Shambhala Mountain Center Blog

It is the Shambhala view that every human being has a fundamental nature of goodness, warmth and intelligence. This nature can be cultivated through meditation, following ancient principles, and it can be further developed in daily life, so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society.

In the course of our lives, this goodness, warmth and intelligence can easily become covered over by doubt, fear and egotism. We tend to fall into a kind of sleep or stupor, believing in the conditioning we have as the ultimate truth, and coming under the sway of fear. The journey of becoming fully human means seeing through fear and egotism, and waking up to our natural intelligence. It takes kindness—to ourselves and others—and courage, to wake up in this world.

The journey of awakening is known as the path of the warrior, as it requires the simple bravery to look directly at one’s own mind and heart. The essential tool for doing this is mindfulness meditation. As we continue on the Shambhala path, we learn many other practices, to help us break through the ancient crust of ego and awaken to the joy of fully living in this world. Awakening and opening, we discover the world to be naturally sacred—pure and full of beauty. We begin to see clearly the goodness and wisdom of others, and to feel compassion to help them in myriad ways.

Shambhala vision is rooted in the contemplative teachings of Buddhism, yet is a fresh expression of the spiritual journey for our time; it is available to practitioners of any tradition. Our lineage draws on the wisdom of the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism as inherited by founder of Shambhala, Chögyam Trungpa, and his son and spiritual heir, Sakyong Mipham. In the mid-1970s Chögyam Trungpa began to introduce teachings on Shambhala vision, based on his encounter with the Western world, and on the specific wisdom imparted from the Buddha to King Dawa Sangpo, the first sovereign of the legendary kingdom of Shambhala. This tradition teaches how to live in the secular world with courage and compassion

Buddhism offers methods to clarify our mind, open our heart, and face the realities of human life, while the Shambhala teachings offer practices for rousing our life force and connecting with the natural power and energy of the phenomenal world. The combination of these wisdom traditions offers a contemporary, effective spiritual path. Following it, we can reclaim our natural birthright of wisdom and compassion, and work with others to bring about the best in human society.

Tai Chi is a good way to reduce stress and clear the mind. It’s a great exercise because it can be done by the very young and the very old, at almost any place. Here are a few pointers to help you use Tai Chi to reduce stress.

1. Start with the basics. Slowly inhale through each breath and feel the positive energy entering your body; and as you exhale, imagine the stress leaving your body.
2. Try to practice in a quiet corner with little distractions, so you can focus your energy.
3. You can learn more about reducing stress through Tai Chi by joining a Tai Chi class or Tai Chi retreat like those offered by Shambhala Mountain Center.
4. Take it easy. Practice in a way that makes you feel comfortable and helps you feel relaxed.
5. Finally, try to do these exercises in the morning and the night, because it’s a great way to begin and end your day on a positive note.

Ready for the next step? Come join Larry Welsh as he leads Meditation & Tai Chi: Finding Stillness Within Movement. In this weekend-long retreat join together the wisdom of Tai Chi and sitting meditation. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center today to learn more.

Tai Chi is a wonderful exercise as well as spiritual practice because it combines the moving form of yoga with the mindfulness of meditation. There are a number of forms of Tai Chi, all of which consist of a sequence of movements that are performed slowly, softy and gracefully with smooth and even transitions in between.

Like yoga and meditation, Tai Chi is an excellent way to relieve stress. In fact, Tai Chi has become increasingly popular as it has been clinically proven to reduce blood pressure and stress levels. Unlike other forms of exercise that might put unnecessary strain on joints and muscles, the gentle movements in tai chi are safe for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

Aside from reduced stress, Tai Chi can help:

• Increase flexibility
• Improve muscle strength and definition
• Increase energy
• Reduce anxiety and depression
• Improve balance
• Improve sleep quality

Want to give Tai Chi a try? Come partake in our weekend-long Tai Chi and meditation retreat. In this Tai Chi retreat, led by Larry Welsh, beginning practitioners will learn the basics of sitting meditation and Tai Chi. Advanced practitioners will focus on integrating these two wisdom traditions. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center to learn about Meditation & Tai Chi: Finding Stillness Within Movement with Larry Welsh

Please join the Shambhala Mountain Center as we host John Tarrant, Western Zen teacher, on June 18, 2008.

As current director of the Pacific Zen Institute in Santa Rosa, California, Tarrant has a great reputation as a writer and poet. He has contributed to such books as Beneath a Single Moon: Buddhism in Contemporary American Poetry and What Book? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop. Tarrant’s own books include his controversial book The Light Inside the Dark and the widely received Bring Me the Rhinoceros.

In addition to being an accomplished author, Tarrant has also become one of the most interesting and creative of North American koan masters. Through his many talks and essays published in periodicals and around the web, as well as through his book Bring Me the Rhinoceros: and Other Zen Koans To Bring You Joy, Tarrant has established himself as the leading koan expert.

What is a koan?

A koan is a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution and that is used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning. Koans are said to reflect the enlightened or awakened state, and can short circuit the habit of discursive thought or shock the mind into awareness.

Tarrant has adapted koans in his meditation as a way to bring curiosity to the whole range of meditation experiences. In the John Tarrant meditation retreat offered by Shambhala Mountain Center, Tarrant will use koans to cross any gap between yourself and the life you live and the life you know is possible.

Want to experience koan meditation with John Tarrant? Join the Shambhala Meditation Center for Meditation & Creativity: Practices that Free the Mind with John Tarrant on June 18, 2009. Contact us today to learn more.