Shambhala-Related Groups & Sites

This page lists social media groups and sites hosting discussions and providing information about current transformative events in the Shambhala community and organizations.

See also the page on Practice and Study Resources in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa.

Informative Sites

Shambhala Ownership and Control
This shows the various Shambhala non-profit corporations, what they own directly, and how the Sakyong Potrang controls them.

Practice and Study Resources
A page on this site on Practice and Study Resources in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa, outside of Shambhala International.

Chögyam Trungpa Resources and Subreddit Description
A list of online CTR resources, as part of the Chögyam Trungpa subreddit.

Sleepy Burrito Radio
Timeline of documents and news items.

Facebook Groups

The descriptions below are taken from the groups themselves, with minor edits. Their content and tone may of course vary widely. Some are private (need approval to join) or secret (not publicly listed).

Cooperative Wisdom Society
Wisdom Training, and Structure and Economy of a Cooperative Wisdom Society, as presented by Tomasz Pietrzykowski. Vision; YouTube Channel.

Full Circle Buddhism Group
This group is being collectively created, as best that we can. Our focus is on being beneficial, openhearted and respectful in our listening and responses. We are focusing our conversations around Buddhism, secular Buddhism, Shambhala and other related concepts.

Gaia Delek
A group inspired by Chogyam Trungpa’s Delek system. Principles include taking care of each other, listening, inclusivity, consensus. There are many possibilities, let’s explore them!

Independent Shambhalians
A group for Shambhalians, students of VCTR, and those interested in reforming Shambhala. Active, old members, and those interested in the work of Trungpa Rinpoche are welcome.

Mukpo Old Dog Retirement Community
Formed to develop various models for active communities for aging practitioners of a Buddhist-inspired path, and to support the establishment of such projects. Please join this group if you have an interest in creating such a community. Donations of land, and other philanthropic efforts are welcomed.

Open Shambhala
Open Shambhala is a forum for all Buddhist meditators to discuss Buddhist meditation. It is shambhalian in the sense of individual experience and inspiration of sacred world, rather than what someone told you to think or the current line. It’s open in the sense of not being part of a religious organization and therefore having no orthodoxy. But it is only open to Buddhist meditators and requires civil discourse.

Ronin Zone [from way back in 2007!]
A Ronin was a masterless samurai during the feudal period (1185–1868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the ruin or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master’s favor or privilege. If you feel that you are a ronin in the Shambhala mandala, then you may wish to join the “Ronin Zone.” This group is a space for the masterless and drifting warriors of Shambhala to gather together round a bonfire, of sorts. Here, we spin yarns, hatch plans, or just keep quiet; and, most important, we take comfort in each other’s company. Beneath the moonless sky, we gather strength from fellow drifters so as to continue our journey at dawn, alone but open to the world, without malice, envy, or fear.

Shambhala
An admin archived this group on March 9, 2019. You can’t create posts, like, comment, or add more members, but you can still view all posts.

Shambhala Dharma Brats
This is a group for Shambhala Dharma brats only that are processing the changes that are occuring in the sangha. This is for active and not active members of the sangha who grew up in Shambhala households.

Shambhala in Europe
This group is a place for the Shambhala Europe community and anyone that feels connected to the European sangha from Shambhala International.

Shambhala Musicians
Post ideas, questions, photos, audio, and video for musicians.

Shambhala Office of Social Engagement
The Shambhala Office of Social Engagement (SOSE) is an International office that that supports and encourages engagement initiatives in the Shambhala community.

Shambhala Open Discussion
This group is intended to be a safe and open space for Shambhala members and all others to discuss the current situation in our global Sangha as it evolves. The intention here is to hold space for this discussion that is not officially connected to Shambhala International in any way. Please feel free to post updates, discussion points, suggestions for reformation or any other relevant information.

Shambhala: Opening The Flower

• What kind of kingdom would Shambhala be if people of all religions lived in it?
• What kind of kingdom would Shambhala be if it did not limit its higher teachings to Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhists?
• Can the open space, with genuine sadness, suddenly free from fixed mind, that is at the heart of enlightened society, be kept alive by warriors of many practice traditions?

If questions like these concern you, you might like to network at “Shambhala: Opening the Flower.” Everyone is welcome!

Shambhala POC
A place for those in or associated with the Shambhala community and identify as People of Color. A place to share, meet, plan and care for one another.

Shambhala Parents and Families
This group is for parents to discuss questions and share ideas about how we are integrating Shambhala principles into our child’s lives, or could be questions about parenting in general.

Shambhala Spiritual Friendship
A place to give support and encouragement along the Shambhala path, Tibetan Buddhism and the teachings of Chogyham Trungpa Rinpoche. Real discussion of the teachings, spiritual community, meeting up face to face encouraged.

Shambhala Tantrikas & Sadhakas
This is a group for Shambhala and Vajradhatu Vajrayana students who have attended Vajrayana Assembly, Sacred World, or Vajradhatu Seminary under Trungpa Rinpoche. It is meant to be a safe space to discuss recent revelations from a Vajrayana point of view. It is also a place for SMR’s students and students of Trungpa Rinpoche to discuss samaya.

Shambhala Transformation Members Discussion
This group is intended to be a narrower successor to the previous Shambhala Facebook group. It is intended to minimize the tax on the group admins and moderators by allowing mostly unmoderated exchange of ideas.

