For more information, visit www.cleveland.shambhala.org or call (216) 426-8856. Regular meetings are held on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm. Meditation instruction and sitting time at the Center is free of charge, although there are fees for special classes and programs.

Richard Weiner became a student of Chögyam Trungpa's in 1973 and founded the Cleveland Shambhala Center in 1984.