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Please note: This "open enrollment" course may be completed on your own schedule.
Meeting Shambhala—An Introduction to the Shambhala Lineage
This course is a progressive exploration of the core elements of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, which is the union of warriorship and Buddhism. The root of receiving the practices of any lineage is the relationship between the living lineage-holder—who holds the stream of teachings and realization—and the student. To support that, the student must understand the lineage they want to enter, in this case the Shambhala lineage held by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. The course is designed for all levels of practice and will be of interest to new and seasoned practitioners alike.
The course will cover what a lineage and lineage holder are; what meditation is in general and according to the outlook of a lineage; and will explore the views of basic goodness and natural hierarchy in their relationship with the Rigden and Sakyong. The major figures in the Shambhala tradition will be presented through the Supplication to the Shambhala Lineage, with special emphasis on Gesar of Ling and the Rigdens, who Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche named as the sources of the Shambhala terma teachings. The class concludes by examining the points of direct intersection between a student and a lineage as a way of showing the unique features of Shambhala Buddhism and its cultural container.
This course is pre-recorded for viewing at your own pace. There is no required reading for this course.
Topics by Class
Class One: Lineage and Lineage Holders, Teacher and Student, Cultural Aspects of Lineage
Class Two: Meditation, Basic Goodness, Natural Hierarchy, The Rigden
Class Three: The Shambhala Lineage Supplication, Dzokchen, Mahamudra, Rigdens and Dharmarajas, Gesar and Ling
Class Four: Warriorship and Buddhism, Drala and the Mukpo Lineage Teachings, How Warriorship and Buddhism Interweave
About the Teacher
Walker Blaine has offered several, pre-recorded Shambhala Online courses in recent years. His style of teaching is gentle, detailed, and good-humored.
Walker has been part of the Shambhala community for more than 35 years, spending many of those years working, living, or on retreat at rural land centers. In addition to being a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Walker studied intensively under the guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, one of the great meditation masters who left Tibet in the late 1950s. Since 2012 Walker has provided background support for the texts and instructions of the Sakyong lineage teachings, as well as overseeing Tibetan translation projects for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Walker lives with his wife Patricia and their son Griffin in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is working on a book about Shambhala Buddhism.
Registration Options
Individuals: $108. Centers: $399. Groups: $299.
Centers and Groups, please register with your Shambhala account, or create one following the instructions at this link.
Patrons: $149. The Patron rate supports our efforts to connect teachers and learners through online programs. In particular, it helps us offer the generosity policy to those in need.
Generosity Policy. Click on the Request a Discount link below to receive a 25% discount code. For a further discount, write to [email protected].