Societal Lhasang
This is a group for humans of all gender identities who are committed to the teachings of Shambhala Buddhism to talk about their experiences of being harassed, assaulted, abused or otherwise hurt due to gendered power relations within the sangha. It is also a group within which we hope we can all plan / brainstorm ways to remedy this societal ill.

Touching Earth
This group is created for practical discussion of how to take Shambhala forward. The group slogan is “No Heaven Without Earth”.

Stray Dog Sangha
Like an annotated directory, this group is for students of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, both old and new, to connect with each other, share activities, meet. Discussions of politics, problems in the Shambhala Buddhist community, cute memes, and other kinds of posts unrelated to Trungpa’s sangha would best be taken elsewhere. This group is for meeting each other like a big community meeting.

We are finally out of Shambhala!
From the “About”: This page is for those who are finally out of shambhala and want to shout it out so that others don’t feel so lonely if they are trying to get out. There is a whole world waiting for them, and by telling the truth you will be a hero to so many! The format is: “I am finally out of Shambhala” then give your dates: 1973 – 1987, etc.

Reddit Sites (subreddits)

r/Chogyam Trungpa
A space to discuss Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s teachings and lineage, as well as those of related teachers of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. This subreddit is not affiliated with Shambhala International, The Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche or Shambhala-Buddhism. For information or discussion on SMR, SI or SB, including the current controversy surrounding SMR and SI, please visit r/ShambhalaBuddhism.

r/ShambhalaBuddhism
Shambhala is in an active state of crisis and things are changing all around us. In this dark age, may all beings find clarity. This sub is in no way affiliated or associated with Shambhala International.

Instagram

Ocean of True Memeing
Regard all dharmas as memes.

Magazines

Lion’s Roar
Buddhist Wisdom for our Time

Shambhala International SitesS

Shambhala Community Care
Publishes reports by the Interim Board and related organizations about current abuse problems.

Shambhala Network
Includes Sangha Talk and other forums. In order to log in, you need to register as a member, but doing so only entails noting your nearest Shambhala Centre.

Shambhala Times
Community magazine

Notes

Credits: Thanks to Suzanne Townsend for starting this resources page.

Updates: Enter additions, updates and corrections as a comment below. The comment will be deleted after its content has been integrated into this page, or if it is not such an update.

A Useful Analogy?

There’s a possibly useful historical perspective and analogy that might apply to the question of whether the Shambhala Vision (as well the Dharma Art) of Chögyam Trungpa and of many of his followers is in its breadth and in its depth fundamentally for Buddhists, or equally for people of any religious practice.

Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, was himself a Jew, as were all his original disciples. Yet very soon, though not without controversy, Christianity opened itself up to people who were not Jewish. As it says in one of its texts (Galatians 3:28), there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female.

This seems roughly comparable to the situation with the Shambhala of Chögyam Trungpa, who was himself a Buddhist, and whose Buddhist students made up 99% of the original citizens of his Shambala Kingdom. Yet it was always clear to me, as one of those Buddhist students, as well as to my fellow participants in this grand experiment, that the intention was quite explicitly to have Shambhala and the full range of its teachings and practices available to all. As Chögyam Trungpa says in Great Eastern Sun, The Wisdom of Shambhala, p 133:

Shambhala vision applies to people of any faith, not just people who believe in Buddhism… the Shambhala vision does not distinguish a Buddhist from a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, a Moslem, a Hindu. That’s why we call it the Shambhala kingdom. A kingdom should have lots of spiritual disciplines in it. That’s why we are here.

Now in the last few years there has much of what I would call revisionism and antidestablishmentarianism (yet another historical perspective), with the mainstream Shambhala Buddhist organization saying that Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambhala was always intended primarily for Buddhists, with non-Buddhists able to share some of the beginning practices, but that ultimately they can not be full, first-class citizens and subjects. Mitchell Levy, for example, in his recent Chronicles podcast, says that non-buddhists can participate in a Shambhala society but not in the Church (which, if it’s Buddhist, is understandable), the Military, or the Government. I think that the root of such a view lies in equating Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambhala exclusively with the Tibetan Buddhist Kalachakra teachings (he explicitly says it’s not just that). This view, for many, ignores the very heart and essence of Shambhala vision and of the ever increasing relevance  of its simple, precise language to our 21st century world.

The analogy with the relationship between Christianity and Judaism is not perfect: among others, the Buddhist/Shambhala relationship is not one between two religions, but between a religion and a society/state/kingdom. Nevertheless, I think it can be helpful in offering some perspective on an issue that currently divides communities inspired by Chögyam Trungpa.

– Mark Szpakowski

Slow on the Uptake

Denny Blouin pens a personal investigation on Chögyam Trungpa in North America. “He came West at a pivot moment in world history. A time when, as he said, ‘confusions dawn everywhere, spiritual disciplines have gotten messed up and because of that, somehow or other, somewhere, vajrayana is possible to present. In this land of America, this beautiful land, this beautiful kingdom of America, vajrayana Buddhism has become possible to present.'”

Read the article, and return here to comment.

Keeping Alive the Teachings

The living treasure trove of teachings, practices, forms, symbols, individual and group instructions and methods, which the great Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche left to the world, are held by his direct students–to preserve, protect, and propagate.   Such treasure belongs not to us, but to humankind.

Read the full article, and return here to comment on it.