This nature can be cultivated through meditation, following ancient principles, and it can be further developed in daily life, so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society. In the course of our lives, this goodness, warmth and intelligence can easily become covered over by doubt, fear and egotism. We tend to fall into a kind of sleep or stupor, believing in the conditioning we
have as the ultimate truth, and coming under the sway of fear. The journey of becoming fully human means seeing through fear and egotism, and waking up to our natural intelligence. It takes kindness—to ourselves and others—and courage, to wake up in this world. The Kailua Shambhala Meditation Center is home to a wonderfully diverse community who shares a genuine connection to contemplative practice and the aspiration to realize a more wakeful, sane society. Members and friends of the Center are welcome to attend celebrations, practice events, meetings and gatherings of special interest groups. The Kailua Shambhala Meditation Center is part of an international community of 170 meditation centers founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and led by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. The Shambhala Buddhist path, unique in the world of Western Buddhism, combines the teachings of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism with the Shambhala view of living an uplifted life, fully engaged with the world.
“Sangha” is the Sanskrit term for “community of practitioners” – one of the three jewels of Buddhism. Programs in Buddhist teachings, meditation and other contemplative disciplines are offered as well as free individual meditation instruction. The Kailua Shambhala Meditation Center offers free programs for children, celebrating and nurturing creativity in a gentle and awake environment. Families and members celebrate Children’s Day on or near the winter Solstice. We celebrate traditional Buddhist holidays such as “Shambhala Day” (the Lunar New Year) as well as community gatherings, parties and personal rites of passage. Established in 2004, the Kailua Shambhala Meditation Center on Oahu, Hawaii provides an open meditation space, instruction in meditation for beginners or experienced practitioners, and a diverse variety of evening and weekend programs to help participants discover sanity, gentleness and humor, with warm aloha spirit. At the heart of of our center is the meditation hall, where students practice the discipline of meditation and receive teachings from qualified teachers. The meditation hall offers a beautiful, open, and protected space for practice, instruction and community gatherings. At the Center, you may meet and talk with meditation practitioners and instructors who can tell you from first-hand experience about the various activities of the Center and how you can participate in them.
