by Steve Roth
Reprinted with permission from The Miraculous 16th Karmapa: Incredible Encounters with the Black Crown Buddha.
In eighth century Tibet, Padmasambhava made a prophecy: "When the iron bird flies, when horses run on wheels, the king will come to...
Remembering Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Our beloved guide, Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, left his physical body behind on June 22, 2024. As with all great teachers, his passing has magnified his presence in the hearts and minds of his students, making this a moment of profound sadness and inspiration.
When the sun of dharma, the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, disappeared from view,...
Suffering as Blessing
By Ken Bowles
In the early 1970s at age 29, I was diagnosed with an incurable medical condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa that would result in progressive deterioration of my eyesight and blindness. In 1972, I attended a weekend seminar with Chogyam Trungpa on The Mandala of the Five Buddha Families held in a gymnasium in Barnet, Vermont....
What to expect at the Visit of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
In this nine-minute talk, the Loppon explains the significance of this visit for Trungpa Rinpoche’s vajrayana students, those who encountered him during this lifetime, and those who have come along since then.
The Passing of Bernie Flynn
Bernie first came to our Sangha after college and roaming around the country in the usual hippy pursuits of the early 70's. The "VT back to the land" movement was in full swing and he was going to write the "Great American Novel". He found a house in Barnet and as it turned out, it was not...
The Passing of John Baker
The family of John Joseph Baker, 81, of Boulder, Colorado share the news of his passing on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at his beautiful mountain home in Boulder, Colorado with his family by his side. He experienced a gentle “fading of my life” over a period of many months. John was born on September 13, 1944,...
Interview with Khenpo Karma Tenkyong
Drala Mountain Center is looking forward to hosting Khenpo Karma Tenkyong, the resident teacher at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, for Open, Spacious, and Free: A Mahamudra Meditation Retreat, August 26th-29th.
Harsh Splendour First Screening
In 1959 Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche led 300 refugees on a nine-month journey across Tibet to India – a journey now seen to rank among the greatest of history’s great escapes. Among those following him was the Washutsong family and their daughter Palya, aged 15. With music composed and performed by India Gailey and Jeff Reilly, narration by Grant MacLean, Harsh Splendour tells Palya’s story. Through HD satellite images and a flight simulator, we follow the route the refugees took, see the towering mountain terrain they crossed, the fearsome weather they faced. It is a journey to inspire us all.
You Are The Masterpiece
Exploring unconditional sacredness: the display of innate goodness, the worthwhileness of everyday life
21 Years of Tributes from the Mahasangha
Contribute your poems, stories and tributes to this ongoing collection
Four Artists Reflect on CTR’s Visual Dharma Teachings
Photo by George Holmes, used by permission
A reminiscence from Jack Niland
Here's the story. In 1974 at the start of Naropa, Trungpa told me I had to teach a class..."Just tell them everything I've told you" were his only instructions. The first year I assisted others to learn the ropes. Then, starting in 1975, he had me...
Datun Study Program
Buddhism: View and Path: A 7-month study program from Siddhartha's Intent: January - July 2026. The course is being taught by senior instructors and students of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, along with several excellent guest teachers.
The Passing of Lama Yonten
Lama Yonten passed away in Nepal on February 7. Yonten was Trungpa Rinpoche's attendant during their escape from Tibet, 1959-1960. He also attended Trungpa Rinpoche's root guru, Shechen Kongtrul Rinpoche. Years later in India, he attended Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Here is a recent passage from Rabjam Rinpoche's Facebook page
In Loving Memory of Lama Yonten, Personal Assistant to...
50 Years of Dharma at the Philadelphia Shambhala Center
In December of 2020, during the pandemic, the Philadelphia Shambhala Center hosted a virtual gathering with fourteen of the founding members of Shambhala in Philadelphia. Coming together from coast to coast, some of them had not seen each other for decades.
They talked about the early days of practice, the sangha house in West Philly, the visits...
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
"Trungpa Rinpoche came to America in the early days of the spread of buddhism in the west. He was able to connect with many people and many became his...
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
The conversation revolves around the topics of essence love, and the importance of developing a healthy sense of well being, which Rinpoche talks about in connection with the subtle body.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Following the Chinese take-over of Tibet in 1959 and the flight of many Tibetans into exile, Tibetan Lamas began to be invited to visit other parts of the world....
In The Beginning with Rinpoche
The year was 1971. I had just left NYC with my wife-to-be, after ending up a two-year stay as director of a new age enlightenment and communication center. It...
At a Campfire
At a campfire with the participants of the 1981 Magyal Pomra Encampment VCTR said "Things are familiar and strange." I said I understood the familiar part, but why strange...
A Penny for Your Thoughts
During the 1984 Kalapa Assembly in Bedford Springs, the Vidyadhara requested that I visit with him. At one point during the visit there was a long silence. I asked...
How To Speak the English Language
Elocution lessons with Trungpa Rinpoche
Soon after arriving in India in 1960, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche began to study English with the help of Freda Bedi and later John Driver, both...
At the Redneck Bar
Out in the parking lot ... a man approached from out of the gloom with a rifle in his hand that he trained on Rinpoche
Servant
One evening in 1971, at the Four Mile Canyon house
Remembering Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Report from the Cremation Ceremony
More than 15,000 devotees gathered near Paro, Bhutan on March 3, 2012, to attend the last rites of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche. The ceremony began at...
Weary
There are days I wake up weary
Memories of Prajna
by Kusung Dapön Noel McLellan
Last night, the Sakyong had a dream of the Dorje Dradul wearing royal robes and a gold and orange crown. The Dorje Dradul removed the...
Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche at Phuntsok Choling in Ward
By Joanna Bolek AKA: Joanne Fagan
Attending the "Celebrating the Return" event was an opportunity to soak in the dharma which my husband and I rarely get, living as we...
Like a Bolt of Lightning
Book Launch at the Halifax Trident
E ma ho! Finally a true grass root's history of the early days of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his entry into the Wild West!...
Protecting the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
Dear Friends,
This past summer, a devastating forest fire in the Poudre Canyon near Fort Collins destroyed tens of thousands of acres of forest and many homes in the area....
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Buddhist Rebirth III: Modern Takesby Roger Jackson
Rebirth, or reincarnation, was assumed by most premodern Buddhists – and is believed by many modern Buddhists – to be “the […]
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The Key Points of Trekchö with Gerardo Abboudby Gerardo Abboud
We were very pleased to welcome Gerardo Abboud to the Halifax Shambhala Centre and back again to Ocean. In 2022 Gerardo led an […]
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Samsara, Nirvana, and the Pathby Jakob Leschly
Samsara represents the painful cycle of dysfunction and suffering, whereas nirvana epitomizes the liberation inherent in our true […]
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The Kagyu Lineageby Jonathan Barbieri
Lineage is the unbroken transmission of wisdom and skillful means that is passed down directly from teacher to student – from […]
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The Interconnectedness of The Mandalas of Taktsang and of the Sadhana of Mahamudraby Lodro Sangpo
In the first class has a slideshow and videos of the walk up to the temple complex, as well as the other important temples in the […]