Shambhala Training Level I: The Art of Being Human

This program is offered in-person with our Center meditation instructors, and technology to connect to Shambhala Online.  We encourage you to gather in-person at the Shambhala Center for this retreat.

Register here:

The Art of Being Human: Shambhala Training Level I | Shambhala

For questions/technical issues with your registration or payment, please email [email protected].

For other questions, please email [email protected]. 

About the Course

This weekend retreat is ideal for anyone seeking to learn the practice of mindfulness meditation, develop a regular meditation practice, and cultivate a healthier and more loving relationship with themselves. 

Through meditation practice, you will glimpse unconditional goodness as the ground of your existence. You will learn how to open to yourself with gentleness and appreciation, and begin to see your potential as a genuine and compassionate human being.

Shambhala Level I is an excellent introductory program for anyone interested in the path of meditation. It will help open your eyes, heart, and mind to your own basic goodness and the sacredness of life.

This weekend retreat will include guided meditation instruction, periods of both sitting and “Zen-style” walking meditation, talks, silent periods, and group discussions. 

Shambhala Training Level I is the first retreat in a progressive series of weekend retreats, meaning each weekend is a requirement for the following weekend.

About Shambhala Training

Shambhala Training is designed to help us develop fearlessness, confidence, openness and gentleness towards ourselves and our world. These qualities arise out of meditation practice and the study of Shambhala warriorship principles. 

Developed by Chögyam Trungpa in 1976, Shambhala Training offers teachings based on the vision that every human being has a natural source of innate wakefulness that we can discover, cultivate and express in our life.

This path is open to anyone seeking to develop gentleness and strength through meditation. Shambhala Training is a series of contemplative workshops suited for both beginning and experienced meditators. The simple and profound technique of mindfulness-awareness meditation can benefit people of any spiritual tradition and way of life.

Meditation practice helps us to examine our states of mind without trying to change them. This practice encourages openness to oneself and what’s around us, and transforms the way we habitually see our life and our world. Our old habits and patterns become more transparent, leaving room for a more direct appreciation of situations.

The “Heart of Warriorship” curriculum consists of five weekend retreats that include meditation training and practice, talks by senior teachers, personal interviews, and group discussions.

Levels I-V provide a strong foundation in mindfulness-awareness meditation practice, emphasizing the development of genuineness, confidence, humor, and dignity within the complexity of daily life.

About the Teacher

John Rockwell has been on the path of dharma for 47 years. He met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1975 and studied and practiced the Buddhist and Shambhala teachings for 12 years with him, and in particular worked with him on translating Tibetan texts into English. For ten years, he studied and taught at Naropa University in the Buddhist Studies department. For many years, he served as an acharya or senior teacher for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and also studied intensively with Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. His inspiration now is to open the heart and senses on the spot.