Shambhala Mountain Center

The Shambhala Mountain Center was founded by Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1971 at Red Feather Lakes, Colorado.[1]

Shambhala Mountain Center
The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Shambhala Mountain Center was previously known as Rocky Mountain Dharma Center (RMDC) and Rocky Mountain Shambhala Center. The center is affiliated with Shambhala International.

History

Trungpa arrived in Boulder, Colorado, in 1970 with a number of students from Tail of the Tiger in Barnet, Vermont, now known as Karmê Chöling. Students from neighboring towns and across the country became part of the Karma Dzong Meditation Center in Boulder. Among these were the members of a commune called the Pigmy Farm, located on the eastern edge of the city. In September 2020, several structures at the Shambhala Mountain Center were lost in the Cameron Peak fire.[2]

Location

The property is located at Red Feather Lake on 600 acres (2.4 km2) of grassy fields, forest, ponds, and streams in the foothills of Fort Collins.[3] The center has 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of building space for meditation, dharma talks, programs, and lodging. The geographic coordinates are 40°44′N 105°32.5′W.

Programs

The center hosts Shambhala Training meditation programs as well as yoga instruction, leadership training, children's programs, and various longer term retreats.

Death of Trungpa Rimpoche

After the death of Trungpa in 1987, his followers began a fourteen-year process of building a stupa at the Shambhala Mountain Center. Consecrated in August 2001, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya is 108 feet (33 m) tall.[3] It is noted on the Stupa and is common knowledge among Shambhala practitioners who have visited center that Trungpa's relics are entombed in the stupa following Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Trungpa's relics are permanently entombed in the stupa following Tibetan Buddhist tradition.[4]

The Stupa is currently closed to day visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Cameron Peak Fire which burned through Shambhala Mountain Center on September 26, 2020. The Stupa survived the fire undamaged but 14 other buildings were lost at SMC.

Controversy

In 2018, Shambhala Mountain Center released a statement affirming support for the victims of sexual misconduct by a Buddhist leader and staff members in the Shambhala Community.[5][6] In 2019, the Shambhala Mountain Center released a statement, in response to an article in the Denver Post, acknowledging a desire to more properly address sexual misconduct and abuse.[7][5]

References
  1. Wilson, Jeff (Fall 2004). "Shambala Mountain Center". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. "Cameron Peak Fire Reaches Beloved Shambhala Mountain Center". CBS Denver. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  3. Ferrier, Pat. "Shambhala Mountain retreat is for the curious, those who seek spiritual guidance". The Coloradoan. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. Cookson, Rick (10 August 2014). "Shambhala Mountain Center home of peace, study and the largest stupa in North America". The Gazette. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. Julig, Carina (July 10, 2019). "Shambhala Mountain Center apologizes following Denver Post report". Denver Post. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  6. Julig, Carina (July 10, 2018). "Colorado's Shambhala Mountain Center affirms support for victims in wake of allegations against Buddhist leader". Daily Camera. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. "Shambhala Mountain Center responds to Denver Post article". SMC Blog. July 10, 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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