Our Lineage - Shambhala Meditation Center Los Angeles

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, a spiritual and family lineage that descends through his family, the Mukpo clan. 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 1962 in Bodhagaya, India, he received spiritual training from his father and other distinguished lamas and received further education and training in Europe and North America. He is married to Khandro Tseyang Palmo, daughter of His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche, head of the Ripa lineage.

The Sakyong has written two books, the national bestseller Turning the Mind into An Ally, and the prize—winning Ruling Your World. He is a poet and an artist. He has run marathons to raise money for Tibet through the Konchok Foundation. In September 2006 he offered the first Living Peace Award to HH the Dalai Lama at the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya in Colorado. He travels extensively, teaching throughout the world.

"When we talk about enlightened society, we aren't talking about some utopia where everyone's enlightened. We're talking about a culture of human beings who know the awakened nature of basic goodness and invoke its energy in order to courageously extend themselves to others."

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 Tibetan 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 and authored two dozen books on meditation, poetry, art, and the Shambhala path of warriorship.

"The Buddhist tradition teaches the truth of impermanence, or the transitory nature of things. The past is gone and the future has not yet happened, so we work with what is here -- the present situation. This actually helps us not to categorize or theorize. A fresh, living situation is taking place all the time, on the spot. This noncategorical approach comes from being fully here, rather than trying to reconnect with past events. We don't have to look back to the past in order to see what people are made out of. Human beings speak for themselves, on the spot."

Acharyas (Senior Teachers)

The acharyas of Shambhala are senior teachers appointed by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. As the Sakyong's representatives, the acharyas, who are empowered to offer refuge and bodhisattva vows, bring the continuity of the lineage into the living teaching environment of local Shambhala centers. Los Angeles has the good fortune to host many of the acharyas as visiting teachers, and we are especially honored to have an ongoing relationship with Acharya Allyn Lyon, who spends extended periods of time here twice a year. Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles also hosts ongoing programs using the video and audio tapes of Acharya Pema Chödrön.

Allyn Lyon

Acharya Allyn Lyon is a senior teacher appointed by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and acts as his personal representative in teaching Shambhala and Buddhism. She has served as the Director of Shambhala Mountain Center and has taught at the Vajradhatu Seminary. Acharya Lyon has traveled and taught extensively in Europe, the US, and Mexico, as well as at Naropa University. She is a senior teacher of Maitri Space Awareness program. Acharya Lyon has a special affinity to Los Angeles, where she serves as our Resident Acharya.

Pema Chödrön

"Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. It is all we ever have so we might as well work with it rather than struggling against it. We might as well make it our friend and teacher rather than our enemy."

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 empower Pema to speak to Westerners, both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

SMCLA is pleased to offer a monthly Practice and Study evening based on Pema's teachings. The Practice & Study evenings will offer a short guided meditation, a 45-50 minute video teaching by Acharya Pema Chödrön, and an opportunity for questions and comments. Meditation instructors will lead the meditation, introduce the video teaching, and facilitate the discussion. Suitable for all students. NEW STUDENTS ENCOURAGED!!!

For more information on-line, visit Pema's website or find information about her books.