About Us

The Shambhala Meditation Center of Portland is part of an international community of 165 meditation centers founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and led by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. The Shambhala Buddhist path, unique in the world of Western Buddhism, combines the teachings of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism with the Shambhala principles of living an uplifted life, fully engaged with the world.

Programs and classes in Buddhist teachings, meditation and other contemplative disciplines are offered as well as individual meditation instruction. The Center is home to a vibrant, diverse community of members and friends who provide ongoing volunteer and financial support - creating a warm, genuine basis for the realizing the full potential of our authentic wisdom traditions.

OUR LINEAGE

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, a spiritual and family lineage that descends through his family, the Mukpo clan of eastern Tibet. This tradition emphasizes the basic goodness of all beings and teaches the art of courageous warriorship based on wisdom and compassion.

Rinpoche is the son and heir of the Vidyadhara, the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. His background embraces both Eastern and Western cultures. Born in India in 1962, he received spiritual training from his father and from many of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist masters of our time. Rinpoche is renowned for his straightforward, practical approach teaching style and his skill at making even the most esoteric Buddhist teachings meaningful and relevant to an American audience. His bestselling book, Turning the Mind into an Ally, is a perfect handbook for starting a personal meditation practice. His latest book, Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life will be published this fall. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche exchanged marriage vows on June 8th, 2006 with Semo Tseyang Ripa at the Festival of the Blossoming of the Sun. To Learn more about Rinpoche, please visit: www.mipham.com

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was one of the most dynamic teachers of Buddhism in the 20th Century. He was a pioneer in bringing the Buddhist teachings of Tibet to the West and is credited with introducing many Buddhist concepts into the English language and psyche in a fresh and new way.

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche the former supreme abbot of Surmang Monasteries in Tibet, is known as the foremost meditation master and teacher of Buddhism in the West. In the early 1970s, he founded Naropa University, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America, along with over 100 meditation centers worldwide. Rinpoche encouraged his students to join their experience of meditation with such disciplines as Japanese archery, calligraphy, flower arranging, tea ceremony, health care, dance, poetry, photography, theater, education, business and psychotherapy. Rinpoche authored two dozen books on meditation, poetry, art and founded the Shambhala path of warriorship. To learn more, please visit: www.shambhala.org

ACHARYAS

The acharyas (Sanskrit, “senior teacher”) of Shambhala are deeply experienced teachers appointed by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. The acharyas are empowered to offer Buddhist refuge and bodhisattva vows and to bring the continuity of our spiritual lineage into the living teaching environment of local Shambhala centers. 

Acharya Pema Chödrön
Acharya Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun, resident teacher at Gampo Abbey, and the author of such popular books as The Places That Scare You, When Things Fall Apart and Start Where You Are. Her life experiences as wife, mother, and school teacher, and her years of study and practice with Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, uniquely empowered Pema to speak directly to the heart issues of both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.