Shambhala as a millennial vision

Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
Chogyam Trungpa

(Trungpa is the founder of the Naropa Institute in Boulder Colorado, the most visible Tibetan Buddhist institution in North America)

"While it is easy enough to dismiss the kingdom of Shambhala as pure fiction, it is also possible to see in this legend the expression of a deeply rooted and very real human desire for a good and fulfilling life.  In fact, among many Tibetan Buddhist teachers, there has long been a tradition that regards the kingdom of Shambhala, not as an external place, but as the ground or root of wakefulness and sanity that exists as a potential within every human being.  From that point of view, it is not important to determine whether the kingdom of Shambhala is fact or fiction.  Instead, we should appreciate and emulate the ideal of an enlightened society that it represents."

Trungpa emphasizes that what he is teaching about Shambhala is "secular," by which he means "not religious" or "non-sectarian."  He's not saying that it isn't spiritual, just that what he is getting at is designed to be accessible to every one whether they are Buddhist or not, whether they are a believer of any kind or not.

"...although the Shambhala tradition is founded on the sanity and gentleness of the Buddhist tradition, at the same time, it has its own independent basis, which is directly cultivating who and what we are as human beings.  With the great problems now facing human society, it seems increasingly important to find simple and nonsectarian ways to work with ourselves and to share our understanding with others.  The Shambhala teachings or 'Shambhala vision' as this approach is more broadly called, is one such attempt to encourage a wholesome existence for ourselves and others....."

"....The Shambhala teachings are founded on the  premise that there is basic human wisdom that can help solve the world's problems.  This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, nor does it come only from the West or the East.  Rather, it is a tradition...that has existed in many cultures at many times through history."