What we’re about
The Boston Shambhala Center provides space and support for following a path of meditation. Our mission is to cultivate the worthiness, wisdom and compassion of individuals and society based on the inherent goodness of humanity and the natural world. Our core path is an experiential, progressive path of meditation and study, supported by a community of other practitioners, and extending to the ordinary activities of daily life. The roots of our practices are the Shambhala lineage, the Buddhist lineages of Kagyü and Nyingma, and the earth-based Bön tradition of Central Asia.
We train in meditation to better know our minds and hearts and to cultivate the qualities of openness, bravery and kindness.
Weekly Practice Events
Our center has a rich array of ongoing offerings open to the public including weekly public sitting meditation hours and dharma talks. No prior meditation experience required to attend. All are welcome. Weekly Events Information
Getting Involved
Our community and center is almost entirely volunteer run. All of our programs are staffed by volunteers, as well as our councils and committees. People from all walks of life dedicate some amount of time to support other people to sit on the cushion and become familiar with their own basic goodness. The vision of a sane and awake society begins with one simple act: Getting Involved.
Family and Children
We welcome families at the Boston Shambhala Center as a vital part of our community. Our aspiration is to have a local Shambhala community in which families gather for practice; feel included and supported. Contact us about bringing your family to the center at: info@shambhalaboston.org
Upcoming events
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Cutting Through the Fog of Materialism: Sadhana of Mahamudra
Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston, 646 Brookline Ave., Brookline, MA, USRegister Here: Shambhala Boston
Classes, online via Zoom
Thursdays 10/23 - 11/13, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Retreat, in person only
Saturday 11/16, 9:00am-5:00pmAlthough I live in the slime and muck of the dark age
I still aspire to see your face
Although I stumble in the thick, black fog of materialism,
I still aspire to see it.— supplication to Padmasambhava from the Sadhana of Mahamudra
Explore the Vajrayana through understanding and practice of the Sadhana of Mahamudra - a Vajrayana group practice available to our entire community.
In the sitting practice of shamatha-vipashyana meditation, we cultivate wisdom and wakefulness through resting our mind on an object such as our breath (shamatha) and through investigation and reflection of that somewhat-settled-mind (vipashyana). However, in daily life our minds are active, making it difficult to remain mindful, calm and self-reflective at all times. We get caught up in conflicting emotions and neurotic patterns as soon as we get up from our meditation cushion.
Tibetan Vajrayana practices are designed to bridge this gap by engaging directly with the active mind through visualization and mantra, thereby allowing us to transmute our speed and confusion through cultivating wisdom and wakefulness in all life circumstances.
Through four online classes, and one in-person practice day, participants will be introduced to the world of Tibetan Vajrayana through study and practice of the Sadhana of Mahamudra. The classes will provide a rich ground for discussion of key principles of Vajrayana through the colorful and poetic imagery of the sadhana, the background of the lineage holders depicted in the sadhana, and the history of the sadhana itself. The classes will culminate in a one-day retreat with guided practice, talks, self-reflection and discussion, culminating in a community Sadhana of Mahamudra Feast practice.
Those who register for the class, but are unable to attend the in-person retreat, will receive access to the recordings of that day’s talks after the event.
Whether you are simply curious about Vajrayana practice, or are an experienced yogi, you will find fresh relevance in the words and practice of the sadhana - and fresh access to the space and wisdom in your daily life!
About the Sahdana of Mahamudra
The Sadhana of Mahamudra is a liturgy that includes chanting, visualization and silent sitting practice. It is done as a means of overcoming the obstacles of spiritual materialism in our practice, in our live and the world. The sadhana is based on two main principles - space and energy. It joins two of the great Vajrayana lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, the Nyingma lineage (“old translation school”, associated with space) and the Kagyü (associated with energy). The Nyingma lineage descends from Padmasambhava, who came to Tibet in 760 C.E. while Marpa Lotsawa established the Kagyü lineage in Tibet some 1000 years ago in 1045.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of the Boston Shambhala Center, was a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and teacher who was deeply trained and immersed in both of these lineages. This sadhana is an expression of both his knowledge and realization and particularly relevant to western students. The vivid language and potent imagery are trademarks of Chögyam Trungpa’s transmission of the dharma.
While Vajrayana Buddhism is usually only taught to experienced and deeply committed practitioners after many years of practice, the Sadhana of Mahamudra was given to our community as a group practice available to all levels of practitioners. We practice this during Sunday morning nyinthun on Sundays that coincide (or closely align) with New Moon and Full Moon days.
Don't expect to understand it fully the first time. You can simply chant the words and relax into the atmosphere that doing so creates.
Teachers:
Till Cremer came to meditation in 2015 and found his way to the Boston Shambhala Community in 2018. Since then, Till has been increasingly involved in volunteering activities, supporting Nyinthun and Sangha Sundays. He has been serving on the center’s board of directors since 2022. Till holds a PhD in chemistry and works in industrial R&D, and he also has a private bodywork therapy practice focusing on acute & chronic health issues and trauma integration. In his spare time, Till tries to spend as much time as possible in the outdoors.
Frank Ryan is an established teacher and meditation instructor who originally studied under the guidance of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In the past Frank served as the Director of both the Vancouver and Boston Shambhala Centers and has taught throughout North America, Canada and Ireland.
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Wednesday Night Dharma Gathering
Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston, 646 Brookline Ave., Brookline, MA, USWednesday Dharma Gatherings are open to community and newcomers alike.
These gatherings draw on the sangha – the third jewel of Buddhism – as a refuge and support for waking up. Depending on the week a presenter might share a key point from the classical Buddhist teachings, a memorable passage from a dharma text, a challenge or inspiration they are working with in their own path, or an exploration of putting the teachings into daily life.
The view of Shambhala is about whole-hearted engagement in life, i.e meditation in action, not separating one’s life into spiritual and secular. So how do we dig in fully and apply the teachings to our everyday lives? What can we learn from one another on the path?
Conversations will be grounded in the experience of meditation in action
Each evening includes: Brief meditation instruction and 10-20 minutes of practice, a short presentation on a dharma topic, and 30-45 minutes of open discussion
These Open House Dharma Gatherings are each Wednesday from 7-8:30pm in person at the Boston Shambhala Center.
Registration is not required – just come by. All are welcome! There is no Fee for this event. Donations are always welcome.
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