I am a longtime student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and have watched
him tirelessly gather the Shambhala community together after the
devastating deaths of his father Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1987 and
the Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin in 1990.
While the Shambhala community continued to reel from these shocks,
Sakyong Mipham devoted himself to furthering the teachings of his
father and provided the compassion that a community in turmoil needed
very badly.
He has proved himself a profound and patient teacher, publishing
best-selling books on meditation while travelling, studying and
teaching meditation practices worldwide.
Despite his international acclaim, Sakyong Mipham has also received
criticism. Is this normal behaviour? Are leaders who clearly possess
goodness, who dedicate themselves to the welfare of others, exempt from
criticism? Well of course not.
The Shambhala Buddhist community under Sakyong Mipham’s direction
continues to make meditation practice available to people of all faiths
in the Shambhala training programs and offers in-depth retreat
programs.
If you are curious about who this leader is, who could keep a
community together after such a tumultuous time and who continues to
teach worldwide and publish, then check out Mipham.com while you are educating yourself
about the Shambhala community. —Cecelia Driscoll, Halifax
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Dissent in the Shambhala community
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2009.
