The Shambhala Mountain Center is located in an isolated area in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Its location and surroundings make it an ideal destination for those looking for a peaceful and quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle of congested city life. The center welcomes anyone and everyone who is in need of a self-reflective retreat. Based on the information from its website, the center is more of an area centered around convert Buddhism rather than ethnic Buddhism, without a large focus on the actual Buddha and his teaching and more of a focus on the practices of Buddhism and how they can be used to improve the lives of anyone willing. However the center also provides services for the more devout Shambhala Buddhist followers, which follows more closely to the teaching used by Shambhala masters. The history of Shambhala Buddhism is based on the story of a community that was able to reach a high level of consciousness and enlightenment together; the center teaches the values necessary and practices to strive toward higher consciousness for all who are interested. Charging dues or tuition from those who wish to use this center for retreats funds the center.
This meditation center offers several programs for those who wish to participate, all of which are focused around the meditation practices of Shambhala Buddhism. There are introductory meditation classes, as well as opportunities for those who are more experienced in meditation, with different opportunities from meditation weekends to self-guided retreat and renewal programs. The beginner classes in meditation focus on the initial control of ones mind and a “training” of the mind to engage in powerful meditation and “find peace while developing a strong and flexible mind.” There is also a focus on mindfulness in all practices, or being extremely aware of ones actions and mindset. These mindfulness meditations are used at the center to reduce stress and anxiety in the proven effective Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The more advanced meditation classes offered are for those more committed to the Shambhala path and practices. These retreats focus on the actual scriptures and sutras from early Buddhist teachings. They are more varied and generally offer more Vajrayana Buddhist teaching; specific courses range from the Chakrasamvara intensive recitation practices with Greg Smith (who has been a student of meditation for many years and also is a well known sangha artist and Thangka painter) to joining groups such as the Scorpion Seal Assembly, which involves the intense practice of Sadhana. Werma Sadhana is a scripture that is considered some of the highest teachings of Shambhala Buddhism. Several of the more advanced Shambhala opportunities at the center require the completion of the Shambhala Vajrayana Seminary. The seminary is meant to teach students the Vajrayana teachings of Buddhism and the Buddhist lineage that have lead to the pursuit of a Shambhala Buddhist Mandala community.
Although the main practice of the center is meditation, there are also other ways to participate in this Shambhala community. There are classes in yoga and how yoga can be used as a form of meditation and healing. Certain yoga retreats are also offered for those looking to discover relaxation and wakefulness. Buddhist yoga retreats are even offered as a twelve-step program to beat addiction and rid addicts of their attachment, which is causing them suffering, a main Buddhist teaching. They also have a wide variety of arts and creativity retreats that can be focused on such practices as painting, poetry, photography, drawing, calligraphy, dancing, and flower arranging. The appreciation of arts in the Shambhala practice comes from the power of living through sensory experiences; being mindful in these arts is said to help bring wisdom and wellness to our lives. Other retreats of the center revolve around bettering relationships, with a focus on increasing effective communication. These retreats help those struggling with relationships such as marriages, couples, inter-family, and work relationships. Programs on wellness are also offered, for example, a program on using mindfulness while eating to make healthier decisions.
The Shambhala Meditation center was founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Known as a teacher and master of Tibetan Buddhism, he is credited with spreading Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and also establishing the Shambhala training method used by the center. After fleeing from Tibet during the exile, Trungpa was inspired by his meditation and his visions of the legendary Shamabhala, where the entire community is enlightened and works together peacefully, based on the fact that each individual embraces their inherent goodness. Especially after witnessing all the plight of those fleeing from their homeland, he began to understand that a global society where everyone realizes the good of humanity is what needed to be taught and spread. That is why he decided to spread these meditative practices to the West, starting at his headquarters for North American practice in Boulder, Colorado. Trungpa also established around 150 total meditation centers around the world, including this center, an intensive retreat center. He names himself as the sakyong (earth protector) of his school and later passed it on to his son Sakyong Mipham after training. The Shambhala Mountain Center reveres Sakyong Mipham’s teachings.
Locally, the center has several teachers. Each one is a master in their own field, and they are all also very diverse in ethnicity and background. There are a few foreign born teachers that have brought over Eastern traditions with them and willingly teach these practices and teachings here at the center. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche is one teacher who has had a notable impact on Buddhist tradition. His Emanence, as he is referred to, is also the supreme head of the Ripa lineage of Nyingma Vajrayana Buddhism. He also experienced the Tibetan exile and founded his own temple in the refugee area of India. He is also a well-known master of the profound hidden-treasure teachings, seeking new revelations through every day experiences. Another teacher is Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche who is actually not Buddhist but a teacher of the Tibetan tradition of Bon. He was born in India after his parents fled from Tibet, he now teaches the Bon tradition as well as meditation practices in the United States. Of course there are also native teachers who have valuable skills and lessons to teach those willing to learn. Ben Cohen is a teacher who has a PhD and continues a private practice in Boulder, and leads the couple’s therapy workshops at the center; he has also continued an active meditation practice for over 25 years. Marcella Friel is another notable teacher at the school, starting out as a book-publisher in the Bay area and then discovering that she had a passion for cooking and foods. After going to a culinary school and running nonprofit organizations to teach low-income adults and children whole foods cooking skills, she ran the kitchen at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She now teaches the food and body image coaching practice at the center to help people have a healthy relationship with food and their own bodies. This is only a small sample of the wide variety of teachers available at the Shambhala Mountain Center. Alll teachers are well versed in the art of meditation and several of them have been able to personally train with Chogyam Trungpa or his son.
One aspect of the Shambhala Mountain Center that they are particularly proud of and call the “heart” of the center is the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. The Stupa is a 108 foot tall beautiful piece of architecture whose construction began in 1988 and lasted for 13 years. It was built as a memorial to the founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and to be an inspiration for peace and compassion. It is a rare example of traditional Buddhist architecture in the West. The purpose of stupas in the Buddhist tradition is to be a tool for enlightenment; they are sacred relics that are intended to compliment and add to the energy of the environments they are placed in. They are said to promote physical and mental well-being to all those who have built it, visit it and venerate it. The Great Stupa holds a large golden Buddha statue seated on the floor, and within the center of this statue is the actual skull relic of Trungpa Rinpoche. Every sculpture within and every subtle piece of architecture about the Stupa is fully intended as symbolic. As well as being the symbolic heart of the center, it is also very aesthetically beautiful and complimentary to its mountainous environment.
The Shambhala Mountain Center is a good example of Buddhism’s current place in the United States. With a welcoming community to all those curious in Buddhist teachings and practices, or just those looking for a new way to improve their lives, to those who wish to devote more time to traditional Buddhism, this center offers all of the above. The center supports a tradition founded by a very influential Buddhist leader and master in the art of meditation. This rich foundation in meditation is used in each practice that the center offers, in every retreat and workshop, and with the clear skies, pine trees, and beautiful mountains, the center is an excellent place to engage in this practice.