Our Lineage

The Sakyong, Mipham Rinpoche

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 India, he received spiritual training from his father and other distinguished lamas and received further education and training in Europe and North America. He now travels extensively teaching worldwide.

"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."

Visit sakyong.com for more information about Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

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."

Read Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's biography on the Shambhala International website.

Acharyas (Senior Teachers)

The acharyas of Shambhala are senior teachers appointed by the 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 Dorje Denma Ling and local Shambhala centers. Dorje Denma Ling has the good fortune to host many of the acharyas as visiting teachers, and we are extremely honored to have Acharya Jeremy Hayward as our resident Head of Education.

You can also read more about the other Shambhala acharyas by clicking here.

Acharya Jeremy Hayward

Jeremy Hayward was trained in physics and biology at Cambridge University, England, where he received a doctorate in physics. He began study and practice of Buddhism in 1967 and became a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1970. In 1974, Jeremy helped to found the Naropa University under the guidance of Chögyam Trungpa and was vice-President of the University for the first 10 years, and a Trustee for the next 12. In 1977 he helped to create the Shambhala Training program and has been a central figure in the development of the Shambhala teachings ever since. He has conducted seminars and retreats on Shambhala and Buddhism throughout North America and Europe.

Jeremy took part in the first Dharmsala conversations on science and Buddhism with the Dalai Lama, in 1987, and co-edited the proceedings of these ground-breaking discussions, "Gentle Bridges: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of Mind." He has published three other books on science and Buddhism, the latest being "Letters to Vanessa, on Love Science and Awareness", as well as a book on the Shambhala teachings: "Sacred World, the Shambhala Path to Gentleness, Bravery and Power". His memoirs, "Warrior-King of Shambhala: Remembering Chögyam Trungpa" are published by Wisdom Publications.

Jeremy was appointed acharya (senior teacher) of Shambhala Buddhism in 1996 and was acharya-in-residence at Dechen Chöling, the European Shambhala practice center, from 1999 to 2005. He is now Director of Education at the Shambhala practice centre of Canada, Dorje Denma Ling in Nova Scotia.