Candia Ludy first encountered the teachings of Buddhism and Shambhala in 1980 when she read Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. She stayed a bookstore Buddhist until realizing she needed more and began attending her local Shambhala center. Candia lived at Karmê Chöling in VT for two years (1989-1990). She attended the 1992 Vajrayana Seminary at Drala Mountain Center and continued to return for the summer programs, mainly as a coordinator, until 2007. For the next eleven years Candia cared for her sister until her death from dementia. In 2007 her focus pivoted to working with Khenpo Gawang Rinpoche (see Exploring Foundational Buddhist Teachings). Together they created Pema Karpo Meditation Center and Jeweled Lotus Publishing, whose books are sold on Amazon. Candia, while diving deeply into Tibetan Buddhism, feels the training she received, and continues to receive, within Shambhala is priceless.