Foundation by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche In 1970, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche arrived in North America. The first established center of his teachings was "Tail of the Tiger" in
Barnet, Vermont (now
Karmê Chöling). A second branch of the community began to form when Rinpoche began teaching at the
University of Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Dharma Center was established, now known as
Drala Mountain Center, near
Red Feather Lakes,
Colorado. In the early 1970s, the community grew rapidly and attracted the involvement of notable figures such as
Allen Ginsberg and
Anne Waldman. In 1972 Trungpa had identified Thomas F. Rich, an American with Buddhist name
Ösel Tendzin, as his
dharma heir. In 1973, the community was incorporated in Colorado as
Vajradhatu. Vajradhatu hosted visits by the Sixteenth
Karmapa (head of the
Karma Kagyu lineage of
Tibetan Buddhism) in 1974,
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (head of the
Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism) in 1976, and the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama in 1981. In 1974, Naropa Institute was founded, a contemplative studies and liberal arts college, now fully accredited as
Naropa University. In a formal ceremony on August 22, 1976, Trungpa appointed Rich as Dorje Gyaltsap, Vajra Regent and Director of the First Class of Vajradhatu. As described in the 1977 article in "Garuda V", which also reproduces the proclamation (signed by Trungpa XI and the 16th Karmapa, Trungpa empowered Thomas Rich "as his regent and as a holder of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages". Trungpa further stated "There is the possibility that members of the sangha, Western people, can take over from the Tibetans". Beginning in 1976, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche presented a series of teachings known as the
Shambhala teachings to the community. These teachings presented the principle of
basic goodness, and a secular rather than religious approach to enlightenment. They were encoded into a
Shambhala Training series offered widely throughout the community. In 1979, Trungpa Rinpoche empowered his eldest son,
Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo, as his successor and heir to the Shambhala lineage. Tendzin, who was HIV-positive, knowingly had sex with students for three years without disclosing his infection, believing that his spiritual practice protected himself and others from AIDS. It eventually came out that the Vajradhatu board of directors had known of the problem for more than two years and had done nothing about it. Tendzin died in 1990 from HIV/AIDS, and Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo, now known as
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, assumed spiritual and executive leadership of Vajradhatu.
Leadership by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche The community had been deeply divided and in distress over the events surrounding Ösel Tendzin's death, and repeatedly turned to the elder statesmen of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages for guidance. The succession of Ösel Rangdröl was approved by the heads of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, who encouraged the community to persevere.
Jamgön Kongtrül the third, one of the four regents of the
Karma Kagyu lineage in the period when the Karmapa had yet to be recognized, issued a statement that "His Holiness [Dilgo Khenstse Rinpoche, head of the Nyingma lineage and the Sawang's teacher] and the Kagyu lineage holders are all in agreement that the Sawang Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo should become the lineage holder of Vajradhatu." In February 2000, restated articles of incorporation were signed, officially changing the name from Vajradhatu to
Shambhala International. The change of name, which began informally with the Sakyong Mipham's assumption of leadership in 1990, reflected his approach of integrating the Shambhala teachings within Buddhism and making them the unifying principle of a Shambhala Buddhist sangha. Also beginning in 2000, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche moved to enclose the previously secular teachings of Shambhala within the container of a new Buddhist lineage, known as Shambhala Buddhism. In early 2018, allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct and misuse of power by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche toward his students. Following a series of reports by an initiative called Buddhist Project Sunshine on sexual misconduct within Shambhala International, the sitting board, known as the Kalapa Council, resigned. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche stepped back from his teaching and governance roles, and has not acted in a spiritual or executive leadership role within Shambhala International since that time. Shambhala International hired a law firm to investigate the allegations, and in February 2019 the investigator issued a report of its findings, which included finding a pattern of sexual misconduct and at least one credible incident of sexual assault by Sakyong Mipham.
Leadership by Shambhala Board In late 2018, a Shambhala Board of community members assumed executive leadership of the organization. According to the organization, it has implemented some of the third-party recommendations for addressing community harm, including instituting a new Shambhala code of conduct. In February 2022, the Shambhala Board reached a mediated agreement with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche that he would no longer hold administrative responsibilities in Shambhala International, and the organization's bylaws were amended to establish the Shambhala Board as an independent leadership body. ==See also==