Our Lineage and Teachers

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche serves as temporal and spiritual director of Shambhala. The Sakyong—literally "earth-protector"—is a "dharma king" and lineage holder of Shambhala. He also holds the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the eldest son of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the incarnation of Mipham the Great, a renowned tibetan scholar and meditation master. As part of the Mukpo clan of eastern Tibet, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche descends from the warrior-king Gesar of Ling.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche was born in 1962 in Bodhagaya, India. He received an initial Buddhist education in India, later joining his father in England and North America. The Sakyong studied with great masters such as His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and HH Penor Rinpoche. He is married to the Sakyong Wangmo, Khandro Tseyang Palmo, daughter of His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche, head of the Ripa lineage.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has written two books: the national bestseller, Turning the Mind into an Ally, and Ruling Your World. He is also an avid poet, artist and athlete. The Sakyong has run a number of marathons to raise money for the Konchok Foundation. He travels extensively, teaching throughout the world.

Visit Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's website.

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1939-1987), the former abbot of the Surmang Monasteries inTibet, was one of the most dynamic teachers of Buddhism in the 20th Century. He was a pioneer in bringing the Buddhist teachings of Tibet to the West and is credited with introducing many new appoaches to Buddhism.

In the early 1970s, he founded Naropa University, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America, along with over 100 meditation centres worldwide. He authored two dozen books on meditation, poetry, and art. Based on the teachings he received about the legendary enlightened kingdom of Shambhala, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche developed a program called Shambhala Training to present the path of meditation in secular terms.

Read Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's biography on the Shambhala International website.

Acharyas (Senior Teachers)

Acharya is a Sanskrit word that means "teacher." It refers to individuals that Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has empowered to represent him and the Kagyu, Nyingma, and Shambhala lineages he holds. Ottawa has had the good fortune to host many acharyas as visiting teachers, and we are extremely honoured to have a special ongoing relationship with Acharya Richard John.