Membership - Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago

Relying on the blessings of our glorious Lineage and the merit of our precious sangha, Aware of the dire need for the benefits of Shambhala dharma in this Dark Age, Fully confident in our warriorship and windhorse as members of the Rigden family, We adopt this statement of vision for the future of the Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago:

Delighting in the spontaneous growth of members and truth seekers that we have witnessed as we have presented opportunities to connect with the Dharma, we will welcome, develop, and support the further growth of the Center.

Dedicated to nurturing teaching and study of Dharma, we will maintain the excellence of all three gates to contemplative practice: Shambhala Training, Shambhala Buddhist teachings, and Dharma Arts [Nalanda].

Acknowledging our living tradition as the Practice Lineage and that an unshakable connection to meditation practice must be the basis for all our future growth and development, we will offer and expand regular opportunities for practice, both short and extended, for all levels of practitioners, and in close collaboration with Shambhala land centers, particularly Windhorse in Wisconsin.

Seeing that we are in a unique position to directly extend the blessings of our lineage to a major metropolitan area and midwest region, we will develop and implement a program to initiate and support affiliated practice and study groups in the Chicago area, as well as support fledgling groups in towns and rural areas that identify with the Chicago Center as their main local point of contact with Shambhala dharma and activity.

Understanding basic goodness as being inherent in all sentient beings of all races, religions, ethnicities, ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, social situations, and differing physical and mental abilities, we will actively seek to extend the benefits of Shambhala to all through outreach, innovative programming, and accessibility efforts.

Embracing the challenge of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and the Druk Sakyong, the Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, to create enlightened society here and now, we will seek new opportunities to raise the banner of Shambhala in social and professional settings and gatherings, using creativity and skillful means to apply Shambhala dharma to enlighten everyday life.

Recognizing our distinctive Shambhala role to support householders and other practitioners leading busy lives in the world, we will expand practice, study, and social activities that welcome children, families, students, young adults, and older adults, encompassing the life cycle.

Being grateful for having received the means to understand the cyclic existence of samsara with compassion and equanimity, we will develop community support for sentient beings, starting with our immediate Shambhala family, through the stormy passages of birth, old age, sickness, and death, in the sacred view that nirvana is not to be sought or found anywhere other than right here and now.

Shambhala, Shambhala Meditation Center, and Shambhala Center are registered service marks of Shambhala International (Varjadhatu). Shambhala Training is a registered trademark of Shambhala/Nalanda Foundation.