When I finished college, I was inspired to live my life in a deeply meaningful way. I was not sure what that meant, but soon after determining that goal, I was fortunate to find myself in Boulder, Colorado attending the first summer of courses at what is now Naropa University. Through the great Tibetan meditation master, Chogyam Trungpa, I was introduced to the vision of Shambhala, which is rooted in the principle that every human being has a fundamental nature of basic goodness. This nature can be developed in daily life so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society.
Since that introduction, I have spent the rest of my life interweaving my meditation practice and teaching with my life activities in the business, creative and family domains. I have realized that having a core confidence in my own and others goodness has been a platform for living that deeply meaningful life I imagined.
Right now, according to the Shambhala tradition we are living through an age of greed and aggression, where we tend to harm ourselves, each other and our planet. The Shambhala teachings of confidence, compassion, gentleness and fearlessness offer an antidote to this crisis.
These teachings of human goodness have echoed in the stories of humanity for centuries, and in fact came into the Western world through stories of “Shrangri-La”, a place you can only find if you are pure of heart. This word is a muddled spelling of Shambhala. From the stories that have been handed down – long ago, in the Himalayan regions there existed a real or legendary Kingdom of Shambhala, a society that fostered the inherent goodness of its people. Shambhala vision tells us that we can experience that natural source of radiance and brilliance in today’s world. I invite you imagine that possibility!
